Page 98 of Mysteries, Menace, and Mates

“I’m on it. Let me go find everyone.” Dellan dashed out of the kitchen.

Horvan gave Jake a hug. “You doing okay?”

“Not really. You’ll understand why later. And then I’ll need some time with the three of you.”

Rael blinked. “This is sounding pretty mysterious.”

Jake snorted. “By the time I’m finished, you’re going to need a new word, becausemysterioussimply won’t cut it anymore.”

That was all it took to have Rael’s imagination going wild.

JAKE CLOSEDthe office door. “Okay, now you know everything.”

“Hearing all that is one thing,” Rael muttered. “I think you blew several minds out there.” Once Jake had finished talking, there’d been nothing but stunned silence for a moment.

Then the questions started, and it soon became apparent to Rael that Jake didn’t have all the answers.

Rael held out his hand. “Let me see that again.” Jake handed him the phone, and Rael stared at the image on the screen. “This… this is a joke.Tellme it’s a joke.”

It had to be. Jake had told them what he’d discovered in the rest of theMissal of Godwin, and that had been earth-shattering enough, but this?

I know, right?Dellan sounded as numb as Rael felt.Those lines at the end….

“It’s a lot to take in, I realize that, but—”

“A lot?” Horvan gaped at him. “You sit there and calmly tell uswe’rethe reason all these mates are appearing left, right, and center?We’rethe catalyst? And someone predicted ushowlong ago? Almost a thousand years? That isn’ta lot to take in—that’s somethingsohumongous that my brain keeps telling meDoes not compute. System overload.”

“I think we’re all in the same state,” Rael remarked. Doc hadn’t said a word the whole time Jake had been talking, and Eve, Hashtag, and Roadkill had stared at him openmouthed.

“And what are we supposed to do, now that we know this?” Dellan demanded.

“Nothing.” Jake stared at the three of them. “All you need do is accept it. You’ve begun the process—now it will gather momentum.” He paused. “But you need to be prepared. Because once word of this gets out—and it will—you’ve going to be the focus of a lot of attention. Not everyone will believe it, and I expect the Gerans will take the most convincing. And remember… you’re not the only ones.I’min there too, as Seth keeps reminding me. Remember the last line. Because of you three…all things shall become possible.”

“Now wait just one minute.” Rael thought fast. “It isn’t enough.”

“What isn’t?” Jake gave him an inquiring glance.

“How many billions of people are there on this planet? What are the odds that we’re theonlylion, tiger, and bear out there?”

Jake blinked. “Okay, but Dellan’s probably the only tiger who was freed by a lion and a bear. I’d say that’s pretty specific.”

“Sure, itseemsthat way,” Rael remonstrated. “But there’s no guarantee it couldn’t happen elsewhere. It needs something definitive.”

“But doyoubelieve it?” Dellan asked, his gaze locked on Rael.

“I… I don’t know, okay? It seems so… fantastical.”

Jake’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it from his pocket. “It’s Orsini. He says it’s urgent.” He clicked on Answer. “Hey, what’s up?” He listened intently for a moment. “Where? … So what is it?” He froze, his eyes wide, and the hairs stood up on Rael’s arms. “You’ve got to be kidding … Sure, send it.” He hung up, his brow furrowed.

“Dad?” Dellan stared at him. “You’re scaring me here. What’s wrong?”

Jake met Dellan’s gaze. “Nothing’s wrong. Just absofuckinglutelymind-blowing, that’s all. And until now, I thought I knew what mind-blowing meant. If what Orsini is telling me is correct, then it seems I was way off the mark.”

“Dad…. Take a breath.”

Jake took a moment to calm himself. “Okay. Orsini has been working on the artifacts—and he’s found something else.”

“What more could be left to find?” Horvan exclaimed.

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