I regarded him suspiciously. ‘You paid him, didn’t you? How much?’
‘Enough to expect that every mouthful is perfect, so eat!’ he ordered, avoiding the question.
I twisted a mouthful onto my fork and dove in. ‘So good,’ I mumbled. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a proper meal like this.
Lincoln’s thumb wiped away a drip of sauce from the corner of my mouth and I blushed as he licked it off his finger, his eyes on me.
I cleared my throat. ‘So, do you still own the warehouse?’ I asked, watching as he finally looked away from me to begin eating.
‘We do,’ he said, between mouthfuls.
I straightened. ‘We?’
What have I missed?
‘Yes, Violet, we. As in: you and me. Everything I have is yours, which makes us considerably wealthy.’
My eyes widened. I’d always known that Lincoln had inherited a vast amount of money from his mother, but I’d never dared nor cared to try to put a figure on it.
‘And once all of this is done, you and I are going to sit down and make some decisions,’ Lincoln went on.
‘About?’ I asked, nervously shovelling in another mouthful of pasta. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Not that it was a problem but I’d built a life, albeit not a perfect one, around being a Rogue, and there was a part of me that was proud of that.
‘About a lot of things. For example, where we are going to live.’
I swallowed with a gulp. ‘I agree. Let’s just …’
‘Save the world first?’ he offered with a raised eyebrow.
‘Yeah. And then a city.’
When Lincoln left to thank the chef for our dinner, I headed to the infirmary. Despite all the world-ending problems we were facing, things were … good. Odd how that can happen, I suppose, but I was also sure that nothing would be right in my world if I let down Spence when he needed me most.
‘What did you do?’ I asked quietly as I held his hand. He stared at me from his bed, seeing nothing, and I was struck by his green eyes – how devoid they were of their usual mischievous spark. My hatred towards Sammael grew. ‘You should never have gone after him. I should never have left you to deal with my mess. I’m so sorry, Spence. Just hold on, wherever you are.’
I threw my arms around my frail friend who had become my brother and whispered in his ear. ‘I’ve got your back. Now, and always. I’ll bring you home.’
I forced a smile and tried to hold his eyes that had begun to wander aimlessly, seeming to focus in on things that I could not see. ‘We should go on vacation after all this, don’t you think?’ I forced a pathetic smile. ‘A beach. You can teach me to surf, and laugh when I’m tragic at it. Lincoln can cook and we can bring the whole gang. You can even bring Mia – yeah, I know all about that little secret,’ I teased, even though my voice quivered.
I stared at my hand holding his. ‘I really made a mess of things, Spence. And something tells me I owe you big time for helping Lincoln when I was gone. But here’s the crazy thing: I finally know who I am.’ I half laughed. ‘I’ve been searching for so long. Hiding for even longer.’ My eyes stung with unshed tears. ‘I’m human,’ I whispered, my words catching in my throat. ‘And I get it now. My flaw is my strength.’ I squeezed his hand. ‘I’ll fight for my family and friends to the end, Spence. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure no one else is hurt in the process.’
Lincoln found me as I left the infirmary and then led me to his – our – cabin.
After a shower – one that Lincoln insisted we share for the all-important reason of water conservation – I lay in his arms that night not knowing what tomorrow would bring but realising that, for the first time in my life, I was content and that no matter what lay ahead, we would face it together.
Mia and Chloe were watching over Spence and they would stay with him until this was all over. I would find a way to bring him back to them.
We drifted in and out of sleep for a few hours. I smiled whenever I woke to find Lincoln’s hands tracing every inch of my body and encouraging mine to do just the same to his. His eyes held mine, piercing green even in the dark, daring me to question everything we were to one another ever again. It was a dare I knew I would never take. Never wanted to.
Later, when I woke him with gentle kisses to his face and down to his chest, I laughed when he grabbed me in response, pulling my mouth up to his in order to explain – in his own toe-curling way – that gentle kisses were simply not going to cut it. I’d never felt so beautiful, or loved, or cherished or … flat-out wanted. Years of imagination had gone into these moments and they did not disappoint. Bottom line: it was hot. He was hot.
In the early hours of dawn, exhausted but sated and unwilling to miss a moment, I pulled Lincoln’s arm close and snuggled into the crook of it. ‘Promise me you haven’t made any secret side deals with Phoenix or anyone else that could take you away from me again?’
His fingers played on my arm, weaving some kind of pattern over and over, distracting me. ‘I promise. Now, promise me that you won’t cross over the realms again without me by your side.’
Although I’d already agreed about tomorrow night, I could sense that this was about an ongoing commitment. I swallowed, part worried that I was risking him, part relieved that he would be with me always. ‘I promise, Linc.’
I started to sit up but his hand snaked around my stomach and pulled me back to him. ‘You should try to get some more sleep,’ he said.
‘I can’t,’ I said. ‘Not until this is over.’
He sat up beside me, taking my hand in his and quickly kissing the back of it before suggesting, ‘Run?’
The man knows me.
I glanced out the small window. The sun was yet to appear on the horizon and rain fell lightly, but the wind had eased for now.
I beamed. ‘Coffee first.’
He laughed as he stood up and tossed me a T-shirt. ‘Coffee first.’
And it turns out, even when the world might be about to end, a girl can still swoon.
By the time we returned to the ship we could see a number of small aircraft touching down, along with cars pulling up at the dock and new arrivals being efficiently directed to meeting rooms by navy personnel.
I don’t even want to know how the Grigori within navy ranks are pulling this off.
Our run, it turned out, had been quite the information-gathering exercise. As soon as we boarded the ship, Lincoln disappeared to talk with Gray about what we had seen. Or, rather, sensed.
Now that Lincoln and I were joined again he could sense the exile activity just as acutely as I could. And he wasn’t the only one who’d never felt anything like it before.
‘They’re everywhere, Steph,’ I said as she watched me unload and prepare my weapons. I was going fully armed tonight, and I would make sure as many people as possible would be equally prepared. ‘The city’s divided in two: light exiles are in the French Quarter, and the dark have taken over the Warehouse District. I’ve never felt so many before – it was like a pulse of power was closing in on us – and they’re still flooding in. We saw a few street fights – they’re barely bothering to keep themselves hidden from humans.’
She fingered the crate of non-Grigori blades that I’d asked Carter to arrange for me. ‘It’s odd, almost as if this city entices division,’ she said. ‘It always has for humans. First the French and the Spanish, then the rivalry between the French and Americans. There have been divides in religion and even between the living and the dead. And now the exiles are breaking the city in half, and something tells me a spot of jazz music really isn’t going to help fix things.’
I half smiled. ‘I don’t even know if exiles hear music. They’re so insane they don’t see the beauty in what they’re trying so hard to destroy.’
It was a thought that I seemed to be having more and more – the ultimate problem of this Gordian Knot, as Phoenix called it, that I now faced. No matter what happened in this battle, unless we could some
how attack the problem of the ever-growing exile population in our world, we would always be just trying to keep up.
Something had to change.
‘Well,’ Steph said hesitantly. ‘Dapper and I think we might have found a small loophole.’
I focused my attention on her. ‘What?’
‘We think the angels might have stepped in once before and stopped Sammael from destroying the city.’
‘When?’
‘Hurricane Isaac. It came after Katrina and according to all of the weather warnings was supposed to be much bigger. If it had reached its potential over the city it would have destroyed it.’
‘But it didn’t.’ Clearly.
‘No. Suddenly it changed direction. No one knew why, but it was drawn out to sea.’
‘The angels,’ I said, more to myself than to Steph.
But she nodded anyway. ‘We think so.’
‘So, they could do it again, if they chose to. I just need to figure out a way to convince them.’
Sure. Because changing the minds of divine beings is soooo easy.
I sighed, taking out my Grigori blade and glancing at Steph. ‘So, tell me about the wedding.’
Her brow creased and she scrunched up her nose. ‘Don’t try to distract me. I know what you’re about to do.’
I shrugged and sliced my blade across my markings, holding my wrist above the non-Grigori blades. As my blood trickled onto each of them they became instantly lethal weapons. After I’d touched them all with my blood, I healed the wound and picked up one of the daggers, holding the hilt out to Steph.
‘You shouldn’t need it, but just in case; I need to know you’re protected.’
‘Er … Vi … I …’ Steph stuttered, her horrified eyes fixed on the blade. ‘I can’t fight like you guys.’
‘And you won’t need to. If an exile attacked you he would know you’re human, and that’s your advantage. Let him come at you and then cut him any way you can. My blood will do the rest. Just … don’t hesitate, okay?’
‘We’re having an outdoor wedding,’ she said quickly. ‘Did I tell you that? Salvatore’s mother wasn’t happy about it at first but Father Peters agreed to it and I really liked the idea. Oh, and you should see the dress I’ve chosen for you. It’s perfect, not disgusting-typical-bridesmaid. It’s—’
‘Steph!’ I cut her off, fully aware of who was distracting whom now.
She swallowed, nervously taking the hilt in her hand. ‘Okay, Vi. Cut. Don’t hesitate. Got it,’ she said, her hand and voice shaking equally.
I nodded. ‘Good,’ I said. ‘And when they tell you it’s time to move out of the city, promise me you will go.’
She nodded solemnly. ‘I’ll run like my ass is on fire.’ After a beat she added, her voice now less sure, ‘Vi?’
I met her eyes and, seeing how they glistened, sat down beside her. ‘He’ll be okay, Steph. Zoe will be by his side and they’re a great team. They’ll have each other’s backs and they’ll be on high ground.’
She nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. ‘I know. It’s just … it feels like I’m so close to happiness and everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m scared.’
I pulled her towards me, my arms encircling her protectively. ‘Me too,’ I told her, holding tightly until finally Steph sniffed and said, ‘And he looks so damn delicious in a tuxedo.’
Relieved to hear the familiar sass in her voice I grinned and sat back. ‘More importantly, tell me about your dress.’
CHaPteR tHIRty-two
‘Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.’
Abraham Lincoln
apart from a moderate storm pattern, the weather stations showed no hint of the impending natural disaster – evidence that Sammael wanted to keep his intentions hidden from both humans and exiles. When the hurricane hit, no one would be ready and despite our attempts to notify the right people and arrange an evacuation of the city, we were getting nowhere fast.
‘We have no proof,’ the conductors pointed out again. ‘We have people in power but they cannot arrange for an entire city to be cleared on no notice with no verification. And on top of that, we’re out of time.’
I glared at the Grigori pair, hating how they appeared so unaffected, but Lincoln listened calmly and sent them on their way. When he looked at me and registered my frustration he simply said: ‘We pick our battles. It’s a conductor’s job to look at it objectively. Our best hope is to concentrate the official resources we can draw on to evacuate as many of the surrounding suburbs as we can. Within the city now, people’s best chance for survival will be to stay in their homes.’
I dropped into the chair beside him. ‘I’m scared,’ I whispered in a rare admission.
‘I know.’ He turned and knelt beside my chair, his hand going to my face. ‘I wish you could see what I see when I look at you. The warrior you have grown into. How strong you are both inside and out.’ The corner of his mouth lifted. ‘How beautiful.’
‘I don’t know that beauty is going to help us here,’ I said, even though the compliment sure hadn’t hurt.
‘I don’t just see the beauty on the outside, Vi. I see all of you, and you’re luminous.’
Before I could respond, Zoe barrelled into the room. ‘Linc, we’re running out of room up there!’
We both stood. ‘What do you mean?’ I asked.
She huffed, out of breath but with a tinge of excitement in her eyes. ‘Come and take a look for yourself,’ she said, turning tail and heading for the upper deck.
With a quick glance at one another – part intrigue and part disappointment that our brief moment together had been so, well, brief – we followed.
The sight that met us was staggering. Hundreds upon hundreds of Grigori covered the large deck of the navy vessel. Steph stood on a podium flanked by navy guys who looked more miffed than anyone else as she called out orders, sending Grigori this way and that as she, along with Gray and the conductors, allocated newcomers to groups.
Lincoln and I stood, holding hands in the midst of the chaos. ‘How many?’ I asked Zoe, who was looking around wildly.
‘Almost two thousand, last I heard,’ she said, before darting off.
‘Look,’ Lincoln said, pointing to the helipad, where a Black Hawk chopper had just touched down and Josephine, followed by Drenson, Adele, Seth, Decima, Hakon and Valerie were offloading. I beamed when I saw the last person to step off the helicopter. He had the same dusty brown hair, though for the first time it looked in need of a trim, and was wearing one of his usual navy button-down shirts and tidy black pants, which, despite his recent travels, looked freshly pressed. But, as always, it was his light grey eyes that drew me in and had me exhaling with relief to see him.
Griffin.
The Assembly members moved right into the fray, a number of senior Grigori quickly closing ranks around them, and I knew it wouldn’t take long for Josephine to assume control. The question was: would that be the best thing?
Lincoln started to walk in their direction, but instead of following him I felt a pull behind me and I turned to look back over my shoulder. Phoenix stood at the bow of the vessel, hands in his pockets, looking out to the river as the sun highlighted the streaks of silver and opal in his hair. I was overcome by his loneliness. Phoenix’s shoulders stiffened and I knew he had sensed me, but he didn’t turn.
Lincoln gently took my arm, pulling me back in his direction. ‘You can’t give him what he wants, Vi, but that doesn’t mean you’re to blame for his sadness.’
I bit my lip and nodded. ‘I know,’ I said.
But I wasn’t sure I did. I wanted peace for him. Desperately.
We made our way towards the Assembly. Josephine spotted us first. Her eyes went straight to our joined hands, and for a brief second it actually looked like she smiled.
Probably a muscle spasm.
‘I see most of the troops have arrived,’ she said, looking around.
I ignored her and threw my arms around Griffin, who pulled me tight. ‘She’s awake,’ he whispered in my ear.
I pulled back, my stomach twisting with the news that Nyla was back.
Griffin braced my shoulders. ‘She’s still adjusting and hasn’t said much yet.’
I nodded.
‘But she asked me to give you a message,’ Griffin said, and my heart missed a beat as I waited nervously to hear that she hated me for bringing her back. ‘She said to tell you that the bond was worth it.’ Griffin gave a quick nod to Lincoln before looking back at me. ‘But it seems you’ve already figured that out.’
I nodded, my breath leaving me in a hurry.
Griffin’s eyes softened and he smiled crookedly. ‘And she said to tell you: thank you.’
I bit down on the inside of my cheeks trying to halt the tears, but then Drenson spoke and that worked even better.
‘I can’t believe we’ve lowered ourselves to this level,’ he said, looking at the large group of Rogues to his right and then settling his unfriendly gaze on me. ‘Though I suppose once you start letting in the trash, more inevitably follows.’
‘Feel free to leave,’ I hissed, taking a threatening step in his direction.
Drenson’s eyes narrowed, moving beyond me to Lincoln. I didn’t need the bond to know Lincoln would be showing nothing but complete support for me. Drenson’s ever-quiet partner, Adele, took a step closer to him. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a display of support or because of a fear that he might try to challenge us. Individually Lincoln and I were powerful. But together …
Josephine, no doubt sensing the building tension, raised her hands in a placating gesture. ‘Rainer and Wilhelm have remained behind to run the Academy and tend to Nyla. You’ve called for the full resources of the Academy and Grigori from all corners of the globe, and you have been answered. More would have come if not for the flow-on effect that the exile tournaments have left in their wake,’ Josephine explained.
‘We appreciate you mobilising so much support on short notice,’ Lincoln said.
Empower: Violet Eden Chapters: Book Five Page 28
