Sin and Sacrifice (32 page)

“
I've invested in a couple
residences, but I don't live there. If I go on vacation, I choose a
destination far from where any work is going on and usually just
stay in a hotel or something.”

“
How long has it been
since you've had a vacation?”

“
Eleven years or so?” He
went to the fridge and took out a fresh bottle of cold water,
cracking the lid with a twist of his hand.

“
Eleven years! That's a
long time.” Evelyn couldn't imagine waiting that long to have a
vacation.

“
Well, how often do you go
on vacation? Two or three times a year?” He laughed as he
asked.

“
Of course not. But we
usually all go somewhere at least once a year.”

“
That's because you have a
lazy job.”

Evelyn darted an astonished
look at him. “I do not! I'll have you know--” She paused when she
saw the devilish gleam in his eye. Setting down the tongs, she
grabbed up a towel and after giving it a quick roll, she snapped it
at his hip.

He dodged her with too much
ease, grabbing the end of the towel to suddenly tug her right in
front of him.

“
You were saying?” His
tone picked up a predatory edge.

Evelyn couldn't remember
what she was saying. His proximity made her forget herself. “You're
terrible.”

“
You like it,” he
challenged brazenly, setting the towel on the island after she let
it go. But he didn't move away from her.

Evelyn lifted her chin. A
small show of defiance. “I like no such thing. I prefer my men
demure and--”

“
Metrosexual?”

She laughed, skirting
around him both to get her breath back and to see if there was any
wine in their fridge. If there was ever a night she wanted to
indulge, it was this one.

“
What gave you that
idea?”

“
Just a hunch. Am I
right?”

“
Not
whatsoever.”

“
So what kind of man do
you prefer then?”

“
Why are you
asking?”

“
Why are you avoiding?” he
countered.

“
If I told you, then I'd
have to kill you.” She muffled a laugh against her shoulder while
he barked a loud one into the kitchen.

“
You tried that once. Your
aim sucks.”

“
Rhett
!”

“
I just call it like I see
it.”

“
You're an instigator, is
what you are.”

“
I repeat—you like
it.”

Evelyn found a bottle of
blush and a bottle of burgundy. She took both out of the fridge. “I
think you just
want
me to like it.”

“
There are a lot of things
I want you to like.”

Evelyn set the bottle of
burgundy on the granite counter top. The inflection in Rhett's
voice drew her gaze. He stared at her in a way that suggested he
wasn't teasing any longer. It was both the right and wrong time to
address the situation, but Evelyn knew that they needed to before
anything went further between them. She glanced through the
kitchen; it was empty save for themselves. Less interested in the
wine than before, she toyed with the bottle.

“
Such as?” she asked,
meeting his eyes.

He strolled over after
turning the grill off and leaned a hip against the counter a foot
away. “Me, for one.”

“
I do like you. In fact, I
like you more than I should if I'm honest.” As if the events of the
day weren't difficult enough, Evelyn found herself forced to begin
a conversation that would only make things worse.

“
Why is that a bad
thing?”

“
Haven't you been
listening to everything we've said, Rhett?” she asked.

“
Of course. It's
impossible not to. What troubles you about it?”

“
Don't you know?” Leaving
the bottle alone, she faced him. He looked sturdy and solid, like
always, as if he could fix anything. Change anything. Make life
better just by being present.

But he couldn't fix this.
He couldn't bridge the enormous gap that existed between them no
matter how they both felt for each other.

Astute, he narrowed his
eyes.

“
If you think I haven't
thought about the immortality, then you're wrong. I
have.”

“
It's why we don't have
relationships for long periods of time. Minna is the only one of us
who has ever made something last longer than a year or so. It's not
fair to you, or really, to me, either.” If she allowed herself to
fall the rest of the way, Evelyn knew that eventually, when they
had to separate, he would not be the only one
devastated.

She'd never felt this way
about any man, no matter how fond she'd been of a few of her
boyfriends over time. There was something different about the bond
she felt with Rhett.

“
I hate to fall back on an
old cliché here, but isn't it better to have loved and lost than to
never have loved at all?”

Evelyn snapped a look up
from where her gaze had gone distant on the wall. Was he telling
her he was in love with her? Or conjecturing about their possible
future? One that wasn't a future at all but a progression toward
the day when they would have to part for the age
differences.

She would continue on, like
this, while he grew old and feeble.

It did not answer the
question he put to her, however. And standing this close, where his
scent lingered in her senses, his eyes regarding her so warmly, she
felt tested beyond measure. Would the joy of being with him for
twenty years outweigh the other thousands she would be without him
after he died?

“
A cliché made by someone
who never had to watch a loved one wither and fade, and ultimately
die. It's easy to make such grandiose statements when you're in
your prime, when you're
both
in your prime, and have the rest of your lives to
grow old together. We don't have that luxury.” She rested her palm
on the cool counter top. It was surreal to even be having this
conversation.

Rhett continued to maintain
eye contact.

“
A cliché made by someone
who undoubtedly understood that no matter what else, they wouldn't
be able to resist what they want and to keep trying to do so would
only result in lasting heartache. Better to seize the moment and
live it than to wake up miserable every day, don't you
think?”

“
And how resentful will
you be when you begin to age and I don't? Hm? How much do you think
you'll enjoy that?” Evelyn closed the distance between them,
standing so close that she had to tip her head at a sharp angle
just to hold his gaze.

“
I choose to live for the
moment, Evelyn, not look so far into the future that it taints what
we might have today. I could have sworn you'd be the type to do the
same.”

Evelyn of six months ago
would have engaged in a brief affair with him and had no second
thought about it. But today things had changed. Their secret was
out. Rhett was...Rhett. Different than other men she'd dated. She
wasn't sure if she was relieved that he knew her so well already or
annoyed by the same.

“
You make a good argument
for the situation,” she murmured, unable to come up with a suitable
reply. “I need a little more time.”

“
There's no rush, despite
my ticking clock.” Rhett brought the topic back up to lighter
footing with mild humor.

“
What if I decide not to
take the risk, Rhett? What if, ultimately, I don't want to put
myself through it?” She almost hated to see the gleam in his eyes
fade.

“
Then that will be that. I
won't fight you over your decision, Evelyn. There's no joy in it if
you don't come willingly, with your whole heart.” He turned away
without any heat in his words to finish dinner
preparations.

Evelyn tinkered with the
bottle of wine and watched him, thinking over everything he'd said.
It would be a challenge either way and for a moment, she felt
frustrated by their circumstance.

Chapter
Fourteen

“
Aren't you supposed to be
sleeping?” Dracht asked from the doorway to his room.

Rhett glanced up from the
bible in his hands. Curiosity had gotten the better of him after
dinner and he'd sought a volume out from his father's extensive
library. Well past midnight, Rhett was on schedule to take over
after Dracht's shift.

“
Can't sleep,” he
admitted, slapping the book closed. He set it on the bed beside
him. Sitting on the edge, fully clothed, he propped his elbows on
his thighs and eyed his sibling.

“
Something happen I'm not
aware of? I'm sure you're not worried about tomorrow.” Dracht
leaned a shoulder against the door frame.

“
Nah, I know you guys will
clean house. Everything ready to go?”

“
Everything's set. The
house is wired, videoed and we already have lookouts placed on the
street. You didn't answer my question.”

“
Had a talk with her
earlier while we were making dinner.”

“
And?”

“
And I don't know if
she'll set aside the major difference between us to give this thing
a go.” Rhett studied his brother. Dracht didn't bother to hide his
surprise.

“
I thought I was just
imagining whatever it was I saw between you. Since when do you want
something more than a one nighter with a woman?”

“
Pretty much since the
first night I met her.” He saw no reason to lie. Rather than fight
being baffled over their connection, he sought ways to overcome the
problem.

“
Huh.” Dracht grunted. He
made the sound often when he was thoughtful. “I don't need to tell
you it's going to be tricky. Not just because they live for however
long, but because at some point, word is going to leak
out.”

“
The Church has kept many
things secret for years--”

“
I'm not talking about the
Church. Who's to say these guys haven't already told someone
else?”

“
Wouldn't we have heard by
now?” Rhett asked.

“
Not necessarily. There
are a lot of reasons, some we can't even guess at, why they might
come forward. Money, notoriety, a shot at becoming
immortal.”

“
We'll deal with it then.
It's not enough to keep me from trying with her.” He stood up and
stretched his back. They spoke at such a low volume that he wasn't
worried Evelyn or any of her sisters would overhear. Last he knew,
they were all sleeping in their appointed rooms.

“
Leave it to you to fall
for someone you shouldn't have.” Dracht snorted.

Rhett latched onto the
thread of humor and smiled devilishly. “You know me. I like a
challenge. It'll help tomorrow if you and Dad can slip out without
the girls seeing you. That Alexandra asks a lot of
questions.”

“
A challenge is what
you're going to get.” Dracht laughed. “Yes, she does. I'm half
surprised she isn't waiting in the pit for another lesson. We're
heading out an hour before dinner, so keep them distracted in the
kitchen or something and they'll never know we're gone.”

“
I'll have Christian help
me keep their attention diverted. After tomorrow, we can make
extended plans. Hey, how do you feel about Crete?”

Dracht looked
perplexed.

Grinning, he clapped his
brother on the shoulder and let him wonder.

There was a certain archaic
kind of peace to be found within the stronghold. Evelyn imagined
centuries of Templars residing here, going on their secretive
missions only to come back to rest and recover. Two weeks ago she
would have gone cold at the thought of being ensconced within their
sanctuary; now she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Strange.

Standing in front of the
swords attached in a line on the board in the sand pit the
following evening, she examined them closely. The blades shined.
Each one had ancient script carved along the edge, a flowing line
of words about strength and honor. Before meeting Rhett and his
brothers, she would have laughed at the thought that any of the
Knights were honorable. Each also bore an insignia, the same as the
iron cross tattooed between the Templar's shoulder blades. It
matched another engraved into the gold lined, leather wrapped
hilt.

The weapons were rich with
detail, polished and well cared for. A novice, even she could see
that.

She wondered how old the
swords were, how many generations they'd been passed down
through.

Blanching, she wondered if
any of them had been the instruments of death that had ended the
lives of one of her sisters.

“
Not inclined to pick one
up?” a familiar voice said near her ear.

Startled, Evelyn whipped a
look back at Christian. She smiled, one hand pressed over her
racing heart. “You surprised me. I—no. That's probably not a great
idea.”