The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (90 page)

“There,” he laughed. “That is the girl I’m looking for. Why can’t you do that to him?”

“Maybe he doesn’t piss me off like you do!”

“I imagine no one pisses you off quite like I do,” he replied with a smirk.

“No one is as infuriating as you are!”

He scoffed, hissing air through his teeth. “As if what Markus just did wasn’t infuriating?” he asked, his anger returning, all hints of his smile gone.

“It’s not the same.”

“Why not?”

“It just isn’t!” she yelled, shocked by her own sudden anger. Their close proximity seemed to be making her angrier, even though she didn’t understand why. A part of her wanted to step back, blaming the ache in her neck from looking up at him as the reason, but she didn’t move. There was a large part that revelled in the energy that was charged between them. It was causing the hairs on her arms to stand.

“Maybe you just care more about what I say about you,” Wolf said, his voice still hard.

“Ha! Don’t count on it.”

They stared at each other, an unspoken argument raging between them. “Fine,” he said. “Forget I said anything. I hope you enjoy being his new pet. He can parade you around at his fancy parties in all the pretty dresses and jewels he buys for you. Sounds like the life every girl would just
love
!”

“Oh shut up, Wolf! You’re just jealous!”

“So what if I am?” he yelled. Elisa sucked in her breath, taking a step back. His eyes blazed, searing into her. Suddenly her anger was gone, replaced by a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Y-you h-have no right to be,” she stammered, her words coming out weaker than she wanted.

“I know, okay? I get it. I screwed up. I just –” he paused, looking down at the floor. “I just want you to be happy, Elisa, and I can’t help but wonder if that will happen with Markus. He doesn’t
see
you! He has no idea who you really are, he just sees this young, pretty girl who looks nice on his arm. Can you honestly say you think you’ll be happier living with someone like him, rather than me?” He looked pleadingly into her eyes. It was the first time Elisa could ever remember seeing him look so incredibly vulnerable. It made her heart ache. “I know I can’t buy you fancy dresses. But I know I can make you happy.”

She tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. Their whole conversation had turned into something she did not want to deal with, especially with the battle coming. Her head needed to be clear of problems, and it was going to be hard to do that so close to the fight. There was a loud voice inside her head that was screaming for her not to hurt Wolf. Then there was another that reminded her of all the ways he had hurt her in the past.

“I don’t know if Markus can make me truly happy,” she began slowly, “but I’m willing to give him the chance to try. I’ve made my choice, Wolf.”

His body stiffened, his face becoming flat and unreadable. He opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again, seeming to decide on something else. “Good luck today,” he said finally, his voice hoarse. Elisa could feel the colour draining from her face. His tone was a dismissal, a note of finality that, for some strange reason, made her scared. Had he finally given up on her? Why would that make her scared?
I should be happy,
she thought. Wolf didn’t wait for her to reply. He brushed past her, heading quickly for the tent’s opening. As he pulled back the flap she returned his words.

“Good luck, Wolf,” she said, her voice surprisingly low. “Be careful.” He stopped, keeping his back to her. She watched as he seemed to battle something inside, before he let out a hard breath.

He turned back to face her, pointing a finger. “You can act like you don’t care all you want, but I know you do. Right there, that shows me you do, because I hear every note of your emotion in your voice. I hear every word you’re not really saying, and it hits me like a million stinging arrows. Hide behind your promises and engagements all you like, but I know, Elisa. I know deep down what you feel.”

Her face felt like it was literally on fire. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she spat. It was amazing how quickly he could ignite her anger. “I was only wishing you luck!”

He shook his head once. “No, it was more than that. Your voice was sad, because you knew once I leave here, I won’t be coming back again. Not in this way, not with my heart in my hands.”

“You’re delusional.”

“You’re in denial.”

“You’re arrogant, and completely self-involved.”

“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever known.”

“You’re – ” she started, but froze when she comprehended his words. Before she could speak again he had swallowed the space between them, and stood only inches away from her. Now her whole body felt like it was on fire. She put both her hands on his chest in a feeble attempt to push him away. Or, perhaps, it was to steady herself. It was hard to decide at that moment. “Y-you’re too close,” she said weakly.

“You’re blushing.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.” His hands came up to cup her face so gently it was if she were made of glass. Then his lips were on hers, and every thought, every argument that lay on the tip of her tongue, was forgotten; blown away by the sudden burst of sensations going on inside her. His lips were soft, but urgent, so different from any of Markus’s kisses. Normally Elisa felt shy went it came to kissing, now she found herself reacting in ways she would have never expected. Her hands moved up his chest to intertwine behind his head, pulling him closer. A soft moan sounded from deep in his throat. His hands dropped from her face, skimming along her sides to rest in the small of her back. He pressed her firmly against him.

She felt his tongue, warm and insistent, skim her lips, leaving them moist and slightly parted in surprise. Taking the opportunity, he slipped it inside her mouth, meeting her own tongue in a sensual dance she had never experienced before. Elisa could remember other girls whispering about kissing boys this way, and she had always thought it sounded horrible. She could never understand why they would want to do it. Now she understood. He filled her with so many desires she felt like she would collapse because of them. Her legs weakened beneath her, and her breathing was quick and erratic.

As if he could sense how unstable she was on her own feet, Wolf slid his hands down, cupping her firmly and hoisted her into his arms, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist. He pulled his mouth away from hers, only to trail kisses down her neck and back up. Along her jawline, her nose, her eyes, and then back to her mouth. She hadn’t even noticed he had been walking, until she was suddenly on the bed, with Wolf on top of her, his body wedged between her legs, causing a new sensation that made her gasp out loud. He chuckled against her skin as he planted more kissed along her collarbone. His hips pushed against her again, but before her moan could escaped, his mouth covered hers, swallowing it.

His hand trailed down the side of her body, gliding across the area with her new tattoo. It should have been painful, but for some reason Elisa could only feel the heat in his touch. He broke their kiss, sitting back on his knees. She could practically feel where his eyes burned her. She watched as he slowly took her in, her breathing coming out quicker now. His hands slipped under her shirt, pulling the fabric slowly up. Even this simple action had her heart racing. She never dreamed how perfect his hands would feel on her bare skin.

“Beautiful,” he whispered, as his eyes followed the new lines of black on her stomach. Then he bent his head forward and trailed every inch of it with his lips and tongue. Elisa tangled her hands in his hair, marvelling at how soft it was. She had always wanted to run her fingers through it, not that she would have admitted that before. He started to return to her mouth when a loud horn sounded outside. They both froze, their quickened breaths the only sound in the tent. Her heart was beating so loudly, she was sure Wolf could hear it.

They just looked at one another, each of them trying to calm their breathing again. They knew what that horn meant. It was time for war. “Wolf –” She didn’t know what she was going to say, but before she could he had raised a hand to stop her.

“Don’t say anything,” he said, lowering his hand to cup her face again. “I don’t want to ruin this moment, even if it’s only a stolen one. Whatever happens after – well, I’ll deal with it then.” He looked down at her, his eyes full of passion, and a sadness that made her want to cry. He knew. This had been wrong, she shouldn’t have done it, and she was still engaged to Markus. He must have seen it on her face, the regret, or perhaps her own sadness at knowing this would just happen this one time. She had to swallow a number of times to keep the sob crawling up her throat from escaping. He leaned down and kissed her again, slowly and gently. When he pulled back, all she could see was the sadness, but still he smiled. “We should go.”

They both got up, fixing their clothes were they had been twisted. He didn’t say anything this time before he left. He just kissed her on the forehead and walked out silently. As soon as he was gone, Elisa felt herself falling. Her knees hit the floor, and the tears she had fought came spilling down her cheeks. She cried as hard as she could, giving herself that moment to mourn the loss of something that could have been. Then she got up and composed herself, before walking out to face the battle that would change them all.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Both armies faced one another. The sun was still low in the sky, but there was enough light for Aiden to see them clearly. There was so much tension in the air, he felt like he might choke on it. His heart raced, and his palms grew sweaty, and yet he still felt an odd calm settle over him. This seemed to happen often right before a battle. He hadn’t reflected on it much before, but now he wondered why his body reacted that way. It was as if he had been designed for war. The King sat nearby on his horse, Markus and Turk flanking him. He watched them for a minute, before looking down the line at all his friends scattered there. Logan was the closest to him, but the others were too far to speak to. He memorized how they all looked in his mind, praying they’d be there when this was over.

“I need to pee,” Logan said beside him. Aiden turned slowly, his mouth twitching.

“Didn’t I tell you to go before?” he replied, trying his best not to laugh. Logan looked like he was about to stand up and do the ‘pee-pee dance’ Eddie always did before she went.

“It’s not funny,” he whined. “There’s no way I can go
now.”

“Well you should have thought of that before you drank all that water.”

“I was dehydrated!” he argued.

“
Only
because you
drank
too much!” Aiden pointed out.

“I can’t believe we’re having this argument right now,” Logan huffed.

“You two sound like you’re married,” someone said from behind them. Aiden turned in his saddle to catch a few amused looks there. At least they were taking their minds off of what was about to happen, he thought to himself.

“I wouldn’t marry
him,”
Logan said. “He’s too skinny.”

“I’m practically the same size as you now,” he pointed out. Logan looked seriously offended, even though it was true. Aiden had filled out since his first visit here, even if Logan wouldn’t admit it. “Alright, enough of that, we need to focus.”

Logan let out a loud sigh. “I know,” he said, almost sadly.

“Don’t worry,” Aiden said, confidently. “We got this.”

“We…got…this?” Logan said slowly, testing the words out.

“Yeah, we got this.” Aiden shrugged at his friend’s confused look. Slowly Logan started to nod his head, and sat up straighter in his saddle.

“Yeah, we got this!” he repeated loudly, his voice firm. Aiden smiled. “We
so
got this!”

“Got what?” They turned to see Wolf come up beside Aiden’s other side.

“
This!”
Logan replied, motioning his hand to the opposing army. Wolf raised an eyebrow and looked at Aiden, who just gave him the ‘don’t ask’ look. “Where have you been?” asked Logan, missing their silent exchange.

“I was – held up,” Wolf replied.

“You’re supposed to be down with your brother and father,” Aiden said, motioning with his head towards the right of the line.

“I know, I just wanted to wish you luck.” They said the same to him, and then he left. Aiden noticed Elisa walking slowly towards the small crop of trees she had been instructed to hide in. He could see the drop in her shoulders, and pensive look on her face. He wished he could go see what was wrong, but there was no time. Her head lifted, meeting his gaze, and she offered a weak smile. He waved at her, smiling back, and then she disappeared into the trees.

When he turned back he saw the King and the other two ride forward. Three men detached from the other side, and the small party went to meet in the middle.

“Here we go again,” he mumbled. They were too far away to hear, but Aiden could see the tension between the two brothers. Both wore blank expressions while they spoke. It was brief, and then they broke away from each other and returned to their armies. Jameson repositioned himself in the middle of the line, raising his sword high above his head. Aiden gave the small cluster of trees where Lily and Elisa hid another quick glance, before turning to ready himself. The King brought his sword down in one fluid motion.

Kicking his horse forward, Aiden let out a loud battle cry, along with everyone around him. The wind felt cool and fresh against his face as he rode towards the oncoming army. The North’s men were charging forward as well, their shouts filling the air. Soon he would be surrounded by men, their heat suffocating the crisp morning breeze. It would smell of sweat and blood, and nothing would be heard above the cries of the injured and incensed. It would be chaos. He soaked in this last moment, before crashing into the other side. The impact was almost like hitting a wall, except this wall gave in under his weight. Metal hit metal, and soon the opposing cries were in his ears.

Both sides fought with a ferocity that exceeded the previous battles Aiden had been in. These men were mad, but it wasn’t just that. They knew that this was it. There was finality about this fight, and they were fully aware of it. If they didn’t win this battle, it would all be over. Swinging his axe, he brought it down again and again, biting into flesh. His hand was soon slippery from blood, causing him to lose his grip. He watched in horror and frustration as it fell with a heavy thud onto the already soaked earth.