Unexpected Eden

by Rhenna Morgan

  “Then I stay here with you. I won’t leave you alone.”

  “Bullshit.” Ludan snarled across the distance. “You’re already too weak. The strike on your shoulder proves it. He’d have never hit you if you weren’t drained.”

  And he’d done it protecting her. The last thing she wanted to do was make matters worse. “What’s he talking about?”

  “He needs to go home.” Ludan fisted his hands at his sides and shifted unsteadily. “He’s been here too long, looking for you. Now that Maxis knows you’re valuable, Eryx won’t leave you. That puts him—”

  “Leave it,” Eryx said.

  “Like hell.” Breath labored, Ludan prowled forward. “We can’t keep this up. Both of us are lights out in minutes if we stay.” He glared accusingly at her. “Show your mettle, woman, and choose.”

  She staggered back. Christ, she couldn’t even process. Maybe they’d knocked her out in the parking lot when she’d left work and this was all in her head.

  “You know this is right.” Eryx said, his voice low, only for her. He cupped the back of her neck. “Trust me.”

  Warm fingers. Confident. His whole presence drowning out reality. He’d nailed the images from her dreams, a freaky feat for sure, but not something to discount. While it scared her seven ways to silly to admit, part of her had come to life the moment she’d seen him. Stretched and blossomed in a burst of color. What would it feel like to curl against him and laze beneath more of his touch? If it was a dream, then what was the harm? This is your chance. What you’ve been waiting for.

  “I’ll go.” Even as the words slipped free, she couldn’t believe she’d said it.

  “’Bout fucking time,” Ludan said from behind them.

  Eryx swept her into his arms and strode into the mist.

  The soft, cool cloud enfolded them, and her stomach lurched. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. She jackknifed in Eryx’s arms.

  He grunted and shifted her farther from his injured shoulder, but kept stalking forward.

  “I can walk.” Or run the other direction if he’d give her the chance.

  He kissed her temple and his warm breath eased along her chilled skin. “Better if I do the walking. Just don’t wiggle. Focus on the quiet.”

  Her muscles coiled, ready to jump into action. Void of sound, the portal packed a strange Zen quality. Nowhere near the spinning Sci-Fi vortex she’d expected. No black hole to suck them up and spit them out.

  Ahead a pale ball of light flickered, growing larger, bold but without the violent glare. Her skin tingled and the hair along her arms floated to attention. She held her breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and braced for impact.

  Warmth, easy on her skin. A few bird chirps. The light, crisp scent of spring—flowers, maybe a recent rain? She cracked one eye open. Holy crap. She wasn’t dead or delirious. They’d really taken her somewhere else. Someplace straight out of fantasy. “It’s so…bright.”

  Eryx eased her to her feet and chuckled. “Colorful. More vivid than Evad.”

  Vivid was an understatement. A spectacular sunrise full of pinks and corals stretched the horizon, and vibrant thick grass shimmered as far as she could see. She crouched and ran her fingers over the damp surface. Little silver veins ran through the center and edges of each blade, the texture like moss. “The same, but different.”

  “Pretty much sums it up.” Eryx guided her up. “How do you feel?”

  Was that a trick question? “Alice in Wonderland comes to mind.”

  Ludan snickered behind her.

  “I meant physically.” Eryx said with a grin. “Notice anything different?”

  She flexed and clenched her hands, studying her palms as she took internal stock. “Kind of like after a few energy drinks, but without the shakes.”

  Eryx’s grin morphed to a smile as bright as the sunrise behind him. “Told you,” he said to Ludan.

  “Could be adrenaline.”

  The sky’s holographic weave of rainbows stretched without a single cloud, a deeper color than what she’d seen in her dreams. If those parts of her dreams were true, would the rest be too?

  A cozy cottage made of dark gray stones and a black slate roof sat in the distance, nestled at the base of a giant black mountain. Trees with mahogany trunks and pale pink leaves lined the slopes. “I know that place.”

  The steady rumble of Eryx and Ludan’s voices silenced.

  “You know what place?” Ludan glared and stalked toward her.

  She pointed at the horizon. “The house—”

  Ludan snatched her outstretched hand and the same rush she’d felt in the bar fired up her arm. A blur and a whip of wind, and her hand was free, the tingles gone.

  “You. Will. Not. Touch. Her.” Eyes bright as a supernova and face a livid red, Eryx gripped his friend in a vicious headlock.

  Ludan’s gaze stayed locked on Lexi’s, his mouth crooked in an awkward grin. “Spitfire.” The word croaked out, probably the best he could do with Eryx’s thick forearm at his throat.

  Eryx freed him with a shove. “Stay the fuck out of my—”

  “Easy.” Ludan held up both hands and jerked his head toward Lexi.

  The two stared each other down. Eryx dipped his chin, nostrils flared. Ludan frowned. The same odd, silent exchange she’d seen between them at breakfast.

  Lexi inched forward and glared at Ludan. “What did you do?”

  “He didn’t believe you.” Eryx slid behind her, and curled one hand around her throat. A possessive, Neanderthal move that sent pleasure spinning through her veins. “He scanned your memories.”

  “You can do that?” Her past wasn’t exactly a place she wanted people trouncing around unattended. “Why?”

  Ludan screwed his lips up in a shit-eating smile and crossed his arms.

  Eryx’s hand flexed, not threatening so much as claiming. “He can and he did, mostly to protect his father. Only six people alive in this world who know where Graylin lives and you’re not one of them. He wanted to see what you saw—not that it excuses his actions.”

  Lexi fought to untangle her thoughts, the action nearly impossible with Eryx so close. Her skin hummed beneath his touch. “I saw it in my dreams. It’s not like I get a choice in what shows up.”

  Ludan stood rooted in place with a smug expression.

  “And why are you looking at me like that? Less than five minutes ago you were ready to rip my head off.”

  Ludan stared back, silent. One breath. Two. Uncurling his arms, he sauntered close enough to draw a growl from Eryx. “That was before I saw your past.” His ice blue eyes drew her in, almost hypnotic. “Where you’ve been takes courage. I respect warriors.”

  Her heart seized. How far back had he gone? How much had he seen?

  “One of Ludan’s special gifts is the ability to consume a person’s memories rather quickly.” Eryx tucked her into the crook of his arm. “He won’t make such a presumption with you again.”

  Wind rushed overhead, whipping Lexi’s hair away from her face. A man dropped from the air, and landed with a resounding boom.

  “What the hell?” She tried to breathe, her lungs suddenly two sizes too small to do a decent job.

  “Easy.” Eryx’s thumb skated across her inner wrist, calming. “It’s just like in your dreams. No different.”

  The men surrounded her, all three poised and ready to leap into action.

  Holy crap. The new guy was Eryx’s twin. Or a futuristic version from some other reality. Silver mesh tanks and black leather pants and boots weren’t standard issue back home.

  “We clear?” Eryx asked.

  The new arrival sized her up, a slow glide from head to toe. His gray eyes twinkled and a dimple punctuated his sly grin.

  Gazing at Lexi, the twin nodded. Wicked vibes poured off him—the bad boy type that snagged women three state
s away with little more than a wink. “Not that you gave me much notice to scan the place, but yeah, the grounds are free.”

  He sauntered forward, hair loose to his shoulders, and offered his hand. “I’m the better brother, Ramsay.”

  Oh, yeah. Definitely a player, this one.

  Lexi gripped his hand and turned it for a more businesses-like shake. “Not sure I’m buying the better part. I’m Lexi Merrill.”

  Ramsay’s eyes twinkled with a naughty glint. “My brother’s a lucky bastard.”

  “Only if I can keep her alive long enough to gloat. If you’re done playing Romeo we need to get her settled and engage the scout teams. I want Maxis Steysis. Now.”

  Ludan perked up and took a few steps closer. “Finally.”

  “The quarans are on their way to the training center.” Ramsay gestured toward Eryx’s injury. “Galena’s en route to take care of you two. She shouldn’t be another five or ten minutes.”

  Eryx kept scanning the perimeter despite Ramsay’s claim the area was free from any intruders. “Anything suspicious reported while we were gone?”

  Ramsay’s eyes dimmed and his mouth pressed to a hard line. “We lost a warrior. Doesn’t seem related, though. Died in pursuit of a criminal fleeing to Evad. We’ve tried to notify the baineann, but she’s gone missing. Witnesses say they saw her leave her house in tears.”

  “Keep looking. I want to meet with her as soon as she’s found.” Face grim, Eryx settled a hand at her lower back. He nudged her toward the cottage and glanced at Ludan. “You sure Graylin’s alright with this?”

  “You kidding? Pops is all over this.”

  Light. Almost happy. Granted, she’d only known Ludan a handful of hours, but she doubted he pulled the levity card often.

  Something had happened during their brief contact. Some connection born of experience that made her less frightened of his hard appearance and more determined to protect his soul.

  A thought sparked and she pulled Eryx to a stop. “How do these people know we’re coming? We just left. You didn’t…” Lexi gestured to their pockets. “You didn’t call or anything.”

  Ramsay guffawed, and the sound bounced off the mountain beyond. “Got a long day ahead of you, brother.”

  Eryx tugged her back into motion and gave Ramsay a brusque look. “So do you. I want squads working around the clock until we can get Maxis contained.” They stepped onto the cobblestone path leading to the front door of the cottage, and Eryx steered Lexi in front of him. The door opened before they reached it, though no one stood beside it.

  Lexi opened her mouth.

  “I opened it.” The tension hadn’t left his face, but a grin slipped into place. “More questions, I know. You’ll get your answers as soon as we’ve got a plan in place to find Maxis.”

  He guided her into a large, open room decorated in shades of gold and yellow. A well-worn desk sat nestled in a corner, equally used leather-bound books stacked to one side. Thick cushions, soft fabrics, fancy patterns. Nothing low-end about this place.

  The men huddled barely two strides into the room, strategizing with rapid-fire words.

  She meandered through the homey space, a perfect book getaway on a rainy day. Plants with long-bladed evergreen leaves spilled from their containers to end in white, bell-shaped bulbs.

  An old painting hung above the fireplace. Set against an ivory backdrop, two hands were clasped together so the forearms faced the viewer—one masculine, one feminine. A Pegasus covered the female’s skin, an impressive steed rearing back on its hind legs as it pawed the air with wings spread up and wide. An intricately detailed sword wrapped in long strands of ivy covered the man’s.

  A tingle of awareness stirred. Had she seen it before? It seemed familiar, but she couldn’t seem to find a specific memory.

  “It depicts an old prophecy.” A man with wavy, thick gray hair to the nape of his neck approached her, hands folded formally at his waist.

  His clothes were odd—a tank and loose-fitting, gray silk pants with a long-sleeved, loose overcoat that hung to his shins. Kind of like a new age Hugh Hefner.

  He stared at the painting. “Legend says when two Myrens mate and produce the marks shown there, it will spark the beginning of a new era in Eden.”

  “That’s a rather non-committal prophecy.” The words slipped through uncensored before she could stop herself.

  “You mean, is it an era of promise, or an era of decline?” He smirked, more playful than catty.

  Lexi kept her silence. For all she knew, this dude was the high potentate of this beautiful place. He sure talked like someone official. She’d bet last week’s paycheck he was related to Ludan though. The height, build, and eyes were too close not to share DNA.

  “Many people have pondered that over the years. Some are the very epitome of gloom and doom. I choose to anticipate a change for the better.” He held out his hand, his smile a dead-ringer for Ludan’s. “My name is Graylin Forte. I’m Ludan’s father.”

  Lexi shook his hand. Dad was definitely more easy-going than the kid. “Lexi. Lexi Merrill.”

  Graylin’s eyes sparkled, mischief crinkling the corners. “I know who you are. Eryx’s been looking for you for years.”

  Chapter 5

  Eryx bailed on Ludan and Ramsay and their plans to find Maxis, and bee-lined across the room to make sure his meddling mentor shut the hell up.

  “You’re the second person to say he’s been looking for me.” Lexi shot a sidelong scowl at Eryx and crossed her arms.

  “I told you I’d answer your questions and I will.” What he wanted was to touch her. To stroke the back of her neck and kiss the tension right out of her. The PDA wouldn’t phase anyone else in the room, but he doubted Lexi was ready for a dunk in Myren culture.

  “Ludan told you about her?”

  Graylin frowned. “I served your father for the better part of my life with the same devotion as my son now serves you. Did you think I wouldn’t give my support? Your secret is safe with me.”

  Lexi perked up. “Secret?”

  Eryx palmed her neck before he could check the action, the simple contact grounding him in a way he wasn’t sure he’d ever understand. “Secret makes it sound like something I’m ashamed of. Necessarily covert is more accurate.”

  Lexi leaned into his touch and her eyes softened. So natural. Like they’d been together for years instead of hours.

  The front door swooshed open and his sister strode through the door. Her waist-length auburn hair was tangled from flight, and her black tunic and leggings smudged with garden dirt. In less time than it took most people to state their name she scanned him then Ludan, still standing at the door. “Ramsay said you’re hurt, but I don’t see any blood.” She focused on Ludan’s hands and grinned. “A little on the crispy side though. Who’d you piss off?”

  “Had a little run-in with Maxis,” Eryx said.

  Lexi stepped away. “His shoulder’s hurt.”

  Galena glided across the room, checked Eryx’s shoulder for all of three seconds, and shrugged. “He’ll keep.” She zeroed in on Lexi and pulled her into a quick, tight hug. “You must be Lexi. I’m Eryx’s sister, Galena. Let’s get the brutes healed and we’ll chat. I’m sure you’ve got lots of questions and men always take forever with answers.”

  Lexi had barely returned the embrace when Galena stepped back and motioned toward the kitchen. “Eryx, you’re up first.”

  “No, heal Ludan.” Things were too far out of control. Maxis on the loose and his long-stifled desire for Lexi wouldn’t change overnight, but he could damn sure put a lid on his meddling friends and family and see to Lexi’s needs. “If anyone’s answering Lexi’s questions, it’s me.” He steered Lexi toward the hallway, striding past Ramsay still stationed near the entrance. “I want a search status every two hours.”

  Ramsay opened his mouth, took one
look at Eryx, and snapped it shut. With a nod and an unrepentant wink at Lexi, he shot out the open door.

  They rounded the corner to the kitchen, the scent of fresh brewed coffee filling the cozy space. Eryx pulled out a chair at the far side of the maple-wood table and motioned Lexi to sit. “Graylin, I hate to ask on short notice, but Lexi hasn’t eaten. If you can get her something to tide her over, I’ll ask Orla to come and handle the rest of the cooking while we’re here.”

  Lexi slid into her chair. The morning sun angled through the picture window behind her, the blue undertones of her dark hard glinting as she scanned every window and exit. “I’m not hungry.”

  Graylin pulled out two large platters. “Nonsense. You’ll need your strength if you’re to be awakened. That requires both food and rest.”

  “Awakened?”

  Well, that was one way to get her mind off escape. Eryx glowered at Graylin, pulled a chair close to Lexi’s, and pointed at the one in front of Galena. “Get your ass in the chair,” he said to Ludan. “I want you healed and ready in case we get any more surprises.”

  Nostrils flared and shoulders pulled back, Ludan pushed away from the stone island. “As you wish.” He plopped in place and the chair groaned beneath his weight. “Malran.”

  “What’s a malran?”

  Interfering jackass. “A loose interpretation would be leader,” Eryx answered before Ludan could do any more damage.

  The room went uncomfortably silent, both Galena and Graylin sporting baffled expressions. Eryx settled his arm along the back of Lexi’s chair.

  Ludan arched an eyebrow. “You’re not going to tell her?”

  “Not yet. And I’d appreciated it if you and your father stayed the hell out of my personal life.”

  Lexi’s lips were drawn tight, fists clenched atop the scarred, honey-stained tabletop. All things considered, she’d been a hell of a trooper. Sharing his day job on top of everything else didn’t seem like an intelligent next step.

  Galena clasped Ludan’s burned hands, and Ludan averted his face with a growl. “Hold still, Ludan.”