He paused at the door, looking back at her, his world, the only real joy he had known. “I love this home of yours,” he answered softly.
She watched him leave. “Ours,” she corrected, knowing he could still hear her even though the door was closed. Gabriel’s hearing was phenomenal and he often shared her mind.
It was their house, their life. Gabriel had to separate himself from his twin if he were to survive the battle that was to come. Francesca was carefully folding quilts into large boxes when it suddenly occurred to her that Lucian might lead him out of the city and far away from her. Her hand went protectively to her throat.
“Stop worrying over what has not happened.” There was a wealth of love in Gabriel’s voice. It felt like a caress.
She glanced at herself in the mirror. “Quit mooning about and get to work. You have much to do and little time to do it in.” She was very stern with herself but a curling heat stole through her body as Gabriel’s warm laughter echoed softly in her mind.
Francesca completed as many tasks as she could. She took orders for her stained-glass pieces and her quilts. She sent out the ones she had completed and paid her bills meticulously. There were the shelters to call and the hospitals. There were charities she had neglected and friends she wanted to keep in touch with. Because they had risen late and spent a great deal of time talking together it was already well into the evening and past time to call too many. She kept each conversation brief, but very upbeat. It was necessary to maintain the appearance of being human at all times. She was firmly entrenched in society and it wouldn’t do to simply disappear. Her contacts would be helpful to Skyler.
Once her phone conversations were concluded, Francesca drove to the hospital, scanning the surrounding area along the way. She was worried about Skyler, worried that something was going to upset their careful plans for her. She had been vaguely uneasy ever since her encounter with the reporter. Something about him bothered her immensely. He was the type of man who could cause her tremendous trouble.
She walked into the hospital, greeting the nurses with a little wave of her hand as she made her way down the hall toward Skyler’s room. Her heart dropped when she caught a glimpse of the reporter lurking just a few feet from the room. Francesca paused for a moment, waved her hand to create a clonelike image as she blurred her own. She sent her soft musical voice out ahead, so that her body seemed to be moving quickly along the hall as she called to an unseen nurse around the corner.
At once the reporter turned his head, catching a glimpse of her slender shape and long hair. He hurried down the hall in an attempt to catch up to her. Francesca laughed softly, waiting until he disappeared before entering Skyler’s room.
The girl turned her head, her soft dove-gray eyes wide and beautiful. There was a welcoming look in her gaze that hadn’t been there before. “I was waiting for you.” Her voice was stronger and Francesca noticed for the first time how melodious it was. “I thought you’d never get here.”
“I had quite a bit of work to do,” Francesca said, seating herself and reaching for Skyler’s hand. “I make stained-glass windows and also quilts for people in need.”
A slow smile curved the young girl’s mouth. “I had my friend here to keep me company.” She hugged the stuffed wolf to her. “I like the way you say that. ‘People in need.’ People like me. I’ve noticed you have a way of making me feel like everything is going to be all right. Sometimes, when my mind is very chaotic, I think of you and feel you in my mind.” Her long lashes swept down, concealing her expression, but Francesca was holding her hand and could read her mixed feelings. The girl was struggling to come to terms with the idea of entering life again.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way, Skyler,” she softly reassured her. “You won’t be alone, and you won’t be expected to take on more than you can cope with. I see you are worried about school. It isn’t necessary to think about it at this time.”