The Relentless Warrior (13 page)

There were just so many things to unpack in that monologue. I wasn’t even sure where
to begin. So, just to cause problems, I said, “Who said anything about settling down?”

Jericho gaped at me. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

“Have you paid any attention to me? At all?” I walked over to him, intending to go
back to my own room and pull myself together and at least brush my teeth. “Since when
have I ever seemed into Sebastian?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged and rocked back on his heels. “It’s hard to tell with
you.”

“Says the guy who keeps trying to kiss me and then chickening out,” I huffed.

Jericho’s eyes darkened and he stopped acting like a little boy caught with his hand
in the cookie jar. He took a step toward me. My stomach dropped and I felt my Magic
spike in my blood. His eyes were that perfect mixture of green and brown again; a
rich chocolate background to the brightest greenish-gold flecks. His skin practically
glowed with healthy color. His energy was intense, aggressive, confusing.

He cleared his throat, attempting to pull himself back together. “We need to talk,”
he said.

I glanced over at Ophelia and then back at him. “In here?”

Apparently.

“I’m leaving, Liv.” His penetrating expression turned to that of concern and a little
desperate. “Avalon, the other King, is back. I’ve been waiting on him. Sebastian and
I are leaving later tonight.”

A riot of emotions erupted under my skin. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. I didn’t
want him to go, but I needed him to at the same time. I felt a little like he was
abandoning O and me. I felt relief that I could go back to normal, or as normal as
my new Magic would let me be. I knew I would miss him. A bond had been built between
us that would be difficult to break. And there were a hundred different things I felt
brewing, simmering, and bubbling up inside me.

But one forced itself out stronger than all the other thoughts and emotions.

“I want to go with you.” The words fell out before I could dissect them.

“You want to what?” He looked at me like I had two heads.

“I want to go with you, Jericho. I
need
to go with you.”

“Liv….”
“Wait,” I held up my hand. “Listen. Please.” His eyes narrowed but he respected me
enough to listen to my opening argument. “O is not waking up and I can’t do anything
for her here. If there’s a cure or any way for me to help her, I have to do it, I
have to help her.”

“It’s too dangerous…”

I cut him off again, “But I’m not helpless anymore. I can fight back. Besides, what
else can they do to me? They’ve already ruined me.”

“They could kill you, Liv.”

I shook my head vehemently, “There’s this chance… they might be… Terletov…” I couldn’t
bring myself to even say the old lady’s prediction out loud. It seemed too insane
even for this world. How could she know about Orion? And how could she know that he
would be in danger soon?

“What is it?” He put comforting hands on my biceps and held me at arm’s length so
he could watch my face. “Did Ileana say something to you?”

“It’s impossible.”

“What did she say, Olivia?” He spoke sternly, brokering no room for argument. Apparently
he took Ileana seriously; maybe I should too.

“She mentioned my brother. She said he will be in trouble soon.” I stepped into him,
breaking his distance-keeping hold and wrapped my arms around his waist. Things had
been weird between us lately, but this was what I needed. I needed to borrow his strength
and security. I needed to feel safe and untouchable for just a few moments.

He was kind of like a drug with all his warmth and refuge. And I was quickly becoming
addicted to his sanctuary.

Probably another reason to stay behind.

His arms wrapped around me reflexively and he held me to him. “Avalon won’t let you
go. Even if it was alright with me, I’m not the ultimate authority.”

“So you take her seriously?”

“She has this whole thing… where she can see the future.” Jericho smiled sheepishly
at me and I groaned.

“I was afraid you were going to say that. How accurate is she?” I pulled away from
him just a little bit so I could look up into his eyes and gauge his truth-telling.

“Well, she can’t see everything,” he answered immediately.

“Oh, good.”

“But what she does see, she’s usually right about.”

“Usually?” I asked hopefully.

“I meant always. She’s always right.”

I dropped my forehead to his chest and winced. “Then I’m going with you.”

“You would leave Ophelia to go on this mission?” Jericho’s words were like punctuations
of accusation. I knew he didn’t mean them that way, but my own, personal guilt kept
me from feeling like any decision was a good decision.

“If I stay here, I’m not doing anything to help her. At least out there, I’ll feel
like I’m part of a solution.” I paused and then said, “If she wakes up, I’ll be able
to come back, right?”

“I don’t know if Avalon is going to let you go,” he said somberly. “I don’t know if
you should go.”

I could feel him wavering, weighing the pros and cons of taking me versus leaving
me. It was probably a very stupid decision for him to take me with him. Still, that
didn’t mean I was going to take no for an answer.

I stepped away from Jericho and yanked open the door. “I have some say left in my
own life, Jericho. You can’t keep me locked up here forever.”

“Shouldn’t you be skeptical of an old gypsy with Magical powers?” He called after
me. “You’re supposed to think it’s spooky!”

“Her parents were killed because they loved each other. She’s a half-Immortal, half-human.
 
She’s a gypsy queen! Everything about that story sounds impossible. And that’s exactly
how I know it’s true.” I shot him an amused smile and then left him watching me go.

I felt a little better knowing Jericho wasn’t the final authority. I would make a
good argument and I would get my way. I fought for what I believed in, and I believed
in this. I belonged out on the field, out tracking down Terletov, if for no other
reason than to make sure Orion stayed safe. I would deal with Ophelia waking up when
and if that actually happened. But for now, it was time to start fighting back.

Chapter Eleven

Jericho

By the time I caught up with Olivia, she was half way through her plea. I should have
followed right after her, but I had needed a moment. I thought I wanted to get away
from her, clear my head and get my priorities in order.

But then Ileana kicked me out of that room declaring that she needed to be alone with
Olivia.

I wouldn’t argue with the Gypsy Queen and I knew she would never hurt or harm Liv.
However, the wave of protectiveness that surged through my blood nearly knocked me
over. Olivia was mine to protect,
mine
to care for.

I belonged in that room with her.

I belonged with her.

But those thoughts were crazy! I barely knew this girl.

Okay, that was a lie. We’d been together non-stop for the last few months. I did know
her. And she knew me a hell of a lot better than anyone else.

I was attracted to her. I could admit that.

She thought it stemmed from finding out she had Magic, but truthfully, my attraction
to her looks was instantaneous. Even on the mountain, while she was dirty and beaten,
I’d been aware of her staggering beauty. In that moment, seeing her broken and so
savagely vulnerable, I had been murderous. I breathed fire with the need to avenge
her, to hand her retribution. And since then? That desperation had deepened tenfold,
because my attraction to her was deeper than the surface, than her pretty looks and
biting personality. Whatever this was, it had been growing steadily every moment we
were together. Maybe the Magic was what pushed me over the edge into this never-ending
abyss of “Olivia”, but I had no doubt it would have happened whether she had manifested
powers or not.

She demanded too much of my time and too many of my thoughts for me not to fall for
her, at least a little bit.

But now what?

What did I do with that?

Bury it.

That’s what.

Even if I felt mildly attracted to her, there wasn’t a future for us. There wasn’t
anything waiting on the other side of that attachment. She wanted to go back home,
back to her “normal.” And I had a lifetime of…

I shook my head, unable to finish that sentence.

It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t see beyond this current conflict
and when I tried I was filled with emptiness… with loneliness.

None of that meant anything unless I could defeat Terletov. That was my responsibility
now. Maybe it always had been. Maybe I’d always known that, and that was why I felt
so restless.

So utterly helpless here.

Except when I was with Liv.

I shook my head of those thoughts and took off after her. If she’d manage to catch
up to Avalon, no doubt she was laying out her case and arguing all of her points.

I picked up my pace.

I ran into some Titans in the lower south hallway and asked them if they’d seen the
human wandering around. She’d asked for directions to the King, so one of them had
set off to show her.

While Olivia had been here for weeks, she’d been mostly confined to the south wing.
That had been for her safety. We didn’t want her wandering around the castle, getting
lost and then unable to find her because, at the time, she didn’t have a Magical current.
Of her own accord, she’d quarantined herself in O’s room because she couldn’t tolerate
leaving her sister. Today was the first time she’d been outside since she arrived.

After we brought Olivia here, we outfitted her with everything she would need to be
clothed, comfortable and feel at ease. I’d expected her to explore the grounds as
well. It wasn’t often that modern humanity was given a chance to walk into a place
like our Citadel and enjoy the luxuries of the Immortal world and the history of an
ancient Romanian castle at the same time. The Citadel was the best of both worlds
and everyone loved it here. Except for Liv. She’d stayed in O’s room day and night,
never curious about the rest of the castle or using most of what we gave her except
toiletries and the necessary clothing.

She was like that though- easy-going, self-sufficient and achingly loyal.

I walked into the Throne room during the middle of her plea, and couldn’t stop the
smile from instantly appearing on my face.

I didn’t want her to go, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t adorable, standing in the
middle of the stone room, arguing her point.

“If my brother is at risk, I have the right to go,” she was saying.

Avalon acknowledged me with a tilt of his head and narrowed eyes. He thought this
was my fault? That was hilarious.

Olivia noticed Avalon’s attention falter and glanced over her shoulder to spot me.
Her expression tightened and she looked less sure of herself than before. My friends
still lingered around the room, although Ileana was gone. Angelica was back in her
council seat. Amelia, Seraphina and Eden filled the other three chairs. Kiran was
slumped in his Throne looking bored and anxious to leave. And Sebastian sat at the
edge of Eden’s Throne with his elbows resting on his knees- like the Throne was just
for anybody to sit on.

“She didn’t even bow, Jericho.” Avalon gestured with a lazy hand at Olivia.

I suppressed my smile immediately. Olivia gaped over her shoulder at me. And because
I was a bastard I played along, “It’s my fault,” I worked to sound apologetic. “I
didn’t go over the proper etiquette with her before she ran off. Please be lenient
with her, it’s her first offense.”

“Not quite her first offense,” Avalon tsked. “She also locked you out of the castle
this afternoon.”

“I didn’t! That was you!” Olivia squeaked. “You locked him out…”

“Silence,” Avalon bellowed, as if he had any real authority in this room with
these
people. “Do not speak unless you are spoken to!”

Olivia glanced back at me, eyes wide with fear, “Help me!” she mouthed.

My guilty conscience took over and I stepped up to her side. “He’s just teasing you,”
I whispered, pressing my lips to the shell of her ear for comfort. And then louder
I said, “He think he’s hilarious.”

“I am hilarious,” Avalon countered confidently. “The whole Kingdom says so.”

“Because you made it a decree,” Eden put in. “Thou shalt admit King Avalon is hilarious
at every opportunity they find, or thou shalt be
putteth
to death.”

“That’s not real,” Olivia muttered.

I went to reassure her that it wasn’t but…. “I’m not actually sure. Probably that’s
not true.”

“Probably?” she winced.

“But the bowing thing is definitely not true. Avalon hates being King.” That was true,
although he seemed more at peace with his calling ever since Amelia.

“Jericho, your human would like to go to South America with you.” Kiran brought the
room back together. His gaze shot back and forth between Liv and me as if waiting
for one of us to deny that she was “my human.”

“I know,” I said instead. “And she’s not exactly human anymore, Kiran.”

“Does that make her eligible for your team?” Avalon asked with surprising somberness.

“It was enough for Eden,” I answered seriously.

The room fell into hushed silence, nobody quite sure what to say.

Finally Avalon said, “That was different.”

“How?” I challenged.

“Jericho, I was… I am…,” Eden cleared her throat and tried again. “Avalon and I have
always had each other. He was my failsafe. Amory always knew I would be fine.”

“And those were different times,” Avalon put in.

“You’re right. Last time we were able to leave the humans out of this.” I felt petulant
and argumentative. I didn’t even want Olivia to go with me, so I wasn’t sure why I
was petitioning on her behalf.

“Are you going to ask her to join the Resistance too?” Kiran asked snidely.
“What is the Resistance?” Olivia asked in a small voice.

“You’re missing my point,” I said firmly. What was my point?

“When it comes to Magic she’s greener than Eden ever was,” Avalon stood up and took
a step forward. He thrust his finger at her and radiated with authority. This was
a side of Avalon I hardly ever saw and never had it been directed at me. But I wouldn’t
back down, especially now. I wasn’t intimidated easily, or at all. I had a valid point.
Eden was more of a liability than Olivia would ever be.

So I thought I’d better drive home my point, “But Olivia’s not in love with the enemy!”

More silence. Damn, I was on a roll tonight.

“Is that what this is about?” Kiran jumped to his feet, ready to defend his wife.

“God, no. It’s not…” I answered honestly. “Look, Eden….” I cleared my throat and turned
around to face her. She was white, ghostly pale with anger or hurt- I couldn’t tell
anymore with her. I couldn’t read her anymore. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just
meant that, while there are a lot of similarities between you and Olivia, there are
a lot of differences too. She has a real reason for revenge. She is motivated to work
hard at this, especially if her brother truly is in trouble.”

“You forget that I also had a real reason for revenge, Jericho,” Eden’s voice was
fire and acid. Her eyes were dark holes of crackling energy. Shit, I’d really pissed
her off. And I hadn’t meant to. “I wanted vengeance more than anybody. And I did everything
I could to accomplish it.”

I rarely let these particular feelings surface. There were just too many of them,
too many emotions. Anger, hurt, betrayal, loss… I was the one to walk away from her
all those years ago. I knew that. I reminded myself of that fact often. And it wasn’t
as though I still pined away for the new Queen. But what I’d felt for her had been
real- the most real thing in my life. It had taken a long time for those feelings
to fade.

And some days I was convinced they never had.

“Don’t,” I begged in a quiet, hard voice I was embarrassed to use in front of everyone
else in this room. Eden’s steel visage broke, cracked straight down the middle with
pity for me. “You could tell that to anyone else, Eden, but not to me.” I flicked
a glance at Kiran, who had also sagged with cold compassion. The ease in which they
backed off from this fight made me burn with rage and self-righteousness.

Yes, I was the loser. Fine, I’d been passed over. But I’d moved one. We were all adults
now. We were kids back then and I had been stupid enough to believe I was enough for
a girl that had already given away her heart to another man.

I felt Olivia’s curious eyes on me, felt her confusion spike to an almost palpable
being. I couldn’t look at her, though. I couldn’t let her see the hurt and regret
reflected on my face or the self-loathing that I had let my past affect me so
 
deeply.

All I’d done was fall in love with a beautiful girl, but it was a mistake I felt like
I would pay the rest of my life: a black mark on my otherwise perfect record, the
great taboo that everyone was afraid to bring up in group gatherings but whispered
about behind my back.

Avalon softened his tone as another person in love and watching my single-misery.
I felt like announcing my current contentment. It was like they were all so blissfully
in love they couldn’t bear to watch the poor single person struggle through life alone.

“Are you going to be responsible for her?” Avalon asked with a wary glance at Olivia.

“I didn’t set out to convince you to let her come,” I sighed. How did I get myself
into this? “It’s your decision, obviously. I just thought she had a valid argument,
that’s all.”

“I think she should go,” Mimi spoke from behind me. I felt myself instantly relax
at her voice. She had become a good friend, maybe my best friend. Avalon and I had
always shared a close friendship, but I didn’t talk to him the way I could talk to
Amelia. Sebastian and I spent the most time together but only because of our assignments.
We were okay friends, but he had been with Seraphina for the last four years and I
wasn’t the kind of guy that opened up to… anyone. Amelia had become a voice of reason
and friendship that I truly enjoyed. She’d been there for me when I needed a plus
one and the circumstances surrounding our group had become awkward. She danced with
me so I didn’t have to dance with strangers and daughters of hopeful politicians.
She hung out with me when everyone else was tied up in Kingdom business. She was awesome
and could be really funny. And right now confirmed it; I liked her best.

“Why?” Eden asked quietly.

“She’s not helpless,” Mimi started in a soft voice but picked up courage as she continued.
“She has as much Magic as any of the rest of us. The ballroom is evidence of that.
She is motivated, like Jericho said, but also, she’s got to be bored. We’ve trapped
her here, or at least her sister. She can’t go anywhere. She can’t do anything. She
can’t save her sister by just sitting next to her every day. I would go crazy if that
were me. In fact, when Kiran was sick, I almost did go crazy. I would have done anything
I could for him. If I could have hunted you down, Eden, I would have. She’s smart,
she’s capable, she deserves more from us. And Jericho makes a good point. Eden, you
were allowed to run missions and fight bad guys and you were no more prepared than
Olivia. Jericho will work with her; he would never let something happen to her that
could be avoided. There will be a team of people involved. And if it gets too dangerous,
we should trust Jericho to send her back here. Avalon, you’ve already given him immense
responsibility. You trust him with every life in this Kingdom, why won’t you trust
him with just one more?”