Enticed (11 page)

„Right," I said, starting to realise the enormity of what they were saying. „So, if partners are ever ..."

„Physical," Rudyard offered again.

„Yeah. It"s … bad. I mean, real y bad."

Nyla"s look turned to one of sympathy. „It is a likely consequence. But as we said, it seems Rudy and I are the exception. With all things in life there are always different ends to a scale. We are the very opposite."

Rudyard reached over and closed his hands over Nyla"s. „When Nyla and I first became partners, it was simply not an option for us not to explore our love. It was part of us, and in the end, no matter what the cost, we believed in that love. When we first became intimate, instead of it pushing us apart, it brought us together – completely. Nyla and I are partners through our angelic senses and as Grigori, but we are also partners through our human souls, linked in every way."

My eyes went to Lincoln. He had turned back towards the table and was already staring at me. I knew what we were both thinking and my heart started thumping so hard I was sure everyone could hear it. Remembering when we had kissed on my birthday, the way our bodies
and
souls seemed to intertwine so perfectly. The way my healing always seemed to work, through a physical connection.

„And your powers?" Lincoln asked not taking his eyes from me. It was as if he couldn"t.

„Ful y intact – and through our connection souls they are in fact amplified within one another."

„I … I don"t understand," Lincoln said.

„It"s hard to explain. The best explanation I can give is to ask you to imagine a tunnel. Like there is an invisible tunnel between Nyla and myself and we can each, at any time, walk through or reach through that tunnel to one another. So can our powers. We can always feel each other and each other"s powers."

And then … I got it. „You"re soulmates," I said, my voice trembling.

Nyla nodded and squeezed Rudyard"s hand and I felt the stirrings of something very, very dangerous. Hope.

„Are there other Grigori like you? I mean … is it possible that …" I asked, quietly.

„That you and Lincoln are kindred souls?"

„Yeah," I said, blushing that I had to ask this question in front of Lincoln.

„It is," Rudyard said. „When I felt your power at the airport, it seemed to gravitate strongly towards Lincoln"s essence. I have not seen one person"s powers pul on those of another so strongly since …" he looked at Nyla. „But it is more likely – you are not. In all our years, we have never met another set of partners that have been bonded in soul. And, if you are, while it is amazing, you should know, it is greater than any other kind of commitment. Greater than any kind of marriage in any culture, so think carefully before you … explore."

Oh my God, this is the weirdest sex talk ever!

„Okay. Wel thanks for the heads-up." Lincoln stood, clearly sharing my awkwardness. „I"m going to make some dinner. Would you like to stay?"

„Thank you, but now. We"re a little worried Zoe may try and put Salvatore back on a plane to Italy if we don"t get back to them soon."

„Yeah. Poor guy," Lincoln agreed.

„Zoe"s a good girl, she just had expectations for her partner – Salvatore was not. But I believe she wil be surprise, in time," Nyla said, as she and Rudyard stood and instinctively wrapped an arm around each other.

Now that I knew they were soulmates, I could see every little movement was somehow catered for by the other. They truly were connected and when they looked at each other, although it was only brief their eyes mirrored each other. Perfect love.

And look at me and Lincoln, we can barely look at each other. Every time we get close,
something gets in the way. Would that happen if we are meant to be?

-

Just Lincoln and me – for the first time in what felt like ages. He set about making dinner.

I didn"t bother offering to help. We both knew unless it involved the coffee machine there was little point.

„I"m just going to throw on some steaks and make a salad. That okay?"

„Yeah. Great," I said, feeling more uncomfortable than I had since I first found out about being Grigori. I walked around the massive open area that was now cluttered with gym equipment, the floor strewn with mats. I started putting some bits and pieces away in the buckets that sat at the base of my wall. I"d been trying to paint a mural on one of Lincoln"s large blank spaces, but I hadn"t got very far. It was a time issue, more than anything. That, and I"d hit a block. Every time u though I knew what I wanted to paint, something changed my mind. Right now there was a huge sheet covering it.

„Here you go."

I jumped a little, caught in my thoughts I hadn"t noticed Lincoln come up behind me.

„Thanks," I said, taking the glass of Coke he held out.

„I"m sorry, about last night," he said. „I shouldn"t have gotten so angry."

„I"m sorry, too. We should have never gone in there. It was stupid."

„True," he said, smiling now and appearing just as relieved as I was that we weren"t heading straight for an argument.

I rolled my eyes but then got serious again. „Linc?"

„Hmm?" He was walking back into the kitchen.

„Um …" I was going to ask him about Magda, but I couldn"t „We should go check on Onyx tonight."

„Yeah, I know. I"l do it."

He said it casually, but it was a brush-off.

„Can"t we go together?" I pushed.

He glanced at me then took a bite of raw carrot. „Not tonight. I have to go out in a bit and there"s no point in you waiting around."

„Where are you going?"

„I"m … just helping Magda with something."

„Magda?"

He raised an eyebrow at my tone. „Yeah."

„And you"re not going to tell me what it is?"

„Vi, I just need to this thing myself. It"s … personal."

I actual y took a step back. A slap in the face would have been kinder. „Personal? For Magda or for you?" Because the way he was talking didn"t seem like it was Magda"s problem alone.

Lincoln closed his eyes and rested a hand on the bench as if trying to find the strength to deal with me, which just pissed me off. „Violet, just trust me. I don"t want you involved in this.

You"re a … distraction."

My jaw clicked to the side while I tried and failed to remain calm. „But Magda isn"t," I said between deep breaths, unable to look at him.

„No. she isn"t."

„Great. Wel , you and Magda have fun." I handed him back the glass of Coke and started collecting my things.

„Violet, you"re acting like I"m out having fun without you. The exile we"re tracking,
he
-„ but he stopped mid-sentence.

„He what?" I snapped.

Lincoln looked away. „He needs to die."

„You mean, be returned."

„If"s that the best I can do," he said, his voice distant and rigid.

I stared at him, trying to hear what he wasn"t saying – what I was clearly missing.

„So, just you and Magda."

„Yes."

„Well, I"l leave it to you."

„What are you talking about?" he asked as he watched me grab my bag, and head for the door.

„You and Magda obviously have things under control and I just remembered Steph is staying at my place tonight, so I should probably get back and have dinner with her. I might see you tomorrow."

„Wait. Violet!"

I slammed the door on my way out.

„The heart is perverse above all things, and unsearchable.

Who can know it?"

Jeremiah 17:9

Steph came around after I called her, and begged for company. After her afternoon playing with Salvatore, she"d been planning on popping into Hades to see her brother but after I pulled the best-friend card she promised to be over in twenty minutes.

Steph brought pizza and got comfortable for what she knew was going to be a long night of me retelling the evening"s conversation and analysing why Lincoln would suddenly only trust Magda.

„Vi, you don"t even know if something is going on between them."

„Yeah, well, he didn"t even mention what Nyla and Rudyard had said about the soulmate thing after they left."

It was even harder to understand since I was sure Lincoln had seemed genuinely intrigued and, even excited.

„From the sound of it, he didn"t even have a chance."

„Steph!"

„Sorry. I think he was totally in the wrong and you have every right to be pissed with him.

And no one likes Magda anyway – she"s a cow.

I threw a pillow at her.

„What? Too much?"

I was just getting up for more ice cream when I heard a thump outside on the balcony.

„What was that?" Steph asked.

„I don"t …" But I didn"t get a chance to finish my sentence before someone (or something) was knocking on the glass doors.

„Steph, get back! Behind the couch!" I ordered, slipping into fighter mode.

„What"s wrong?"

I raised my eyebrows. „Apart from the fact that someone or something is knocking on the balcony door to the apartment that is
twelve
storeys high?"

Steph"s face paled in the same time it took for her jaw to drop and to catapult herself behind the couch.

I switched off the lights, pulled out my dagger and moved to the wall beside the balcony door. In one quick movement I yanked the curtain back. My heart leapt into overdrive and I let out a squeal when I saw the figure standing outside the glass door.

„Jesus Christ!" I yelled, jumping up and down to shake out the fear as I opened the sliding door, frowning when I realised it wasn"t locked.

„Nope, but you"re not the first to make that mistake," Spence said, grinning mischievously.

Steph stood up from behind the couch. Spence burst out laughing.

„Seriously. Girls."

„What are you doing here anyway?
How
are you here? I mean, did you scale the walls or something?" Steph snapped.

I bit back a smile. Not many people throw Steph off-balance.

He shrugged. „It was easy, and anyway I"m here to collect you, Violet. In fact, we were hoping you might both be here. It saves the extra trip. You"re just lucky it was me that came up. Zoe wanted to use the tree outside as a slingshot."

„We?" Steph"s eyes lit up. „Who else is here?"

„Slingshot?" I asked, a lot more interested in how that could have worked.

Before he could answer either one of us there was another thud on the balcony. Spence groaned and spun around.

„I thought I told you to wait!"

Zoe pranced in, hands on hips. „You were taking too long. Plus, you"re not in charge."

„You know, I do have a front door," I offered.

„Aw – that"s no fun, and anyway, Steph told Salvatore you were under military watch or something," Spence said, shrugging as both he and Zoe laughed. They knew Steph"s description of the doorman keeping an eye on things had been lost in translation.

I looked at Zoe. „Did you
slingshot
up here from a tree?"

„From
the
tree, you"ve only got one outside, and yeah. I would"ve landed sooner but I overshot. Had to drop down from the roof. The guy in the penthouse looked pretty freaked."

„Where"s Salvatore?" Steph asked.

I looked at her with wide eyes.

Did she just miss what Zoe said? She flung herself onto the roof! THE ROOF!

Zoe"s eyes narrowed in on Steph. „He"s waiting downstairs like a good puppy. You"re welcome to go hold his lead."

„We"re going out, we came to get you," Spence butted in. A good decision, if the look on Steph"s face was anything to go by. „Anywhere good to go around here?" he continued, exploring the living room, taking time to look around the corners and down the hall, checking out my place.

„What about Nyla and Rudyard, won"t you get in trouble?" I asked, half expecting theirs to be the next dramatic entry.

Spence shrugged as he walked back. „We slipped out. They don"t real y expect us to be in bed by eight every night, they just … prefer not to know, you know."

„Oh, well, I can"t go. My Dad"s away but he calls every night at a different time after ten.

It"s the only rule he has but I have to stick to it. I barely made it home in time last night. But Steph can go," I offered. I knew Steph had wanted a night out anyway and judging by the eager expression she was flashing the entire room, I wasn"t wrong.

„What number does he call you on?" Spence answered, walking up to the phone that hung on the wall. „This one?"

„Yeah," I replied suspiciously.

„Do you have a mobile?" he asked, condescendingly.

„Yes," I said, getting aggravated.

He lifted the received from the wall, started pressing numbers, then looked up, „Cellphone number?"

„Huh?"

„Cell-phone num-ber, Brains?"

I gave it to him and watched him punch in some more numbers. He hung up with a dopey smile on his face, „Let"s go."

„What did you do?"

He rolled his eyes at me. „I diverted your home phone to your cell. When your Dad calls you can just go somewhere quiet and pretend you"re at home. Easy."

It
was
easy. I couldn"t believe I"d never thought of it before.

„Great!" Steph called out, already at the front door. „Let"s go to Hades. I"ve been waiting to go there all day. I"l go and wait with Salvatore." She slipped out the door and that was that.

Spence and Zoe seemed to agree with her suggestion. We were going to Hades. I guess I"d get that chance to check in on Onyx after all.

-

Zoe sauntered into Hades as if she went there every night and claimed a table right by the dance floor. Steph and I spotted Steph"s brother, Jase, who was working in the DJ pit.

He"s four years older than Steph and works the bar scene all around the city, but he was Hades as much as he could manage. The DJ pit there was a fit-out to the extreme.

He gave us a sly look that melted into a smile when we approached, but he was mid-set and couldn"t real y stop. He motioned for us to wait for five and I think, yelled „Hi," but Steph blew him off. She wasn"t about to wait that long to get back to Salvatore.