The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (108 page)

When they stopped in the afternoon for a quick lunch, Aiden took the opportunity to find Diana. The others were sitting around a tree, like they had on their journey down. Except this time Elisa was positioned snugly between Wolf’s legs, her head resting just under his chin. Last time she had been with Markus, much to everyone’s dismay. There was also that one missing person, which made it difficult for Aiden to sit and relax. Instead he told the others he needed to talk to Diana, and left.

She was sitting on a log when he found her. The fresh air brought a nice rose to her normally pale cheeks. The white gold of her hair, which was normally sleek and fine, was windswept and draped over her shoulder. When she noticed him approached her lips lifted into a sweet smile.

“Aiden,” she greeted warmly, patting the spot beside her. She moved over a bit more to make enough room. As Aiden sat down, he took a quick look around for Jameson.

“Where is the King?” he asked, not seeing him.

“Talking with Turk. I think they want to send someone west to the Riders. He’s hoping Hawk will accept the way things turned out, and come back to help us against Aziz,” she explained.

“Do you think he will?” Hawk had left right before the High King and Callum fought one-on-one. The winner would have automatically been High King, and both armies were instructed to follow the winner, regardless of who it would be. Anyone who didn’t agree would have been committing treason. Hawk, the leader of the Riders, didn’t know if he could blindly follow Callum, should he have been the winner, so he’d left. Moose and Wolf were the only Riders that had stayed. Wolf, because he was technically a member of the King’s army, and Moose because, Aiden assumed, he wanted to see this through.

Aiden wondered if Hawk would forgive everything Brutus and Callum had done. Especially considering his daughter Rain had betrayed everyone to join forces with them. Well, not with them specifically, but with Aziz who had been Callum’s ally. He hoped he would. Hawk had become a father figure to Aiden while he had been in the west. He and his wife, Sunny, had let Aiden stay with them, and treated him as though he was one of the family. Having the Riders join forces with them would definitely help.

“I’m not sure what Hawk will do,” she answered honestly. “I’m sure there are a lot of things he needs to do back home, especially after Brutus’ attack. This battle with Aziz though will affect us all. I don’t see how he would be able to just sit by and let us fight him alone.”

“He won’t,” Aiden said, feeling the rightness of his words. “Hawk isn’t the type just to sit by.”

“He did the first battle,” Diana pointed out.

“That was before the Riders had been touched by the war. It’s personal now. I can’t see him not getting involved.”

“I hope you’re right,” she said. “We need all the help we can get against someone like Aziz.”

Aiden nodded in agreement. His eyes scanned their newly combined army. There were many of them now. It was actually quite an impressive army. To think that with hundreds of men, it still might not be enough. It was sad. No one should be able to wield the power Aziz did.

“How are you holding up?” Diana asked, interrupting his thoughts. He looked over with what he knew was a weak smile. As much as he wanted to, he just couldn’t muster up the energy it took to put on a convincing one.

“Patience is not one of my virtues right now,” Aiden said.

“I can only imagine how hard this is for you. We’re moving as fast as we can, considering how many people we have now,” she said. Aiden understood this, even if it still irritated him.

“Diana, do you know
why
I was chosen to come here?” he asked, turning to watch her reaction.

“Why you specifically?” she questioned.

He nodded.

“No. I just know it
had
to be you. You are the one the prophecy is referring to.”

“But why?” he said, frustrated. “It doesn’t make sense. Out of everyone it could possibly be, why me?”

“If not you, why someone else?” she countered. “Anyone would ask the same question, and either way it would be unanswerable. I’m sure there is something that makes you special, but unfortunately I don’t have that answer for you.”

“Things are just…weird,” he confessed.

She tilted her head to the side, regarding him, her eyebrows puckered in confusion. “Weird in what way?”

Aiden sighed, looking up into the clear sky. Did he really want to talk about this now that he started to? Would talking about it make it more real? Indecision warred inside his head as Diana waited patiently for him to answer. She reached over and placed her hand comfortingly over his.

“Aiden, you can talk to me about anything, you know that don’t you?” she said.

He nodded, avoiding eye contact.

“Whatever is going on, you can tell me. But you don’t have to. I know I’m the one that brought you here, but the truth is I don’t know how to explain all the who, what, and why’s you’re looking for. Only the person who wrote the prophecy that spoke of you would know these things.”

Aiden turned to look at her, surprised. Everyone had always talked about this “prophecy” but Aiden hadn’t given it much thought until now. It was actually a thing that was written? For some reason that seemed strange to him. Someone just wrote that he’d come to this world and fight for them? How odd was that? He was having a hard time wrapping his head around what she had just brought to his attention. How long ago did someone write about him? He asked her this.

“It wasn’t written that long ago,” she told him. “I remember it coming out in the Capital. None of us knew what it could be referring to. There wasn’t any need for a warrior at that time. Elrond was still alive and healthy. After his death and Callum’s betrayal, I remember my thoughts went immediately to that prophecy.”

“I need to speak to whoever wrote it and find out what they know,” he said, more to himself than to her, but he had spoken it out loud.

“I’m sure he’ll speak to you when we get back to the Capital,” she assured him.

“You know who it was?” he asked, surprised. Weren’t prophecies made by secret spiritual people? Or some old man who sees visions?

“Of course I do,” she said, looking at him like he was crazy. “Don’t you know? It was Alistair.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

It was the third day since Elex had left again, and it was driving Rain crazy. She hated that she wanted to see him so badly, but the truth was she did. There was no one she relied on, except herself, and yet she could feel the bond between them grow to something that was slowly becoming essential. What bothered her most was she kept asking herself if he was missing her as much as she was him. There was a feeling of insecurity there and she really didn’t like it.

After sleeping in her bed the entire night after they made love, Rain had woken to Elex’s warm kisses along her shoulder and neck. The softness of his wings under her was like silk against her naked skin. She couldn’t remember ever being so comfortable and cozy. He radiated a heat that enveloped her against the normal chill in the air. His bare chest against her back was delicious. She had looked up at him, as he’d trailed his fingertips along her stomach.

“I have to go,” he’d said softly.

“Why?” A feeling of dread had spread through her.
Oh Goddess
, she had thought, panicked. Had he just slept with her for just that reason, and now was going to leave? Had it been a one-time thing? She knew boys did that sort of horrible thing. Her friends back in Avalon had cried over it many times. Rain always thought they were idiots. As if they didn’t already know giving their bodies so freely wouldn’t end in heartache? What boy their age was ready to settle down? It was exactly the reason she hadn’t taken that step with anyone. Until now – and now look at her.

Elex had begun to chuckle. Rain had looked back at him in confusion. What was he laughing at?

“I’m laughing at you,” he’d answered. Her eyes had narrowed as she’d worked to close off her mind. How much had he heard? “Rain, Rain, Rain,” he’d sighed. “I’m not
leaving
you in the sense you are thinking. I just need to go on a quick trip for my father.” His voice had sounded slightly bitter, but his face stayed impassive.

“Where are you going?”

“Just going to go keep an eye on things,” he’d said vaguely. “While I’m gone, I want you to be extra careful. You must make sure you don’t give anything away to Aziz,” he’d stressed. “If he even begins to suspect that there is something going on between us he will kill you.”

Rain had shivered from the matter-of-fact way he just said that. “What about you?” she’d asked.

“He’d never kill me,” he’d answered immediately, no doubt in his reply. “Killing you would be punishment enough for my transgression.” She hadn’t known if she should be happy that he’d be upset by her death, or scared that it was even a possibility. She’d decided she was both.

“Just be safe,” he’d said, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. “Act the same as you always have and he won’t suspect anything.”

Well acting the same was easier said than done. Her thoughts were on a constant cycle of everything that happened that night. It was replayed in her mind so many times it started to feel like just a fantasy. Because of this, her mind hadn’t been focused on Aziz’s teachings during their sessions. He had to call her name numerous times to grab her attention. If he thought anything of her distraction, he didn’t say. Rain explained it away by simply saying she was tired.

Then there was the dinner time and the fact that after every meal, Aziz insisted on walking her back to her room. She couldn’t say no, so each time she had to suffer through the inevitable kiss outside her door. Her skin crawled when he touched her. He’d pull her body close to his, while she’d fight the instinct to back away. It was all too much. She just wanted Elex to come back. She wanted the reassurance that everything she remembered from their night together was true. Were they really together? Was he serious about it being just the two of them now against everyone else? Could they really find a way to take over from Aziz? Rain doubted it. He was too strong.

The best they could hope for was to try and get away from him. It was strange to think this, considering she had been working toward getting here for all of the past year. The Shaman had wanted nothing else for his star pupil but to get her in the good graces of the sorcerer. He had been extremely pleased when Aziz showed a special interest in her. Being his Queen was supposed to be the answer to all her wants and needs. Now she was thinking about getting away from him to be with someone else. It was crazy. She was crazy to even fantasize about it.

Elex had always been so cold and distant. How could she be sure that he would love and care for her if she gave him all her trust? For the past three days all she could do was worry, while at the same time try and appear as though all was normal. In her opinion she was doing a horrible job of it.

“Rain,” Aziz called. She looked up from the book in her lap to find him staring at her.

“Yes?” How many times had he called her? She schooled her features so she looked like she was paying close attention.

“You were pretty absorbed in that book,” he said, motioning toward the one in her lap. Was she? Did she even know what she was reading? Rain looked down as the sprawling script on the bound papers. “Are you hungry?” he continued, getting up from behind his desk.

Her stomach growled at the thought of food, answering for her. She looked up, embarrassed. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He chuckled. “Come,” he said, his hand outstretched. Placing her hand in his, she let him guide her to the dining room where the afternoon sun shone brightly through the open ceiling. White, puffy clouds floated by overhead. It was funny, Rain thought, how palpable clouds always looked when standing below them. But when flown through and above them, they were nothing but wisps of frozen crystals. They didn’t feel like soft, plush cushions like she had imagined when she was little.

Instead of sitting at her normal seat across the table, Aziz pulled out the chair to his left and motioned for her to be seated. Since her arrival, he had never placed her right beside him. Something about that seemed significant, and confused her, but she didn’t falter in step as she made her way to the seat.

“Thank you,” she said, smoothing her skirts down.

On the table was an array of meats and fruits. Fresh bread, still warm from the oven and whipped butter. It all looked so delicious, she didn’t know where to start. When had she begun to love food this much? It seemed like she was always hungry these days. With each bite she felt like she could die happy.

“Good?” Aziz asked, an amused look on his face.

“Delicious,” she replied. “I’m starving for some reason,” she admitted.

“Then eat as much as you’d like, I like to see a woman enjoy her meals.” He smiled at her, but it seemed off. A chill ran down her back, the hairs on her arm standing on end. Her chewing began to slow as she grew uneasy.

A sound above grabbed their attention. They both looked up as Elex descended rapidly through the opening. He looked straight at Aziz, ignoring her.

“Father,” he said in his usual greeting. Her body responded to just the sound of the voice. She wanted to get up and throw herself into his arms. Fighting the urge, she went back to her food so she appeared uninterested in him.

“What news?” asked Aziz, in a brisk tone.

“The armies have reached the Capital’s land. They should be inside the city walls by nightfall.”

“They moved fast,” Aziz muttered. “It will be a while before they can make it here. Still, we should start working with the army so their skills are improved. Some of the larger ones are rather clumsy. I’ll need you to work closely with them,” he instructed.

“Yes, father. Will I be staying here then?” he asked. When Aziz said yes, Rain could have sworn she saw relief filter across Elex’s face.

“All of us need to work extra hard. Once the armies leave the Capital we might not have much time to prepare.” Aziz turned to look at her. “Rain, I need you to be extra focused on your studies. Whatever has distracted you these past days, it needs to change. I need you to be ready for the war.” Rain’s cheeks heated at his admonishment, but she kept her voice firm when she responded.