21. Beyond the Barricade-1
1010 Words
21
Beyond the Barricade
As soon as the car stopped, Claire burst out the front door, followed closely by Connor. Jacob plastered a smile on his face and climbed out of the car.
“Jacob!” Claire shouted as she launched herself at him with such force he fell back into the car and onto Emilia. “Did they let you off?” she squealed, still locked around him.
“Yep,” Jacob choked, barely able to breathe.
Emilia laughed as Claire tried to squirm her way backwards out of the car.
Connor reached in and grasped Jacob’s hand. “I knew you’d be okay,” Connor said, giving him a back-thumping hug.
“Thanks,” Jacob said, distracted by the sight of Molly running down the stairs with tears streaming down her face. She gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
“Everything all right then?” she asked.
“Yep,” Jacob said.
“Good.” Molly wiped her tears on a kitchen towel. “We’ll have a celebration feast in the kitchen.”
The three of them marched Jacob into the house, chatting excitedly. Emilia followed closely behind. The professor met them in the hall and gave him a “well done,” but never made it to the kitchen. Jacob suspected Iz had pulled Professor Eames and Samuel away to tell them about the Council meeting.
Jacob sat at the table while Claire dished him ice cream and sang silly victory songs she made up on the spot.
You can have chocolate or vanilla because you’re a lucky fella.
I’ll even add Nutella and a little hot fudge!
Molly bustled about the kitchen baking treats, and Connor asked for a blow-by-blow. Everyone seemed so happy he was safe.
This must be what having a family felt like. A whole house full of people who genuinely cared about what happened to him. And he cared about all of them, too.
Emilia sang along with Claire. She smiled and laughed, but when her eyes met Jacob’s, he could sense the fear she couldn’t quite hide. He had finally found a family, and now they were all in danger. The knot in his stomach tightened unbearably.
After an hour, Aunt Iz showed up in the kitchen, looking tired but happy. Samuel and Professor Eames were nowhere to be seen. Jacob suspected they were already out doing something for Iz, but the victory celebration continued.
Finally, after Claire curled up under the table, clenching her stomach and declaring her imminent demise from too much ice cream, Molly cleared away the feast, and Jacob escaped to his room to change. He needed quiet to process everything that had happened. He had started unbuttoning his shirt when a quiet knock sounded on the door.
“Jacob,” Emilia called from the hallway.
“Come in.”
Emilia walked straight over to him and buried her face on his chest. “We can do this, right?”
He held her close. “You and me, we can do anything, Emi.”
Emilia laughed a little and stepped away, brushing a tear from her eye. “Iz says to get dressed. She’s taking the two of us to see a show to celebrate. It’s her New York City tradition. Claire says she packed a theatre outfit, and she doesn’t want to hear any arguments.”
Emilia had almost reached the door when Jacob had to ask, “And Dexter? Did you get ahold of him? Is he coming?” He hadn’t wanted to bring Dexter up, but what sort of a friend would he be if he didn’t?
“I tried to call, but he won’t answer. I understand he’s mad at me, and that’s fine. But I wish he were here instead of with his horrible father.” Emilia scrubbed her face with her hands. “I just want to find him and tell him the awful things his father said.” She took a deep breath and pushed her hair away from her face.
“He’ll turn up.”
“I know.” Emilia gave a halfhearted smile. “You’d better get dressed before Aunt Iz has a fit. Molly’s got more food for you in the kitchen when you’re ready.” The door closed behind her.
As much of a jerk as Dexter had always been to him, Emilia was right. If Mr. Wayland was going to try and break apart the Council of Elders, Dexter should be warned. He had been living with the Grays since the family left Fairfield. Dexter was just as much a Gray as he was a Wayland. If lines were going to be drawn, he should have the chance to choose which side he wanted to be on. And Jacob had no doubt Dexter would choose whichever side of the line kept him with Emilia.
Jacob opened his suitcase and sifted through the clothing for something labeled theatre. Sure enough, there was an outfit waiting for him, neatly folded and sealed in a bag. He shook his head. Leave it to Claire to think of packing something like this when he was on his way to a trial. But then, who could have foreseen an assassination attempt on the plane? Or Council members who actually supported the Dragons?
Jacob didn’t particularly want to go to the theatre. He wanted to run. Take Emilia and run as far away from the broken Council as possible. Get her away from whatever danger lurked in the shadows. Go someplace nice and quiet where not even magic could reach them.
The outfit Claire had chosen for him didn’t make him feel any better. The pants were dark, and the light shirt had a mandarin collar. Jacob didn’t care what Claire thought. This was overkill. He sat on the kitchen counter eating a sandwich and feeling ridiculous. He looked like he should be in a magazine. Well, except for the sandwich part.
“Are you ready?” Emilia asked as she walked into the kitchen. She stole a piece of chicken that had fallen out of Jacob’s sandwich and onto his plate, oblivious to his enamored stares. She had pinned up her hair to display her delicate, dangling silver earrings. She wore a light blue chiffon dress that whispered every time she moved. She pulled on a cream sweater that matched the color of his shirt perfectly.
Jacob made a mental note to stop arguing when Claire dressed him. The girl obviously knew what she was doing.
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