Unexpected Eden (8 page)

Chapter 8

A hint of sun bled through the bedroom skylights to lift away night’s shadows. Funny how Lexi’s heart felt the same way. The last twenty-four hours had been a roller coaster of discovery and emotion, but she’d never been more alive. Like the first twenty-five years of her life were insignificant.

She nestled closer to Eryx and savored the quiet morning. His unique sandalwood and leather scent wrapped around her. Eryx seemed to think of everything. Even going so far as to take her to visit Ian the day before on the pretense of planning for an impromptu getaway to explain her absence. It was kind of nice having someone look out for her. Anticipating her needs before they even crossed her mind.

No matter how she might want to stick her head in the sand, she couldn’t ignore the niggling thought in her head anymore. He had to be the presence from her dreams. She’d never seen a face, but she always woke with the same feeling she had right now. Content. Protected. He’d said dreams were what led him to her, so it only made sense her dreams would reciprocate.

“I can’t read your thoughts, but I like where your emotions are headed.” Eryx’s husky voice teetered on decadent. He shifted until he lay half on, half off her, lips skating down her neck.

Hold up. She wiggled and shoved at his chest until she could see his face. “You can read my emotions?”

Eryx hung his head and sighed, not that he let her gain much distance. “Yes, I can read them.” He leveraged himself so he rested on his elbows at either side of her head and his hair fell around them in a dark curtain. “It’s one of my gifts. I turn it off and on at will, though when I’m asleep it’s not so simple.”

He studied her, breath slow and steady. “Things are different here, Lexi. You’ll have to learn to accept new truths. New ideas. Who I am.”

Yeah, but apparently on his schedule.

“Still doling out information as you see fit?” She tried to shove out from beneath him, done with the powerless chokehold he held on her.

“Stop it.” Eryx held her in place, the lines of his face sharper than she’d ever seen them. “You’re not the only one with fears. Not the only one afraid of how they’ll be judged. You think it’s easy for me? For any of us knowing how much or how little we should share without pushing too far?”

Lexi closed her eyes and swallowed around a swell of remorse. He’d been good to her. They all had. And here she was acting like a shrew. “You’re right.”

His triceps flexed beneath her palms. So strong. Solid. Like Eryx.

Everything she’d always wanted. “I keep waiting for everything to get ripped away. To find out what the catch in all this is.”

Eryx dragged his thumb along her jawbone. “No catch. Just the life you were meant to have. Assuming you choose to accept it.”

There it was. The question dancing in her head with the grace of an elephant. Death was a heck of a lot more than an inconvenient side effect if Eryx was wrong and she wasn’t Myren. The need to squirm and pace writhed beneath her skin. Room to move while her brain jackhammered at the consequences of her decision.

“You said Myrens can’t divulge their existence to humans. Does that mean I can’t have contact with Ian anymore?” It was the one consideration preventing her decision. The one, aside from death, with any potential to make her walk.

“You can’t break the laws, Lexi. I’ve already pretzeled them bringing you here without proof. You can still be around him, but you can never tell him who or what we are.”

She traced the curve of his shoulder. “But I can visit him.”

Eryx nodded. “You’ll have to be careful though. You’ll move differently afterward. Contain more power. And you’ll never be able to stay for longer than a few weeks. The environment drains you. It’s why you felt so fatigued.”

Lines of worry marked his brow. He commanded the people around him, whether he realized it or not, and had serious control issues, but she’d yet to sense even a flicker of true deceit in his soul. Her heart kicked up a notch.
Tell him.
“I want the ritual.”

Eryx froze. Even the steady push and pull of his chest ground to a halt. “You’re sure?” He held her tight, cradled between the steel beams of his arms.

The pounding in her chest strengthened and a swell of emotion pooled at the hollow of her throat. “I’m sure.”

He exhaled, slow and ragged, one corner of his mouth lifted in an unsteady grin. “I’ll ask Orla to arrange the celebration. Give you a few days to get—”

“No.” She wriggled up a bit, needing a more confident angle to make her case. “I want it now. Today.”

“Lexi, there’s no rush.”

“I talked to Graylin while you were gone yesterday.”

Eryx stilled, his head tilted to one side.

“According to him, it’s better for me to hurry.”

No physical flames ignited, but Eryx’s anger licked hot along her skin. “Graylin needs to mind his own business.”

“But it’s true, right? The longer I’m human, the longer you’re exposed and I’m more vulnerable. Is that wrong?”

Eryx’s jawbone looked as though it might snap at any moment, his muscles ripcord tight. “No, he’s not wrong.”

“Is there any reason not to do it today?”

He shook his head.

“Then this is what I want.”

The tumult in his gaze would have flattened her had she not already been horizontal, eyes flooded with both hope and terror.

He lowered his head and brushed a reverent kiss across her lips. “Your wish. My command.”

* * * *

Eryx skipped another pebble across the lake’s surface, tiny ripples echoing out along the surface from the twenty or so others he’d thrown before it. Still a lot more peaceful than the chaos rattling around in his head. A perfect Eden day. Sunshine, spring weather, an easy lakeside picnic…ideal for Lexi’s celebration day. He should be excited.

Still doling out information as you see fit?

Lexi’s comment still stung. He could only imagine the words she’d sling at him when the day was over—assuming she lived that long.

“Stop fidgeting, Eryx.” Orla’s snap matched her towel’s sharp pop as she shooed an eager fly from the food.

Ramsay, Graylin and Ludan stood beneath the frius tree’s tall branches, their voices void of the strain clogging his own throat.

“It’s perfectly normal for a woman to take her time getting ready.” Orla smoothed an unseen wrinkle along the vibrant blue linen tablecloth. “Especially when her man leaves her a beautiful gift.”

A deep sapphire gown accented by a platinum belt encrusted with diamonds, and cuffs to match. Bold, like the woman. Damned if he didn’t have the drive of a horny teen backed up with the lust of a seasoned warrior. He should be patient. More balanced.

A cool spring breeze floated across the water’s surface and brushed his face, but did zero to sooth his need to pace. “What the hell’s taking them so long? I sent Galena in there to help, not add hours to the process.”

“Perhaps Galena’s adding to her Myren education. We’ve already established Lexi knows nothing of mating, let alone that you want her for your own.” Orla tossed a hand towel on the chair he’d vacated and planted her fists on her hips. “From the sounds of things, she doesn’t even know you’re the malran.”

“She knows.” A petulant answer, but he was past the point of caring.

“But does she know what a malran is?” Orla tottered closer, insistent.

The smooth surface of the lake barely rippled. Too bad his patience didn’t match. “In a manner of speaking.”

“Whose manner, may I ask?”

Something snapped. One second the lake filled his vision, the next he towered over the woman who’d all but raised him. “I told her I was our leader. We’d only just met and she knew nothing of our race. Should I have explained I was her equivalent of a king right off the bat?” He threw his hands up. “Oh wait, you’d have me also tell her I want her as my baineann right after I’d carried her through a portal and thrown fire from my palm!”

He faced the lake and fought to calm his raging breath. Heavy gazes burned into his back, the peace of the spring silence awkward. He’d never advanced on Orla like that before. Ever.

“Forgive me.” Orla’s voice floated to him, consoling. “I was only thinking of Lexi. I didn’t consider the obstacles in your path.”

A sharp ache pulsed at his jawline, his teeth clenched tight enough to smooth his molars. Shame hung heavy around his neck. “I should apologize to you.”

Closing the short distance between them, he pulled Orla to his chest and kissed the top of her gray head. If he couldn’t keep his emotions in check, he’d never make it through the night. Not with the deception ahead.

A throaty chuckle rumbled from Ramsay’s direction. The grin on his twin’s face grew to a full-on smile as he crossed his arms. “You’re a lucky man.” He jerked his head toward the garden gate. “Prepare to walk the gauntlet, brother.”

Sweet Great One on High.

Lexi strolled along the winding path, Galena beside her. The flowers, the waving grass, the muted stones on the home behind her—all background details to her focal point. Midnight-colored hair, loose about her shoulders. Tanned skin wrapped in a body-hugging blue gown. Pride tried to get him to shut his slack jaw, but the rest of him was too shell-shocked to care.

The perfect malress.

Primal instinct pounded at him. Take. Protect. Indulge.

No. Not yet. She needed him to guide and teach her. Not sling her over his shoulder and stomp off to some hidden cave.

Rounding the last curve on the path, Lexi met his rapt stare. A blush stole across her face and her fingers fluttered at her sides.

Eryx pushed open the garden gate, his movements harsh and embarrassingly gawky.

Galena slid past them, eyes diverted with a know-it-all smirk.

He cupped Lexi’s elbow, drew her closer, and slid his hand until he’d circled her wrist. It seemed so small and vulnerable, the flutter of her pulse frantic beneath his thumb. He kissed the delicate spot. “I’ve seen many beautiful things, but nothing moves me like you, Alexis.” He pulled her close, the sweet scents of rosemary and mint clinging to her skin. No matter what it took, he wouldn’t give up. She was his mate…whether she realized it yet or not.

Chapter 9

Eryx caressed Lexi’s back and a heightened, sensual awareness washed across her in a white-hot mass. He didn’t seem to give a fig for their audience. The more he touched her, the less she did either. Could he tell Galena had talked her into wearing nothing underneath?

“Your gifts are beautiful. Thank you.” Her lips trembled as she spoke, her voice whispering a need that didn’t match her proper words.

Eryx shifted and the silk of her gown teased her thighs and stomach. “I like you in Myren clothes.” His guttural words stroked her in all the right places. A wicked smile crept into place, and he tickled the hollow at her throat with rough fingers. “I like what’s missing underneath even better.”

“Praise the Great One, Eryx. Stop pawing her so we can eat.” Ramsay’s lighthearted comment cut through the sexual haze.

Orla chirped orders to the men, and Galena guided Lexi to the head of a large table beneath a mammoth shade tree.

Feathery sea foam leaves danced above her. The tree’s branches spanned the width of a small home and bathed their party in nap-worthy shade. At its furthest reach, over the edge of the still lake, one lone branch dipped to kiss the water’s surface. Ironic how similar her life had become. Drawn to something so much bigger, dipping in one tiny toe but ready to go under.

Voices chattered. Random personalities perfectly interwoven as a group. She’d never believed such bonds existed. Those were fantasies. Created in books and on the big screen. God knew she’d never experienced it in any of the homes she’d lived in. But this? They quipped and laughed with each other with a familial trust she couldn’t quite grasp.

“You’re a part of it now, you know.” Graylin leaned forward and the wooden chair groaned beneath him. His expression matched the one Ian often sported—sage, know-it-all, and fatherly. “They’re giving you space and time to adjust to their antics, but they’re your family now.”

Lexi’s heart lurched at the thought. A family of her own. People to banter with. People to love and watch out for who would do the same for her.

No. It wasn’t possible. They’d only just met her.

“Don’t try to make sense of it,” Graylin said. “Some things just are. You accept them, give thanks, and go on.”

Lexi fidgeted. “You make it sound simple.”

A smile flickered on his face. “Most things are simple until our minds complicate them. Your mind, in particular, appears to be a trouble maker.”

An indelicate sound lurched from Lexi—somewhere between a cough and a hiccup. She waited for her brain to serve some witty retort, but nothing came.

Galena swatted Ramsay’s hand away from a large bowl, while Eryx and Orla prepped two large platters of meat.

Maybe Graylin was right. Maybe it was as simple as jumping in. To let the current sweep her into the fray. Lexi cleared her throat. “Was your celebration like this, Eryx?”

The chatter paused.

Stares bounced back and forth between her and Eryx.

Holy shit, was that a blush on Eryx’s cheeks?

He finished carving the slab of meat in front of him. “No, it was bigger. But then my parents had time to plan. Dad loved a good celebration.”

“Celebration my ass.” Ludan stacked a pile of dishes at the end of the table, the plates clinking. “It was a damned national holiday. For both of them.”

Wow. That big of a deal? “You both went through it at the same time? I thought it was hard on the parents?”

“It is and it was.” Eryx tossed an annoyed look in Ludan’s direction. “Our parents were wiped for days which left the two of us plenty of time to explore our gifts while they recovered.”

Orla lightly cuffed the back of Eryx’s head. “You may have left your parents alone but you were holy terrors for me. I’ll swear I bandaged you boys for two days straight with your aerial antics.”

Lexi giggled as she tried to imagine either Eryx or Ramsay doing anything graceless. Somehow the image wouldn’t compute. “Were either of you scared?”

“I was scared shitless,” Ramsay said with a grin. “Eryx was too, even though he pretended not to be.”

Eryx laughed and threw the hand towel he’d been using at his brother’s head. “Try to keep my image intact for my woman.”

His woman. The words sent a loop-de-loop thrill through her belly. So possessive and dominant, which should have rubbed her the wrong way, but did exactly the opposite.

Eryx’s seductive gaze settled on her, and pleasant ripples fanned out across her skin.

“Ah, yes. Your manly image. Let’s see…” Ramsay coughed dramatically and placed a theatric hand at his chest. “He’s the soul of bravery, wisdom and discipline. Women flock to him and he has no equal in the sensual arts.” Ramsay picked up whatever bizarre entree he’d been working on and placed it in the center of the table with a raised eyebrow. “That work better for you?”

Ludan rolled his eyes. “I think the short version is ‘Well hung and loaded.’”

More laughter and commentary bubbled up, not a bit of it as interesting as watching Eryx move. Innocent actions, handing out drinks to his family and helping Orla when needed. Simple. And here she was with her brain on vacation and her hormones on overdrive.

Flock to him in droves indeed. The idea of another woman approaching him, let alone touching him, sent her nails digging deep into her palms. She’d likely be arrested in under a week for murder.

Eryx dragged her to her feet and hugged her tight. He nuzzled her ear. “Let go, Lexi. Whatever’s in your head right now, you’ve got nothing to fear. Not from me.”

In slow degrees, her pulse slowed and her skin cooled. Eryx pressed a cool, watermelon colored drink into her hand and lifted his own. “A toast to Alexis. May her journey tonight be swift and the gifts she receives suitable for her new life in Eden.”

Cheers rang out and each member added their own best wishes. Food was passed around the table and drinks refilled at a steady rate. With each drink, Graylin, Ramsay, and Orla grew more animated, though it seemed a bit bass-ackward they got the spiked drinks and she went cold turkey.

Orla brought out a tray of miniature-looking mudslides, and Eryx pulled Lexi from her chair, settling her on his lap so she reclined against his shoulder.

He traced the outline of her face, the care and sincerity written on his face so overpowering her lungs refused to work. “I need you to trust me tonight, Alexis. Completely. Can you do that?”

Her throat tightened. This wasn’t a matter of sharing an intimate secret or guarding a respectable sum of cash. This was her life. Staring into his eyes, she reached for her inner compass. Listened for the quiet voice that had always guided her.

A calm strength bloomed inside her chest. Love. So faint. Easy to discredit as wishful thinking. Definitely too soon. Better to set the concept aside. “I trust you,” she said instead. “I know you’ll take care of me.”

Eryx pressed his lips against hers, a simple, reverent kiss. His hand tangled in her hair and he rested his forehead against hers as his eyelids slid shut. “May the Great One make your journey a fast and easy one,” he whispered. “I need you here with me.”

Lexi hugged him, something about his demeanor pricking at her instincts. “I’ll be fine. This is right, I know it is.” She sifted through his thick hair and the memory of him looking down on her this morning leapt to mind.

His chest expanded and collapsed on steady breaths. He met her steady gaze, nodded, and handed her one of Orla’s chocolaty concoctions. His smile lacked its usual fullness. “Then you’d best have your dessert so we can get on with things.”

Condensation coated the glass and a cool bead slipped over her fingers. What was she missing?

He nudged the drink toward her lips. “You’re thinking too hard. Enjoy.”

She tilted the glass for a sip and moaned. Sweetness to rival Godiva’s milk chocolate with a delicate bit of mint. A pleasant distraction of the highest order. And there was booze in it. Definitely a plus on the stress management side.

She took another drink. Then another. When she sat the glass down, more than half was gone. “That’s good, Orla. What kind of liquor is it?”

Galena’s gaze darted to Eryx then back to Lexi. “It isn’t alcohol.”

Seven desserts on the table. One empty and the rest untouched. Her facial muscles loosened, skin slackening as though it might slip right from her skeleton.

“It’s a Myren sedative.” Eryx’s voice was warm and soft at her ear. “It’s better this way. Less apprehension for you.” His fingers at her hip tightened. “You said you’d trust me.”

Her brain wouldn’t work—not like normal. Closer to day-old oatmeal and a fine strainer; shit was going nowhere fast. Fury prickled through her bloodstream, but it couldn’t compete with the thick lethargy. Her eyelids lowered even as her heart screamed in betrayal. “You lied to me.”

* * * *

A pack of Harleys rumbled down the street as a pair of chatty joggers nearly crowded Maxis off the sidewalk. He hated Evad. Even the less populated cities like Tulsa were loud and polluted compared to the natural beauty of Eden. And the technology, nothing more than novelties. Poorly designed toys to distract humans from their empty existence. He’d lost count of the gadgets he’d destroyed, his Myren energy melting the guts with little more than a push and a swipe.

The antiquated apartment building on his side of the street was straight out of the fifties with its generic red brick and crackling white paint trim. Wrought iron bars over the windows didn’t say much for the place.

The park across the street was more updated, as was the trendy restaurant perched over the Arkansas River on massive steel beams. Zigzagging between them were more joggers clad in outfits to rival a neon rainbow.

Better to get on with his mission and leave the chaos behind. Mere supposition that Eryx had taken his new toy to Eden wouldn’t suffice with the ellan. He’d need proof.

Eryx had stumbled beautifully sending one of his minions to retrieve Lexi’s belongings—nearly hand delivering her home address to his contact within the Shantos camp. The odds he’d find any evidence in her lodgings were slim, but it was a fine place to start.

He yanked open the weathered screen door and pushed wide the glass-paned door behind it. Dank, stale air filled the shadowed stairwell. Four apartment doors marked each corner, with a sea of industrial gray tile to connect them.

Maxis strode to a set of mailboxes set into the center wall. Eight uniform slots in tarnished brass noted tenants in unmatched labels.

Alexis Merrill.

A heady buzz skimmed beneath his flesh, but he tamped it down. Excitement had already led him to one misstep with Eryx. He couldn’t afford another.

A quick check of the numbers on the doors—one through four. He needed number eight. The top floor for the malran’s new toy. How sweet.

Three steps from the top, a door opened, the brass eight catching on sunlight from the interior. A middle-aged man in a blue button down and faded jeans stood at the threshold, a stack of mail in his hands.

Maxis slowed his steps and scanned the three remaining apartments for activity. One with an animal, two others vacant. With a curt nod, Maxis angled toward the one next to Lexi’s and made a show of digging in the front pocket of his jeans.

The man pulled Lexi’s door shut and shot her deadbolt into place with a flick of his wrist.

Maxis feigned a worried glance at the man then pretended to shove his non-existent keys back into his pocket. “I don’t think we’ve met.” He held out his hand. “Are you a friend of Alexis?”

The man considered Maxis’ outstretched hand for an uncomfortable string of seconds. A none-too-subtle warning. He accepted Maxis’ palm. “Ian Smith.” His gaze slid to the door behind Maxis. “Lexi didn’t tell me she had a new neighbor.”

Maxis scanned Ian’s mind. A retired cop turned investigator. Ian’s memories were full of little else, at least in recent years.

Ian tugged at his hand.

“Forgive me.” Maxis let go and sidestepped toward the door he’d pretended to be his own. “I’ve only met Lexi once since I moved in, but she seemed a nice girl. One can’t be too cautious when looking out for a young woman.”

Ian scrutinized Maxis from head to toe. A shrewd old man with a penchant for details.

A complication he could do without. If Maxis was smart, he’d eliminate the threat. Make the man a missing person before he could mention meeting Maxis to Lexi. Then again, good outlets for info were hard to come by.

“I apologize for holding you up.” Maxis turned for the door he’d indicated as his and mentally flicked the lock. He opened the door only enough to slide through then closed it behind him with an unhurried
kachunk
.

He stepped deeper into the vacant apartment and waited.

Ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty.

Praise the Great One, would the man ever leave?

Footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs.

Finally. Maxis drew in a steady breath, tracking Ian’s energy out into the parking lot. He peeked between the bedroom’s dusty blinds. Lexi’s friend tossed the mail into the passenger’s seat and folded himself into a pathetic sedan.

Maxis tapped his lips. A woman across the street pushed a too-chubby toddler in a swing. A duck trailed two laughing young boys with a sackful of bread.

Ian’s memories hadn’t given him any proof, but had shown Eryx and Lexi together the day before, announcing an unexpected trip out of town.

He closed the blinds and left the musty apartment. He’d search Lexi’s apartment next. If that didn’t work, he could always pay Phybe a visit and see how her presentation with the malran went. Maybe the trip they’d mentioned was to Eden. If so, all he’d need was one confirmed sighting and he’d have everything he needed to put Eryx’s downfall into play.