5

5Jude

The jet touched down in Phoenix flawlessly. Jude expected to feel dread creep over him when he deplaned, but he felt strangely excited. He'd spent so much of his life trying to escape this place, and for the first time, he found himself not wanting to run in the opposite direction. It was progress. One small step hopefully leading him forward.

The temperatures were in the nineties, but with the dry heat, it felt more like the mid-seventies, which suited Jude perfectly. Ronan hadn't believed him when he talked about there being no humidity at all in Arizona until he'd felt the effects for himself.

Jace had rented a fifteen-person van, which had been fueled up and ready to go when they'd arrived to pick it up. Fitzgibbon drove, and Jace served as the navigator, which wasn't very involved after they got onto Route 17 North, which they would be on for most of the two-hour ride into Red Rock Country and Sedona.

While the kids entertained themselves with videos, Cope sat with Lizbet, feeding her a bottle in her car seat. He watched as his daughter's eyes got heavier as she neared the end of the bottle. Unlike Wolf, who'd slurped every last drop and cried for more, Lizbet never managed to finish her bottles before slipping off into dreamland. In a way, he wished he could wake his baby to see her reaction to the saguaro cactus they passed on the highway. Yet another change in his original disposition toward the Grand Canyon State. Like he'd said before, he wanted to see Arizona through his kids' eyes.

Jude loved the way the entire van gasped when the red rocks first came into view. He had to admit Bell Rock was gorgeous. Made of layers of sedimentary rock, the butte was an artist's palate of rusts, reds, and terra cotta. Everyone piled out after Jace parked the van. Jude pulled out his phone and started snapping pictures.

Turning around, he noticed Everly standing by herself and crying. Jude hurried to her side. He quickly checked her over to make sure she wasn't hurt or bleeding. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

Everly nodded her head. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and fell onto her Little Mermaid T-shirt. "It's so quiet here," she whispered, as if her voice would break the spell she seemed to be under.

"What do you mean quiet?" From where Jude knelt beside his niece, he could hear conversations going on all around him and the roar of traffic as it sped past.

"There's no ghosts here," she said quietly. "I can't believe it." Everly wrapped her arms around Jude and held on tight. "Don't tell my Daddy, but I feel free."

Several thoughts flew through Jude's head all at once. Was this respite from spirits permanent? A result of this magical place? Had Everly figured out how to shut her gift down? Not to mention, Jude keeping his mouth shut about what she was experiencing, which he wasn't going to do. Instead of saying any of those things, he hugged Everly tighter. "Enjoy every second, honey."

Ronan, noticing Jude and Everly, walked up to them and knelt beside his daughter. "Is she okay?" he mouthed to Jude.

Nodding, Jude pulled back from Everly and pointed to Ronan. She offered her father a bright smile. "You were right, Dad. This place is magical. I can't hear any spirits."

"Neither can I," Ten said, joining their group.

"I wonder if the energy vortex is stronger than the spirits? Like maybe there are ghosts here, but the power of this place speaks louder." Cope held Lizbet in his arms. Jude noticed his daughter's hands were covered in the red sand that blanketed nearly everything in sight.

"Maybe," Ten agreed.

"I want to stay here forever!" Everly threw her arms in the air and ran off toward Wolf and Aurora, who were walking toward the butte with Jace and Fitz.

Jude noticed Ten was wiping tears from his own eyes. "It's the first time I've ever seen her as a carefree little girl. I'm just so happy. Thank you, Ronan." Ten threw himself into his husband's arms.

Pulling Cope away from the embracing couple, he bent low to whisper in his husband's ear. "Do you think the spirit voices will come back when we're away from here?"

Cope nodded. "I think so. Like I said, I think the energy pulsing through this land is to blame for the hiccup in our gifts." His eyes followed the kids, who were standing on top of a red boulder, smiling for Fitzgibbon's camera. "Since Wolf doesn't have the abilities Everly does, I don't think about how being able to talk to spirits must affect her. I wasn't able to do that until I was in my teens, and it was one hell of a shock at that age. She's been able to see and speak to spirits from her first breath."

"How does it feel not to hear any chatter?"

"Liberating," Cope said. "I want to throw my arms in the air like Everly did and rejoice."

"No one's stopping you." Jude winked at his husband.

"I'll race you to the boulder!" Cope took off before he'd finished issuing his challenge.

Cope beat Jude easily with his head start. They posed for pictures with Wolf and Lizbet before the others headed back to the van, leaving Jude alone with his son. "What do you think of Arizona so far?" Jude's old fear that Wolf would want to spend his life here returned with a vengeance.

"I like how happy Everly is," Wolf said after pondering his answer for a few seconds. The sound of the little girl's laugh carried back to them. "Lizzy B likes it here too."

"How do you know that?" Jude asked, curious to hear Wolf's response. With the exception of pureed peas, Lizbet liked everything.

"She smiled for all the pictures we took and doesn't want to get back in the van." Wolf pointed to Cope, who was holding the baby's hands as she toddled around the parking lot on her own two feet.

Jude had a feeling the baby was suffering from a bit of cabin fever after being cooped up in the plane all morning and on the road for the last few hours. He wouldn't mind a little more time to stretch his legs out as well. "So we know that Everly and Lizbet like Arizona, but what about you?" Jude poked Wolf's belly, making him laugh.

Wolf shrugged. "I like these big rock thingies, but we didn't see any rattlesnakes. If we were home right now, I'd be splashing around in Aurora's new pool." The little boy kicked at the dirt, sending up a red cloud that floated toward the parking lot.

Jude held back a snort. Jace and Fitzgibbon's new pool had been a big hit with the kids. "You don't like Arizona because you didn't see a rattlesnake and there's no pool?"

"Yup!" Wolf agreed.

"There's a pool at the rental we can swim in." The adults had agreed they weren't going to mention the pool until they got to the house. The ride from the airport would have been pure torture if the kids were jacked up knowing what awaited them.

"What are we sitting here for? Let's go!" Wolf hopped off the red rock he was perched on and held a hand out to Jude.

"We're gonna have lunch here, and I'm sure your dad and Uncle Ten are interested in the crystal shops, so let's keep a lid on the pool until we get there, okay?"

Wolf nodded his head. "It's a deal. Now, let's get the show on the road."

Jude let his son drag him toward the van, where the girls were making faces at Wolf from the windows and waving. As he climbed aboard, he couldn't help but notice all the happy faces. Come hell or high water, Jude was determined to not let the ghosts of the past derail his homecoming.