The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (122 page)

She turned so one eye could see him, her brow cocked. “And he sent you to get me?” she asked in surprise. “When he knew I was in bed?”

A sly, mischievous grin stretched across his face. “Not exactly.” He didn’t expand. Rain sat up slowly, moaning the whole way. It felt like she had been dropped from up high. Every muscle ached from her strenuous workout the day before…and night.

Thankfully after the man, Bilal, had been taken away, Aziz had ordered her to her room for the remainder of the day. She could practically taste his anger at that point, so she hadn’t argued. It had given her the opportunity to soak her tired body in a hot bath. She even ate in her room, which she hadn’t done since her arrival. Halfway through the night Elex had shown up, and suddenly she’d found herself not as tired as before. Elex had that effect on her.

“You keep thinking along those lines and we won’t be making it back to practice for a long time,” he warned with heated eyes.

“As tempting as that sounds,” she confessed, “I think we had better get going. I don’t want to anger him.” As she got up off the bed, with some difficulty, she couldn’t help but catch the sudden displeased look on Elex’s face. “What’s wrong?”

He stared at her, his eyes searching. She could see him contemplating how to answer her question, or perhaps if he even should answer the question. No matter what happened in their life, all she wanted from Elex was total and complete honesty. Rain hated people who lied or weren’t open about things. This wasn’t the first time she had caught this look on Elex’s face. It seemed to be happening more often, and yet he had never mentioned if something was bothering him. It was the exact same look she had seen on his face yesterday in the throne room. She assumed when he came to see her that they would discuss whatever was clearly the issue, but instead they had done very little talking. Finally he let out a sigh, dragging a hand through his long, ebony locks.

“I don’t like it anymore,” he stated.

She looked at him, confused. “Like what?” Her heart was racing. Was he breaking up with her? Her palms started to sweat and she wiped them discreetly on her nightgown. What had she done to push him away so suddenly? A knot had formed in her stomach, and it was difficult to swallow due to her dry throat. He huffed in exasperation, moving so quickly she barely had time to register it before he had her wrapped in his arms, seated in his lap on the bed.

“You are unbelievable,” he said with a shake of his head.

“Thank you?”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Oh.” Her face fell again and she could see he was getting even more annoyed.

“How can you honestly think I’m ending things between us after the night and morning we just had? Do you have any idea how crazy you make me? You’re all I think about, all day long.” He watched her closely, making sure she believed what he was saying. And she did. Feeling a heavy weight lifted, she finally let herself breath normally.

“I wasn’t sure…”

“Never doubt my feelings, Rain. I don’t know what happened to me when you came here, but all I know is that for the first time in my life I felt
something
. I wanted things, wanted more than what Aziz could offer me. Do you understand?”

She nodded her head slowly. “Then what did you mean by that?” she asked.

“I’m sick and tired of this thing between you and Aziz. Or, I guess just with Aziz. I don’t like the way he looks at you. I don’t like how he refers to you as his queen. I don’t like the things he thinks about you.”

Her face screwed up in disgust. “I don’t even want to know.”

“No, you don’t,” he confirmed. “What he showed you yesterday, that throne room, is that what you want? I saw how you looked at it, the way you appreciated the grandeur.” He looked down for a moment before staring back into her eyes. “I can’t give you those things, Rain – at least not yet. Not until we can think up a plan together. Figure out what we want to do with our lives. But I’m not looking to take over what Aziz has created. I want to start fresh. I want us to leave here – soon.”

Her heart was racing again, but she wasn’t sure if it was predominantly fear or excitement from what he was suggesting. “The throne room is beautiful to look at, but I don’t need all that to be happy. I just want us to be together, just as we’ve discussed before.”

He smiled. When Elex smiled it was like the sun peeking through a grey sky, lighting it with warmth and promise. It took him from handsome to breathtaking. Rain wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to it.

“We need to leave here soon,” he told her. “The army will come, and when they do we will use them as our distraction to get away. Aziz could make it hard for us if he knows what we’re doing. At least until we can get far enough away.”

“He can’t catch us if we’re flying,” she argued.

Elex shook his head. “He can stop me from flying if he wants to. I told you before Rain, everything we eat and drink in here is laced with a special poison. In small dosages it can’t harm you, but it binds you to him. As do my tattoos. He did these when I got older. The stronger I grew, the more nervous he became that he wouldn’t be able to control me as easily. If he saw us trying to leave, he could immobilize me.”

Rain felt sick. If only she could find a way to stop eating or drinking what Aziz was feeding her this wouldn’t be a problem.

“Will he always have control over me?” she asked.

“No,” he reassured. “The further we are, the less control he has, and then the poison will eventually leave our bodies and we will be free.”

“And the tattoo?”

He hesitated. “I’m not sure. I know the amounts he puts in the food don’t have much of an effect on me. It’s why he decided to do it this way. I also know he had to use a lot for it to work. Too much and he would have killed me, as he learned once, not long after. But just the right amount and his hold over me is secure. Distance makes a difference. I know this from when I fly to watch over the King’s army. He has no control over me when I’m that far away. I think it’s why he hates it when I leave.” He grimaced before saying, “it definitely has nothing to do with missing me while I’m gone.”

Rain watched the pain fill his eyes as he became lost in thought. It was the first time she realized that Elex resented the fact that Aziz didn’t love him like a father might love a son, even though he called him that. She cupped his face in her hands bringing him back to the here and now, with her.

“
I
miss you when you’re gone,” she said softly. “It kills me when you’re gone for days, even back when I had myself convinced I hated you.”

He smirked. “Did you really have yourself convinced?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m still considering it.”

He laughed, grabbing her and moving until she was under him, his body stretched along every inch of hers. “We both know you don’t hate me,” he teased.

“Do we?”

He chuckled again, lowering his head until his lips met her neck. She laced her hands through his hair, holding him close. His breath tickled her skin. “We really are going to be late at this rate.”

“I no longer care,” she confessed.

He propped himself up, looking down at her in delight. “I thought you didn’t want to anger him?”

She shrugged. “Some things are worth it.” He threw his head back and laughed loudly.

“I’ve never had anyone around me that made me laugh like you.”

A pang of sadness filled her at the thought of a young, lonely Elex. “Well I had siblings for that, but they also drove me crazy,” she replied. It felt odd to talk about her family. She had never done so with Elex before, but he didn’t appear to be bothered by it.

“I had a sibling once,” he said. Rain froze in shock. There was another Elex?

“What? How?” she asked.

Suddenly he looked uncomfortable, like he really didn’t want to discuss it. She wondered why. Obviously his sibling was no longer here, so something bad must have happened. Maybe she shouldn’t ask, she thought, but curiosity blazed through her.

“He was younger than me,” he finally answered. “I really didn’t get much time with him before he was gone. I remember holding him when he was a baby,” he continued. “He was so small.” His eyes focused on something beside her head, a memory most likely. “Aziz had been so proud of him.” The sadness in his voice nearly tore her heart out.

“What happened to him?”

Elex shrugged, shaking off whatever memories haunted him. His eyes focused on hers again, clear of emotion. “He didn’t last. I guess he just wasn’t meant to be here.” He pushed off the bed in one fluid motion. Holding out a hand, he helped her up effortlessly. “Come; we’ve wasted enough time.”

Rain nodded, not willing to force the subject. She dressed quickly in her pants and blouse then followed Elex out of her rooms.

“How long do you think it has been?” Melissa asked, conversationally. They were lying beside each other, staring up at the ceiling. Well, they would be, if they could even see the ceiling. It was hard enough seeing one another in the dark cell. Ethan thought about it, thinking perhaps he’d be able to guess based on their meals. But he doubted it. Even if he could remember, he didn’t think they had been fed regularly since their capture. It was probably more of a – ‘whenever someone remembered them’ – sort of thing. Prisoners weren’t normally a priority.

“Honestly? I have no idea,” he answered.

“Me neither,” she sighed. He could hear and sense her turn onto her side so she faced him. “What would you be doing if we were home right now?”

He really did not want to play this game. Should he lie, he wondered, and make it sound like he had much more of an exciting life back home than he really did? For some reason he didn’t like the thought of lying to Melissa.

“Probably playing videogames in my basement,” he answered. “You?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Maybe hanging out with the girls, or going out somewhere.” Her voiced lowered as she spoke. He knew how hard this was on her. It killed him. If there was some way he could get her sent home, even if he had to stay, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

“Maybe we can go out sometime when we get back,” he blurted out. Crap. Why did he just say that? He gave himself a mental punch in the face. Just because they were close now, didn’t mean things would stay the same when they got back home. He had always known this. Why would he put himself out there like this? Melissa was super nice, and pretty, and funny, and incredibly brave, even if she didn’t think so. She also happened to be the most popular girl in their high school. There was no way she would be caught dead going out with him. She spoke to him in the halls, but actually spending time outside of school together was something completely different.

He was about to recant his statement when the sound of footsteps interrupted him. They both stilled. It was always the same reaction when a guard came to their cell. Ethan could feel the now familiar nerves wake up and prepare for whatever they might face this time. His eyes looked through the darkness to identify the outline of Lily, still sleeping on the other side of the cell.

The door opened and Ethan’s heart jumped into his throat. This was not good. Framed by the doorway and illuminated by the torches behind him, stood Aziz, his face hidden in shadow. Every instinct in Ethan told him to move to where Lily was, but he didn’t want to leave Melissa open and vulnerable.

“What is she doing?” Aziz asked, his voice filling the tiny space. Ethan cringed against the coldness in it.

“She’s sleeping,” he answered calmly.
Please don’t say anything
, he thought, praying the guard wouldn’t rat them out. No such luck.

“That one is always sleeping,” the guard announced, sounding annoyed.

Ethan saw Aziz’s body stiffen before he turned to face the guard. Making up his mind, Ethan moved closer to Lily.

“What do you mean she’s always sleeping?” he asked slowly. Ethan heard every note of danger in those words.

The guard shifted uneasily from one foot to another. “She’s always asleep when I come here,” he answered in a wavering voice.

“And you didn’t think this might be something I should have been made aware of?”

“He said she is just tired because she is being locked up. The forest people are supposed to be outdoors…” His voice trailed at the look on Aziz’s face. Aziz glanced at Ethan before turning back to the guard.

“Let me get this straight,” he began. “You noticed something unusual about one of our prisoners then took the explanation from another as fact, without once thinking maybe you should speak to me about it?”

Ethan had moved until he was now sitting in front of her sleeping body. There was a tense silence as the guard weighed his response. Ethan almost felt bad for the guy – almost.

“I didn’t want to bother y –”

His body flew back to crash into the wall behind him. Ethan heard a sickening crack before the guard’s body slipped lifelessly to the ground. Sweat trickled down his back as fear filled every inch of his body. Aziz turned back to face him, his expression a blank, cold mask.

“Move.” One word. One command. Said in a tone that left no room for argument, and yet Ethan couldn’t bring himself to obey.