muscle in his jaw ticking wildly.
“Jackson did you see it?” she mused, turning in his arms. The wide grin stretched her round cheeks. A dimple formed in the side of her chin. She was happy. Happy even as there were sparks in her eyes still and her skin had turned thicker, darker.
Slowly, Jackson eased her to the ground. “I saw that you stuck your finger in a socket and nearly killed yourself. Again.”
Bright Star’s smile turned into a grimace. “No. Don’t be blind. Did you see that he saved me? He rescued me.”
“Yes,” Jackson placated her. His throat nearly closed over the word. “Yes, I saw it. But don’t you understand? Rush is just a man. He has Talents, but so do I. We are just men. It’s like doing CPR for a normal person, Bright Star. It’s what we should all do. We should save someone in need if we can. There’s nothing more to it.”
“There is,” she snapped. “There is. I could see him, smell him. I could feel him, Jackson. All there was in his mind was my coursing life current, that High Energy thread that’s me and me only. Rush reached out to that current redirecting it into my body even as it tried to escape. He repaired skin and bones and blood and nerves as he went to rebuild what I—”
“What you had impulsively and stupidly sought to destroy.”
She looked as if she had been physically wounded. She wiped at her eyes. Her voice became hurried and zealous. “Amazing though it was, what he did for me, Jackson, is nothing. At your Service, didn’t they teach you about Perma-Shift?”
“Of course, Bright Star,” he answered exasperated. “That’s just Parameters of Shift 101 . The bigger the Shift the more likely you are to experience severe Perma-Shift.”
“But he didn’t.”
“I’ve seen him experience it before.” Jackson recalled the time he had surprised his brother in his bedroom.
“Maybe, but not this time. Saving a life is the one most difficult, unstable, complicated, and strenuous Shift of all. Jackson, you know it. It’s huge. And he didn’t even blink.” She held tightly to Jackson’s shirt as she tried to communicate her message. “You don’t recognize his power for what it is. He’s not some EMT who saves one or two people on his shift. He’s not some random Serviceman fumbling around with his budding Talent. Rush can save us all.”
“From what, Bright Star?” Jackson asked and for once she didn’t have an answer readily available. She paused long enough for Jackson to calm down. He untangled her from his shirtfront and set her back from him. He tipped her face back to look at the blue eyes, soft creamy skin, perfect, supple pink lips. She looked a strange mix of passion and vulnerability and Jackson wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
At that thought, he firmly took a step back, farther away from her. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn’t let his mind travel that path. No matter how intrigued he was by her. No matter how strong the attraction. No matter that his brother wouldn’t come near her with a ten-foot pole. Jackson knew there was a stronger bond between Rush and Bright Star than he could ever have with her. She only ever watched Rush, had just literally been pulled off of him. Jackson knew, somehow, that if he were to seek her out, it would be a betrayal Rush would not likely forgive.
She answered his question finally. “From ourselves.”
“Jackson,” Rush called firmly from his room. “Do not let her in your head. Remember what she just did. Remember that you just saw her convulsing in a puddle she made on the floor. Remember that just a minute ago, you were trying to save her damned life! She’s suicidal. She’s crazy.”
“If you believed I was suicidal and crazy, you could have stopped me before I did it,” she countered without shouting. Of course, Rush could still hear her. “You would have stopped me.”
“I didn’t think you would go through with it.” Rush volleyed.
“A suicidal crazy
“Jackson did you see it?” she mused, turning in his arms. The wide grin stretched her round cheeks. A dimple formed in the side of her chin. She was happy. Happy even as there were sparks in her eyes still and her skin had turned thicker, darker.
Slowly, Jackson eased her to the ground. “I saw that you stuck your finger in a socket and nearly killed yourself. Again.”
Bright Star’s smile turned into a grimace. “No. Don’t be blind. Did you see that he saved me? He rescued me.”
“Yes,” Jackson placated her. His throat nearly closed over the word. “Yes, I saw it. But don’t you understand? Rush is just a man. He has Talents, but so do I. We are just men. It’s like doing CPR for a normal person, Bright Star. It’s what we should all do. We should save someone in need if we can. There’s nothing more to it.”
“There is,” she snapped. “There is. I could see him, smell him. I could feel him, Jackson. All there was in his mind was my coursing life current, that High Energy thread that’s me and me only. Rush reached out to that current redirecting it into my body even as it tried to escape. He repaired skin and bones and blood and nerves as he went to rebuild what I—”
“What you had impulsively and stupidly sought to destroy.”
She looked as if she had been physically wounded. She wiped at her eyes. Her voice became hurried and zealous. “Amazing though it was, what he did for me, Jackson, is nothing. At your Service, didn’t they teach you about Perma-Shift?”
“Of course, Bright Star,” he answered exasperated. “That’s just Parameters of Shift 101 . The bigger the Shift the more likely you are to experience severe Perma-Shift.”
“But he didn’t.”
“I’ve seen him experience it before.” Jackson recalled the time he had surprised his brother in his bedroom.
“Maybe, but not this time. Saving a life is the one most difficult, unstable, complicated, and strenuous Shift of all. Jackson, you know it. It’s huge. And he didn’t even blink.” She held tightly to Jackson’s shirt as she tried to communicate her message. “You don’t recognize his power for what it is. He’s not some EMT who saves one or two people on his shift. He’s not some random Serviceman fumbling around with his budding Talent. Rush can save us all.”
“From what, Bright Star?” Jackson asked and for once she didn’t have an answer readily available. She paused long enough for Jackson to calm down. He untangled her from his shirtfront and set her back from him. He tipped her face back to look at the blue eyes, soft creamy skin, perfect, supple pink lips. She looked a strange mix of passion and vulnerability and Jackson wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
At that thought, he firmly took a step back, farther away from her. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn’t let his mind travel that path. No matter how intrigued he was by her. No matter how strong the attraction. No matter that his brother wouldn’t come near her with a ten-foot pole. Jackson knew there was a stronger bond between Rush and Bright Star than he could ever have with her. She only ever watched Rush, had just literally been pulled off of him. Jackson knew, somehow, that if he were to seek her out, it would be a betrayal Rush would not likely forgive.
She answered his question finally. “From ourselves.”
“Jackson,” Rush called firmly from his room. “Do not let her in your head. Remember what she just did. Remember that you just saw her convulsing in a puddle she made on the floor. Remember that just a minute ago, you were trying to save her damned life! She’s suicidal. She’s crazy.”
“If you believed I was suicidal and crazy, you could have stopped me before I did it,” she countered without shouting. Of course, Rush could still hear her. “You would have stopped me.”
“I didn’t think you would go through with it.” Rush volleyed.
“A suicidal crazy
Similar Books
