Claimed (27 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

G
alena tackled Erin as Eli and Dec disappeared. She landed on top of the smaller woman, but as soon as she did, Erin grabbed Galena’s hands. Her mind immediately filled with memories: of being made fun of by her classmates, of her father spending more time with Eli than he did with her, of her mother making a huge deal out of Eli leaving for Ranger school but barely batting an eyelash when Galena started grad school, of Eli being gone all those nights when sh
e’d
needed him most. On and on came the march of frustration, all the things sh
e’d
ever let go, all the things she thought sh
e’d
forgiven and forgotten. They were all right there.

“Oh, crap,” Erin said. She released Galena and disappeared. Galena fell forward, barely catching herself before her face hit the concrete.

“Where’s Eli?”

Galena looked over her shoulder to see Aislin, Moros, and Cacy standing on the corner. “He took Dec into the Veil,” she choked out.

Moros’s customary smugness was gone. “Meet me there,” he said to Aislin and Cacy, striding forward and grabbing Galena’s arm. With a gust of cold air, they burst into the Veil.

Eli was on top of Dec, who was nothing but a mess of blood and torn flesh. Everything was red, splattered all around the two of them. Galena knew just from looking that he was gone. She couldn’t even recognize his face. The wail started at the base of her spine and surged through her, flying from her mouth as she lunged forward, only to be yanked back by Moros’s gloved hand.

“Eli,” Moros barked. “Stop.”

Eli, his face speckled with Dec’s blood, paused and looked up at Moros. “You can’t control me.” He jumped to his feet, his eyes a lurid, ugly red, dark as all the blood h
e’d
shed. “So I guess nothing’s stopping me from doing
this
,” he hissed.

He leaped at the Lord of the Kere. Moros shoved Galena so hard that she went careening across the street. He ripped off one of his gloves as Eli flew through the air at him.

And then Eli dropped like a stone to the spongy concrete, gasping and writhing. Moros blinked, clearly surprised, his bare hand still outstretched to meet Eli’s attack.

At the same time, Cacy and Aislin stepped through their Scopes, their eyes filled with alarm as they took in the scene. Cacy dove for Eli, and Aislin went for Dec. Galena didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t take her eyes off the two men she loved, one lying still and limp and destroyed, and the other contorted at the feet of the Lord of the Kere, clawing at his own throat.

“Stop now,” Moros said quietly.

Eli’s hands fell from his neck, leaving bloody gashes behind.

“Do you have control of him?” snapped Aislin.

“I do now,” Moros replied, his brow furrowed as he looked Eli over. “Until a few seconds ago I couldn’t feel him at all.”

Eli’s eyes were empty and stunned as he looked up at the sky. Cacy hesitantly laid her hand on his chest. “Eli?”

He gazed down at her pale fingers spread over his red-spattered shirt. “Oh God,” he whispered, his voice strangled to nothing as he looked himself over. He sat up quickly and turned toward Dec, his mouth dropping open in a cry of pure agony. “No!” he howled, scrambling over to Dec.

“Eli, stay back,” said Moros, and it was as if he were pulling invisible strings attached to Eli’s limbs. Galena watched her brother crawl backward and end up across the street, tears carving their way through the blood on his face.

Galena rushed forward and fell to her knees at Dec’s side. Aislin had her hand on the top of Dec’s head, the only part of him that seemed intact. Galena’s fingers fluttered over the gashes in his forehead, across his angular face, over his neck. “Dec?” she whispered, bending down. Her hair was swishing through the blood that had pooled beneath him, but she didn’t care. “Dec,” she murmured in his ear. “I’m here with you. Every second. Every breath.”

No movement. No response. A horrifying thought occurred to her. She raised her head and turned to Aislin. “Did you revoke his status?” she cried.

“She was about to when I got to her office,” said Cacy, who was kneeling on the sidewalk a few feet from where Eli crouched, wearing a look of pure horror.

“But I didn’t,” Aislin said, her skin so pale that it nearly glowed. Her eyes sought Moros’s. “Jason, I want an explanation. Thi
s . . .
” She looked down at Dec and squeezed her eyes shut. “Come on. I’m taking him into the real world.” She pulled her ornate Scope from the chain at her neck and flicked it wide enough for her and Galena to drag Dec through. Moros appeared a moment later with Cacy and Eli at his feet.

Moros looked down at Eli. “This is the second time in as many weeks that you have violated the treaty forged by the Keepers of the Afterlife to keep peace between the Kere and the Ferrys. You have attacked and maimed the brother of the Charon.” He sighed. “This is a crime punishable by death.”

“No,” said Galena, just as Cacy shrieked the same thing. Cacy reached for Eli, but he put his arms up and cringed.

“Don’t touch me, Cacy” he begged, his gaze riveted on Dec.

Cacy looked over her shoulder at Galena, her tear-filled eyes full of pleading.

Galena stroked her fingers down the cold skin of Dec’s arm and then stood up. “Eli wasn’t in his right mind when he attacked Dec.” She spoke loudly, trying to chase the unsteadiness away. With her brother looking tortured and Dec unresponsive, it wasn’t easy. But her need to protect Eli—and the knowledge that Dec would do the same if he could—drove her forward. “He was being controlled by a Ker named Erin, and he’s not the only one she’s done this to. Killing Eli won’t stop her. She’ll probably just commandeer another Ker and come at us again.”

Moros arched an eyebrow.

“She was just here—it was almost like she knew you were coming, so she disappeared.”

He scowled. “I have no Ker named Erin.”

While Cacy sat on the curb, trying in vain to comfort Eli, Galena explained the odd behavior of each of the Kere: Luke, Trevor, Nader, and her brother. She then explained how her boss had framed her, provoked once again by Erin. “When she touches you, all you can think about is getting even.”

Moros’s mouth opened and then closed, his debonair manner blown away by shock. But then he looked down at his own bare hand with realization. “Her true name isn’t Erin,” he said quietly. “It’s
Eris
.”

“And you know who she is?” asked Aislin.

Moros nodded. “Though I thought she was gone. Nothing but a memory. But now, it appears, she has returned to destroy me. And she chose the messiest, most destructive way to do it.” His smile was bitter. “I suppose I should have expected nothing less.”

Cacy looked back and forth between Eli and Moros. “Who
is
she?”

“She is Strife. She is the personification of conflict, of twisted resentment and petty bickering, of blood feuds and bone-deep animosity.” Moros’s handsome features softened into sadness. “She is also my sister.”

Before, Galena hadn’t believed in miracles. Such a thing implied defiance of the laws of science, of the universe. Now, she was grateful to have been so wrong. But perhaps what she was witnessing didn’t defy any law
s . . .
perhaps she hadn’t understood them to begin with.

When Moros had brought them to the guest quarters within the heavily guarded Psychopomps tower, Dec had been a shell. A broken version of himself, torn and shattered. Even though Aislin had reassured her that he would recover, Galena hadn’t really believed it.

Sh
e’d
sat in a chair in the corner as one of the Ferrys’ personal physicians had worked on him, trying to ensure that his body put itself back together properly, sedating him so that he wasn’t in constant, terrible pain as he healed. The nurses had cleaned him off. And then the
y’d
left her here with him. Sh
e’d
been offered a room of her own, but she couldn’t bear to leave him. She knew she should go see Eli—Cacy had sent a message with one of the nurses asking if she would—but Galena couldn’t stand the idea of Dec waking up alone.

Aislin had dropped by personally to check on Dec and to assure Galena that the building was safe, that Aislin was working with Moros to make sure the tower couldn’t be infiltrated as it had been when Rylan had escaped. But Galena could tell the Charon was worried, about her brother, about her empire, about the future.

Galena knew she should be worried about the same. Everything had been turned upside down. Her research. Her career. Her plans. Her family. Her life. But somehow, right now, she could only worry about one thing. He was lying on the bed, the lower half of his body covered in a sheet, his chest rising and falling slowly. Faint pink streaks were all that remained of the terrible wounds Eli had inflicted, and even those seemed to be fading. She stood up and moved closer, watching his face. His dark eyelashes fringed the hollows beneath his eyes. He looked peaceful but tired. H
e’d
been through so much.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, unable to stay away anymore. She didn’t know how to contain the feelings inside her; they were so powerful that they were pushing at all her boundaries, making her heart beat with a new rhythm. There was the fierce tap of devotion, the skipping thrum of curiosity, the need to know everything about him. The thumping bass of desire was ever present. But so was the stutter of uncertainty, throwing off the beat.

The crisis was over for now. Erin had been revealed for what she truly was, and Moros and Aislin were doing everything they could to stop her and protect everyone else. Galena was a true Ferry now, with the Mark on her back, the Scope around the neck, and the ability to take a bullet to the chest and come up fighting. She wasn’t as fragile as she used to be. Thanks to Dec, she was less fragile in a lot of ways.

He had done his duty. He had protected her, made her immortal. She owed him so much, but she still wanted more. She wanted his heart. He already had hers.

His eyelids fluttered, and he moaned, and Galena scooted back to her chair, not wanting to creep him out with her hovering. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, blinking. Then he sat up quickly, holding the sheet over his lap. He sagged with relief when he saw her. “You’re okay.”

She smiled. “I’m fine, thanks to you.”

He looked at her like he was trying to read her thoughts. “Eli?”

“Alive.”

“Erin?”

“Vanished. It turns out she’s Moros’s sister, the living personification of Strife.”

He rubbed his hand over his face. “Mmm. That makes a weird kind of sense. Moros?”

“Knows Eli was being controlled.”

“Aislin?”

“Didn’t revoke your status, obviously.” She waved at his chest, dusted with dark hair, ridged with muscle, perfect and unmarred.

“Okay.” He was still staring at her with a piercing intensity. “Okay. Give me a few minutes.”

He got up, holding the sheet around his waist, and grabbed his phone and the stack of clothes that had been left for him. He headed into the bathroom, and a minute later, the shower switched on. Galena folded her arms and fought to hold herself together. Should she tell him, or should she just let him go? They hadn’t had a chance to really talk since the
y’d
consummated the bond. Now that she was safer, would it change things?

Dec came out of the bathroom wearing jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, his black hair damp and standing on end like h
e’d
rubbed his towel over it and let that be that. “Cacy texted me. She was asking if we could come see Eli.”

“I know.” She clasped her hands in front of her, fingers twisting. “I was waiting until you woke up.”

They stared at each other for a moment. “You didn’t have to do that,” he said, a small smile playing at his lips.

Yes, I did.
She cleared her throat. “I know,” she said quietly. “Shall we go?”

“Sure,” he said, drawing the word out as he watched her. His hand rose from his side, and Galena took it. The feel of his warm skin against hers made the blood whoosh through her veins in that new, unsteady, ferocious rhythm. And as they walked out of the room, hand in hand, as one simple touch filled her with more yearning than sh
e’d
ever felt in her life, she realized they needed to talk sooner rather than later. She had to tell him all of this was real for her. It wasn’t about immortality or safety—it was about him, his noble heart and selfless spirit, his fierce devotion and iron will. She had fallen in love with him, but if they were going to be together, it had to be because he loved her back. She couldn’t bear to be with him any other way. That meant she had to give him the chance to walk away. Yes, it might break her scarred, barely healed heart. But she could get through that. She was stronger than sh
e’d
believed, braver than sh
e’d
thought. And Dec was worth any risk she had to take.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

D
ec locked his fingers with Galena’s as they walked down the corridor that held the guest quarters at Psychopomps. Having her hand in his after all those frantic, fearful moments when h
e’d
thought he was about to lose her was pure relief. There was never a way to make her completely safe, but h
e’d
done his part to protect her. The
y’d
consummated the bond, leaving him in awe of her bravery, leveled by his longing for her, desperate to tell her—sh
e’d
made him feel alive again. He had fallen for her so hard and so fast that he knew he was already too deep to recover. But Galena had important things to do, and now that she was safer and stronger than she had been, did she need him anymore?

He wanted to give her everything he had. But in return he wanted her heart, and he wasn’t sure she was ready—or willing—to offer it to him.

He pushed away the uncertainty and focused on getting her through the next few minutes. “Are you ready for this?” he asked as they reached the door.

“Are you?” She squeezed his fingers. “I’m worried that he won’t agree to talk to me.”

“Let’s find out.” He knocked. “Cacy? It’s me. Galena too.”

Cacy’s face appeared on the screen. Her turquoise eyes were shadowed by dark circles. “Come on in,” she said quietly.

Dec opened the door and ushered Galena into the suite. Cacy stood in the entryway. Dec released Galena’s hand and opened his arms, and Cacy’s face crumpled with grief. She rushed into his embrace. He held her head against his chest as her body shuddered with a sob. “I don’t know how to help him,” she choked out. “He hasn’t moved in hours. He says he wants Moros to destroy him. That it’s safer for everyone.”

Galena put her hand over her mouth, stifling a cry. “I need to see him.”

Cacy pointed down the hall. “The room at the very end. Jus
t . . .
be gentle with him, okay?”

Galena touched Cacy’s arm. “He’s my brother, Cacy,” she said quietly, then turned and walked slowly toward the room, her fingers trailing on the wall.

“Is that safe?” Dec asked, aching to go with her.

“He’s under Moros’s control. Now that we have an idea of what happened, Moros said he can ensure that it doesn’t ever happen again.” Cacy swiped her sleeve across her eyes. “But I feel like I’ve lost him, Dec.”

He held her steady as she sobbed against his chest. His love for her, his little sister, so young but so passionate and powerful, made him ache. He remembered bandaging her bony knees when she scraped them up as a child. He remembered wiping her tears away and making her smile. But those were simpler problems, solved with a kiss and a dab of numbing cream. “We’ll figure this out, Cacy. We’ll find a way through it.”

“He’s been terrified of becoming a monster, ever since Moros made him a Ker. I thought
I’d
gotten him past it, that he could accept what he is and be okay. But this—”

“Was not his fault,” Dec murmured. He closed his eyes, trying to forget the sight of Eli’s contorted face as his claws had descended. “It wasn’t him.”

“Moros told Aislin that he’s trying to work with his other sisters, the Fates, to ensure the security of the Kere souls. Aislin doesn’t trust him, though. I have no idea what’s going to happen at that summit with the Keepers. I can tell Aislin is really on edge.”

Dec looked down at her. “Wait—does this mean you actually spoke to her? Like, a real conversation?”

Cacy shrugged. “I’m as surprised as you are. I think she feels bad about doubting Galena, Dec. Sh
e’d
reviewed all the evidence Galena collected and said it was obvious her boss had set her up. She’s already made the Boston PD aware, and the charges against Galena are going to be dropped. Not sure what’s going to happen to Galena’s boss, though.” Her gaze slid down the hall, to the open door. Dec could hear quiet murmuring coming from inside. “And Harvard has frozen the funds for Galena’s research. They’re just trying to pick up the pieces.”

Dec listened to the soft lilt of Galena’s voice as she tried to comfort her brother. “I’m going to make this right for her. I’ll ask Aislin to set aside space here at Psychopomps. I’ll pay for it myself.”

Cacy chuckled. “Still taking care of her?”

Dec bowed his head. “I’ll give her anything she needs, for as long as she needs it. Father asked me to. Did I tell you that?”

She stroked his arm. “Eli did. And it didn’t surprise me at all.”

“It sure as hell surprised me. When I found out how important she was, I couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t ask someone else to do the job, given what he thought of me.”

She pulled away and looked up at him. “I think he respected both of us more than he ever said, Dec. He made me his executor. He asked you to protect a woman who’s fated to change the world. If he thought we were both fuckups, why would he give us the hardest jobs?”

He blinked. “I never thought of it like that.”

“But you should. He asked you to protect Galena. He chose
you
.” She smiled. “And you did it,” she added softly.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice strained. “I guess I did.”

“Why do you look so broken up about it?”

He gave her a sheepish glance. “I fell pretty hard for her in the process, Cace. But I’m trying not to make a big deal out of it. She’s dealing with enough shit already.”

Cacy stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Are you sure she doesn’t feel the same? She was determined to get to you, Dec. She wasn’t going to let anything get in her way.”

“I actually think that’s just how she is.” Again, that proud protectiveness swelled in his chest. And even when he reminded himself that she might choose to move forward without him, he couldn’t quite suppress it.

Galena poked her head out of the doorway. “Dec?” She came down the hall. “Eli asked for you. Will you talk to him?”

Cacy pulled away from Dec, and both women watched him, anxiety etched into their faces. “Sure,” he said, even as his muscles tensed. He caressed Galena’s cheek and headed down the hall.

Eli was sitting in the corner of the bedroom, his knees up, his arms resting on them. Dec sat on the edge of the bed a good ten feet away. “Hey,” he said. “I’m here.”

Eli’s eyes met his. The sorrow in them was miles deep. “Hey.” He looked away. “Galena said that I wasn’t the only Ker that Erin got to.”

“Not even close. She got Trevor, too. I still don’t know where he is.” And it was killing him. H
e’d
lost his best friend, and for all he knew, the next time he saw him, Trevor would be an enemy.

Eli pressed his thumbs to his forehead, like he was trying to crush a knot of stress that had formed there. “I’m so ashamed, Dec,” he said, his voice breaking. “I remember everything I did. Every single thing. I remember what I was thinking at the time.” He stared at his knees and shook his head. “Ugly, hateful thoughts.”

“She started to do it to me, too. I felt it.” Dec leaned his elbows on his knees. “It was all stuff that’s real, but stuff that doesn’t really bother me most of the time. About Aislin and Cacy. Even about Galena. Stuff that’s so outweighed by the good that it’s easy to push away. But when Erin touched me, it was all I could think about. And I felt like the only right thing was to get even.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Only because she let me go. I wasn’t part of her plan. She said she didn’t need me.”

“Galena does, though,” Eli said softly. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Dec again. “I’m sorry, Dec. I’m sorry for everything. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make up for it. But I’m sorry.”

“I know, Eli. It’s all right.” And it was. Eli was so obviously good that it wasn’t hard to forgive him. “You’re going to have to forgive yourself, though. Because Cacy needs you. She’s hurting. You mean everything to her, and sh
e’d
do anything for you. And she’s down the hall right now, crying her eyes out because of what you’re doing to yourself. So unless you want me to punch you in the throat again, I suggest you pull yourself together, go to her, and make this right.”

Eli chuckled and rubbed at his throat. “That was a pretty brutal shot.” He glanced at the doorway. “I don’t want her to see a monster when she looks at me.”

“She only sees
you
, Eli. She sees everything clearly. And despite that, or maybe because of it, she’s not going anywhere, even when it hurts.”

“I love her, Dec,” he said hoarsely. “I love her so much.”

“Then let her stand next to you, Eli. She’s strong enough to do it. And you need her. Why deny yourself something she’s willing to offer?”

“I don’t want to hurt her. Or anybody.”

“We all know that. And if you try, we’ll stop you. But I think we’re going to find a way to fight back—if we all stick together.”

Eli’s gaze was hard and shiny, like glass about to shatter. “Thank you. For everything. But most of all, thank you for protecting my sister.”

Dec stood up and offered his hand. “You don’t have to thank me for that. In fact, I think I should thank you, for playing that little trick on me.”

Eli took his hand and let Dec haul him to his feet. “
I’d
never try to trick you, Chief.”

“So the list of candidates for Galena’s Claiming—or more accurately, the parade of losers—that was Cacy’s idea?”

The corner of Eli’s mouth twitched, like he was trying to smile. “We came up with it together.”

Dec rolled his eyes. “Then let me tell you, you’re a good team.”

“You aren’t mad?” he asked as they walked to the doorway.

“I’m grateful.”

This time, Eli managed a full smile, still tinged with sadness but real nonetheless. “Me too. She’s changed, Dec. Being with you has changed her.”

Dec looked up the hall, to where Galena was standing with Cacy, her gorgeous green eyes focused on him as he walked toward her with Eli at his side. The sight of her hit him right in the heart. “It’s changed me, too.”