Drake Sisters 02 - The Twilight Before Christmas

language we were al supposed to study back when we were teens. Mom told us to learn it, but we kept putting it off, wondering why we needed to delve that far back into the past. With the little bit we know, it’s impossible to find a single entry in al of this.”
    Matt stopped pacing, coming to a halt beside Kate, his hand resting on the nape of her neck. “El e’s on the way home, isn’t she? It shouldn’t be long. How come she learned the language when the rest of you only know a little?”
    Abbey blew on her tea. “She learned it in order to teach the next generation, just as our mother did.”
    “Speaking of El e, how did she connect with you, Jackson? How did she know you were able to go into the shadows and bring Kate out?” Sarah asked.
    There was a sudden silence, and al eyes turned to regard the man sitting in absolute stil ness just to the side of the window. His cool dark eyes moved over their faces, a brooding perusal. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t even know El e.”

    Abbey sat up straighter. “That’s not the truth, Jackson.”
    Jonas sucked in his breath sharply. “Don’t, Abbey!” His warning came a heartbeat too late. She’d already said it, her voice pitched perfectly to turn people inside out, to reach into their darkest depths and pul the truth from them.
    Jackson stood up slowly, his eyes hard steel. He walked across the floor without a single sound. Joley sat up and blinked at him. Matt moved in on one side of Abbey, Jonas on the other. Ignoring the two men, Jackson bent down until he was eye level with Abbey. “You don’t ever want to ask me for the truth, Abbey. Not about me and not about El e.” He hadn’t raised his voice, but Abbey shivered. Joley put her arm around her sister.
    “I’l be outside,” Jackson said.
    “He’s never met El e,” Sarah said, after the door closed behind the deputy. “Jonas, he hasn’t, has he?”
    Jonas shook his head. “Not to my knowledge. And he’s never mentioned her. They both had the same nightmare, but so did half the kids in Sea Haven.”
    “He scares me,” Abbey said. “I don’t want El e near him. She’s so tiny and fragile and so sweet. And he’s…”
    “My friend,” Jonas said. “He saved my life twice, Abbey.”
    “And mine too,” Matt added. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
    Abbey looked down. “I know. I don’t know why I did. It’s just that he’s so frightening, and the thought that El e was out there in the shadow world too…”
    “But she wasn’t,” Kate interrupted. “She wasn’t there. I heard her voice, but she wasn’t in the world, she was in my head.” Her voice trailed off in sudden speculation. The sisters exchanged a long look. “Jonas, is Jackson telepathic?”
    “How the hel would I know?” Jonas asked.
    “Wel , because you are. Sort of.” The sisters looked at one another again and burst out laughing. Their bright laughter dispel ed the air of gloom in the room.
    Jonas made a face at Matt. “See what I have to put up with?” He stomped across the room to reach down and retrieve his hat. Before his fingers could close around the rim, the flames on the candles flared from a sudden gust of wind, and the hat leaped away from him to land dangerously close to the fireplace. Jonas straightened slowly, his hands on his hips, glancing suspiciously around the room at the Drake sisters. They al wore innocent expressions. “You are not going to get me to believe that the wind is in the house without a little help.”
    Unexpectedly the logs in the fireplace burst into flame. Jonas took a step toward his hat. It went up on the rim and rol ed a few inches toward the burning logs. “My hat had better not go into that fire,” Jonas warned.
    “Real y, Jonas.” Joley didn’t open her eyes. “You’re becoming paranoid. Hannah’s already asleep.”
    He continued to study their faces and final y crossed to the couch where Hannah lay asleep, looking almost a child. “I’m taking the baby dol to bed.
    It’s the only safe thing to do.” He simply lifted her in one quick movement and, before anyone could protest, started out of the room.
    “The tower,” Sarah cal ed after him.
    “What a surprise there. I can see Hannah as the princess in her tower,” Jonas cal ed back.
    The sisters looked at one another and burst out laughing. Matt shook his head. “You al are downright scary.”
    Joley leaned her head back and grinned at him. “I’d like to know