8

8Cope

Thankfully, there were no spiders, tarantula or otherwise, in the house, but the threat of the hairy arachnids had made bedtime the night before a bit lengthier than usual. The kids had wanted more books and more drinks of water than Cope had ever seen. He hadn't been surprised one bit when he woke up around half past three to find Wolf sleeping between himself and Jude. At breakfast, Ronan and Fitz said the girls ended up in their rooms too.

Not that Cope blamed Jude and his safety briefing for the co-sleeping, but the thought of giant spiders under the bed was enough to give adults nightmares, never mind newly graduated kindergarteners.

Wolf and the others had been up with the sun, easily adjusting to life in the different time zone. Cope was thankful for the three extra hours of sleep he was able to get since his ass had been dragging. He'd need all the energy he could get to deal with Jude's return to the reservation.

Eagle was expecting them around lunchtime. There would be some kind of celebration with food and hopefully laughter. Cope knew Eagle would only invite people who knew and loved Jude, but he had no doubt everyone knew Jude was in town and would show up to see the fireworks, which Cope knew were on a low simmer as it was.

After a big breakfast of pancakes and bacon, Jude had gone to get cleaned up and to get Wolf and Lizbet dressed, leaving Cope to have a nice, leisurely, child-free shower. He'd taken his time washing up, enjoying the hot water. He'd been equally slow in shaving his face and getting dressed. He'd settled on cargo pants and a polo shirt, knowing Jude would be dressed similarly.

Heading downstairs, Cope found himself alone. Giggles from the back patio clued Cope in to where everyone was. From the sliding glass door, Cope saw everyone gathered around Jude, who had something in his hand. Praying it wasn't something poisonous, he stepped outside to see what was going on.

"Dad! Look at the lizard!" Wolf waved Cope over.

As he got closer, Cope saw a small brownish creature sitting in the palm of Jude's hand.

"Isn't he cute, Uncle Cope?" Everly asked. "I saw him on the side of the house, and he jumped on Uncle Jude when I got too close."

"Who knew Jude was a lizard-whisperer?" Ronan asked, snapping pictures.

Cope sure as hell didn't, although they hadn't been places where the little reptiles lived. "I hope this doesn't mean—" He stopped his train of thought before he finished his sentence. He was going to say that he hoped that the lizards wouldn't follow Jude into the house like some kind of reptilian pied piper but didn't want to be responsible for triggering another night of the kids being afraid of animals in the house.

"Hope it doesn't mean what?" Jude asked, wearing a good-natured grin.

"That you're not going to leave me for that little cutie. He seems to like you." Cope waggled his eyebrows.

"Yeah, that's because the lizard hasn't been around long enough to learn what a dork Jude is." Ronan laughed. "Okay, kids, let's get in the van."

"Is Lucy gonna be okay without us?" Everly asked Jude.

"Who's Lucy?" Cope asked, feeling like he'd missed an important piece of information.

"The lizard," Ten whispered. "Everly named it."

"She'll be just fine," Jude assured his niece. He set his hand near the adobe walls of the house, and a few seconds later, the lizard hopped out of his hand and scurried away. "Lucy has important things to do today, like eating a balanced lunch and finding the perfect spot to sun herself."

"Because heat speeds up their digestion," Aurora said.

"That's right." Jude grinned brightly at Fitz's daughter.

"Thank you for another flora and fauna lecture." Jace slapped a hand on Jude's shoulder as he passed by. "Van leaves in five minutes, so move your buns!" Giggles from the girls floated through the door before Jace closed it.

"You're turning into a real-life American version of the Crocodile Hunter." Cope pressed a kiss to Jude's sun-warmed skin.

"At least the little ornate tree lizards are harmless. They eat insects, not scared little girls, and they don't have venom or eight legs, so we're safe there."

Cope shivered just thinking about tarantulas. "Are you ready to go?" He could see his husband was dressed to walk out the door, but Cope was afraid Jude might be worried about the family reunion.

"I'm good. Eagle's looking forward to seeing all of us, and my cousin Abel and his wife can't wait to introduce us to their twins."

"I'm looking forward to that as well." When Wolf's parents died, Abel assumed he and his wife would get custody of the infant and had been enraged that Jacob had chosen Jude to raise the baby. Abel's wife, Misty, had let it slip that she'd been having a hard time getting pregnant, which of course had made losing Wolf that much harder on the couple. Cope had sent a bit of money to Misty for fertility treatments, and within a year, they'd gotten pregnant with twin sons.

Jude slid an arm around Cope's back. "I don't usually like to ask, but are you seeing anything?"

Cope knew Jude was asking about his gift. He gave his head a shake. "Most of your family is protected from my gifts, just like you are, so I have no idea what we're walking into. If anyone were to have an inkling, it would be Everly." His niece's abilities were so much stronger than his or Tennyson's.

"She didn't say anything," Jude said, leading Cope through the house and out the front door. He keyed the lock code and ushered his husband toward the waiting van.

"I'll keep my gift open just in case." Cope pressed a kiss to Jude's cheek and slid the door open.

"It's about time!" Wolf said, crossing his arms over his chest like he'd seen Jude do several times a day, when Jude and Cope climbed inside. "I can't wait to see Granpa Eagle."

"Me too!" Everly said.

"And me!" Aurora chimed in.

"And meeeeeee!" Ronan chimed in from the back seat. "Maybe I'll get a name this time," he said quietly under his breath, but Cope caught it all the same.

Cope remembered back to when Eagle had visited last Christmas. He'd performed a naming ceremony for Lizbet, giving the baby the name Shining Star. Eagle had also named Everly Whispering Wind and Aurora Peaceful Meadow. It hadn't crossed his mind that the adults might have felt left out, which was exactly how Jude was made to feel by people on the reservation who thought he didn't belong there. Cope made a mental note to speak with Eagle.

With Lizbet sleeping in her car seat and the kids busy with a movie out back, Cope relaxed into his seat and took in the scenery all around him. Sedimentary rock forming rolling hills painted the desert in purples and shades of rusty reds. Scrubby brush cropped up here and there. He couldn't help thinking what an inhospitable place this land was.

Jude was doing the same thing, staring out the window silently. Cope wondered what thoughts were going through his mind. Was he enjoying the scenery as much as Cope? Or was he preparing himself for what could be a rude homecoming?

Cope hoped it wasn't the latter. The last thing he wanted Wolf to see was the way Jude was treated as an outsider, and he knew his husband felt the same way.

Taking a deep breath, Cope let his mind float free as he watched the scenery fly past. It had been a calming two days with his gift being blocked by the energy vortex, and he was going to enjoy the quiet for as long as it lasted. There had been a big difference in Tennyson and Everly as well. Ten had been calmer, and Everly was full of life, smiles, and giggles. Cope thought it would be worth moving out here for the peace and quiet the vortex would afford them.

"Here's the line for Navajo Nation." Jace pointed down the road.

Jude tensed beside Cope as if his husband's fight-or-flight defense had just kicked in. He was about to reach for Jude's hand when he saw a bright flash of light and a string of images that moved too fast for Cope to figure out what he was seeing. Voices, some screaming, others pleading, flooded his ears at such a volume, Cope thought his eardrums would burst. As hard as he tried, he could only catch the occasional word from the cacophony of sound. No! Please! Stop! HELP! The voices grew louder and louder, threatening Cope's sanity. He tried to take a breath and found that he couldn't. He felt paralyzed, trapped in a waking nightmare of pure misery. "Jude," he whispered before everything went dark.

"Cope?" Jude's voice sounded like it was coming from miles away. "Come back to us," Jude said softly. The words were punctuated by taps to the side of his face.

Cope could hear his husband's voice and feel Jude's hand trying to rouse him, but he couldn't open his eyes. It felt like each eyelid weighed a ton. "Jude?"

"That's right. Wake up." Jude tapped harder.

"Daddy, wake up!" Wolf shouted.

At the sound of Wolf's voice, Cope's eyes shot open. Still buzzing with adrenaline from his vision, his eyes darted around the van, quickly scanning all the faces looking at him. Looking out the window, he could see the van was parked on the side of the road. Jude, Wolf, and Tennyson looked scared, while Ronan had his phone poised to dial 911. "What happened?"

"You tell us," Jude said softly. He pressed a kiss to Cope's head and dropped into a seat across from his husband. Cope could see his hands shaking.

"What do you remember?" Tennyson asked.

What the hell did Cope remember? He took a deep breath and tried to put the scattered pieces together. "I was enjoying the scenery and not having to drive or listen to Jude get antsy when he thought he was lost. I remember feeling completely relaxed because there weren't any ghosts vying for my attention. Jace called out that we were approaching Navajo Nation, and I saw a brilliant burst of white light." He looked from Jude to Ronan, and both looked stunned. "Okay, I'm guessing no one saw the light. Where's Everly?"

"Back here, Uncle Cope," Everly called. Seconds later, she was standing by his side. Wolf was right behind her, as if to protect his friend.

"Did you see a light or hear any voices?" Cope asked, hoping Everly had seen or heard something, not that he wanted the child traumatized by what he'd witnessed, but so that he didn't feel like he was losing his mind.

"I didn't hear or see anything, but I know you did." Everly took Cope's hands and shut her eyes.

Cope felt a quiet peace descend over him like a warm blanket on a cold night. He took a few deep breaths and felt the tension in his shoulders start to dissipate. In his mind's eye, he tried to pull the images of his vision back into focus, but they wouldn't materialize. Feeling frustrated, he opened his eyes.

Everly released his hands. She looked up at Cope, who could see in the little girl's eyes that she'd witnessed everything he'd seen and heard. "Those girls were in so much pain." She turned and buried her face in Ronan's chest.

Ronan wrapped his arms protectively around his daughter and shot Cope a questioning look. "I heard women crying. I could only pick out a word here or there, but it felt like they were asking me to help them."

Everly pulled away from Ronan, shaking her head. "Not asking for your help, Uncle Cope. Asking for revenge."

Ronan pulled his daughter away from Cope and led her back to her seat.

Cope could hear Ronan, Aurora, and Wolf comforting Everly. He turned his attention back to Jude, who wore a horrified look on his face. "What is it? Do you know who the women are in my vision?"

Jude nodded. "Last year alone, nearly six thousand native women and girls disappeared in the United States. The numbers have increased exponentially over the last two decades, with little being done to help find them or apprehend their abductors and killers. This country doesn't pay a lot of attention to missing women if they're not blonde, beautiful, and white." Jude's lips curled into an angry grimace. "Most of these women are never found, alive or dead. Their restless spirits are left to walk, unanchored, for eternity."

Thinking back to their first trip to Arizona when Wolf's parents had died, Cope remembered the Navajo funeral rites that were performed for Jacob and Sue. He hadn't understood a lot of what had gone on at the time but knew it was all to keep the souls of the dead from attacking the living.

Cope knew souls that were restless were not at peace. Sitting back in his seat, he knew this vacation wasn't going to be all family reunions and marveling at the Grand Canyon. There were souls who needed his help.