Revelations (The Elysium Chronicles) (6 page)

With the floor cool and smooth under my bare feet, I shuffle as quietly as I can down the hallway and out the back door, which I’ve learned doesn’t squeak like the front.

The sand is still warm from the day, but is soft, crunching softly as I walk. The water laps at the shore, making soft whooshing sounds. The instant I hear it, the tension in my body starts to ease. And when I see the ocean, the rest of it fades away.

Pulling my skirt tight against my body, I sit close enough to the waterline to let the water lap at my feet, but not enough to soak me if an errant wave decides to go a little further than normal. I lay down, crossing my arms underneath my head and staring at the stars. They’re almost the best part here. They’re just so beautiful and free. I feel wistful just looking at them.

My mind wanders as I lay there, and before long I feel myself drowsing. I know I should get up and walk back into the house before I do manage to fall asleep—Gavin could wake up and if I’m not there, who knows what he’d do?—but I can’t summon the energy.

Without warning the hair on the back of my neck tingles and I know I’m not alone. But I don’t get up. I know who it is. There’s only one person who can make my nerves jangle like a whole fistful of bells.

Gavin.

When I feel him stare down at me, I open my eyes, finding myself peering into the most gorgeous gray ones. They’re worried at the moment, as they are most of the time, but I give him a shy smile and the relief in his eyes is almost instantaneous.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hi.”

“Scared me. I didn’t know where you’d gone. Why didn’t you wake me up?”

I reach up and press a hand to his cheek, enjoying the scratchy feeling of his stubble against the sensitive part of my wrist. I stare into his eyes. The beautiful gray shines in the moonlight like polished silver. A delicious thrill courses through me as his gaze travels down my face to my throat and comes to rest on the little v-shaped patch of skin on my chest. It’s almost like he’s taken his fingers along that path instead of just his eyes.

And when those same eyes flash up to meet mine again, my heart skips a beat, then pounds so fast it’s like it’s in a race against itself. The want—no, need—is burning so brightly in his eyes I can feel its echo within me.

I move my fingers to the back of his head, tangling my fingers lightly in his hair, then pull him down so his lips are a hair’s breadth from mine. He continues to stare down into my eyes as if they’re not the only things that he’s seeing. It’s like he’s seeing into my soul and seeing me, really seeing me. As terrifying as it is, it’s also thrilling.

“I love you,” I whisper, unable to stop myself. But instead of the sad look that’s come into his eyes every other time I’ve said it, his lips slowly curve into a smile. One that swells my still racing heart to the point it almost hurts.

“I love you, too. Always,” he whispers back, and I have only a moment to think how much I’ve wanted to hear those words without his usual hesitancy, before his lips breach the short distance between us and I can’t think anymore at all.

His lips are soft and hard at the same time, like he’s holding back. I pull him closer, savoring his taste. He pulls back almost instantly, his eyes roaming over my face, that familiar worry gleaming in them for only a second before it disappears and he kisses me again. This time he’s not holding back. I kiss him back, desperately craving his taste. His scent. His feel. Him.

His hands are rough over my body, but I don’t care. He’s making me feel more alive than I’ve felt in a long time with each touch of his fingers on my skin. The stubble on his chin is scratching my skin and I crave every delicious scratch.

He only pulls away for air, but every time, I feel like I’m drowning and hyperventilating all at the same time. It’s too much, yet not enough, and I never want it to stop.

C
HAPTER
F
IVE

During the War it seemed that even Mother Nature was taking sides. While massive rains of almost biblical proportions were only one of her weapons, flooding destroyed many cities and left others cut off completely from the “mainland.” The rains were followed by drought, which left many previously inhabited lands barren.

—
E
XCERPT FROM
A B
RIEF
H
ISTORY OF THE
21
ST
C
ENTURY

Evie

Gavin and I stand outside the gates, our packs resting on the ground by our feet. The moon has set and the sun hasn’t risen yet, so it’s practically pitch dark. I shiver in the chilly air. While I love the cold, I’m not used to it.

I wonder, though, if it’s really the weather that’s making me shiver or if it’s my nerves. One of the first things Gavin taught me when I was released from the hospital was that I should never leave the gates of the village when it’s dark. There are too many hungry animals that hunt at night. He wasn’t very specific about
what
animals, but I didn’t really expect I’d stray too far from him and never asked.

Even Gavin appears nervous as we wait. I know he is thinking of all the things that could, and probably will, go wrong. He’s already got his shotgun in one hand and his body is tight as he surveys his surroundings. After a minute, though, he relaxes and picks up his pack with his free hand. He slings it over his shoulder and stares out over the coast.

That nervous energy of his is still humming, and he looks so sad looking out over the water that my heart clenches.

I want to tell him it doesn’t matter. That I’m okay not remembering anything of my past. But I can’t. It wouldn’t be true and he’d know it. Besides, it’s not the only reason we’re going. It’s not even the reason he’s going with me. It’s just
my
most important reason, so I keep my mouth shut and reach for my bag instead.

The movement causes Gavin to turn toward me. “You ready?”

His voice is still thick with sleep and his drawl even more pronounced than usual. He stifles a yawn and crosses to me. The dark circles under his eyes, barely visible in the pre-dawn light, make me remember he hasn’t been sleeping again. And it’s my fault. We’d done nothing more than kiss, even after I’d let him pull me back to bed, but I’m sure he stayed up all night to watch me, even after I’d fallen asleep. He’s going to make himself sick if he doesn’t get some sleep soon.

I nod in answer to his question, but keep a stranglehold on my pack, twisting the strap in my fingers. Gavin glances down and eyes my bone white fingers, made even whiter by the pressure I’m exerting on the strap. He places one of his bronzed hands over mine. The contrast is striking, but that’s not what causes me to shiver. It’s the warmth of his hand on mine.

He doesn’t say anything, and I look up from our hands to see him watching me carefully. It’s not the look he gives me when he’s trying to see if I’m all right. It’s different this time, and it makes my breath catch.

The sun is just rising behind him and while the sky is slowly starting to lighten, his gray eyes are still in shadow. A lock of his hair has fallen over one of his eyes. I reach up to brush it away, but he grabs my hand and just presses it to his cheek.

My stomach flutters and my heart trips in my chest. I can’t tear my eyes from his, not that I want to, even when the sun comes up behind his head and threatens to blind me. I could stare into them forever and never have another care in the world.

But before anything can happen, Asher tosses his bag at our feet and says, “Mornin’! A great day to destroy our lives, don’t you think? The birds are singing, the sun is shining…”

Immediately I step back, the pack dropping from my loose fingers, while Gavin makes a disgusted sound. He roots around in his bag and says, “If you didn’t want to go, why’d you volunteer to take us?”

Asher shrugs. “Well, it certainly wasn’t for you.”

Gavin gives him a tight smile. “Anything you do for Evie, you’re doing for me. Or did you forget that?”

Asher’s mouth thins into a line.

Gavin shrugs. “But if you want to stay here, stay. I’m sure I can figure out some way to get into the city on my own.”

Asher snorts. “They wouldn’t let you within a hundred feet of the gates without me and
my
paper.” He pulls a paper from his bag and waves it back and forth.

Gavin tries to grab for it, but Asher only folds it up and shoves it into his pocket, then smiles at me, nodding his head. “And a fine morning to you, Princess.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me and I have to fight a chuckle. It’s obvious he’s only doing it to upset Gavin, and from the way Gavin is fuming, I would say it’s working.

Shaking my head, I say, “Good morning, Asher.”

Gavin glares at him. “’Swear, if I didn’t need you—”

“Well, you do. Get over it.” Asher reaches down for my bag at the same time I do and our hands bump. He gives me another of his cocky grins. “A gentleman always assists a lady with her luggage. Hunter can handle the rest.”

Gavin makes a grab for the bag, but I say, “I can take it,” and lift it before he can. It’s heavy for me, but there’s no need for the two of them to start a quarrel now, especially over something so petty. I refuse to be a bone they fight over. And if they’ve started this stuff now, it’s going to be a
long
trip.

Asher, however, keeps his hand on the bag so I’m not able to flip it onto my back. His tone changes, losing that air he had before. “Are you sure? It’s at least a week’s walk from here. You’ll need all the strength you have to get there. And after yesterday…”

“I’m sure. I feel just fine today,” I lie, giving him my most winning smile. I’m freezing and I ache everywhere, not to mention the bag feels like it weighs a hundred kilos. My arms threaten to shake as I struggle to keep the bag in front of me.

It’s obvious neither of them believe me. Asher continues to frown and even Gavin is watching me with a strange expression. Guess I’m not as convincing as I hoped. After a minute, Asher turns on his heel, dropping my bag, and runs back into the village.

“
Now
where is he going?” Gavin tosses his hands into the air.

I let the bag drop back to the ground and try to decide whether I should sit while Gavin starts his pacing. I’ve just about made up my mind to when I hear the strangest thumping sound. It even vibrates the ground. Nervous, I look to Gavin, who frowns in the direction Asher went. He doesn’t seem scared, only confused.

When I turn back around, I see Asher riding what looks like a cloud of dust, but is actually a giant animal with long legs and an even longer neck. Clamping down on the squeal that wants to erupt from my mouth, I step back into Gavin, who rubs a hand up and down my arm.

Asher drops down off the leather seat and stands next to me. The beast lifts its head and shakes it back and forth, causing the straps on its head to jingle.

Pure panic makes my heart race and I gasp and jump away, bumping into Asher, who chuckles. The beast blows out a breath and I have to fight the urge to flee. The beast is tall, looming above me. Maybe even taller than Asher. It’s silvery, but glows pink in the sunrise. Its eyes watch me with every move and, if I didn’t know better, I’d say they were laughing at me.

“Relax. She’s a good horse. She won’t hurt you,” Asher says, his tone soft and gentle.

I don’t relax, but I do stop trying to run away from it. “A horse?” I’ve heard of horses. I think. The term is familiar to me, at least. I glance at its sides. I thought they had wings, though. There don’t appear to be any. That’s disappointing. I’ve been wondering what it would be like to fly.

“There are no cars outside Rushlake. You want transportation—it’s the horse or nothing.”

“Transportation?”

He gives me a smile. “You really are a princess, aren’t you? Trans-por-ta-tion?” He pronounces each syllable slowly.

I know the word, but it doesn’t fit. I don’t see how this animal could be used for travel. How would you control it?

Gavin fills me in. He always seems to know exactly what I’m thinking. “We ride her.” He pats the large thing sitting on its back. “And she’ll carry us to where we need to go. The city’s a long way from here, you’ll want her to do the walking for you. Trust me.”

He’s always matter-of-fact when he has to explain the obvious to me, but I can’t help feeling stupid every time. It’s always worse in front of other people.

“Plus the best part is she works for hay and sugar cubes.” Asher chuckles to himself and gives the animal a pat on the neck. It makes a soft sound and I catch a glimpse of large teeth under its loose lips.

I swallow hard.

Asher pats something on the back of the animal. “See that seat? That’s how we ride her. She’s also used by the farmers to do … whatever it is they do.” Gavin snorts, but Asher ignores him and continues, “She’s a good girl. Aren’t you, Starshine?” She raises and lowers her head in what I can only call a nod. He pats her neck again and she leans her large head down and nibbles on his hair.

Afraid she’s going to eat him, I gasp, but she pulls away and huffs out a breath as if to tell me to stop being ridiculous.

Curiosity outweighs terror, and I reach out a hand to touch her neck … but curl my fingers into a fist and drop my arm at the last second.

Asher takes my hand. “It’s okay. She won’t hurt you.” He smiles down at me, then turns to the horse. “Evie, this is Starshine. Starshine, this is Evie.”

He places my fist on her neck and my heart pounds. After a minute, though, when the beast does nothing more than stand there, my heart settles and I uncurl my fingers to rub my hand down her neck.

It feels different from anything I’ve ever felt before. The skin is warm, and firm. The hair is soft and thick, coarse. I have to admit I like the feeling. And that she’s very pretty. Tentatively, I step closer. Starshine moves her head and stares at me, the straps over her head jingling.

I’m startled, but I don’t move. Her eyes are the prettiest blue I’ve ever seen. I swear I can see kindness in them. And intelligence.