Tightening her grip on the leather steering wheel, she pictured the disturbing drawing of Jocelyn, the hatred etched in her eyes. For the first time in months, Evie recalled the way the image had appeared in her mirror so long ago. She’d told herself over and over it’d been nothing more than her imagination. But what if?
Her shoulders tensed as the buzz of her phone rang throughout the quiet car. While pulling the device up to her ear, Evie caught sight of the number. Crap.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Where’d you go? Getting an early start this morning aren’t you?”
Her next words caught in her throat. “Um.” She spit out the first thing that came to mind. “I got a text from Calvin early this morning,” she lied. “It said he was sorry. That he wanted to work things out.” Her dad remained silent. “We’re sort of back together now,” she added, hating how childish it sounded.
The therapist in him was probably screaming, distraught about the disturbed behavior of his teenage daughter. “Oh. Well I’m glad to hear it, Eve.” He coughed. “That’s uh, great.”
He didn’t really think so. She knew there would be a lecture ahead, one where he’d tell her to be careful, that people were unpredictable. He’d tell her not to dive in so deep this time. He’s already hurt you once, she could almost hear him saying, more than likely he’ll do it again. In most cases he’d probably be right on that point. This wasn’t like most cases.
“I’m on my way home to do some laundry and shopping,” she told him as she turned the corner. “I’ll be there in a–”
“Well now, I’m disappointed,” he said.
“What?” She’d been busted.
“And offended,” he added.
She flinched away from her phone. “You are?”
“Yes. I could take care of those things, Evie. You’re not the damn maid. I’ve got the grocery list right here. I’m sure I can find my way around Harmons. And the washing machine for that matter. Why don’t you spend the day with Calvin, let me take care of the rest for today.”
After sighing with relief, Evie pictured her lovely blouses, crisp and white, mingling in the wash with just one random red, and the dreaded shades of pink that would result. Next she pictured spending the entire day with Calvin.
“Dad,”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
“You bet.”
If she was being honest with herself, Evie was glad for the distraction. She’d been close to the state of panic just moments ago, and now, all she could think about was being with Calvin. And freshening up. She grabbed a stick of gum from her bag, chewed as she combed through her hair with one hand. She stifled the voice that told her panic would come. Once she had a chance to be alone, consider the horrifying events that lay in her path, Evie would most likely become crippled with fear. But for now, she’d breathe deep and know that Calvin was capable. He’d keep her safe. And together, they would conquer.
Calvin was out front when she pulled up, removing the hardcover top from his Jeep. He rushed to her while she opened the door.
“Are you mine for the day?” he asked.
Evie nodded, but before she could speak another word, Calvin swept her off her feet and spun her around.
She giggled. “Are you and Parker going to be training in The Loft?” she asked, sounding totally in the know.
“We are, but you can join us. Parker’s not going to be here until noon, but I’ve got an idea.” He carried her to the Jeep, placed her in it, and then dashed back into the house without another word.
He came back holding a sweatshirt. “Here, I may have jumped the gun on removing the top. This’ll keep you warm. ”
“Thanks.” Still dressed in her skirt and pumps from the night before, Evie gladly took the offer. She smelled the heavenly scent of his aftershave as she pulled it over her head and reveled in the warmth.
With a deep breath of wonderfully fresh morning air, she looked at him. At Calvin’s side, in his Jeep, was one of Evie’s favorite places to be. She loved to look over, study his gorgeous face while he was driving. No one had a profile quite like Calvin’s; it was nothing short of perfection.
As they pulled out of the neighborhood, Evie reached over to the stick shift, removed one of her black hair bands, and used it to pull her hair back, happily noting he’d left them there. The wind quickly loosened strands of her hair, sent them sweeping into her face with the rushing breeze. Evie simply reveled in it; she couldn’t remember feeling so alive.
When she tucked her knees into the sweatshirt, Calvin flipped on the heat. “Sorry,” he said, “I probably should have left the top on. You’re freezing.”
Evie put her hands up to catch the warmth blowing freely from the vents before her. “No, I’m fine. It’s beautiful actually. What a way to enjoy the view.”
After parking alongside the river, Calvin led Evie across the wooded area until they came to a small clearing. “Alright,” he said with a wide smile. “This is it.” He bent down, swooped Evie off her feet, and cradled her against him.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
“Is this a vortex?” Her heart did a skip. “You’re going to take me to The Loft?”
Calvin gave her a slow nod, revealing his dimple with a smile. “Ready?”
“No.” She reached her arms around his neck, pressed her face against his chest with her eyes clenched shut. “Okay, go. I don’t think I can watch.”
Calvin chuckled. “Are you sure you don’t want to see?”
She spoke into the folds of his shirt. “I’m sure.”
The muscles along his arms flexed against her back, and beneath the bend in her knees. She sucked in a breath when he dropped to a squat, felt his chest muscles tighten along the side of her body. A quick bounce took them even lower before they shot off the ground and into the air.
Wind, cool and constant, fluttered against the lashes of her clenched lids. After a brief moment passed, she inched away from Calvin’s chest and snuck a peak to reveal the miniature-looking canyon below, canopied by a sky of brilliant blue. The pull of her next breath was exhilarating. She should have been terrified, somewhere in her mind Evie acknowledged that, but she wasn’t. Like an amusement park ride–it was sheer thrill–no real threat of danger.
In one quick blink the sky turned into a mysterious veil of white that stretched and grew around them. Sealing, connecting, placing them in a world all their own.
Calvin cradled her more tightly against him as they landed, first bouncing up into the flat-looking whiteness, and then coming to a stop altogether. “Close your eyes,” he said in a whisper, gently setting her to her feet. “I want to get this ready for you.”
With her eyes closed, it was easy to notice the change in the atmosphere. The warm breeze that kicked up, sweet-scented and lovely. She wiggled her toes, noticed something soft and lush beneath them, and wondered how she’d suddenly ended up barefoot. “Calvin?”
“Almost done.” He squeezed her hand. “Okay, you can open them.”
The sight of their enchanted new world put Evie in awe. A whimsical scene with lovely strokes of gold and bronze, soft ivory swirls and muted tones of green. She looked over at Calvin, then down at herself, quickly recognizing the theme.
“The Storm,” she said. “This is the painting. How did you do that?” She smiled as she realized that–together–they were now the very subjects of the painting he’d given her on her birthday. She and Calvin were the young couple in Calvin’s own creation of The Storm.
He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “I thought you might like this one.”
Evie let her eyes rake over Calvin, grinning as she discovered this new version of him. The garment wrapped around his torso was more impressive than the one in Pierre-Auguste Cot’s painting. And of course, shirtless always looked good on Calvin. The smooth contours of his toned chest were enhanced by the shades and shadows of the paint. And that was the strange part. He was
painted, looked just like a painting.
She reached out to touch him, felt the same softness of his skin along his face. Though his hair had appeared to be sculpted from some potter’s clay, the restless waves tousled beneath her fingers. He put the man in the painting to shame with his own flawless features alone.
The color of Evie’s skin was naturally lighter than Calvin’s, and here, it was even more so, matching the complexion of the girl in the art. She quickly looked down at her body, remembering the sheer, almost transparent fabric of the gown that clung to the young woman’s form. Evie’s gown was light, sheer and flowing, but managed to cover her flesh better than the one in the painting; she sighed in relief.
Looking down at her hair, she noticed a hint of red amongst the blonde, and pulled one of the elegant locks, smiling as it bounced back into place. As she discovered her new self, pulling her painted fingers into a fist, Evie heard Calvin chuckle.
“This is incredible,” she whispered reverently.
In the painting, the young couple is the focal point of the art; only a small amount of their outdoor surrounding is visible. Calvin had filled in the rest.
A field of wheat, tall and golden, swayed before them with the gentle breeze. A small cobbled path lay beside them. The moss-lined stones led to a glistening pond that shimmered with flecks of sunlight.
Calvin took her hand, walked her to the path. “Come on.”
Soft, velvety moss grew between the cool stones beneath her feet. Thick, green hedges with large, soft leaves lined the trail on either side. As they walked along, sturdy stems with budded tips stretched taller. She gasped with delight when the buds flourished, blooming into soft, beautiful roses before her eyes–the petals unfolding into a masterpiece of perfection. Some, the warmest tone of ivory. Others, a lovely shade of red, soft and diffused. Calvin reached out and plucked a few of the painted beauties, handed them to Evie. She buried her face in the lush, scented petals and sighed from the hypnotic smell.
Once they got to the quiet pond, Evie knelt down beside it. The water stood perfectly still, and the mirror image of them was breath-taking. Evie’s flowing curls dangled as she hovered over the water. She liked seeing the way Calvin looked at her through their reflection, his arm resting warmly around her back.
“I can’t believe all of this,” she whispered. The pond looked too perfect. Reaching out, Evie splashed through the cool water and watched it ripple as she moved her hand to the back of her neck, letting the cool drops slide along her skin.
She loved it. Loved it even more because it was Calvin’s–his own interpretation of something dear to her.
Calvin pulled her up to her feet, and she looked at him, glad his face was still his own. She enjoyed the familiar sound of his laugh while she reached up to the tips of her toes, took his face in her hands, and kissed his dimpled cheek.
“Calvin, this is…beyond words.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He took her hands, pulled one up to his lips and kissed it. “You hungry?”
She nodded, and he motioned to a grassy area off the side of the stream, tucked neatly under a large, leafy tree. The dangling leaves bounced in rhythm with the gentle breeze.
There, nestled against the bark-covered trunk, stood a wicker basket, flowing freely with food that didn’t look real. Painted grapes with perfect leaves, lush pears of rusted red and gold. On a round marble slab below sat a wheel of cheese surrounded by rough wedges of crackers, different colors and shapes. Two bottles of sparkling cider sat chilling in a bronzed tin filled with crystal-like cubes of ice; two tall glasses stood beside it. And beneath it all, lay the sheet of gold. The brassy square fabric the couple had draped above them in the painting, sheltering them from the storm.
Evie was overwhelmed. Never could she have imagined something so beautiful, so perfect. She looked at him, wanting to thank him, not knowing how.
As Calvin reached for her hand, cupped it gently within his own, she realized their painting should have a different name. Dark troubles lurked beyond their new world’s door–a wild tempest that could put both of their lives at risk. No, they weren’t quite in the storm yet. This, their lovely piece of heaven in the sky, was more like the quiet stillness that proceeded a violent outbreak–this, was the calm before the storm.
Chapter Thirty-five
The warm, mossy ground gave way beneath Evie’s feet as she walked with Calvin, back to where they’d started.
He pulled her against his firm chest, ran the tip of his nose across her shoulder blade. “Are you ready to go?”
She shook her head, giggled, “No.” She wanted to linger in their fantastic wonderland, stay there forever.
Calvin chuckled. “I’m not ready either. But it’s time to meet Parker. He’s probably wondering where I am.”
She slid her chin along his muscular forearm. “No cellular reception up here?”
“Not quite.” Calvin tightened his arms around her. “Alright, put your feet on top of mine.”
As Evie placed her bare feet on his, she started to worry about how they’d drop from such an extreme height. “How are we going to land?” she asked.
“You’ll see. Ready?”
“Wait.” She pressed her face to his chest and closed her eyes, bracing herself. “Okay.”
“Alright. Here we go.”
Silence fell as she waited, imagining a fast and furious plummet toward the ground. Her heart dropped as the pull began, but it wasn’t sudden like she’d expected. Or fast. In a slow and steady manner, they began to drop. As if the foreign material beneath their feet was thinning–shedding layers and, ever so slowly, giving way. Evie cracked open her eyes and watched as, in one long and seamless motion, their soft descent pulled the world around them in a tunnel toward the ground. What had once seemed as real and endless as the wide canyon scape, now looked like nothing more than a painting. Flat and lifeless. Stretching like an elastic band. And then slowly, the image started to fade, revealing actual branches and trees, rocks and twigs, the place where they’d started.
“You can open your eyes now.”
“They’re already open,” she said, lifting her chin. “That was amazing.” Though her heart still raced, relief swept in as she checked out the familiar canyon grounds. It was then she realized Calvin was no longer shirtless as he’d been in The Loft. She took a step back, ran her gaze over herself next. “I can’t believe we’re back in our own clothes now. I didn’t even feel that.”
Calvin flashed his flawless smile.
A million questions swam through Evie’s head. “Do you land like that every time?”
“No, it usually gets a little rough at the end. Sometimes we drop from about a foot or two off the ground. I deliberately held onto the canvas this time, made it stretch to the limit.”
Evie found this new part of Calvin fascinating. The extraordinary abilities he’d acquired, the modest manner in which he’d revealed them. She vaguely listened in while he phoned Parker, the reality of their fate sinking in just a bit more. At some point, the bleak events that stood in their future would overcome her. But for now, she’d let it simmer somewhere on the back burner and enjoy, for a time, being with Calvin again.
***
“Calvin seems happier than I’ve ever seen him,” Fiona told Evie. “I’m glad he finally listened to reason and got you back.”
Evie gave her a smile. “Thanks.” She’d been intimidated by Fiona at first. Something about her perfect, pouty lips, light green eyes and strawberry hair. That, and the fact that she’d been spending so much time with Calvin, sharing his secrets. But Fiona’s easygoing manner put her at ease. Now Evie was enjoying her company as she watched the battle before her in fascination. “You know, it’s crazy,” she said, legs dangling from the mountain ledge. “I’m watching this, but I can barely believe it.”
A grunt sounded from deep in Calvin’s throat as he took a knee to the gut. He wrestled his competitor to the ground, summoned a dagger lying on the dirt across
the way, and held it over the muse at his mercy. Then, as he’d done several times before, he released the man, gave him a nod once they stood, and went at it again.
“I’m sure it seems strange,” Fiona said. “I have to say, I’ve worked with a list of people, and Calvin’s one of the most dedicated men I’ve met. And Parker’s not too far behind him.”
To hear of Calvin’s dedication was no surprise, but Parker? Evie breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. I was sort of wondering about him. How he’d do, you know?” She wasn’t sure if Fiona had seen the same side of Parker she had.
“Oh, yeah,” Fiona said. “I know exactly what you mean. Which sort of leads me to a question I was going to ask you.”
Evie encouraged her with a nod.
“I’m wondering if you would participate in the next round of training,” Fiona said.
“Of course. How?”
“Well, we’ve been working on the whole mind persuasion thing. I simulate Jocelyn’s ability–urge them to act out on my behalf. They’ve been doing all right so far, but I’ve been holding back, letting them work up a resistance at their own pace. I really need to take it up a notch, get them training against the kind of force Jocelyn will use.”
Evie gave her another nod. “That makes sense.”
“Most likely Jocelyn will try to get one of these guys to kill you,” she said plainly. “We’ve been staging that event, using a muse on the altar in your place. But I really think if they had the real thing, they’d do a lot better. Would you be up for that?”
“Yeah. Anything.”
Fiona’s lips tightened into a straight line. “Now we just have to get Calvin on board.” She waved her arms at the men, gaining their attention. “Lose the muses, Calvin, we need to move on.”
The mused brutes disappeared in a blink, and silence fell over The Loft. Dirt clung to the drips of sweat along Calvin’s face, Parker’s too.
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