The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (92 page)

“We’re just waiting for Aiden and Diana,” the King told them. Markus came to stand beside her, letting his arm brush hers. They hadn’t spoken since their spat that morning. She wasn’t sure if she was even still angry with him. Which was really very hypocritical of her, she thought admittedly.
She
was the one who had gone and gotten a tattoo, as well as getting stupidly drunk on the eve of war. And
she
was the one who had kissed another man in
their
tent.
I`m a horrible person,
she thought, her shoulders slumping forward. It was not okay to cheat on someone, and yet she probably wouldn’t have stopped with Wolf if they hadn’t sounded the war horn. Her eyes closed at the thought. Suddenly memories of Wolf’s mouth on hers invaded her mind. The feel of his weight on top her body, and his gentle yet commanding touch. Goose bumps rose along her arm at just the thought of it all, and her stomach felt like she had just jumped off a ledge. Maybe she had? Maybe she had taken that step over the ledge with Wolf, and now she was just going to keep falling.
Ugh
, she scolded herself. What did that even mean? Was she admitting to having feelings for Wolf?
No,
she told herself. She was engaged to Markus. She had made her choice, and she would be happy with it.

“Are you alright?” Markus whispered in her ear. Elisa opened her eyes to see him watching her with concern. She tried to smile, but could feel how strained it must look.

“I’m just tired,” she answered.

His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her, but he didn’t saying anything at first. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She let herself lean against him, taking comfort in the contact. “We’ll go to sleep as soon as this is over,” he said, kissing the top of her head. Apparently they weren’t mad at each other anymore, she noted, which only made her feel worse.

Aiden walked in, holding back the tent flap so Diana could walk through. She smiled thankfully at him. Aiden gave her a weak smile as he came to stand beside her. The King looked at them all slowly, his body visibly tense with what he had called them there for.

“I have come to an agreement with Callum,” he began. “Our forces seem to be equally strong, today’s battle being proof. Our men fought long and hard, and, quite frankly, I don’t want to put them through that again.” Elisa saw her father straighten in alarm. Jameson’s eyes moved slowly to meet her father’s and a silent exchange passed between them. Her father
was not
happy. “Tomorrow at dawn, Callum and I will battle one-on-one. The winner will be named High King. As the current High King, it is my command to the King’s army and their Captain that they follow whoever is the winner, even if it is Callum.”

“This is horse sh –” her father started, but was stopped when the King raised his hand.

“The two armies will become one, and no soldier will harm another. Anyone who disobeys will be charged with treason and sentenced to death. As for the Riders and Sun People, I cannot command you and your people to follow my rule, I can only ask that you either agree to these conditions, or retreat now.”

“
Your
men came here to fight, Jameson! Let them!” her father yelled. “This is madness! You would take away their right to end this themselves? Not one man out there will take solace in knowing that their King has offered himself up in their place!”

“Perhaps not,” the King answered calmly, his voice low, “but their families will. When they return to their women and children, they will be thankful.”

“Return home to follow the rule of some spoiled, slighted ex-Prince? Listen to what you are suggesting!”

“Turk, that is enough! I know your thoughts on this without you having to voice them, but the deal is signed and agreed on. Now we need to figure out what will happen with the rest of you,” he said, turning to face Hawk. Wolf’s father looked just as upset as hers, but he didn’t yell when he spoke.

“I am surprised at this course of action, but I won’t stand here and tell you it is wrong. As a leader, I know what it feels like to want to take the responsibility and danger away from my men.” He shook his head at some silent thought before looking up to stare into the King’s eyes. “I honestly don’t know how tomorrow will turn out. Your brother’s skills have grown since he was a young man. Do you feel like you can beat him?”

The King let out a soft sigh. “I’m not sure, but I’d rather try this then lose more men to a battle with no end. What is the point of having one of us win this when all our men are dead? I will not let that happen.”

Hawk nodded. “We will leave before dawn. I’m not sure what will happen should Callum rule, but for now I’d like to return home and discuss it further with my people. I wish you the best of luck,” he said, walking up to clasp the King’s arm. “May the God and Goddess guide you and keep you safe.”

“Thank you,” Jameson replied, smiling sadly at the Chief. Hawk nodded again, and then turned to leave. He stopped beside Aiden and gave him a small smile before leaving. Elisa felt tears building. She couldn’t believe this was happening. It was highly possible that they would lose Jameson tomorrow, and she didn’t think she’d be able to handle that. He was too close to her. Another constant in her life. It being threatened was too much to bear.

“I’m not sure what to say,” Markus said, his voice sounding gruff beside her. She turned to see his torn expression. “This is unexpected, to say the least. I’ll support you though, as I always have, and will honor your agreement.” The King thanked him. “Though, I do hope you’ll win tomorrow, I’m not sure what to expect if your brother does.”

“You and me both,” Jameson laughed, though there was no humour in it.

“Tomorrow at dawn then,” Markus said softly, nodding in farewell. He grabbed onto Elisa’s arm and headed towards the opening. She stopped before he pulled her all the way out. He turned, confused, but let go. The tears she had been holding back were falling now, and there was no stopping them. Turning, she practically ran to her King, throwing her arms around his neck, and buried her face in his chest. Jameson’s arms immediately came around to hold her.

“I don’t want you to do this,” she whispered.

“Trust me, little bird,” he said in her ear, “this is for the best.” His old nickname for her undid her, and she cried harder. He held on until her tears slowed, and she was left hiccupping. She stepped back on shaky legs and felt her father’s hand give her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before she turned to leave, avoiding eye contact with anyone else in the room. The air outside the tent helped to cool her face. Her body felt drained from the physical and emotional stress of that day, so she didn’t protest when Markus grabbed her hand again and led her to their tent.

* * *

She didn’t think it was possible, but it felt like her heart might actually be breaking. Breathing was becoming difficult, and the whole time her insides fought the overwhelming fear and anxiety crawling through her. Diana tried to appear calm on the outside. She gripped her hands in front of her body so that no one would notice them shaking. Only herself and Turk remained with Jameson. Diana was letting Turk have his moment, as he continued to argue with an increasingly worn out Jameson. She could see the lines of worry around his eyes and mouth. He didn’t like to fight with his best friend; he had always been that way. It was one of the things she’d always admired about him. There was such a strong bond between the two of them, which had only grown since Turk’s wife’s passing.

“You would throw away everything we’ve accomplished up until now on
one
fight?” Turk asked, his face red with anger.

“What would you have me do Turk? Send my men out there to fight again? Have you not seen how exhausted they are?”

“This is what these men are trained to do, Jameson! We don’t get random farmers and bakers to come and fight our wars. We have trained men who have been prepared for this since they were young!”

“I will not watch as more of my men die, just because of a feud between myself and my brother!”

“Oh! So this is what it is about?” Turk replied, throwing his hands up in frustration. “You’ve decided to risk your life all because you view this as a personal conflict?”

Diana could see how weary Jameson was as Turk spoke. When he answered, his voice was filled with guilt. “That is exactly what this is, and you know it. If my father hadn’t named me King there would never have been a war.”

Turk stepped nearer to him, looking at him closely. “You did not make your brother seek this revenge over something you had no control over. And you forget, you are
our King
. We will fight for you no matter the reason, and will do it gladly. Callum didn’t just attack you, he attacked all of Eden, so that makes it all our problem, not just yours.” Jameson looked pale as he kept Turk’s stare.

“I appreciate your words, old friend, but no one else will die for me anymore. I’m putting a stop to this.” Turk growled, turning away from him and pacing.

“He is skilled, Jameson. I’m not even sure
I
could beat him!”

Jameson laughed. “Is the great Captain Turk admitting to being bested by someone?” he asked, playfully.

“This is no joke,” he replied, pointing a warning finger at him.

“Honestly Turk, are you going to make me stand here all night analyzing my brother’s skills, or will you let me get some rest before I fight for my life tomorrow?”

Turk’s face paled, as did hers. “Sorry,” he said instantly.

“No, you’re right. You need rest. I’ll go now,” Turk replied. Diana waited for them to embrace, but Turk just left silently, leaving her alone with the King.

Jameson’s head was lowered, his bottom lip caught in his teeth as he was lost in thought. Diana wondered if he even realized she was still there. The look of surprise on his face when their eyes met told her he hadn’t.

“Diana,” he said, almost in a whisper. He cleared his throat. “I didn’t see you.”

She tried for a weak smile, giving her shoulders a small shrug. “I didn’t want to interrupt Turk,” she replied.

He laughed. “No one who likes their face should interrupt him when he’s on a roll.” They both laughed weakly, but it died off quickly. The lump in her throat seemed to grow so large, she could barely breathe around it.

“I –” her voice caught as she began to speak. She closed her eyes, focusing on keeping it together. When she opened them Jameson stood directly in front of her, not touching her, but she could feel his warmth. He reached out a hand and wiped a falling tear from her cheek. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered. “I don’t want you to fight him.”

He smiled sadly at her. “Have you already decided that I’ll lose?” he said, lightly. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

She laughed while more tears fell. “Diana,” he sighed. “You heard what I said to Turk. This is something I feel I have to do.”

She nodded, finding the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. Forgetting her usual composure, she gave into her need and closed the distance between them, letting her forehead rest on his chest. He froze momentarily before one arm circled her waist, and the other reached so his hand was laced through her hair, holding her head gently.

“I’ll be fine,” he reassured her.

“You don’t know that,” she replied, her voice barely audible. She looked up at him, taking in the face that she had fallen in love with all those years ago in the same land they were now in. “I don’t want to lose you.”

His eyes widened. “Diana, we’re not even together.”

“I know,” she replied, hitting her forehead against him again in frustration. What was wrong with her? What was she even doing? She didn’t know. For once she wasn’t overthinking her actions, she was just doing what felt natural.

“Hey,” he said, lifting her chin gently so she’d look at him again. He kept his hold on her face as his other hand brushed strands of hair away. “Talk to me, Diana. I need to know what’s going on inside that beautiful head of yours.” She wanted to shake her head, but his hold was too strong. A small whimper escaped her lips before she raised herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on his lips. She lowered herself back down, watching him wearily. It wasn’t much, but it was the only thing she could do right now to express her feelings. The lump in her throat was too big to speak around and he wanted answers. He sucked in a surprised breath, his eyes roaming over her upturned face.

She didn’t know what he was thinking. She could only pray he wouldn’t turn her away. It would break her heart, even though she knew it’s what she deserved. She had broken his long ago. Now that she knew she could lose him permanently, all she wanted to do was spend this night in his arms – to let the past rest, and focus on what she had been denying herself all this time. A slow smile worked its way across his face until he was looking at her with the most radiant expression she had ever seen him wear.

“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you to do that,” he said, his smile widening.

“I can guess,” she replied, feeling her face flush. Jameson bent down, crushing their mouths together, literally taking her breath away. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close. There was an intensity about him she had never felt before, like he was afraid she would just suddenly disappear. They clung to each other in a desperate way. Finally he pulled back, allowing them to catch their breath.

“You know, if I win tomorrow, you’re going to be in a heap of trouble,” he said, leaning down to trail kisses down her nose, and then across her jaw. He ended just below her ear, where he knew she liked.

“Why?” she asked, surprised at how breathless she sounded.

He straightened so he could look at her again. He wore the same cocky grin she remembered from the first time he had stolen a kiss from her. “Because this time, I’m not letting you go, no matter what anyone says.” She barely had time to inhale before he was on her again. His arms lifted her easily off the floor, laying her down gently on the bed. She loved the feeling of his weight on her. His smell was everywhere, something she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed until now. His mouth left hers again, kissing, licking and nipping down her neck and shoulder. He made quick work of her dress, tossing it onto the floor beside them.