Eternal Starling (Emblem of Eternity Trilogy) (32 page)

I watched him, stunned, as the words came stumbling out of my mouth, “I had . . . no idea.”

Emil stood, taking the plates from the table. “No one did. I’m glad I’ve been able to help keep you safe.” He started cleaning up. “You should go; you’ll be late for class.”

Despite the fact that I’d lived through a paranormal event, I still had classes to attend. Truthfully, I was happy to lose myself in the normal college-life routine instead of marinating over the details of Caleb, soul mates, and what exactly these new powers I had would mean. Luckily, I’d only missed one day of classes during the abduction. I spent the next few days at work, hanging out with my friends, and explaining to Jasmine where I’d been. I told her Emil had taken me to Denver for the weekend. Jasmine was easily distracted by talk about my relationships with Alex and Emil. She wanted to know what was going on, if I was dating both of them, and who I liked more. I wished I could answer that question myself. Emil joined me sometimes for a game of pool or lunch, but he gave me my space; though with Alex gone, I had a feeling Emil was never very far away.

I came home from class at the end of the week and as I unlocked the door and stepped inside the house, I was relieved to see Alex on the couch. Emil was sitting in the overstuffed chair. They both seemed to be talking, not in an unpleasant way, but they weren’t about to become blood brothers either. They both stood when I walked into the living room.

I smiled. “Nice to have you back, Alex.”

He returned my smile, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I’m glad to be here.”

I glanced at Emil and he seemed to be taking the conversation in stride. “I didn’t expect you to be gone for a week,” he said to Alex.

Alex leaned back on the couch as I put my bag down and sat in the loveseat across from him. “There was a lot to sort through. There still is. I had to give them my account, as well as what you and Evie told me happened after I went unconscious. The Amaranthine leaders are concerned, to say the least. Now there’s a push to find the Trackers still missing, but for some reason, their Protector / Tracker bonds weren’t re-established like mine and Evie’s was. Some of the Amaranthine are worried the threat isn’t over.”

“Why?” I asked. “Caleb admitted to abducting them and now he’s gone.”

“Since the other Trackers are still missing, the Amaranthine leaders are concerned someone else has taken up Caleb’s cause. The Amaranthine leaders think all Trackers might still be in danger.” Alex met my eyes. “There’s also some question about your abilities and how you subdued Caleb’s clan. The Amaranthine have never heard of a Tracker able to do something like that. They’re very interested in you.”

Emil and Alex both looked at me, worried. I was a little disconcerted myself. I had hoped the Amaranthine would be able to tell me how to handle my new abilities.

I drew in a breath. “So I’m not out of the woods yet?”

“Far from it,” Alex answered.

“I guess this means you’ll be sticking around as my Protector.”

He nodded and glanced at Emil as he said, “I imagine we both will.”

Emil shifted his attention to me and gave a slight nod.

I raised my eyebrows. “Will you two be able to handle that?”

Emil answered, “We’ll manage.”

Alex’s gaze slid to Emil’s and there seemed to be some silent communication between them. Emil stood. “I have some things I need to do. I’ll see you tomorrow, Evie.”

“I’ll walk you out,” I said, standing up. Alex stayed on the couch as I followed Emil. On the way out the door, I noticed a vase with a dozen sterling roses—like the ones Emil had given me the first day we met—sitting on the table. Emil plucked one blooming rose out of the vase on his way by. I gave him a curious glance and followed him outside.

We walked to the middle of the lawn. Emil pulled a small knife from his pocket. He lifted the blade, concentrating on his task. “I’m assuming the roses are from you?” I asked, watching him cut the stem of the flower so only a few inches remained. He shaved off the thorns and reached for my hand as he nodded.

“Sterling roses used to be your favorite. Every few days I’d go to our garden and cut some for you so you always had fresh flowers. I thought it would be nice to continue the tradition.”

Emil seemed like he wanted to say more, but couldn’t find the words. I spoke instead. “Emil . . . I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done.”

His eyes were warm as he gazed at me. “I would do anything for you, don’t ever forget that.” Emil moved closer, gently tucking the rose behind my ear. The floral scent perfumed every breath I took as Emil brushed his thumb lightly over my lips. “Evie, I lost you once, I won’t lose you again. Even if it takes a thousand years to earn your trust and win you back, I’ll do it. You’re the only person in my life who matters. You’re the only person who ever has. I love you.” He put his arms around my waist and leaned in to me. His kiss was deep, and full of the passion he said he felt for me. Immediately, I felt the heat from my soulmark letting me know Emil might be my soul mate. This man loved me truly, completely—and I couldn’t help but feel like I loved him too. When the kiss ended, Emil held me close and I was breathless.

The warmth radiating from the lily on my back made me think of the Daevos using Trackers to find our soul mate bond—a bond that becomes stronger with kissing. I looked up at Emil and through staggered breaths, I asked, “How do you keep Daevos Clans from finding our bond when you kiss me like that?”

Emil looked surprised at first, then amused. “I have a feeling you’ll remember the answer to that question on your own, but if you don’t, I promise I’ll tell you—eventually.”

I stared at him in amazement. “I’ve hardly remembered anything yet, what makes you think I’ll figure this out?”

He shrugged, his mouth quirking into a half smile. “Just a feeling.”

“You won’t even give me a hint?”

Emil cocked his head, thinking. “I’ll tell you this much: our bond can’t be Tracked by anyone other than the two of us. In time, you’ll remember why,” he said. He grinned as his hand slid over my waist, under my shirt, and up my back. “Because of that, I obviously don’t have the same,” he paused, “limitations that Alex does.” His hand lingered on the spot where my soulmark was raging with heat. Emil ran his tongue over his top lip and it was all I could do not to reach up and kiss him again. He looked at me with a playful glint in his eyes. “Speaking of soulmarks, I bet yours is on fire.” He winked as he slowly pulled away from me.

I wished I could come up with a witty response, but I was speechless.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as he lightly kissed my forehead.

I nodded, still stunned, and watched Emil walk away.

When I went back into the house, Alex was slouched against the back couch cushions, his hands resting behind his head and legs stretched out in front of him. He seemed relaxed—something I wasn’t used to from him lately. I made my way to the couch, wondering if he’d been watching Emil and me outside.

“Did Emil leave?” he asked.

I looked at him deliberately as I sat down on the other end of the couch, crossing my legs. “You know he did.”

He smiled and my stomach fluttered. “Good. I finally have you to myself.” I smiled back and had a moment of guilt for thinking about Alex when I had just kissed Emil, but I had feelings for both of them and wasn’t sure how to choose between them. It wasn’t fair, but it was true.

I leaned back against the pillow resting on the arm of the couch. “What is it about you and Emil?” I asked. “Why is there so much hostility between you two?”

“Because we have a history,” Alex answered flatly.

“No kidding,” I said. “But I get the feeling it goes deeper than the Amaranthine and Daevos, and you being upset he brought me into his Clan. What happened between the two of you in the past?”

His face tensed and I could see the muscles in his neck pulse. “You,” he said, meeting my gaze and holding it. “You happened, Evie.”

I sat up. “What do you mean?”

He stretched his neck, breathing out a heavy sigh. “This isn’t the first time you’ve had to decide between me and Emil. The last time you told me you were choosing him, I kissed you and asked if you were sure because I knew it was the wrong decision. You told me you loved him and he was the man you wanted to be with. We were at a party at the time. Once you had made your choice, I left you in the middle of the estate’s gardens and immediately joined the Amaranthine Society so I would be able to protect you from what Emil was.”

I stared at him in shocked silence, listening as he recounted the memory I’d been thrown into when I first touched him. I hadn’t had the chance to think about the memory revelation much, or what it had meant, but hearing Alex’s story made me realize both memories I’d seen involved my decision to leave Alex, and then Emil. I was about to tell Alex about the memories when he continued, saying, “We’ve fought over you in the past, and I’m sure it will happen again. Given what the Amaranthine said, I think Emil and I are both going to be around for a long time.”

I answered without thinking, “That will be uncomfortable.”

Alex’s expression was bewildered. “Why?”

“Because, regardless of who I choose to be with, you’ll both still be in my life. Plus, the fact that you can’t touch me kind of impedes the progression of our relationship.”

Alex pressed his lips together. “Speaking of that, I have something for you.” Alex stood and took a square, sapphire blue box out of his pocket. He opened it and I saw the glint of silver as he pulled the jewelry from its case. “I’ve been working on a solution to that problem since the first time I left. Now it’s finally ready.”

He reached over and wrapped a shining silver bracelet around my right wrist. As the metal seemed to meld to my skin, a tingling feeling spread over me, making me feel lighter somehow. I traced the bracelet with the fingers of my left hand. The metal was smooth on each side; at its center, a faceted pink orchid glittered with white accents. I gazed at the jeweled flower, stunned. The petals sparkled like hundreds of pink and white diamonds.

The only thing that could pull my eyes away from the stunning gift was the feel of Alex’s hand on my cheek, lifting my head. He held my gaze while he slowly ran his fingers through my hair. I stared at him in amazement. He took my hands and pulled me up, close enough to embrace me. His eyes burned as he leaned in until I could feel his mouth melt into mine and merge with my lips like we’d each found our missing puzzle piece. My soulmark flamed to life as our lips parted and the kiss became more urgent. I breathed in his cedar scent, the smell overtaking me. I ran my fingers over his hard chest while Alex’s hands explored my back. I lost track of time until Alex stepped back, his hands on my hips. He didn’t move his eyes from mine. “I can’t spend any more time without you, and I’ll be damned if you choose to be with Stone just because he can touch you.”

My mind was muddled with the first kiss I’d had from Alex in months, but I managed to stammer out one word, “How?”

Alex smiled, moving his hand to my wrist and brushing his thumb lightly over my bracelet. “I had some help.”

I stared at the meticulously crafted bracelet while the rose petals flirted with my hair.

And my soulmark burned.

Author’s Note

When I chose locations for
Eternal Starling
, there were a few things I took creative license with. The Western State College Campus is beautiful, but it doesn’t have botanical gardens. Also, those of you familiar with Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park will know there are no caves in the area.