Eternal Starling (Emblem of Eternity Trilogy) (31 page)

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but I could use some help.”

I jerked my head around and saw Alex sitting up, a frown set firmly on his mouth. Emil released our embrace as he whispered a husky, “Later,” in my ear. I glanced at him and hurried to check on Alex. I knelt down, taking Alex’s hand, but he pulled back. I should have expected that after what he’d seen between Emil and I. Emil came over and we both helped Alex stand.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

Alex seemed weak, but stood firm. “I think so.” He turned to Emil. “I saw you take Joshua’s soul. Did the memories of the other Clan members vanish as well?”

Emil nodded, concern lining his face. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” My confusion must have been obvious because Emil continued, clarifying. “Usually when a soul is taken, the images from their memories float into the air and burst into a fine dust the same color as the soul’s smoke, completely destroyed. That didn’t happen today. Instead, the memories disappeared.”

Emil shifted his eyes to Alex and they seemed to share a silent conversation. “What happened after I passed out?” Alex asked.

Emil and I explained what Caleb had done to Alex. We guessed that when Caleb’s soul was taken, the spell keeping Alex unconscious was released. I told him about the mind sync and what Caleb had done to get access to Alex’s memories. I said Caleb had admitted to abducting the Trackers. We also told him about fighting the other clan members, and my sudden powers that had helped me find Alex and Emil, and helped us defeat Caleb’s Clan.

Alex pressed his lips together and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. “I can feel our bond again. I don’t know where the powers came from that helped you defeat them, or how you used them. Your Tracker abilities haven’t been activated, if they had, we would feel it. What happened before you felt the power?”

I explained what I’d experienced and the voice I’d heard in my mind. Emil and Alex exchanged a glance that seemed to be a combination of curiosity and concern. Alex scrubbed a hand over his face. “I need to talk to the Amaranthine leaders about all of this.” He gestured to the bodies of the six Clan members scattered around the room. “Maybe the other Protector / Tracker bonds will be working again too. If that’s the case, the Amaranthine should be able to find the missing Trackers.”

Alex looked at Emil as he reached in his pocket. He pulled out his car keys and tossed them. Emil caught them with one hand. “Will you take Evie home and watch over her until I get back?”

Emil nodded.

“How long will you be gone?” I asked.

Alex’s face took on a worried expression. “I don’t know.” He lifted his hand and pressed his thumb against his ring. He rubbed the ring in three counter-clockwise circles as a golden light flashed, enveloping him—then he vanished.

Chapter 21

Emil helped me on the hike back to Alex’s Jeep. I didn’t say much as we drove back to my house. Emil seemed to understand my need to take it all in. Maybe I was in shock, or maybe my mind was just trying to muddle through it. Alex said my Tracker abilities hadn’t been activated, but something had happened to me. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I felt different. In the past, I’d only noticed my soulmark when I’d touched Alex or Emil. Now I only had to think about them for the heat to be present. I hoped Alex would be able to get some answers from the Amaranthine about what had happened in the cave, and to me.

My house was empty when we got there. Emil opened the front door. He followed me inside, checking the house while I went upstairs to take a shower. I turned on the water, peeled off my grimy clothes, and took the longest, hottest shower I’ve ever had.

I didn’t think about the two men in my life, or the information I had learned about both of them. Instead, I concentrated on getting things back to normal, at least as normal as they could be now. I was excited to see Jasmine and Zach and hang out with them again. I thought of my classes, my job, and homework that needed to be done. I remembered my Mustang still in the Western State parking lot and couldn’t wait to take it out for a drive. I focused on the rituals in my life that were ordinary—the things I could control—because Alex and Emil were anything but normal and they both threw my life completely out of balance.

When the hot water began to turn cold, I finished my shower and put on my favorite cotton pajama pants and T-shirt.

Emil was sitting on the couch when I went downstairs. “How was your shower?” he asked, his eyes tracking over me, making sure I was okay. “Do you feel better?”

“Yeah, a lot better. Thanks.” The familiar scent of cheese and tomato sauce hit me and my stomach rumbled. A large pizza was sitting on the table. I was overwhelmingly grateful Emil had the forethought to get food. I realized I hadn’t eaten since I was taken by Caleb three days ago.

Emil stood. “Do you need anything? Are you hungry? Are you tired?”

“I’m fine,” I said, as I maneuvered toward the table where I grabbed a couple pieces of pizza and a can of Pepsi. “I just want to relax and watch TV or something.”

I ate my food and settled into the couch. Emil moved closer, putting his arm around me. I drifted off to sleep, comforted by Emil’s arms and the smells of home.

When I woke the next morning, I was still on the couch. I sat up, running my hands through my hair as the enticing aromas of bacon and syrup hit me. I made my way into the kitchen where Emil was cooking breakfast. He smiled. “Good morning, beautiful.”

I smiled back, knowing beautiful was probably not a very accurate description this early in the morning. He pushed me toward the table and put a plate of French toast in front of me. “How did you sleep?” he asked.

I picked up a fork and started to eat. “Better than I have in a few days.”

Emil grabbed the milk off the counter and poured me a glass. He put it in front of me and went back to the stove, flipping the last pieces of French toast. “Are you feeling all right?”

I nodded. “My head is clearer, but I still don’t remember everything I saw while my mind was synced with Alex’s. I have a feeling it will come to me over time though.”

Emil watched me carefully. “You saw and heard everything Alex did?” he asked.

I nodded again while I finished chewing. “I felt drugged and not very responsive, but I could see the things that were going on. It was kind of like watching a movie on pain killers.” I took another bite as I thought about what had happened. “How did you find me? How did you even know I was gone?”

Emil turned the stove off and sat across from me. “There are some things we should probably talk about, Evie; one of them has to do with how I knew you were gone.”

I eyed him suspiciously. “Okay.”

He took a breath, exhaling slowly. “Alex has a bond with you, but so do I. When your bond with Alex was severed, he passed out, but I didn’t. I should have been able to find you, or at least sense our bond, but whatever Caleb did severed every connection to you—almost like you were in a bubble. As soon as you were gone, I started searching for you. Once Alex was conscious again we agreed to work together. Alex thought my Clan had something to do with your disappearance, but my Clan is nowhere near Gunnison, so I knew we were dealing with a bigger problem. I didn’t know who had taken you, but I knew with Alex’s help, we could defeat them and get you back.”

I wrinkled my brow. “But you fought other Daevos members.” I wondered how he would get away with what he had done.

“Yeah, I did.” He pulled his lips down and his eyebrows came together forming a line. “Hopefully no one in the Daevos Resistance will find out.”

“What will happen if they do?” I asked.

Emil turned away. “I betrayed them. They’ll take my soul.”

I gasped, my eyes growing wide. “Why would you take that risk?”

Emil looked at me like I was an idiot. He leaned across the table and in a low voice said, “Because I love you more than I love my life, my soul, or anything else—I always have.”

My chin dropped as I stared, then pulled my eyes away, looking at the table. “Emil . . . I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. The fact that you know how I feel is enough. All I want is your consideration.” Emil reached across the table, placing his hand lightly on my cheek. “I know it’s a lot to take in with everything that’s happened lately. Think about it, that’s all I’m asking.”

Though it was difficult to comprehend after what Emil had said and done, I knew from my recent personal experience that Daevos members were masters of manipulation. I didn’t know how to tell him what I felt without offending him and decided to just say it. “Thinking about it isn’t hard, but how do I know you aren’t just telling me what I want to hear so you can gain my trust and take me yourself?”

I watched Emil’s expression contort into confusion. “What? Why would I want to abduct you? I risked my soul helping to save you.”

I searched his eyes and found only sincerity. I answered his question with the information Alex had told me, “Because you pretended to be in love with me two hundred and fifty years ago to try and get me to join your Clan. How do I know you’re not doing that again?”

Emil pursed his lips. “Alex needs to get his facts straight before he opens his mouth.” The grinding of Emil’s teeth was a clear indication of his irritation. “I didn’t pretend two hundred and fifty years ago. I wanted to be with you because I loved you, and you loved me back. I knew our relationship could put you in danger, but finally, I got sick of fighting my feelings.” Emil took my hand, looking directly into my eyes. “Evie, I loved, still love, you more than I have ever loved any soul.” His eyes burned into mine and I couldn’t look away. “You were the reason I never left my Clan—I was trying to keep them away from you.”

I didn’t know whether to believe him. Alex seemed to think Emil was rather untrustworthy, even if he
had
helped to save my life and told me he loved me.

“You don’t believe me,” Emil said, though it wasn’t a question. “I stayed with my Clan because I decided it would be easier to protect you if I was with them and knew what they were doing.”

“That’s a pretty convenient excuse,” I said, still hesitant.

“Did Alex tell you what happens to Clan members once they leave a Clan?”

Actually, he hadn’t. “No,” I said, “but if it were important, I’m sure Alex would’ve said something.”

Emil laughed. “Right, making me sound like less of a monster would have been his first priority. You can’t leave the Daevos. If you want out of the Resistance, you have to escape. Even if you’re able to get away, your Daevos Clan immediately starts hunting you. Once you’re no longer part of the Daevos power source, you lose the benefits of the Resistance: the money, cars, houses, and people you’ve known for hundreds, sometimes even thousands of years. You also start to age again, only it happens rapidly.

“If I had abandoned the Clan when I wanted to two hundred and fifty years ago, I would have been dead within a few years. It was better to stay with them, watch you from afar, make sure you were safe, and try to keep them off your trail.” He straightened his spine and rubbed his hands down his thighs. “I fell in love with you as soon as I met you and I couldn’t let you go. Bringing you into my Clan and subjecting you to the Resistance was a mistake—one I’ve been trying to amend for centuries, but at the same time, I’m not sorry for the time we had together.” I narrowed my eyes in confusion. He caught my expression and said, “Evie, you weren’t just some girl I chose to try and tempt. You were my other half. I knew it then as much as I know it now.” He took my hand and held my eyes with his. “Evie, your name used to be Cassandra . . . and we were married.”

I dropped my fork on the table and my chin followed as my breath grew shallow. I was completely speechless.

Emil continued, “A year after we were married, you overheard some of the members of my Clan talking about a soul death. You asked me what was going on. I told you everything. I had tried to shield you from the Daevos, but it was becoming more and more difficult. You hadn’t taken the Daevos vows so I knew you’d be safe with the Amaranthine Society. I told you that you had to leave me.” He leaned back in his chair in thought. “You didn’t want to go, but finally you agreed. Knowing I had to let you leave was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I knew it was the only way to protect you from my Clan. I’ll never forget the last conversation we had. You said leaving would be harder than staying and I told you it would only be difficult until you forgot. You asked me if I would ever forget you—”

“And you said, ‘no, never,” I answered, staring at him, astonished. Emil had described what I’d seen the first time we touched. I’d been right, it wasn’t a dream or a vision—it was a memory. That meant the scene I’d watched when I first touched Alex was probably a memory as well.

Emil quickly shifted his eyes to me in surprise.

“How did you know that?” he asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I glanced down at my hand in his. “The first time we touched, I saw what I thought was a vision or dream. It was of a girl in a dark blue dress with long chestnut ringlets. She was talking to a man I couldn’t see and they had the conversation you just recounted.”

Emil looked stunned. “I don’t know how you were able to see those events,” he said, “but you’re describing things that happened to you in your past. Has this happened any other time?” he asked.

I nodded. “Only one other time. The first time I touched Alex.”

Emil rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger. “Sometimes people have memories that are strong and carry with them into another life. I imagine that by touching me and Alex, your soul recognized those memories for some reason and brought them to your attention.”

I crossed my legs in the chair, still holding Emil’s hand as we both sat in silence, thinking. After a few minutes I said, “I can’t believe you did all that for me. You basically gave up your life to make sure I was safe. You’ve protected me as much as Alex has.”

He lifted his shoulders. “I was the one who got you into the situation, it’s the least I could do,” he said. “It killed me to not be with you. I didn’t appear to you in your other lives because I had to establish myself as a loyal member of the Daevos. Plus, Alex would have thrown a fit and probably tried to take my soul before I had a chance to explain. This time though, he needed my help—whether he wanted to believe it or not.”

I wrinkled my brow. “How did you keep finding me in all of my lives?”

He looked up and gazed into my eyes. “I was your husband for a year and despite what Alex might have told you, we were completely in love.” Emil paused, thinking about our past. “Our love stayed strong even after you left. You were gone, but the soul mate bond between us was still the same. After our marriage and your escape from my Clan, you eventually died. When that happened, I was able to track your soul through our bond, just like Alex does.”

“Didn’t your Clan find out?” I asked.

“No, I never told them. I wanted to keep them away from you. No other member of my Clan has ever been in love with someone as deeply as I loved, and still love, you. So no one knows about the bond. I’ve been able to keep my connection to you a secret. Before you left me, I told you I’d make sure they wouldn’t find you. I meant it.”