Eternal Echoes, Emblem of Eternity Trilogy Book 2 (8 page)

“Open it,” he encouraged.

I walked to the loveseat, putting the box down on the cushions. I glanced up at him again, his smile urging me to unwrap the gift. I took the lid off. Inside was a shimmering black dress. I lifted it carefully out of the box, admiring the beautiful fabric. It was clear the dress hadn’t been bought off-the-rack. I wondered where exactly Emil had gotten it from. I held it up in front of me. It was strapless and made of satin with a thick sapphire belt—the same color as Emil’s tie—around the waist. The bodice wrapped snuggly, the fabric rippling in a triangle pattern until it met at the hip with a sparkling rose made of crystal. The skirt flowed from the hip to the floor with a train behind it. A sapphire satin shoulder wrap that matched the belt completed the look.

I was absolutely stunned. Surprised that Emil had gone to so much effort, happy this date was obviously more than just grabbing a pizza, and, as I noticed the tag on the dress, horrified he knew my size.

I glanced up at him, meeting his uncertain gaze. “It…it’s beautiful,” I finally stammered.

His lips lifted in relief. “It will be once you’re in it.”

“I don’t know what to say…”

“Say it won’t take you long to put it on. We need to leave soon.”

I looked at him, trying to figure out where we were going dressed like this in the middle of the afternoon. “I’ll be right back.” I grabbed the box and ran up the stairs.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and couldn’t help but think the dress was amazing. I’ve always hated wearing dresses because I can never find any as figure-flattering as a pair of well-fitted jeans and a tailored shirt. In high school when I went to dances, I would have to try on dress after dress until I finally found something that looked okay, but never anything I was comfortable in. However, this dress was perfect, and I hadn’t even selected it. If the relationship thing didn’t work out, Emil could become my personal shopper.

I turned slightly, taking myself in from the side. As I did, I noticed my back…and my lily-shaped soulmark—the lily that marked me as a Tracker, and allowed Alex and Emil to follow my soul through different bodies. Though I’d been trying to convince myself it wasn’t a big deal for a while, there was no denying something was happening to my soulmark.

It was changing.

The lily-shaped mark had six petals. When I’d started dating Alex and Emil, the petals had darkened from a pale, barely visible pink, to a deep blush color—a reaction from me touching—and kissing—Alex and Emil, my soul mates. Now, three of the petals had started to fade back to the point of being barely visible, creating a strange pattern. The three petals that were still blush colored looked like a triangle, one sticking straight up on my back pointing toward my neck, the other two like pedestals holding it up.

I’d noticed the change after I’d used my powers for the first time to stop Caleb and his Clan. I was careful not to mention it to Alex or Emil—they were concerned enough already. If the mark continued to change though, I’d say something. I knew this wasn’t normal, and there was a reason for the alteration. Thankfully, the sapphire shoulder wrap would keep the mark covered tonight.

I spritzed Dark Kiss perfume on my neck and wrists before pulling the wrap over my shoulders. I slipped my shimmery black, glitter covered high heels on, took one last look at myself in the full-length mirror, and closed my bedroom door.

If I’d had any misgivings about how I looked, they would have been forgotten watching Emil’s face as I descended the stairs. “Well, what do you think?” I asked, twirling when I got to the main floor.

Emil’s eyes darkened. He slowly licked his lips. “You have no idea how gorgeous you are.”

I blushed and stood there awkwardly. “Thank you. You look pretty amazing yourself.”

“I have one more thing for you.”

What more could there possibly be? It was starting to feel like a reality show production crew had organized our date. It wouldn’t be a surprise. I bet they have a bunch of Daevos members on those shows. Evil and all.

Emil handed me a lightly stained wooden box with an intricately carved rose on top of the lid. Smaller roses were carved on the side of the box, connected by leaves. The box was about as big as a hardcover book, and three inches thick. I gave him a curious look as I took it. Unsnapping the latch, I slowly lifted the lid…and then gasped.

Inside was an enormous teardrop sapphire surrounded by two rows of diamonds. The stone was at least two inches long and an inch wide. I had no idea how many carats that equated, but I knew this glittering jewel hadn’t been bought at an outlet store. I wondered who, exactly, Emil had robbed. The sparkling white stones highlighted the sapphire, bringing out the deep blue of the jewel. Matching teardrop sapphire and diamond earrings were part of the jewelry set, and they both coordinated perfectly with the blue fabric wrapped around my waist and shoulders. I glanced around for the TV crew; this was definitely a reality show situation.

Still in shock, my eyes settled on Emil, meeting his gaze—which seemed almost…expectant. He searched my face for a moment before the wistful expression disappeared, replaced with…disappointment? Whatever he was feeling, he covered it quickly. I wasn’t sure what I’d missed.

“This is the most beautiful jewelry I’ve ever seen,” I said softly, still stunned at the sparkling stones.

Emil smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m glad you like them.” He moved forward. “Let me help you put them on.” I held up my curls as he lifted the necklace out of the box and wrapped it around my neck. The heavy weight hit my chest in a pleasant way as Emil shut the clasp. He lingered, his hand on my neck as he took a ragged breath. His exhale was slow against my neck, like a warm breeze flowing through my hair and over my skin as he whispered, “You look stunning.” He stepped back, handing me the earrings. I slid them into my pierced ears before moving to the mirror by the door to see how I looked. The jewelry was so gorgeous, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. My jewelry usually came from a clearance bin at Target, not an actual jewelry store. I’d never worn jewelry this beautiful before, and I never wanted to take it off.

“Are you ready to go?” Emil asked, draping my black trench coat with thick wool lining around my shoulders.

I nodded and picked up my purse, dropping the keys inside as I followed Emil out the door to the car. As we started down the road, I expected to turn left and get on the highway. There was nothing in Gunnison worth dressing up this much for; we’d at least have to go to Crested Butte for something exciting.

Instead, when we got to the end of the street, we turned right. We didn’t have to drive far before we were pulling into a parking lot. I stared at the building, then looked at Emil, wondering if we’d taken a wrong turn. He simply grinned and got out of the car, coming around to my side. I opened the door. Emil gave me his hand for balance on the snow, and we walked into the large brick building.

“Where are we going?” I asked. Considering where we were standing, the destination could be anywhere.

Emil kept his hand on my back as my heels clicked on the polished tile floor. He slid his eyes to the side, smiling. “It’s a surprise.”

When I left my house, I was absolutely not expecting to end up here. “So…you know we’re at the airport, right?”

He tilted his head down once. “I do. And we made it right on time for our flight.”

Emil walked up to the front desk, handing the attendant some papers. She was in her forties with wavy blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her name tag, declaring her “Cristina,” was pinned to a dark blue sweater that looked like it had been issued by the airline. She noted Emil’s suit, giving him an appreciative look as she processed our papers. I couldn’t blame her. I was looking at him the same way. Still, it irked me a bit, and I wondered how often Emil—and Alex—got those looks. I also wondered if they’d ever acted on them. I quickly pushed the thought out of my head, knowing it would make me upset for the rest of the night.

When Cristina was done, she handed Emil some papers. A security person seemed to appear out of nowhere to whisk us through security and straight to the plane.

Larger planes don’t frequently land at the Gunnison airport, so I wasn’t surprised when we boarded a small plane. What did surprise me was how nice the leather was when I got inside, and the lack of any other passengers. A flight attendant showed up in a blue and white pinstriped shirt, matching blue vest, and blue slacks. “Good afternoon, Mr. Stone.” Her eyes met mine. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Starling. I’m Jean. What can I get you both to drink?”

Emil handed Jean his suit jacket before settling into a chair. “A Pepsi for me, please.”

Jean nodded. “And you, Ms. Starling?”

I glanced at Emil, still stunned. “Uh, lemonade would be great.”

Jean nodded once, hurrying behind us.

I shifted in my seat to look at Emil, sitting next to me. “This is pretty impressive, you know.”

He cocked his head to the side, his lips lifting playfully. “I know.”

“Alex is going to have a hard time topping a private plane.”

He grinned widely. “I know.”

“How did you do this?”

“Buy plane tickets?” He lifted his brow. “There’s a website I could show you.”

I narrowed my eyes, a look I’m sure went fantastic with my fancy dress, jewelry and big hair. “So, where are you taking me?”

“You’ve asked me that a couple of times already. You know I’m not going to answer your question, right?”

Jean came back with our drinks and before long, we were in the air. We talked the whole trip to wherever-it-was-we-were-going, but Emil steadfastly refused to give me any hints about our final destination. When we finally landed, I recognized the mountain-shaped peaked roof of the Denver International Airport.

Denver is about two hundred miles from Gunnison. It’s accessible by highway, provided snow storms haven’t closed the roads. By car it would take around four hours to get there; by plane it took less than thirty minutes. Before my childhood obsession with becoming a Ninja Turtle, I’d once thought fondly of being a princess. I’d imagined myself stepping out of private planes onto tarmacs, waving and charming people as I got into my car. I’d abandoned those dreams after being introduced to pantyhose and told princesses have to wear them all the time. I also figured my tendency for saying exactly what I thought would pose potential princess problems. Being a Ninja Turtle, or Wonder Woman, was much more appealing. But, as our plane pulled into a private hanger and the door opened, I couldn’t help but feel a bit like royalty.

We were met by a black Mercedes on the tarmac. Emil helped me down the steps of the plane and the driver, who introduced himself as Aaron, opened the car door. I slid inside as gracefully as I could considering the size of my dress. Emil sat beside me.

Before long, we were driving through the brightly lit streets of downtown Denver. We pulled into the parking lot of an Italian restaurant I’d never heard of, but the lights outside and tastefully done color pallet of romantic reds and golds made me think Olive Garden would pale in comparison.

Aaron opened the car door. I got out, sliding my hand around Emil’s arm as we walked into the restaurant. The scent of garlic and fresh bread hit me, further confirming this was going to be an excellent meal. I looked around at the décor and people. Women wore elaborate formal gowns, and men were in tuxedos or suits made from fabric that I was sure cost more than my car. The restaurant dress code explained the fancy dress Emil had bought me, and his very fancy suit.

I expected to be seated in the dining area, but instead, the host called Emil by name and took us to a private room decorated in the colors of deep red wine and midnight sky.

We sat in large, fabric covered chairs with high backs. Blooming, blood red roses filled a small square vase in the middle of the black tablecloth. The room was softly lit by candlelight. Our server, Kurt, placed our napkins on our laps, then explained the menu and different courses before putting a loaf of bread and spiced olive oil on our table. He filled our glasses with ice water, and Emil ordered a glass of Merlot. I stuck with a strawberry flavored Italian soda. After spending an overwhelming amount of time trying to decide what I wanted, we ordered.

“This is amazing,” I said as Kurt left the room. “I’ve never been to a restaurant as fancy as this.”

“I thought you’d like it.”

I tilted my head. “Did Cassandra like Italian?”

He smiled, his thoughts seeming to drift for a moment. “She did.”

The server stepped back into the room with our antipasto. My salad with four cheese dressing looked amazing. So did Emil’s plate, filled with creamy cheese, grapes, pears and candied pecans.

“Tell me about her. About us.”

Emil looked at me over the flowers. “You were amazing. I knew I was supposed to be with you from the first moment I saw you.”

It sounded like a similar reaction to what I’d felt when I saw him sitting across the room on the first day of college. “How did we meet?”

“Technically?” he asked. “At a ball, during your debut season. You were the talk of high society that season.”

“You said, “technically.” Did you know me before the ball?”

He took a drink before meeting my eyes. “It was just before the season started. I saw you in the park. You were accompanied by friends. I inquired in my circles about who you were, and made sure to get an invitation to the next the ball you’d be attending.”

“That was outgoing of you.”

He held my eyes. Some sugar from one of the pecans clung to his lips. He licked it off like a caress. “I’m persistent when I want something.”

My stomach flipped, and not because the food was so good. “Did we—” I paused, unsure of the word for dating two hundred and fifty years ago, “—court, long?”

Emil’s lips lifted slightly, amused. “For the Season. I wanted to ask you to marry me the moment I saw you, but that would have been inappropriate. We were married soon after the Season ended though. Our marriage was the best year of my life.”

I thought back to the things I knew about how our time together had ended. Emil telling me about the Daevos. Telling me I had to leave because the Amaranthine were the only people who could keep me safe from his, and all the other Daevos Clans. “It must have been difficult letting me go.”