Chapter 155

How Christian went about opening the portal, Jo wasn’t sure. It was like he cast a magic spell of some sort, though, when Scott asked him how he had done it, all Christian said was, “Science.” The next thing she knew, there was a wavering light in the wall of the black tunnel. An orange boundary grew brighter around the edges, and then inside of that, there was a moving orange light that seemed like a flickering fire in the distance. It was slightly different than the portal they’d come through, but it was close enough, and she was in a hurry to get her mother home where she belonged.
Christian went through first, followed by Cadence, Cassidy, and Scott. Ryker followed him, and Zane insisted that Jo go ahead of him. But she grabbed hold of his hand to make sure that he didn’t get left behind. If he couldn’t come through the opening for some reason, she was staying, too, until Christian could throw in a couple of Vampires and get them out.
Jo held her breath until she saw that Zane was able to step into the orange glow, too, and then, as they followed Christian to the end of the tunnel, it seemed more clear that they would all be able to get out. Up ahead, she saw Christian step through the orange waves, and then he was gone. Her mom turned and looked at her before following him through.
Scott and Ryker stepped out. A flutter of panic hit Jo in the gut as she thought about what would happen if Zane was trapped in there, reliant upon Christian to get him out. It wouldn’t be a priority for anyone on the other side to come to Zane’s rescue except for her, and she wasn’t able to persuade Christian very effectively. If she were trapped, on the other hand, her mother would make sure that Christian did everything he could to get Jo out.
“Go first,” Jo said, grabbing Zane and pushing him toward the opening. He was too strong for her, though, and he dug his feet in and looked at her.
“What? No. I’m not going first. You are. If someone gets trapped in here, it’s not going to be you,” Zane argued.
“Yes, it is,” Jo replied. “Go.”
“Not in a million years. Hopefully, Christian was right, and we’ll both be able to get out of here, but there’s no way in hell I’m leaving you here by yourself, Jo. No way. So either you go first, or neither of us goes, and the portal closes, and we’re both trapped.”
She had no idea how long it would stay open or if Christian had control over that. What she did know was that walking out of this tunnel with one less person she loved wasn’t an option. “Go.”
“NO! Now, come on, Jo. You’re going.” He picked her up and swung her around, but Jo fought him.
“Why? Why won’t you just go?” she screamed at him as tears began to fill her eyes for reasons she didn’t quite understand.
“Because I love you, Jo,” he said. “And I want you to be with your mom. Now go. I’m right behind you.”
His words hit her in a place Jo hadn’t felt in a long, long time. It wasn’t as if he’d never told her that he loved her before. He had–but the look in his eyes told her that it was more than just a phrase to him, that he really meant that he loved her, and he would do anything for her, including staying inside of a portal full of monsters for however long it took so that she could be out there in the world with her mom.
She sniffled back her tears, trying not to let the others see that she had been crying as she did what he had had asked and stepped out of the portal. Then, if he couldn’t follow, she’d make sure someone else went back in so that Zane could get out–even if it was Christian.
Jo walked out of the portal into Christian’s office to see a happy reunion going on all around her. Cadon, Jamie, Ashley, Elliott, Brandon, and a whole bunch of other people had congregated in the room, rushing over to have their turn to hug Cadence. Jo was so happy to see them all overjoyed that her mother had returned. Cadon had tears in his eyes as he hugged their mom. He even looked at Jo and mouthed, “Thank you.”
“Happy times, huh?”
Jo turned around to see that Zane was standing behind her. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “You made it.”
“I made it.” He kissed the top of her head, but before either of them could say anything else, a couple were screaming his name. “Mom? Dad?” Zane held onto Jo’s hand as he rushed over to hug his parents whom he hadn’t seen in a very long time since they’d been locked up in Alcatraz.
Zane introduced Jo to his parents, but she didn’t stay long. She didn’t want to intrude on their conversation, and she had other people waiting to speak to her, too, namely her brother who wanted to know how things had gone in the portal.
Cadon and Jo sat down with their mom and spent a great deal of time talking about everything that had gone on while Cadence was gone. Elliott, Cassidy, and Brandon sat with them, too, for most of the time, with Ashley and Jamie in and out. Jamie got up several times to go check on the girl he was in the process of changing into a Hunter.
It was surreal, having her mom there, but not her dad. Elliott mentioned more than once that there was a blue moon coming up, but Cadence was noncommittal. She knew that Aaron didn’t want to be brought back; the risk was too great of something awful coming through and causing more trouble than it would be worth–in his opinion.
Just as Cadence was saying she needed to think about it for a while, Jamie came back into the room from his office. “Cadon, Mallory’s awake, and she’s asking for you.”
Jo’s eyebrows raised. She had no idea who this Mallory girl was or why she’d be asking for her brother, but the nervousness that wafted off of her twin as he pulled himself up and walked toward the door was enough to make Jo have to hide a smile.
“I’ll… be back,” he said. “She probably… thinks I’m still in charge or something.”
Cadence had a smile on her face as she asked, “Aren’t you?”
“Nope,” Cadon said quickly. “I believe you are, Mom.”
She laughed. “I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet.”
The conversation started again, but as Cadon left the room, Jo’s eyes followed him. They didn’t quite make it to the door, though. Christian was leaning against the wall near the exit to his office, the look on his face menacing but otherwise unreadable.
She couldn’t imagine what he might be thinking. He had been in love with Cadence for so long, and she’d always chosen Aaron over him. Now that Aaron was gone, there was no way Cadence would want to be with Christian. But did that mean that Christian would try to sabotage the situation to make sure that her dad could never come back?
“Where is Dad, anyway?” Jo asked Elliott through the IAC.
“Well, rumor has it that he’s on the mantel in your apartment in the penthouse. That’s where his urn is, anyway.”
She knew that that sort of answer meant he wasn’t telling her everything. “Where is he really?”
He didn’t answer, only shrugged, and then winked at her.
Jo had a feeling the only person who would get a straight answer from Elliott on that one was her mom if she ever decided she wanted to ask. She also had a feeling that, eventually, when the time was right, her mom would want to talk to her dad again. Whether or not he came through would be completely up to Aaron.
For the first time in ten years, life was beginning to feel a little more normal. Her mom was there. Zane loved her–and she loved him, too. And it seemed like Cadon had a girlfriend of some sort. The LIGHTS team finally had the upper hand against the Vampires. The American government was finally beginning to realize that President Crimson Crotch was a crook. The world was resettling itself.
The fight wasn’t over yet, though. Thousands of Vampires were still out there, ready to be fought and defeated. Jo had no doubt in her mind that she would take care of plenty of them. Now that her mother was back, so much of the shame, guilt, and bitterness she’d carried with her since the day Cadence had disappeared melted away. Jo was ready to be part of her family again, part of her team.
Team members were still out there needing to be found, and the work to be done was immense. But sitting in a chair next to her mom, listening to her talk and laugh with her old teammates let Jo know that it was doable. The new guard, herself, Cadon, Scott, and plenty of others, had these experts to learn from. Together, they would make the world a safe place again–for all creatures, most especially humans.
“Jo?” Cadence said, her hand on her daughter’s arm, “what are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” Jo replied, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. “Just… how happy I am to be a Vampire Hunter.”
Cadence smiled at her. “Me, too, baby. Me, too.” Cadence leaned over and wrapped her arm around Jo’s shoulders, and Jo hugged her mom, so thankful to have her back.
Because evil was still out there, and it was their job to stop it. As long as Vampires existed, LIGHTS would be ready.