Rule (Roam Series, Book Five) (28 page)

He gazed down at me through the water. “You were completely unexpected. This love… has quite broken my resolve, and obliterated my sense of reason.”

“Reason?”

“There is no certainty in our brief life together. I will do as I please… come what may,” he caught my lips in his. “I am through fighting for everyone else. Now, I will fight for
you
, and for
our future,
my love.”

I reached for him, pulling his mouth to mine. “
I don’t deserve you,
” I whispered. “I’ve been a selfish, immature brat, and I only think about myself first, everyone else second, and-…,”

He dove for my lips,
eager, forceful, and I cried out into his kiss. Over and over, his hands slid over my upper arms, and I closed my eyes, sighing. “Hush. You are exactly
right
. The only thing meant to be in any of these worlds,
Eva
,
is
you.
”

Pressing my face into his chest, I
sighed shakily. At that moment, there was no doubt in my mind that I absolutely loved him.

“This is older than we are.
This fate.
Your parents, Logan, my father… we are players in this prophecy. But ultimately, it is
you
who will save
this
world. Not Icepond.
Earth
.” He slid his fingers over my hips, lowering his mouth to my stomach. I threaded my fingers through his hair, pressing my back against the cold shower wall. “I will not forsake my people. If we are separated, you will care for and protect our child. Understood?”

I nodded, the heat of both his lips on my skin and the anger in my soul making the lights flicker and hiss in the bathroom ceiling. “Don’t talk about that, Will. I won’t lose you. I just
found
you,” I pushed him away, glaring at him. “I want to rule by your side. Forever.”

“Your forever is not as long as
my forever
,” his ice blue eyes locked with mine. “I will mourn you, Eva, someday, and already my heart breaks for that day.”

I watched him leave the shower, sliding down the wall to stare after him.

How could I not have realized? I may not appear to age, but I will grow old in Icepond…

A
nd now here.

I am no longer immortal, not in any realm.
And someday, I will die.

I finally had what I always wanted… and couldn’t regret it more.

The evening was spent with me answering questions, and my mother and father discussing alternatives to my mother’s original plan with Will. After trying, and failing, to interject into their discussion for the third time, I slid my chair back, threw my fork on the table, and stalked to the balcony.

The Carolina moon, my old accomplice, beckoned me to the shore. I almost made it to the stairs before Christopher’s voice sounded behind me.

“Come on- drive over to the Plantation with me. I told Mom we’d be right back.”

“Sure, why not. They don’t care what I say in there, anyway.”

He grinned, tossing his car keys into the air and catching them with a laugh. “The Mustang is mine now. But- I’m guessing you’ll want to drive.”

I snatched the keys from his hand, raising my eyebrows. “Um, yeah.”

Not halfway to the shopping center, Chris turned to me from the passenger seat. “You know we have to do something. Before they go in there and get themselves killed.”

“I know.” I punched the steering wheel, swinging into a parking space outside the cinema.

“And now one little look from that king, and you’re a big, melted pile of
girl
. So, I guess it’s up to me to figure this out.”

“What are you talking about?”

“
Damn
. Even Mom controls herself better than that.”

“You have no idea what I’ve been through over the past week!”

He ignored me, stopping in the back of the darkened plaza outside of the restaurant. “Well, here we are. Do your thing.”

I stared in the direction
that he pointed to. The large, square fountain, copper-green and illuminated by spotlights, reflected from below with hundreds of shiny pennies.

“It’s the
wishing fountain.”

“Yes-
it’s a
fountain
. So, make it a door.”

Scoffing, I
tugged at my now slightly-larger jeans. “A door.”

“Yes, a door. Snap your fingers, wiggle your nose, whatever you do to make magic, do it. Make it a door, and we’ll go back to the beginning ourselves.”

“What, just march into ancient Icepond and do
what?
”

“We’ll kill Troy. Before he has a chance to kill mom.”

“Chris, you have no idea what you’re talking about. That will change everything. You and I will no longer exist.”

“It’
s not time travel, it’s the
past life
, like Mom and Dad said. The present has always stayed the same when they traveled. The only thing that will happen is that Troy will cease to exist. If he doesn’t exist, Meredith can’t get him.”

“Your
Doc Brown impression is amusing, but I’m still not convinced that
we
wouldn’t cease to exist.” I covered my stomach, regretting haven eaten my dinner so quickly.

He watched me, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. “
You love him.”

I glared at him. “
Yes, I love Will!
It doesn’t matter-…,”

“It does matter, Eva! What did Dad teach you? No liabilities. No connections. That is a
warrior
. That is a fighter-…,”

“That’s easy for him to say! He loves Mom and gets to spend his life with her!
I love Will, and I won’t let anything- or anyone- take him away from me.
”

He rolled his eyes to the moon and back. “I’ll go, then. Turn it into a door.”

“You can’t make me.”

“Wow, mature.”

“Fuck off.”

“Well, that order had to have come from my delicate, feminine sister-in-law.”

I turned sharply as Logan walked to us, and I tried to frown before turning into his arms. “Logan.”

He hugged me, taking a deep, calming breath. “You
worried us, Red.”

“It was out of my control.”

“How’d you know we’d be here?” Chris asked, and Logan shrugged.

“Your Dad said you went to the Plantation. Given that you’re a Perry, I eliminated the possibility of a routine grocery shopping trip or that you’d gone to see a movie and guessed you came for another reason.”

“So they told you their plan.”

“Listen.” He gripped my shoulders, his dark brown eyes meeting mine. “We can handle this. We’ve been…
waiting
… for this fight for seventeen years.”

I nodded, focusing on the ground.

“We’re going back to the castle. You’ll convince this woman that we can get Troy and bring him back. We will go just long enough to gather weapons for an attack, since we are sure to be stripped of ours in the castle. I understand there is a small army left on a ship who can help, and one man can use magic.”

“Eric, yes,” I agreed, nodding. Logan lowered his face, searching for my eyes.

“You’re tired,” he turned to Christopher. “Come on. Enough with the heroics, Chris. I know you mean well, but you’ll get yourself killed.”

Chris shrugged, following us to the car. I rode with Logan in his rental car back to the house, and listened to him talk about
Wynn, Rose and Violet, fighting more tears.
What is wrong with me? I’m just tired.

Will gave me a gently reproving look before gathering me into his arms on the couch. I half-listened to their plans, an irresistible sleep beckoning me.

I am in a cell.

“Granddaughter…,”

I glance sharply to my left; my grandfather is chained to a cot. His voice is strained and sickly, and I move to him.

His face, so thin, so haunted, stares at me through weak eyes.

“Listen, lass.” He coughs, and I reach for him. “An elemental spell, is a spell that requires fire, earth, water, or air. Use control… use your emotions call upon the elements.”

“Grandfather… you’re alive?”

“Listen, child. Listen.” He coughs, and I reach for his hand, comforting. “Anger and passion will ignite a fire. Useful, but you must control this.”

“I’m learning,” I promise.

“Water is directed with sympathy, intuition, and nurturing emotions. Air is purity, clarity, and intent. Earth,” his voice cracks, “is peace… tranquility, and endurance.”

“You must apply these elements to your spell, using the corresponding emotions and medium. The doors to the past were opened with water… derived from the compassion that I felt for my son, and the nurturing propensity of a father. Fountains, built of man with stone and earth; endurance.”

He’s talking too fast!
“Okay… I will try,” I promise. He lifts his shaking head, his eyes pleading.

“You must. Allow your brother to help you, Eva. The rule of Icepond will fall to my grandson. West’s son will reign.”

“Eva?”

I sat up in Will’s arms, startled, staring at my parents, Logan, and Chris.

“You were crying in your sleep, babe. Are you okay?” My father reached for me, but I held up my hand, shaking my head.

“Wait.” I turned to the window, focusing.
Window… man-made. Earth.

Peace.

Centering myself, I breathed deeply, turning my palm toward the ceiling. When nothing happened, I closed my eyes, pulling from the back of my mind where I kept my music.

The Doors
Cars Hiss by my Window
broke through my frequency.

T
he window facing the ocean lifted.

My father burst to his feet as the security alarm blared, hurrying to the keypad.
“You’re doing this?” My mother looked between me and the window, and I turned to her.

I see her.
I see her for what she is,
who
she is, and the life she has been born to lead.

Clarity.

Waving my hand, Bob Seger crooned
Against the Wind
as I drew the air through the window, the warm ocean breeze cutting through the cool air-conditioning and surrounding my mother. She gasped, touching the skin on her hands.

Air.

“Give that girl a meal and a nap, and she’s right back to business,” Christopher reached for a curl, tugging softly. “I’m sorry for what I said, Eva.”

“No, you were right.” I stood
and cut the music, looking down at Will. He watched my performance in wonder, still gazing at my hand.

“We go, then?” Will’s concentrated eyes met mine, and I nodded.

“Yes… we go.”

I curled in my bed with Will, explaining my dream of Asher. He listened quietly, outlining my profile with his fingertip.

“But the only way I can make it work… is with the music,” I finished.

Each time his touch traced the bridge of my nose, I closed my eyes, moving closer to sleep. “You make your own magic, Eva,” he whispered.

“
I love you,
” I breathed, my eyelashes brushing against his bare chest.

Restless, I tossed in the bed for hours. I constantly reached for Will, making sure he was still next to me. Around three AM, I woke with a start, sitting up and staring at him in the moonlit bedroom.

He weakens me.

Slipping from the bed, careful not to disturb him, I crept into the hallway outside the bedroom. The living room was dark, but I could hear my parents talking on the couch. I lowered to the bottom step, listening to their hushed voices through the shadows.

“…the way that she looks at him.”

My mother rested her head on my father’s shoulder. “She’s not of this world, West. So much of this has been about
our
love,
our
fight… but I think I’ve been too…
afraid
… to think about Eva’s life, and what she might face.”

“She’s… fragile. Something in her eyes, something I’ve never seen before…,”

“It’s love.” Roam sighed. “She loves him.”

“When I saw her today, it was as if time had just… stopped. I imagined she’d be almost twenty years old. She’s still too young, Roam.”

“She’s older than I was.”

“But you’d been through so much. Your mother, the dreams, and then Troy.” He shook his head, and I recognized the resolve in his voice. “We can’t let her go back. I’ll talk to Will, and convince him that she has to stay here. If he loves her, he’ll understand.”