Why? Surely he of all people knew why things couldn’t develop.
But all those thoughts ended in a second, his body stiffening as a voice cut through the silence.
“I see dinner’s been served.”
#
Gideon let out a sigh as Sebastian jumped to his feet.
“Fallon.” Eve heard him say.
She turned to look at the new guy and her breath caught in her throat. He was looking at her like she was dinner. That was her first thought. Waves of rage and anger filled her, making her choke. She got a glimpse of wild, dark eyes before Sebastian grabbed the guy’s arm.
Insane. That was her second thought.
“Eve, look at me.”
Gideon’s voice found its way through the feeling that were not hers. She felt the pressure of his hand on her arm and turned to meet his warm hazel eyes.
“Breathe.” His face filled her vision as he drew closer. “Don’t be afraid. He won’t hurt you.”
“What’s wrong with him?” she managed to get out.
“He’s been… through a lot,” Gideon finally said.
The feelings eased within her chest and she knew he was no longer in the room. “Will Sebastian be okay?”
Gideon smiled gently. “Fallon can’t hurt him.”
“But—.”
“Trust me on this, Eve. You are the only person in this house that can hurt that man.”
Her lips formed a bitter smile. “Because of what I did to him.”
“Mostly.”
“I’m not going to ask what you mean by that.” She sighed when Gideon shook his head. “Why can’t I get straight answers out of anyone here? I feel like I am being either mind-fucked or coddled.”
Gideon stood from kneeling on front of Eve and returned to his seat. As much as he didn’t want to, he could see her point of view. But she didn’t understand. This was something unprecedented for them. For all of them.
There was something about the girl that pulled at him, at Sebastian, hell, probably all of them. And he knew she was attracted to them. This was about more than a mark on Sebastian’s hand. This felt almost like destiny, if he believed in that.
“Sebastian told me about what Alex said to you.” There was no way to keep the uncertainty from his words. This was his home. His haven that he created with the help of Sebastian. He was responsible for the lives in it. And at that moment, she was one of those lives.
Eve looked up at him.
“Other is a good term for what we are. At least until I can tell you specifics. Each person living in this house is different from the norm. And each of us became what we are for various reasons. Some for good, some for bad, but we are all trying to be better.” When he told her the truth about them, several things could happen. All but two were bad, and those were the least likely outcomes. He couldn’t imagine her coming after them with torches and pitchforks, but then, he didn’t really know her, did he? “Please, and I don’t use that word often, keep that in mind when we tell you our deepest secrets.”
She searched his hazel eyes. They changed colors with his emotions, she realized. Lighter, a pale brown when he was anxious. But, why was he? She could feel it, now that the other man was gone.
“I’ll try.” What she wouldn’t give to be able to make a promise to match his own.
“That’s all I can ask.”
Sebastian came back in and glanced at Eve, raising his eyebrows. She could read the question in them and nodded. She was fine.
He turned and motioned for someone to come in. It was the other guy. The one called Fallon. She could still feel the energy coming off him, but it was somewhat dampened. Micah followed Fallon into the room, and they moved to the other side of the table, sitting beside Sebastian.
Micah met her eyes and gave a wave. She smiled and waved back. She knew now. The calming effect was him. Both times she felt it, he was there. Was it something he projected? Did he know he had it?
Fallon leaned back and stared at her. She couldn’t see his eyes through the hair hanging over his face, but she could feel them on her. Her skin prickled and she ran her hands over her thighs. Should she speak to him? Should she ignore him?
“Fallon, this is Eve. She is going to be our guest for a while,” Gideon said, breaking the silence. His voice was firm, and she could hear the emphasis he put on guest.
“Hello, Eve.”
All she could see was his lips as they moved, but holy hell, his voice was sin. Deep and velvety, with a hint of menace.
She cleared her throat. “Hello, Fallon. It’s a pleasure.”
He barked a laugh. “Nah, probably not. Not after that entrance. But hey, I guess I can play the game.”
“What game?” she asked.
“Not now. Please.” Gideon said.
“Begging now, Gideon? What have we come to?” The grin he gave Gideon was wicked. “Well, Eve. I bid you goodnight. I probably won’t kill you if I run into you in the halls.” He turned his covered face to Sebastian. “Probably.” With that, he stood and walked out of the room.
She turned to watch and realized she was wrong. Fallon didn’t walk. He stalked. With his dark hair, he reminded for of a panther, coiled muscle and graceful.
“Well, that went well,” Micah said, laughing.
“I’m going to throw a dictionary at you.” Sebastian’s tone was conversational and Eve wanted to laugh. But she also suspected that he meant it.
“Oh, come on, it’s Fallon. All things considered, yeah, that was about as good as can be expected.” Micah looked at Eve. “He’s a bit on the crazy side.”
“What happened to him?” her voice was quiet as she tried to process the level of hostility that one person could hold onto. There was silence and she wanted to laugh. “I get it.” Their unwillingness to answer her constant questions shouldn’t bother her as much as it did. It was their lives she had intruded on. Their privacy.
Leave them alone.
Essie came in with a cart that held covered plates and the aroma of food made Eve’s mouth water. She hadn’t eaten since the night before.
As Essie put out plates, Alex joined them. He grabbed Eve’s shoulders and gave her a slight squeeze. “Evening, Eve.” He laughed at his own joke before moving around the table to sit in front of her.
Her smile came easy. He had that effect on her. Similar to what she felt from Micah, but different at the same time. Micah was a calming presence. Alex as well to a degree, but underneath that was a playfulness, an exuberance, a lust for life.
“Hey,” she said and again wondered at the lick of jealousy. She wouldn’t look this time. “Thank you, Essie,” she said as the woman put her dish in front of her. This was so new to her. What would she be doing if she were at home? Heating up a can of soup?
“It’s no trouble, miss.” She pulled the silver dome away and Eve’s eyes widened. “I don’t often get to cook. It’s nice to be able to play with the pots and pans.”
That was another question that wouldn’t get an answer, so, she kept it to herself.
She looked around. Was she supposed to wait? She was starving but didn’t realize how much until she looked at the Filet Mignon still steaming on the plate. Tiny spears of asparagus, drizzled with Hollandaise, lined the other side of the dish.
“Go ahead, Eve. We don’t stand on ceremony around here,” Gideon said. “Wine?”
She made a face and Sebastian chuckled. Glancing at him, she dared to give him a wink. His chuckle turned into a laugh and everyone looked at him. Eve knew he knew how to laugh. She also knew that it flowed over her skin like a lover’s breath. She smiled and picked up her knife and fork, proceeding to eat with gusto while conversation that she didn’t understand flowed around her. Finished with her plate, she sat back and listened and watched. Stocks. They were discussing stocks and securities.
The dynamic fascinated her. It was obvious that Gideon was the leader, but he didn’t use it to override anyone. He asked for opinions and listened, a thoughtful
look on his face. Alex fidgeted. He would offer opinions when asked, but it was easy to see that his attention was elsewhere. Micah seemed interested but didn’t really make any decisions. He seemed fine to go along with the popular opinion. Sebastian listened, pondered, gave opposing views, played devil’s advocate. His planning was meticulous.
The warmth and camaraderie enveloped her, and she grew drowsy, her head drooping.
“May I walk you to your room?” Sebastian’s voice startled her, and her head snapped up.
“I’m sorry?” She blinked.
He smiled. “You’re tired. May I walk you to your room?” He held out his hand.
“Didn’t we do this earlier?” She frowned before placing her hand in his. This hand wasn’t marked, and she found herself missing the glow. He helped her up and this time her feet stayed steady beneath her.
“We did,” his voice was devoid of emotion, but his eyes told her that he remembered.
He let go of her hand and gestured that was she to go first. “I don’t know where I’m going.”
“I won’t let you get lost.”
His words held a promise and she searched his eyes before finally speaking. “I believe you.”
“Goodnight, gentlemen. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” She glanced at Gideon and he gave her a soft smile.
“Indeed.”
#
They were quiet as they walked.
Eve played back the images of the last time they were alone together. Images she shoved to the back of her mind when she realized what she was doing. Nope. Not going to relive that. Did Sebastian remember? Was he also shoving useless images into a box in his head? Trying to read him was useless. She couldn’t feel anything at all coming from the man at her side. Somehow, he had locked his emotions away.
She was so focused on trying to get some inkling as to what he was thinking, what he was feeling, that when he finally spoke, she jumped
“I wanted to walk you back for a couple of reasons,” he said.
“Of course, it wouldn’t be for my charming personality,” she said with a smile.
He glanced down at her but said nothing. It wouldn’t do to let her know exactly how much he wanted to be around her ‘charming personality’. Not when she was going to leave them as soon as the mark was removed. Even if she somehow wanted to stay, experience taught him, long ago, that human companions tended to not want to hang around his kind.
“Maybe a little.” He could admit to that much. “But the main reason is that I wanted to apologize for earlier.” When was the last time he apologized? To anyone? “I let the idea of something that couldn’t happen take root in my mind. I allowed myself to feel something I shouldn’t have. You, being an empath, felt it as well. I couldn’t take advantage of that. And then you were… less than sober. I hope you can forgive me.”
She stopped walking. He thought he made her want him? He turned to look at her. She still didn’t feel anything from him but could see the sincerity in his eyes. He meant it.
The laughter bubbled up and out and before she knew it, she was leaning against the wall, doubled over. The confusion on his face made it so much worse and it was only after a little bit that she was able to stand, pushing away from the wall.
“Idiot.” She softened the word with a smile. “I’ve dealt with this my entire life. It’s rare when I can’t separate my emotions from someone else. And I promise, those feelings were all mine.” She reached out and took his hand. “I couldn’t sense you at all,” her voice grew soft. “I’ve never met anyone who blocks themselves as well as you.”
“You couldn’t tell what I was feeling?”
“Well, in some ways.” She winked and got a curve of lips out of him. “But as for being able to ‘feel’ you, nope. Not a thing,” she paused, thinking. “You say empath. I’ve heard that term, but always believed it a made-up word. It belongs to the world of unicorns and magic.”
Sebastian said nothing, simply held up their joined hands. The blue glow was still there, but not as strong.
Her lips twitched. “And then there is that.”
He gently squeezed her hand before letting it go. “Yes, there is that.” He stared at the last blue glimmer before it faded away. Only a few days had passed, and he was almost accustomed to it. What was it going to feel like for it to be gone? Don’t think about it. She had a life to go back to. Family. Friends. There was no way she could live in their world. Hell, now that Fallon was back, she would be in danger.
He almost laughed. The mark. But then again, not all injuries were physical.
Sebastian dropped his hand. “Fallon. He is the second thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
Eve shivered. “What happened to him?” They started walking again.
“It would be up to him to tell you that story. I won’t betray his trust.” He stopped again, turning to her. “I am asking for you to not think too badly about him. But at the same time, you need to be careful roaming the house. If you take him by surprise, things could get… bad.”
“Should I stay in my room while you all figure this out?” She waved her hand.
It would be safer, but he wouldn’t ask her to do that. He took her hand and resumed walking.
“No, wander where you want, but, be careful. There are things he can do that this mark can’t protect you from.”
They reached her door. “That… Okay, hello nightmares.” She leaned back against the wood. “I’ll take your warning to heart. No sneaking up on the scary man. Got it.” She nibbled on her lip, hesitant to ask what she wanted.
Sebastian looked at the woman who trapped him in so many ways. After she left them, could he go back to being the thing he was before? Just a monster going through the motions of an eternal life? Eve glanced at him, her lip in her teeth. A lip he wanted to taste. He could see her working on her courage. What was she going to ask him?
She took a deep breath then let out a soft laugh. “You’ve seen me topless, so why am I so nervous asking for a goodnight kiss?”
Ah, that was it. He smiled. “Because whiskey lowers inhibitions.” He stroked the soft skin of her cheek. “But you can do it. I have faith in you.” He could see her stop breathing and almost laughed. Taking a slight breath himself, he could smell her nervousness.
She swallowed before speaking. “Would you kiss me goodnight?”
“It would be my pleasure,” he said, lowering his head and brushing his lips across hers. He was going to keep it light. Keep himself from the fires that threatened every time he was around her. Obviously, she didn’t get the memo. He couldn’t keep in the groan as her arms wrapped around his neck. She pulled herself closer, opening her lips for him. Such a sweet invitation.
How did this man set fire to her so easily? Just the feel of his tongue sliding along hers was enough to stoke the flames in her blood and she sighed against his lips as desire pooled in her belly. As his teeth nipped her lip, she shuddered, clenching her arms around him tighter. His low chuckle filled her head before sliding along her veins, straight to her core. This was supposed to just be a kiss, but she wanted this man more with every pounding beat of her heart.
Sebastian finally pulled away and she fought her body, wanting to reach out, to keep him with her. To drag him inside her room and shut out the world. Have her wicked way with the man looking at her with the same fire in his eyes that filled her.
He had to get away from her. Far away. Away from the room that lay behind her willing body and mind. A room where he could strip them both before driving into the girl who looked at him like he was the only thing that could quench her desire. His hands shook as took her shoulders and pulled her close enough to drop a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight, Eve.” Reaching past her, he twisted the knob to her door, opening it. No one couldn’t say he wasn’t a gentleman.
Wordlessly, she turned and moved into her room. Looking back, she said, “Goodnight, Sebastian.” She closed the door.
He reached out and rested a trembling h
and on the wood. What he wouldn’t give, at that moment, to be human. To give her what they both wanted. To be able to touch her without worrying about hurting her, breaking her, killing her.
#
“That is the worst idea in the entire history of bad ideas.” Sebastian glared at Gideon. “How can you possibly consider it?”
Gideon knew that Sebastian would be opposed to the idea of telling Eve about them. But his hands were tied. Thanks in part to Alex, and now, Essie. The housekeeper would tell her. She had all but promised that.
“It’s not my choice.” He rubbed his eyes. Why did he feel exhausted?
“Why? It’s not like she’s going to be here that much longer, right?” Sebastian stared at Gideon. “Right?”
“I’m still researching, but so far, I have found nothing at all about that mark. So, no.”
Sebastian used a word that Gideon rarely heard him use.
“When we tell her, she is going to leave. I won’t stop her.” Sebastian said, finally calming down. They had to plan. Someone went out of their way to get Eve to Montana. Why? Then tried to kill her. Again, why? If she left their home, would the person try again? Would his strength be enough to keep her from dying? Or was that the idea from the start? To make Sebastian vulnerable. That didn’t feel right, however. Those who did it couldn’t have known where he would be. Couldn’t have predicted the route that he and Alex took. It had to be her that was the target.
“I know. I gave Essie orders to pick up some things in the city in a couple of days. She’ll have transportation and a phone. A couple of changes in cloths. She will be free to leave. And she will know that there is no guarantee that I can find a way to break the mark.” Gideon leaned back in his chair. “She also needs to know that someone out there tried to kill her. The accident was no accident. Someone used lot of magic to get her here. The damage to the car wasn’t caused by another vehicle. It was an explosion of sorts. They might not stop trying if they find out she is still alive.” Gideon rubbed his eyes again.
Bound by Destiny Page 5
