Page 122 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

He leans back in his chair, putting distance between us.

“This says that—that Pan is thehopefor mankind and protects the Jar. It’s definitely not the same inscription on the real Jar. I’d like Nathan to have a look.”

“No,” Duncan and I say.

Jed brings his arms around me and searches my face. “Release me from the promise, Natia.”

“What’s with the ‘release’ thing? Most people would just break it if they felt that strongly.”

“You have bound me. I literally can’t talk about anything said here.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize… is that because of my powers?” He shakes his head, as Duncan makes a noncommittal noise of frustration. I snap my head toward him. “What?”

Duncan and Jed have a silent stare off, where I wonder if they’re telepathically communicating. Duncan’s eyes widen slightly as he looks away. “Nothing,” he mumbles.

Frowning at Duncan, I put my hands on Jed’s face and twist him back to me. “Look, tell me what’s so important you need to tell Archan, and I’ll consider it.”

Jed shakes his head and pulls away, releasing a long breath. “I can’t.”

My lips tilt down in frustration. “Sorry, Smoothie, it’s not that I don’t trust you.”

He nods, giving me a squeeze.

“So according to this, Pan is benevolent and is protecting mankind. Did you find anything else?” I ask.

“This inscription says Pan is an ancient, but instead of mankind’s destruction lying in their hands, this says mankind’ssalvationlies in it. It describes how they’re awakened when mankind is in crisis, and they’re here to restore the balance, rather than tip it,” Jed explains, burying his head in my shoulder.

I rub his arms, trying to soothe whatever internal struggle he’s going through. “We already knew about Pan being an ancient, and the last part lines up with the symbols from the cave. As for salvation lying in his hands, we did debate the double meaning. This suggests he’s mankind’s hope.”

Jed tightens his arms around me and mumbles into my hair, “Fuck, you need to let me out of this promise. This needs to be discussed with Archan. Now.”

“So you can kill Pan?” I ask quietly.

He lifts his head, gives me a gentle shove, and stands. I almost flop to the floor, but Duncan catches me. Jed looks at me with hurt, disappointment, and resolve before he disappears.

I blink. “What the hell?”

Zee shrugs. “I think you hurt his feelings.”

“Maybe… but he looked determined,” I mutter. Something occurs to me.

“Hide the research and the Jar—now!” I urge. “I think we’re about to have visitors.”

Just as Duncan returns from my bedroom, where he’s hidden the Jar in my safe, Archan, Barney, Nathan, and Jed appear. With Zee, Duncan, and Aaden, the testosterone is palpable, and there’s about four square feet left in the room. Jed scans the table, looking for the research. His eyes harden.That’s right, nothing to see here.

As I wind my way through them, I whisper into Jed’s ear, “You’re out of the book club.” He stiffens.

I put the coffee pot on. “You should’ve called ahead, I could’ve made lunch. I can offer you coffee and snacks.” Grabbing some chips, I pour them into a large glass bowl. Archan prowls toward me, and I open our mental link. Let’s see if I can coax him into my storm. He’ll either splay his emotions raw, like mine, or he’ll retreat to what he knows and hide behind a seductive aura built to break others and shield himself.

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, and I’ll never be able to repay your kindness. But I know you. I know you still consider me something to conquer and own. And you told me love is something you can’t—or won’t—offer. Nothing has changed between us.”

He examines my face closely, no doubt taking note of the dark circles under my eyes.“Everything has changed. We need to talk about this.”

“Do we? For my sanity, stay away from me. I’m trying to be pleasant. Don’t ruin it.”

He takes a seat at the breakfast bar. I drop the mental link before he can answer and block the pull as he tries back. I’ve delivered my warning. The rest is up to him.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

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