The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (106 page)

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, her voice wavering.

“I have been with him my entire life, I see what he does. The poison that almost killed the warrior also runs through my veins, and now yours as well.”

The temperature seemed to drastically drop in the room. Rain wanted desperately not to believe him, but something about the way he was speaking…he seemed so sure of it.

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“He feeds it to us,” he said. “With me he has injected it into my flesh as well,” he continued, pointing to the swirling designs on the left side of his face. He had released one of her hands in doing this, but she couldn’t move now anyway, even if she wanted to.

“Why?” she whispered.

“So he can control us. We are
his
now. He tried the same with the boy. The poison on the arrow was not meant to kill him, but to turn him into a mindless tool for Aziz to wield.”

“Why didn’t it work?”

“It was too much, too quickly. That is why he only gives it to us in small dosages. Don’t you understand that he only cares about himself? If you had harmed that girl before he was ready for her to be harmed, he would have turned on you.”

Could she have totally misunderstood the situation in her jealous rage? Shame filled her when her mind shouted a resounding yes. She felt stupid and immature. Elex let go of her other hand, standing up straighter in front of her. Rain remained quiet as she went over everything he’d just said. It wasn’t the first time he had told her about the food being poisoned. Initially she didn’t want to believe him, but after Aziz had forced her to kill someone against her will, she’d known he was right. She hadn’t allowed herself to think much of it since, but now it was unavoidable. Aziz had turned her into a weapon for his own purposes. Was she any freer here than she had been with the Riders? Was one fate better than the other, when either way, no choice was ever her own?

Rain looked up at Elex, and actually saw pity and understanding there. He knew how she was feeling. She guessed he had felt this way his entire life. How sad to think he’s known nothing but such a life.

“What do I do to you?” she asked, her voice quiet and hoarse. She had to know. Something inside her wanted desperately to hear that he felt a connection with her like she did him. He was the only person that she could relate to now. Also the only person she could trust, she decided. There was something about Elex that told her he would not lie to her. Even the Shaman hadn’t been like that with her.

“You make me want more,” he answered, placing a hand on her cheek. “For once I don’t want to be what I am. I just want to be normal. I know I cannot. Knowing I can at least have you makes it easier to accept…as long as I can have you.” The last sounded more like a question. He wanted to know if she felt what he felt, just like she did. A shiver of excitement and fear raced down her spine. If Aziz ever suspected that they had feelings for each other he would destroy them both.

We will make sure he never knows,
Elex’s voice answered in her head. When had she dropped her shields around him? For once she didn’t really care.

“He will kill us,” she said out loud.

“I will take that chance, will you?”

One small answer of yes in her mind was all it took for Elex to crush his lips to hers. She gasped in surprise, giving him more access to explore her mouth. In one fluid motion, he had her in his arms and headed toward her bedroom. One of her hands stroked along the line of his wing, causing him to groan against her mouth. He dropped her onto the bed, the blankets pillowing around her. With one hard tug her nightgown was ripped down the middle, baring her to his sight. Normally Rain would have been embarrassed, but the way he was looking at her made her feel anything but. She felt beautiful and strong.

He ran his hand up the outside of her thigh, resting it on her hip as he leaned over her. Above him, his wings spread out, erasing everything but the two of them.

“You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen,” he said, his voice deep with admiration and need. He smiled at her, a real, genuine smile that stole her breath away. He was simply gorgeous.
Like a God
, she thought.

He ran his nose up her neck, giving her ear a quick nip. She could feel him pressed between her legs, and her heartbeat sped up. Whispered words of reassurance and worship floated through her mind. She was lost to him. Her body was his in that moment. And when he sank his teeth into her neck, pulling at her life force, she knew a part of her soul was lost to him too.

The experience had been nothing and everything like she expected. Her entire body hurt, but not in a bad way. Even the punctured skin on her neck felt like it was beginning to heal. Rain lay on her side, snuggled up to the warmth of Elex. His wings took up the entire bed. She enjoyed the soft, silky feeling of them against her naked skin. One of his hands absently stroked her arm as they enjoyed a quiet moment together. She would never have imagined being in this situation with him, and yet she had secretly hoped for it.

“It will be the two of us now,” he said, breaking the silence. She looked up at him in question as he stared down at her. “The two of us against the rest. We must find a way to break from Aziz.
We
must rule, not him.”

She simply nodded her head. How they would accomplish such a thing was beyond her, but having Elex by her side would help her find whatever strength she would need.

CHAPTER FIVE

The market square in front of the Palace was brimming with people. The air was already warm and sweet with the ocean breeze. Rose walked from booth to booth, browsing through the vast array of merchandise being sold. It felt incredibly good to be able to do something. Even though she knew they’d be leaving in only a few hours, Rose soaked up this feeling of normalcy.

“A lovely broach for a lovely girl?” said the lady behind the counter. Rose looked up at her weathered face. Deep lines marred her olive skin, hinting at a lifetime of too much sun. She had a lopsided smile that was so genuinely friendly, Rose could not help but smile back. In her hand was a beautiful gold broach, a large sapphire nestled in the middle. Around the center stone were small black jewels that sparkled in the morning light.

“It’s very pretty,” Rose said, fingering the large, blue stone. Unfortunately she hadn’t actually brought money. In fact she didn’t even have money. It had never been a concern up to this point. Rose had never been out to the market when she was in the north. She was hardly allowed outside the castle unless she was with Callum. Now she wished he had left her with a little something. It would have been nice to actually purchase an item. Of course, it’s not like she had told him of her intentions. As far as he knew she was still up in their room. He had left earlier to help with the arrangements for their travels. She could only guess how hard it was to organize such a large group of men.

“Only one aurous for you,” the lady offered. Rose started to shake her head, when a hand appeared from behind her, dropping the gold coin into the lady’s waiting palm. “Thank you, my Lord. Had I known she was yours, I would have simply given it as a gift. We are most happy to have you back.”

“Thank you,” Callum replied. One of his hands landed on Rose’s hip, keeping her close. “Your generosity is much appreciated, but I insist you keep the payment.” He took the jeweled piece from her and started forward, forcing Rose to follow suit.

She looked up at him to see a scowl on his face. “Thank you for my gift,” she said. They stopped so they could face each other. Gently, Callum took the broach and pinned it carefully in the middle of the neckline on her dress. The blue of the sapphire looked amazing against the soft yellow fabric.

“You are most welcome, my love,” he replied, but his voice didn’t carry the sentiment his words did.

“What has you bothered this morning?”

He sighed, looking into her eyes. “The morning was more difficult than I anticipated. The men of the Capital are not adjusting well to my presence, and it is taking all of my control not to react. All I wanted to do was find you, but when I got to our room, you were gone. My nerves have been on edge the entire time until I spotted you at that stand,” he explained. Guilt rushed over her as he spoke. She knew how difficult things were going to be for him now that they had joined forces with the High King. Even though his brother was willing to forgive and forget, a lot of the other men were not. Callum had confided in her last night that he was worried how things would be; not only toward him, but between the two armies.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, instantly regretting her hasty decision to leave. It was just that she had been sitting on their balcony, watching the waves crash into one another, and the need to go out exploring and enjoy the warm day became overwhelming. She should have at least left a note, and she said this.

He sighed again before taking her face in his palms. “Think nothing more of it. I’m simply on edge, and you not being where I expected worried me more than it should have. I don’t want you to feel like you cannot go where you please. You may venture out whenever you like.” He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. “I think I might be a tad bit overprotective when it comes to you two,” he admitted, dropping a hand to her protruding belly.

Rose laughed, breathing in his scent. It always made her feel calm. “I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

“Good, because I don’t know if I can be.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips before straightening and taking her hand in his. They walked around the rest of the market. It was the first time they had ever done something so mundane together. Rose didn’t think she had ever been happier. If they could spend the rest of their lives like this she would be the happiest person alive.

“I really love it here,” she confessed when they finally sat down on the edge of a large fountain. She looked out at the tall, white buildings shining brightly in the sunshine. The sky above was a clear blue, no cloud in sight. Children’s laughter filled the air, mixed with the rushing sound of water from the fountain. They ran around them, daring each other to jump in. Only one seemed to step up to the challenge until their mother called out a warning. Rose smiled at the sullen look on the child’s face. One day that would be her, she hoped.

“I hope you will like the Capital,” Callum said. His eyes were trained on the soldiers walking along the top of the palace. Rose didn’t know how the men could stand wearing black uniforms in this heat.

“What will we do, Callum? When this is all over?” It was a question that had been bothering her since she woke up. Her dream of Callum ending his quest for war had come true. She had only hoped for such a thing, until she had watched in shock as the two brothers embraced while their armies watched on. Everything after that seemed unreal. The celebrations, the feasts, and then the unexpected attack. It brought everything back into focus for her, and Rose realized things were not going to be easy. They still had a long way to go to reach their happily ever after. With all her heart she believed it would happen. When it did, she wondered what they would do next.

Everyone would go back to their lives. The men of the King’s army and the High King himself would return to their Capital, controlling the politics of Eden. The northern men would return to their mountain, under a new ruler. Callum had yet to even think of who that would be. The Riders were already back at home. Rose didn’t know if they planned on helping against Aziz, but even if they did, they all had a place to return to. The Sun People would have their paradise city to enjoy and celebrate the end of war, but what about Rose and Callum? Neither of them seemed to have a real home anymore. They both sort of drifted from place to place, nothing truly felt like “home” anymore. Where would they live? What would they do? These things had berated her all morning as she stared off into the water. Now she vocalized it, hoping Callum would come up with the answers she could not.

He reached out and grabbed her hand. “When this is over,” he said, “you and I are going to buy a small cottage outside of the Capital. It will have enough land for us to farm if we want, and have horses. It will be big enough for us and our many children, but nothing extravagant. And we’re going to live there while we watch our children grow up. We’ll get older and wrinkly. I’ll probably become fat and bald, but it won’t matter because we’ll be happy. That’s all that will matter. Just the two of us together for the rest of our lives.” He smiled at her, his eyes showing how much he truly wanted what he described. She wasn’t sure if she should cry or laugh.

“I want that too,” she whispered, “except for the part where you’re fat and bald.”

The air around them filled with his laughter and her squeal as he swept her up into his lap, smothering her with kisses. When they finally broke apart, Rose was breathing harder just from laughing.

“You’re crazy,” she said, smoothing down her hair.

“Yes I am, but you love me.”

“Lucky for you,” she replied dryly. He smiled playfully at her.