Eternal Echoes, Emblem of Eternity Trilogy Book 2 (19 page)

“What a silly thing to say! Of course I didn’t forget.”

“Well, you know how women’s minds are,” he said with a smirk, “they fill up easily and the important things leak out. It makes them difficult to talk to.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Well, if that’s how you feel, I’ll go find an ass so you can converse with something that shares your level of intellect.”

He barked out a laugh. “No one challenges me quite like you, Cass.” He shifted his stance. The movement made the boat start to sway. Within seconds, Alex lost his balance and tumbled over the side.

Now it was my turn to laugh. He frowned as he resurfaced, his cheeks slightly flushed. “Perhaps the ass could save you from drowning as well,” I suggested.

He climbed back in the boat and rowed to shore. I watched him, keenly aware of how large his arms had become while he was away at school. He got out and tied the boat to the dock before turning toward me.

I tried to hide my gasp. Water clung to his body, creating rivulets along the sculpted lines of his chest, arms, and stomach. I should have looked away, but I was far too interested in this new Alex, a side of him I’d never really noticed—and wanted to see more of. My eyes traveled over him, taking in each curve of muscle. My cheeks grew hot when I reached his face and realized he was watching me too.

His gaze was dark, smoldering. He took four long, deliberate steps, coming to a stop inches from me. He reached out, cupping my face with both hands. My gaze was frozen to his as energy seemed to course between us. I took a deep breath, inhaling his cedar scent. He leaned his head down and kissed me, gently, coaxing my lips in a sweet tangle with his own. The kiss ended long before I wanted it to. He slowly pulled back, the energy still flowing between us. We stared at each other, neither of us finding words for several seconds. He reached out and caressed my hand. “I’ve missed you, Cassandra.” He pressed his lips to the top of my hand, looked at me once more, and walked toward the house.

I watched him leave, his sculpted back apparent through the wet, clingy fabric. Alex had given me something no one else could—my first kiss.

I ran my tongue lightly over my lips. I could still taste him.

I wanted to taste him again.

I came out of the flashback thinking about kisses. It was hard not to, considering what I’d just experienced in both the present, and the past.

I’d kissed Emil recently—it had been unforgettable. But the last time I’d kissed Alex had been right after he gave me the orchid bracelet he’d had specially made by an Amaranthine Tracker with a spell that disguised our bond. This ensured we could kiss—among other things—without the Daevos finding us. I’d taken a good long look at myself that night and decided if I couldn’t choose between Alex and Emil, I couldn’t go around swapping spit with them. Now I’d kissed them both again in the course of a couple of weeks, and who knew what would happen next.

I winced, thinking about my complete lack of self-control. It wasn’t totally my fault, though. Alex and Emil were the ones who told me I needed to date them both again so I could figure out who I wanted to be with. I was only doing what they asked. I’m excellent at rationalization.

A vision of my leg wrapped around Alex and my hands venturing past his waistband to butt territory flashed through my head. Hmm. That level of intimacy probably wasn’t what they’d had in mind—or, at least, not that level of intimacy with
both
of them. But aggressive-Alex had caught me by surprise. I wasn’t sure his behavior counted as “bad,” but it was definitely out of character, and probably did break some Amaranthine rules. Actually, the more I thought about it, the more dangerous I realized it was. He’d had a make-out session with me that would have required a confession from most religions. The fact that he did it in full view of the picture window of his house, where another Amaranthine Protector sat waiting for him and probably wondering why a running car was parked in the driveway, took it straight out of “bad” and pushed it into dangerous territory.

I smiled. I couldn’t help myself. Regardless of who I ended up choosing, I was pretty sure there were certain memories from my lives that I’d have for the rest of eternity. This would be one of them.

Around that time, I remembered the car was still running. I wanted to meet the Protector Alex was talking to and find out what he had to say. I could reflect more on sexy, first-time bad-boy Alex later.

I re-buttoned my jeans, and pulled around Alex’s circular driveway, stopping behind a dark green Ford Bronco. It was a classic. Not as classic as mine, but I appreciated its boxy, rugged lines. I could tell it had a removable top, and guessed its year at around 1978. I got out of the car, taking a minute to appreciate the truck. Judging by his choice of vehicles, the owner of the Bronco and I were going to get along fine.

I walked up the front steps and opened Alex’s giant oak door. It was a testament to the impeccable craftsmanship that, despite the sheer volume and weight of the massive door, it opened silently and snicked closed behind me with barely a sound. I followed the voices coming from the den area.

The Bronco owner was the only person in the room aside from Alex…and now, me.

“We won’t put up with it anymore, Alex,” Bronco guy said.

Alex paused, his lips tight. All traces of what happened in the car ten minutes ago were gone. Alex nodded in my direction. “Simon, this is Evie. Evie, Simon.”

Simon looked at me, his face tight. “Hey,” he said, preoccupied.

“Hey,” I greeted back. “Nice Bronco. Is it a ‘78?”

That caught him off-guard. “Yeah,” he said, paying me a bit more interest than before. “Thanks.”

With introductions made, Alex turned back to Simon. “Your plan won’t fix the problem.”

Simon laughed in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right? They’ll be dead! How doesn’t that fix the problem? If they’re dead, they can’t keep taking our Trackers.”

“We don’t know who’s doing this,” Alex rationalized.

“Don’t be an idiot. You know it’s the Daevos as much as I do.” Simon starting pacing between the couch and grand piano, his forehead wrinkled in consternation. On his third pass by, somewhere around the coffee table, the lines on his face smoothed as a realization seemed to settle in. He stopped short a few feet in front of Alex and tilted his head slightly. “Why are you defending them?”

Alex pulled his brows together. “I’m not. I’m saying we shouldn’t make this decision based on assumptions. And regardless, you can’t kill every Daevos member. You have to think this through. We need to find out who’s actually causing the problem, not go off half-cocked, taking innocent souls.”

Simon pulled his lips in, his face tight with fury. “They’re Daevos members. None of them are innocent.” He paused again, holding Alex’s stare. “I think you’ve been spending too much time trying to make peace with our enemies. You’ve lost sight of what our real goal is.”

“No. I haven’t,” Alex said, fighting hard to keep calm. “I’m trying to save souls and get all the information before we act. If that means working with some Daevos members, so be it.”

Simon scowled. “You can’t trust them. Any of them. The information you’re getting is probably lies. If it were
your
Tracker, you wouldn’t sit by hoping for things to work themselves out.” He slid a glance to me. Alex’s eyes followed. Having all eyes on me made me suddenly self-conscious. “If it were
your
Tracker, you’d tear apart the universe to get her back.”

Alex couldn’t deny it. Ripping apart anything in his path to get me back was exactly what he’d done…at least until Caleb had incapacitated him. That was probably the biggest reason he was hesitant to fight the Daevos now. If Caleb had those powers, there was a good chance another Daevos Clan could figure out how to get them too—and might have already done it. That could be very dangerous for the Amaranthine.

“We’re doing this, Night,” he said. “With or without the Amaranthine’s support, it doesn’t matter.”

“The Amaranthine leaders don’t think it’s a good idea yet. We need to have another meeting.”

“So we can be told the same thing we’re always told? To wait and see what happens.” Simon breathed out a quick, disgusted breath. “These meetings and mediations don’t work. We’re losing at least one Tracker a month. We won’t lose another.”

“If you don’t have the support of the Amaranthine leadership, you could lose everything,” Alex said. “They could take your powers.”

Simon went as still as stone, his jaw tight. Through his teeth he said, “They wouldn’t dare.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t they? To avert a war? The Goddesses believe in choice and redemption. They won’t look kindly on you trying to take that away from Daevos members. Even Daevos members have the chance to leave and make amends for what they’ve done in another life. It’s not your right to be their judge and jury. If you take their souls without consent from the Amaranthine leadership, you risk everything. And you’ll be no better than the Daevos are.”

Simon stared at Alex, his expression hard. “You compare me. To them.” It was part statement, part dare.

“You’re acting like them, so the comparison stands.”

Simon compressed his lips, his face pulled tight. “This isn’t over. It hasn’t even started. We’re going to solve this problem, with or without the Amaranthine Society’s help. You need to decide if you’re with us, or not.”

Alex held his expression impressively blank. “For now, I’m neutral.”

Simon nodded like that wasn’t a surprise. “You can’t be the go-between forever,” he said. “Eventually you’ll have to pick a side.”

Alex dipped his head once in acknowledgment. Simon turned to me, “It was nice to see you again, Cassandra.” He walked out, his long, black wool coat trailing behind him like a cape.

“That didn’t go well,” I pointed out when Alex came back, holding two glasses of ice water. I’d been standing at the back of the room for most of the discussion. Though I was sure Alex still knew my every movement, I’d felt somewhat forgotten during their chat. Well, until the guy brought up Alex’s Tracker and what Alex would do if I was in danger.

Alex handed me a glass, and sat down in a high back brown leather chair. I sat in the matching chair next to him, an end table separating us. “I told you when you got back from Denver with Emil that the Protectors were getting agitated about Trackers still being taken. The situation is getting worse, and many of the Protectors have decided to band together as a force against the Daevos.”

“But they don’t even know who’s taking the Trackers yet.” It seemed like a logical thing to point out.

“They think they do though. They’re trying to take matters into their own hands.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are only two “legal” ways a Protector can take a soul. First, and most common, is the Goddesses have to approve it. The Protector submits a petition about the danger of a particular soul. The Amaranthine give the request to the Goddesses. The Goddesses review the request to decide whether the soul should be taken. They look at the soul’s lives and its chance of being redeemed in the future. The second way happens in the heat of battle. If a Protector’s Tracker is in immediate danger from a Daevos member threatening them, they can take the soul to save the Tracker. Afterward, the incident is reviewed by the Amaranthine to make sure protocol was followed.”

“The first seems like a lot of red tape. I imagine the second is more useful, but the Amaranthine would have to explicitly trust their Protectors not to go rogue.”

“It is a lot of red tape, but it keeps the system in check. It ensures that souls aren’t taken before they’ve been given a sufficient chance at redemption. The Goddesses have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips about every soul ever created. It’s information Protectors don’t have access to. Protectors don’t see the eternal picture, so we’re less informed about whether a soul should get another chance. You’re right about the second version, and it ensures the safety of our Trackers. Keeping our Trackers alive, and their souls intact to live another life is the goal above all else. However, the rogue aspect is exactly what we’re worried about now.”