by Kristie Cook
“Yeah, I remember, Red. I still gotta go. I’ll see ya later,” he says, not turning around, but walking out of the library. I would’ve followed him, but Reed holds me by the wrist, so that I can’t get off the couch.
“Let him go, Evie. He has to figure it out on his own, and you won’t be helping him if you say more,” Reed reasons with me when I struggle to break away.
Turning back around, I slump against the cushion. “How am I going to protect him, if I’ve completely alienated him? He thinks I’m creepy …” I say sadly.
“You are not creepy,” Reed says soothingly, taking my hand.
“You’re not a good judge of creepy, Reed, since you’re creepier than I am,” I say warily, looking over at Zephyr when I hear him laughing at my comment. “I wouldn’t laugh too hard, pal, because you’re the creepiest one of us all.” This has them both roaring with laughter. I am not amused, since I am being entirely serious.
Zephyr beams at me, “Evie, just when I despaired that there would never be anything new under the sun, you come along to save me from my boredom.”
“I’m delighted that you find me amusing, but at the risk of sounding rude, how long are you planning on staying?” I ask with faux sweetness.
“As long as you need me,” Zephyr replies in a gentle tone. Then, he directs his comments to Reed. “Where will you move next? I have several options, if you need them. We need to train her to defend herself, once she is stronger. Do you plan to recruit more help? I can help with that as well.”
“I was thinking of somewhere less populated, Greenland or Iceland, but Evie doesn’t speak Danish or Icelandic. The Falkland Islands are an option; they are English speaking, for the most part anyway,” Reed counters rapidly.
They are talking about strategy and leaving. “I’m not leaving,” I say, getting up from the sofa to pace the room. Reed knows I can’t leave, so why are they discussing it?
“I may have a better option. It is a private island,” Zephyr says, ignoring me as he lays out an exit plan from Crestwood.
Feeling a sharp, painful movement in my back again, I know I have to remain calm. Stalking over to the bar, I pour myself a glass of the amber liquid from the beautiful decanter. I don’t know what they call it, but I call it liquid heat, since it burns even hotter than the brandy had when I take a giant sip of it.
Reed is by my side in a moment, taking the glass from my hand. He pours me some water and presses it into my hand. I sip it slowly, trying to regain my breathing. “I’m not going anywhere, Reed. You know I can’t leave,” I whisper.
Zephyr interrupts to say, “What are you saying, Evie? Of course you must leave here. There are souls roaming around this town. They are acting like a beacon, attracting all matter of things that you are unprepared to encounter.”
“I can’t leave Russell. He needs me, so I’m staying,” I say tightly.
“You are referring to the boy who just called you creepy? He is your soul mate, is he not?” Zephyr asks intensely, his piercing blue eyes missing nothing.
My wings move inside me again. Damn.
“I really don’t care if he finds me the most repulsive creature on Earth. I have to help him, so I’m not leaving. And Will already warned me about the souls. He said that the soul in the Fine Arts Building saw me talking to him and told all the other souls she knew about it. They’re all looking for me. Will said if I just pretend not to see them, that eventually, they’ll go away,” I say as nonchalantly as possible, sitting back down on the sofa. “I’ll just hide out until they go away.”
“Who is Will?” Zephyr asks with a puzzled frown.
Frowning, Reed replies, “Will is a soul.” To me he asks, “When did you have the occasion to speak to Will again?”
I explain the entire story to him about stealing the composite, the war on the beach, and Will’s warning tonight at the Delt party. Reed’s expression darkens, while his arms crossed in front of him, just like a parent. Zephyr’s brows rise, and he looks at Reed questioningly.
Reed, turning to Zephyr, says, “She just turned eighteen. I don’t remember being this irresponsible when I was eighteen, but then again, I hardly remember having been eighteen. And she has made some questionable friends.”
“Whose idea was it to dig the trenches on the beach, near the water?” Zephyr asks intensely, but doesn’t wait for me to respond before saying, “The fact that you were on sandy ground is good, because it’s not incendiary terrain, but it was traversable terrain, which means your enemy could not burn you out, but they could come to you. You allowed your forces to become isolated when you failed to employ watercraft, and you cannot fly yet, so that is not an option open to you. You then were in entrapping terrain, and you needed to move out of it quickly. When the enemy arrived with unexpected allies, your position became fatal terrain, which means you had to be prepared to fight with intensity and a will to survive, because to not engage would be to die. Who were your generals?” Zephyr demands.
“Zephyr, they are human children. They had paint guns. It was playtime.” Reed says seriously.
Zephyr, looking a little disgruntled, says, “I see. But still, Evie, you must learn to become unfathomable to your enemies, so that you may cast your enemies into positions from which they have nowhere to go,” Zephyr coaches, wanting to continue my tactical training. He seems genuinely concerned about my lack of knowledge of warfare. Something about that makes me soften toward him inexplicably. I smile at him, and he smiles back.
I stop smiling when Reed says, “Evie, we really do have to leave Crestwood now. This place is going to be crawling with curious angels.”
“No,” I reply, folding my arms in front of me, adopting my severest frown. “I’ll stay here, at your house, if you want me to and wait them out, but I’m staying in Crestwood.”
Zephyr sits back in his seat again and asks, “I am missing something, unless it is your strategy to be unorthodox?” Reed fills him in on my premonition at the 7-Eleven and the necklace falling from the light. Zephyr grunts when Reed finishes telling him everything that has been going on. “But, this is very, very dangerous for you. You do realize that, don’t you?”
“I can handle it. I can’t run, not from this. If I run now, Russell loses. I can’t have that. So, come up with a plan that involves us staying until Russell is safe, and I’ll follow it to the letter. I promise,” I say, reading the expression on Reed’s face. I turn to Zephyr and continue, “Zephyr, this seems to be your forte, how can we win this?” I ask, trying to motivate them to change tack to my way of thinking.
“Evie …” Reed says in a gentle tone, moving toward me slowly, and I know that look on his face; it is his this-is-for-your-own-good face.
“No, Reed,” I say furiously, gasping again as my wings shoot out of my back of their own volition. At least my shirt stayed on this time, I think instantly as I try to breathe evenly after having all the air punched out of my lungs again. When I regain my wits, I scowl, “Perfect! You see? I can’t even travel now. Not with these things coming out of my back when I get upset and I’ll be really, really, upset if you make me leave. You can count on that.”
“Zephyr, you didn’t stand a chance, did you?” Reed asks softly over his shoulder as he comes to sit next to me on the couch.
“Not really. You?” Zephyr asks, watching me as if I am an aquarium of rare tropical fish.
“Well, she didn’t have the wings then, but no, not really,” Reed replies humorlessly. Taking my hand in his, he says to me, “You are correct, Evie, we cannot travel now. We will have to stay until you adjust to your wings. So, you will be staying here, at my house, from now on.”
“Thank you!” I say, throwing my arms around him and hugging him enthusiastically. “You won’t regret this. I’ll be really, really low key. I’ll follow all of the rules.”
“Oh, there will be plenty of rules. Think of this house as a compound. From now on, you will need to be escorted to and from here,” he replies grudgingly. “Zephyr, a
re you staying?”
“You have to ask?” Zephyr replies. “There are two targets to defend. It will take skill to coordinate, and this will give me the perfect opportunity to teach Evie tactical strategy while we do it.”
“Thank you, Zephyr. If you’ll help me save Russell, I’ll completely forgive you for scaring the wings out of me,” I say, grinning at him now.
“And I am sure I will completely regret doing so, but if you will forgive me, then I must help,” he grins back.
As Reed and Zephyr discuss strategy, my very long day catches up to me. Resting my head against Reed’s shoulder, my eyes droop and I must’ve fallen asleep on the couch because the next thing I know I am being lowered into the bed I had slept in the last time I was here.
“Reed … what time is it,” I ask, trying to sit up in the bed.
“Shhh, it’s late. Get some sleep, Evie, you are exhausted,” he says softly.
“Where are you going? You have to stay. I haven’t had much time with you today, well, much time when we weren’t arguing about something. You didn’t tell me about Chicago.” I say, trying to keep my eyes open and only managing to do it for brief intervals.
“I can tell you tomorrow,” he says, smiling at my stubborn determination to stay awake.
“I’ll fall asleep faster if you stay with me,” I say, scooting over so that he can lie next to me.
When he relents and gets into the bed beside me, I hug him to me. “If I could save a moment of time, this would definitely be one. I never seem to get enough time with you,” I whisper dreamily, feeling his arms around me.
“Come away with me and you can have eternity with me,” he says, but his tone is strained with worry.
Smoothing my fingertips over his cheek, I say, “If I leave now, Russell will always be the regret that will lie between us, like a disease. I never want there to be anything between us. I want it to be just you and just me.”
Reed’s face inches closer to mine on the pillow as he says, “Let me try to explain something to you, Evie. All of these years that I have been here, it is as if I have been sleeping. I have to always pretend to be something that I am not—pretend to be human. When I am not pretending to be human, then I am hunting evil, vicious angels who want nothing more than to …” his voice trails off and there is hollowness in his tone that reflects the loneliness of his existence. “But now, I am awake, for the first time in my existence, and not only am I awake, but I feel flames when you are near me. You have changed things for me. There is no reason to pretend around you. If I had to live without you now … now that I know what I have been missing …” The need in his voice makes me want to promise him anything, give him anything, just to fill that void in him. “I cannot go back to sleep, Evie. You are the only thing that makes me want to live. If you leave here, if you ascend to Paradise, or even if you are cast into the abyss, or taken there by the Fallen … I will have to follow you, no matter where you go. Even if I have to pursue you into the dark … if you cease to be, then so will I. You are my sin and my redemption.”
“Reed, don’t talk like that—I would never want that for you, never.” I say, hugging him tight.
“Then it’s your job to survive. Promise me that you’ll do everything in your power to live,” he says.
“Shhh, Reed,” I say immediately, trying to soothe him.
“I mean it, Evie. I spoke to Zephyr, and he told me what you did—what you said—trading your life for mine. I can’t have that,” Reed whispers.
“Reed, I’ve never been in love before, and as far as being loved in return … never like this. There is no limit to what I would do for you,” I whisper to him, trying to make him see how much he means to me. “You make me want more—more time, more of your love, more of you—and I promise you, I’ll make sure you’re never, never bored again.”
“Evie, if I have you, I know I will never be bored again,” he smiles, and holds me until I fall asleep in his arms.
CHAPTER 19 - ART EXHIBITION
In the morning, I awake to sun streaming in the windows of Reed’s guest bedroom. Reed is next to me when I open my eyes.
“This is for you,” he says simply, extending an ebony box to me. Taking it, I sit up and rest against the pillows.
What is it?” I ask with a small smile.
“Your birthday present. Open it,” he smiles at me with an air of anticipation.
When I lift the lid to the box, an exquisite necklace rests against a bed of black silk. I know absolutely nothing about jewelry, but the stone in the center of the platinum setting is the most beautiful gem I’ve ever seen. It is blood red in the shape of a shield.
“What is it?” I ask in awe as my fingers tremble a little when I touch the beautiful jewel.
“It’s a rock. I found it a long time ago,” he explains with a shrug.
“This is a rock?” I ask him as my eyes widen.
“Technically, it’s a red diamond,” he says, taking it from the box. I gather my hair and allow him to put it on me. “I cut the facet of the stone—shaped it—but I wanted to have it set properly, so I took it to a friend of mine in Chicago.”
When he finishes clasping it to me, I lift the gem to look at it as I say, “And you found this diamond?” I ask in disbelief. “Just lying around?”
“Yes. It reminds me of you … it, too, is full of hidden fire,” he says, his voice soft with affection. “Do you like it?”
“It’s perfect,” I breathe as I wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him tight. “When did you find it?”
“A few centuries ago—in Africa,” he replies.
“Of course you did,” I say to cover up my shock. “You’ll have to tell me all about it.”
***
I spend the next few weeks at Reed’s house waiting for the dust that I’ve unwittingly stirred up to settle. I can’t go to my classes, but Reed has taken care of that for me. He picks up all of my assignments from class, and then he tutors me so that I don’t fall behind. I can tell that he believes this is a waste of time, since he plans for us to leave Crestwood as soon as Russell is safe, but he is kind enough not to say it. I am hoping that I can stay long enough for things to go back to normal. Well, maybe not normal, because normal is a stretch for me, but back to the way things were before, so it will be safe enough to stay. I don’t want to leave Crestwood. I would miss Brownie, Buns, Freddie and … Russell.
Brownie and Buns think I am shacking up with Reed in our own private love nest. I let them think it because I can’t come up with a better excuse for me being here night and day. If they only knew the complete torture it is to try to sleep in the same house with Reed. His very presence sets my blood on fire, but I am completely breakable right now. Thankfully, my supposedly active love life doesn’t stop them from coming over to check on me daily. Since field hockey has ended for the season, I don’t have to make excuses for not going to practice. But, they are worried that I am getting too obsessed with Reed again.
“Sweetie, you should come back to the dorm. We miss you,” Buns says one night when we are sitting in Reed’s media room watching movies. Zephyr is here, too. He just can’t stay away when Buns and Brownie come over.
“I know I should go back to my room, Buns, but it’s just so much nicer here. You’re both welcome here anytime you want to come and hang out. Plus, this way, Zee can hang out with us, too.” I reply, gazing at Zephyr who is seated between Buns and Brownie, looking very content.
I think, secretly, both girls prefer coming here as well, because of Zephyr, but I don’t say it. So, things fall into a routine, of sorts. The girls visit me every day after class, and I scheme over ways to get through to Russell. I miss Freddie though. I talk to him every day on the phone, but he’s not into coming to Reed’s house to see me, which annoys me.
Reed invites my Uncle Jim to his home in Crestwood for Thanksgiving. It is under the guise that Reed would have to spend it alone, since his parents are supposedly in Europe on business. Since Uncle J
im and I usually just make a couple of turkey lunchmeat sandwiches to celebrate the occasion, Uncle Jim agrees to come to Crestwood to celebrate the holiday. When they meet again, Uncle Jim seems to really like Reed, but then, what’s not to like?
We pass Zephyr off as Reed’s cousin who has come into town at the last minute. It doesn’t seem like much of a stretch. They do have a fair resemblance to one another, since both Reed and Zephyr appear young, like they are entering their twenties. When you speak to them, however, it is absurd that no one can see that they can’t possibly be as young as they look. Neither of them can pull off slang well.
After the best Thanksgiving dinner I’ve ever tasted, all due to Andre and his sheer genius in the kitchen, Reed introduces my uncle to his gaming room. Uncle Jim finds particular interest in Reed’s high-tech, liquid-cooled Alienware Notebook. It is fun to watch my uncle and Reed with their heads together discussing gaming strategies and speculating on upcoming technologies. I enjoy spending the day with them, but in the back of my mind, I worry about Russell, who had gone home to be with his family.
Russell hasn’t spoken to me since my birthday, when he’d called me creepy. When school starts up again after the break, I try everything I can think of to get Russell to come to Reed’s house so that I can speak to him, but he ignores all of my attempts. I call him, and he won’t answer his phone. I leave him text messages, I send emails, and I even break down and write him letters. Reed will absolutely not bend when I plead with him to let me go and try to talk to Russell.
Zephyr, it turns out, is one of the best assets I could have ever prayed for because he agrees to watch Russell for me while I am grounded. He doesn’t complain about it either, at least, he didn’t complain until today. He walks in the door, going straight to the library to pour a drink from the bar. Following him into the room, I try to speak, but he holds up his hand to me, rubbing his head as if he has a killer headache.
After he has a few sips of his drink, he turns to me and says, “Explain the sour blond girl to me.”
