Eight

We drove over to Jordan's parents' right after work. His leg bounced the whole way there as he clenched my hand. I never questioned it because I understood. By sharing their secrets with me they put their family at risk, and I'd rather they feel safe than feel the need to share anything. But Jordan insisted.

"I want you to know everything. I can't keep hiding things from you," he said again as we pulled up to his house.

"Should Buddy stay here?" I asked, unsure even though Buddy had been here before.

"No, I want him there. My dad knows about him."

"I knew it, he was petting him the last time we came over."

I got out of the car and waited for Jordan to join me so we could walk in together. Buddy ran ahead and walked through the door before we were even in the yard, making me roll my eyes. "He just went inside."

"Aw, he can't wait to see them," Jordan said, and pulled me up to the door. It was cute, and it didn't matter if Buddy was a spirit, he was still our special boy.

"I swear he knows so much more than I do. It would be really helpful if he could talk," I said, and reached for Jordan's hand.

"What would be the fun in that? I love that he's still such a sweet dog." Jordan started to knock on the door before pausing. It was the same house he'd lived in until a few months ago, and he seemed to remember that before turning the knob and walking in. "Dad? Mom?"

"Back here," Emilia, his mom, called from the kitchen.

With a squeeze to my hand, he led me through the living room to the small but cozy kitchen. Emilia sat at the counter watching Roger cook. "There's my boy," she said, before patting the stool next to her. "How are you two doing?" She pulled Jordan in for a hug as he sat down next to her and tugged me down to the stool next to him.

"Great, we finally got the basement organized and most of the flammable items removed," Jordan said, and I tried not to cringe. My mother had quite a collection of weird shit that she kept just in case she needed it for a spell or possibly to poison someone, but that all ended when she sacrificed herself for more power. It was actually a huge relief to get the things that reminded me of her out of the house.

"Don't worry, Bran, we've got some crazy ones in our family too," Jordan's mom said, and reached across Jordan to pat my hand.

"Dinner's nearly ready," Roger said from the stove where he was putting gnocchi onto a serving tray along with some roasted garlic and bread. "We'll eat first then we'll talk." Emilia helped him set everything on the counter and the four of us loaded our plates.

"This is great, thanks," I said around a mouthful of gnocchi. Jordan and I both tried to cook, but neither of us were all that successful. Now I wondered if maybe this could be something we could handle.

"You're welcome. I've never made gnocchi before and thought I'd give it a try," Roger said. Since he'd retired last year, Jordan said he cooked most nights, and his mom was more than happy to let him. Apparently, he'd always loved cooking but never had time.

"How's work been?" he asked me, and held my gaze until I answered.

"As good as working at the morgue can be. It's been busy but nothing too weird." It was true, and I hoped he accepted my answer and didn't ask for more details.

"No clingers?" Roger asked, and once again didn't look away from me.

"Clingers?" I asked, and looked at Jordan who was blushing so hard I worried for his blood pressure.

"He means spirits that won't leave, like Justice or Edith," Jordan explained.

"Oh, no not lately. Justice has decided to stay, and I'm not sure what's going on with Edith. I haven't seen her around work lately," I lied since we'd just summoned her earlier, and they didn't need to know Justice was now bound to me. Jordan stopped chewing and glanced at each of us.

"Come on, guys, let's finish eating first."

"You have chosen a necromancer to be your partner, son, we need to know a few things. Sorry, Bran, nothing personal," Roger said while Emilia once again patted my hand.

"It's okay, I don't mind. On the contrary, I'd rather it all be out in the open. I'm tired of trying to decide what should be a secret and what shouldn't. Keeping secrets is what destroyed my mother and I don't want to go down that same path."

Jordan settled his hand over mine and smiled. "I trust you, Bran, I know you didn't have a choice in most of the things she involved you in. Go ahead and tell him," Jordan said to his parents.

Roger wiped his mouth with a paper towel before folding his hands in front of him, his elbows resting on the table. I noticed how strong his arms were and how callused his hands, proof of a lifetime of hard work. "I know you know about Jordan's abilities as an empath, but there's a lot that you don't know, actually, he doesn't know either. This ability goes back many generations to when our first ancestor discovered he could feel the emotions of those near him but especially those that had passed on. We're with the living but part of us lives with the dead."

"Neither of us have the ability, but Roger's father did. He tried to fight it rather than embrace it and it nearly cost him his sanity. Only when a spirit from someone he'd known as a child came to him did he finally believe he could feel the emotions and pain of their death. You see, he thought he was insane, and the pain and confusion were his own," Emilia said.

"It's all very confusing. The thoughts and feelings come through so strongly. Even though I know they're not my own, it's easy to forget," Jordan said.

I knew his ability took a toll on him. He was always on edge and seemed to be in fight or flight mode regularly, but I thought things had calmed down since we confronted my mother's spirit.

"Are things a little better now?" I asked him.

"At work it is, and I hope since we spoke to Edith, she'll stop contacting me in my dreams."

"If she approaches you again, we'll try something else," I said. He tried to make it seem like he wasn't worried about it when he obviously was, and his tight smile proved it even more.

"There's more you need to know," Roger said. He glanced at Jordan who nodded for him to continue. "Our family has deep connections to our lineages. Long ago, one of our first ancestors was a very powerful psychic empath. Our history tells us he had a partner, that partner was a necromancer. It's also been told that those same ancestors live again through us."

"What are you saying?" I asked, needing to hear it from them.

"We think the two of you were together in a different lifetime. If that's true, then the power you both share is even stronger than what we imagined. You two could very well control everything on the other side of the veil from this side. Controlling a spirit would be as easy as whispering your demand. They cannot go against the combined power of the two of you." Roger looked between us before crossing his arms, and grinning.

Jordan met my eyes and I saw reflected back at me the same shock I knew was on my face. "It's similar to what Edith said," Jordan said.

"Edith? The spirit you said was bothering you in your dreams?" Emilia asked.

"She said we're fated. That we're meant to be together," Jordan said. Once again Jordan and I stared at each other. He started to smile and before I thought about it, I pulled him close and kissed him. "There's nothing we can't do together," I said, and wondered if those were my thoughts or a memory of the past.