Eternal Starling (Emblem of Eternity Trilogy) (21 page)

That night, I slept in the motor home with my parents and Alex climbed into the tent without saying a word about the look he gave me. I tossed and turned thinking about the impossibility of everything Alex had explained to me. And in the back of my mind, a thought lingered—what if Alex had lied?

Or even more frightening, what if everything he said was true?

Chapter 14

W hen I woke up, my mom had already put away breakfast. I took a shower, not the least bit concerned that we were camping in a pile of sand. I had made it clear to my parents years earlier that I wasn’t going to be smelly just because we were camping. Luckily, the motor home had a seventy-five-gallon water tank so my showering obsession wasn’t a threat to our water supply.

By the time I made it out of the bathroom, Alex and my dad were already gone. My dad had decided to take Alex out and show him the big dunes. I hoped Alex wouldn’t kill himself on the four-wheeler; I really didn’t know how much experience he had driving one. But I remembered that even if he did crash, he probably couldn’t get hurt, or so he had hinted. It was somewhat disconcerting to me that I was logically considering things that defied all logic.

My mom was reclining in a lounge chair reading the newest Mercy Thompson novel. She nodded to a plate of food she’d saved for me. I sat at the table with my breakfast and textbooks, using the time as an excuse to get some homework done. More people started trickling into the campground throughout the day to take advantage of the weekend recreation.

By about one in the afternoon, I was ready to take a break from studying and go ride. Since the four-wheeler was still out with my dad and Alex, I grabbed the dune buggy keys and took off.

I prefer the four-wheeler to the dune buggy since the four-wheeler is smaller and easier to handle, but the dune buggy is better than nothing. I slowly cruised over the small moguls in the dry area of the lakebed to make sure I didn’t ruin the dune buggy shocks. Once I got past the lake and onto the dunes it was more fun. I drove around, putting everything out of my mind for the time being. I concentrated on enjoying the sand and the beauty of the landscape.

I ignored my thoughts about Alex and Emil, the Amaranthine and Daevos, murderers and reincarnation, for as long as possible, then drove to the smaller lake I’d been at the previous day. I got out of the dune buggy and sat under a tree in the shade.

This mystical world Alex had told me about bordered on lunacy, yet I couldn’t quite disbelieve him. I thought through everything he had said, analyzing it, trying to make sense of it. I had so many questions. The more I thought about it, the more questions I came up with. I wanted to know more about my past lives, including the life Alex met me in and how he’d become my Protector. Alex said my soulmark meant I could track bonds. If that was the case, why did I feel a connection to both Alex and Emil? Why couldn’t I tell which one of them was my soul mate?

I’d also been thinking about the dream-like visions I’d had when I touched Alex and Emil. If everything Alex had said was true, maybe the visions weren’t visions at all, maybe they were memories? If they were, what life did the memories come from, and why had I remembered them when I touched Alex and Emil? I sighed. There was still so much I needed to know. The conclusion I came to was that Alex had no reason to lie to me about this. In a weird twist of insanity, everything he told me yesterday helped me understand his previous actions.

This did nothing to quell my hurt or confusion over his feelings for me. I could spend hours trying to figure out what was going through his head and still come up blank. I couldn’t decide whether his reaction to my relationship with Emil was jealousy, or his innate need to protect me from what he thought was a bad situation. If he was jealous, it meant he had to have romantic feelings for me on some level. My mom’s revelation and Alex’s reaction to the overheard conversation last night didn’t give me any answers either. I only ended up more bewildered.

I sat on the sand replaying actions and conversations in my head for what seemed like hours. Finally, I decided I should go back to camp and see if my mom needed help with dinner.

When I got back, Alex and my dad were already there.

“Hey, Evie,” my dad said. “How was your ride?”

“Great, how about yours?”

“Good. I took Alex to Chokecherry and a few other places. He’s a pretty good rider.” I raised an eyebrow, knowing his experience might have come from memorizing the riding style of every person he had seen on the dunes over the years.

“Yes, it seems Alex has a lot of talents,” I implied. Alex caught the insinuation, but my parents were oblivious.

“What’s for dinner?” I asked.

“Taco salad,” my mom said. “The food is almost done.”

I turned to Alex. “How long have you been back?”

“An hour or so,” he answered. “I was given the assignment to find you so you wouldn’t miss dinner. I was about to leave when you got here.”

I picked up an olive from the bowl on the table and popped it in my mouth. “Well, it’s a good thing I came back when I did. I wouldn’t want to waste your time.”

He locked eyes with me. “It wouldn’t have been a waste.”

Comments like that puzzled me: it wouldn’t have been a waste because he wanted to be alone with me, or it wouldn’t have been a waste because it was his job?

Dinner was ready soon and we sat down at the picnic table under the awning to eat. My dad told us about some kids who catapulted off the top of a dune thinking there was sand on the other side when there wasn’t. He lamented the inexperienced riders and how they were making the dunes more dangerous for everyone. Alex kept looking at me throughout dinner with a thoughtful expression.

After we ate, Alex and I helped clean up. When we were done with the dishes, I sat back down in one of the folding chairs outside to do more reading for school. I was a few pages into the chapter when Alex walked over and stood beside me. “I’m going to take a walk. Will you come with me?” It seemed like there was something on his mind.

I was intrigued. “Uh, sure.” I put my book down and stood up.

My parents were sitting outside, talking. As I got up to follow Alex, I heard a car door shut somewhere near the motor home. We started toward the dirt road, me in the lead with Alex following close behind. We weren’t even out of the campsite when a familiar face appeared around the corner in front of my parents’ motor home. He saw me and grinned, but the smile quickly turned to anger as his eyes shifted behind me. Dammit! Why was he here now too? And how in the hell was I going to explain this? I took a deep breath and pasted on my best smile.

“Emil!” I said with noisy enthusiasm as I hugged him. “What are you doing here?” I stepped back. Alex’s demeanor had completely changed; his face had turned to stone and he was staring at Emil. Emil’s face could have been a reflection of Alex’s as he glared back.

Emil finally looked away from Alex, toward me. “I wanted to surprise you,” he said. “I guess I should have called first.”

“You’re not the only one who’s been surprised in the last couple of days, trust me,” I grumbled.

“Stone,” Alex acknowledged in an angry voice.

“Night,” Emil said through his teeth.

Alex and Emil’s hands were balled up, the veins in their arms bulging. I didn’t know which guy would take a swing first, but decided I should probably stop the fight before it happened.

“Emil, come with me, I want you to meet my mom and dad.” I took Emil’s hand, pulling him away from Alex. I knew getting distance between them was the most important thing. My parents had been watching the exchange with interest, though we had been far enough away that they couldn’t hear and had no idea who the new guy was.

“Mom, Dad, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Emil.” My voice went up an octave when I said the word boyfriend. At the same time my voice shot up, so did both of my parents’ eyebrows. They recovered quickly. “Emil, this is my mom, Karen, and my dad, Denys.”

“Emil,” my mom smiled, “we’ve heard so much about you.”

“Nice to meet you,” my dad said, trying to hold back a laugh at the predicament I was in now that Alex and Emil had both crashed our camping trip.

Emil seemed more composed now. I turned my head slightly, enough to get a quick glance over my shoulder and see that Alex was still standing there, leaning against the RV with his arms crossed, a sneer on his face.

“It’s great to meet both of you. Evie talks about you all the time,” Emil said.

My parents both smiled. “What brings you up this way?” my dad asked.

“Evie told me she would be here, so I thought I’d surprise her. I also wanted to follow her home. I know she likes to drive at night and was worried about her being alone.”

I gave him a sidelong glance thinking that was a strange reason for Emil to show up. His rationale seemed to impress my parents though. “Well, it’s nice to know Evie is being taken care of even though she lives far away from us. We had no idea she had such devoted—friends.” My mom glanced toward Alex as she spoke.

“Yeah, we won’t have to worry about you getting home safe,” my dad said to me. “Between Alex and Emil, you’ll be fine.”

At the mention of Alex’s name, Emil bristled.

“So are you staying here until Sunday, Emil?” my mom asked.

“That was my plan,” Emil said, looking back at Alex.

“Well, I’d offer you our tent, but when Alex showed up without anywhere to sleep, we gave it to him. It’s big enough for two people if you want to share,” my mom offered, not realizing what a horrible idea that would be.

I saw Emil’s eyes darken with anger. The last thing I needed was Alex and Emil sleeping in the same tent together. It would be better if they weren’t even on the same continent. I was trying to come up with an alternative when Emil said, “Thanks for the offer, but it’s all right, I brought my own tent.”

My dad grinned and nodded in my direction. “Look at that, Evie, Emil is actually prepared.”

“Speaking of that, I should put the tent up,” Emil said. “Evie, do you want to help me?” The look he gave me indicated he wanted to get me alone where we could talk.

“Yeah, let’s find a good spot for it,” I answered. “We’ll be back.”

We turned around and walked past Alex. “Can I help you with anything?” he offered in a way that meant he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“We’re taking care of it.” Emil’s voice had an air of authority to it that dared Alex to challenge him.

“I’m sure you are.” Alex smiled and waved at my parents as we all walked around the RV. “Where’s your vowmark?” Alex asked Emil casually.

“Covered up,” Emil answered.

“How did you manage that?” Alex asked. “You’re supposed to have it visible.”

Emil smiled in a way that wasn’t friendly at all. “There are a lot of things you don’t have a clue about, Night.” My gaze tracked one guy to the other, a little buzz settling in my stomach. Vowmarks? Yet another thing that needed an explanation.

Even though Alex had clearly been uninvited to the tent set-up, he followed behind Emil and me. As soon as we were on the other side of the motor home, Emil swung around in front of Alex, planting his feet and crossing his arms. Alex stopped within inches of him. “I said we don’t need any help,” Emil’s voice was low, threatening. “So, you can go back to the motor home, or better yet, you can go back to Gunnison.”

“Trust me, I’m not going anywhere. Especially now that you’re here,” Alex warned.

Emil fumed and stood up straight, like he was trying to lean over Alex even though they were about the same height. “Like hell you aren’t.”

Alex started to laugh. Their egos were taking over again. I knew it wouldn’t be long before Emil would throw a punch, and it wouldn’t take much longer than that for Alex to knock Emil down. I moved between the two of them and stood sideways, looking at them both.

“What does it matter, Emil?” I asked. “Even if Alex left, he wouldn’t really be gone.”

Emil’s expression registered shock that swiftly turned to anger as he shifted his attention from me to Alex. “What does she know, Night?” Emil asked.

Alex decided to use my knowledge to his advantage and smirked. “She knows enough.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Emil said, his tone dark.

“And I have no reason to answer it.”

Instead of continuing to speak to Alex, Emil turned to me. “Evie, I wish I didn’t have to involve you in this disagreement, but I need you to tell me, what has Alex said to you about me?”

Alex’s expression was unmistakable; he didn’t want me to say anything. I tried to think quickly and cover up my earlier slip. “Nothing, really. He said some people have been following me so he’s watching me to keep me safe. He told me he used to be a part of the military and has a lot of unique skills from his experience as a soldier.”

Alex looked relieved while Emil studied my face, suspicious of my explanation. With a release of tension, Emil sighed. But it was clear it wouldn’t be the last time we discussed Alex’s revelations. Even though I knew I shouldn’t bring it up, part of me wanted the chance to talk to Emil and find out if Alex’s story was true. Especially since Emil and Alex seemed to be sharing a lot of secrets.

Calmer now, Emil opened the trunk of his car and took out his tent. He found a spot on the other side of the cargo trailer near some vegetation. I helped him set it up while Alex watched with his arms folded across his chest, a sneer on his face.

In the middle of hammering a tent peg, Emil stopped and looked up at Alex. “Do you want to tell me exactly what you’re doing on a camping trip with
my
girlfriend?”