Unexpected Eden

by Rhenna Morgan

  Stupid. Fucking. Men. “You won’t let me leave the house without you or Ludan and you want me to start with moving a pillow?”

  Eryx smiled, the big one, full of teeth, and then finally had the good grace to duck his head a notch. “Fire it is then.” He turned her toward the pit and motioned at the dry wood stacked in the center. “Jump in and see where it takes you.”

  Lexi peeked at Eryx, some of her enthusiasm stifled under a damp blanket of doubt. “Is there a trick to it?”

  “No more than when you learned to fly.” Eryx pressed behind her as he had days before. “Your body calls the element it wants and the mind directs it.”

  Lexi closed her eyes. The image of the fire pit, alive with flames on the night of their mating leapt from her memory. Deep reds and oranges. Long, fat flames, curled at the end. Random sparks as the wind pushed and pulled around it. She imagined the streams routing through her chest, held one hand out, palm up, and pushed.

  Wind gusted. Flowerpots scattered along the patio, broken clay mingling with rich soil and crumpled petals.

  Ludan raked the mess to one side with the side of his foot. “Not fire, but not bad for a first shot at air.”

  Lexi wrinkled her nose at Eryx. “Sorry.”

  He shrugged and patted her shoulder. “It’s your home now as much as mine. Just be sure to point away from the house.”

  “Gotta say, the wind bit looked promising.” Ludan ambled out of the line of fire. “Kind of a ‘don’t piss off Mother Nature’ image.”

  “But it’s air,” she whined.

  “Hey. Don’t underestimate air.” Eryx squared her to the fire pit and leaned in tight. “Now try again.”

  She screwed her eyes shut, and tried again, leaving the wind element out of her mental image. A fat stream of fire arched from her outstretched palm and landed short of the waiting pit. A sizable scorch crackled in what had been soft, green grass, and a cloud of smoke lingered above the sweet scent of fresh cut hay. Weird. She expected something more like a grass fire back home.

  “Kinda lame.” Ludan’s gaze gleamed with a challenge.

  Oh, she’d totally take that dare. No way was she leaving the boys to throw their muscle around without a little fight. Closing her eyes again, she recreated the landscape, targeted where she wanted the flame to go, and Eryx and Ludan’s positions.

  Tiny threads wavered across the image. Gossamer and flitting in the wind, they seemed connected to Ludan and Eryx. Maybe a visual connection to their links? Focus. Think about that later. She narrowed her mental aim on the pit, and pushed a visual stream of fire in its direction.

  She opened her eyes and a fist-wide stream hit its target. “Yes!”

  “Good.” Eryx hovered over her shoulder, his voice urgent. “Now, throw a stream all the way to the edge of the bluff. Do it now. Don’t think.”

  Eyes open this time, she aimed far and poured every shred of focus into a narrow blaze.

  Whoosh.

  Not quite to the bluff’s edge, but close.

  “It’s about as far as Galena can throw, which is saying something.” Ludan found his chair again and gave her a stern glare. “I think wind’s your thing though.”

  “Eryx.” Ramsay dropped from the sky and shook the ground. Another man she’d never seen before landed shortly behind him. “We gotta talk. Jagger’s got news.”

  Eryx released her and greeted the stranger with a warrior’s clasp at the forearms. “Jagger.”

  The guy looked like he’d been birthed by the sun. Golden eyes, warm brown hair with honey strands at the top, and skin that glowed. You couldn’t call him pretty though, not with the pronounced slant of his cheeks and jawline. Fierce, like some avenging sun god.

  Ramsay shifted, an uncustomary tension in his face.

  Lexi waved them off. “Y’all go. I’ll practice.” Rather than give anyone time to argue, she faced the pit. Their voices rumbled behind her. Nurturing skills didn’t bother her, but doing anything average rankled. Surely she could find a way to make the stream stronger.

  She drew the garden’s image, this time focused farther out. The ocean and the rainbow painted horizon.

  The pale-white, nearly translucent strands wiggled for attention. Ludan, Ramsay, Eryx, Jagger. Each of them reached out—

  Wait a minute. She wasn’t linked to Jagger. So why was it there? She angled toward the castle, eyes still closed, and found more strands, less defined than those nearby. A complex spider web pattern shooting out in all directions.

  She faced the ocean again. Maybe she’d been doing it wrong. She reached out with mental fingers and touched those closest to her, channeled a vision of fire, and stretched out her palm.

  “Holy shit.”

  “That’s impressive.”

  Ramsay and Jagger’s exclamations rang out behind her.

  And man, were they right. She’d not only reached the bluff, but had thrown a stream of fire to make what Eryx had done at the Waffle House look like a softball.

  Eryx came up behind her. “How’d you do that?”

  Lexi glanced at a smirking Ludan, then back to Eryx. “I’m not entirely sure.” Not a complete untruth, but with the way everyone was looking at her, coming clean on what she’d done didn’t seem such a good idea.

  Eryx draped his arm across her shoulders and tugged her tight to his side. “We’ll figure it out.” He kissed the top of her head and lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Jag’s right though. It was damned impressive.”

  “We need to follow up on this, Eryx,” Ramsay said. “If Jag’s right about the men he’s seeing in Asshur, we gotta follow it before Maxis can cover his tracks.”

  She nudged Eryx in the ribs. “Go handle your business. I’ll stay here.” She noted the tight line of Ludan’s lips. “And take Ludan with you.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone.” Eryx’s levity disappeared, replaced with the hard edge that usually got him what he wanted.

  She had hard edges, too. Lots of them. “The castle’s guarded right? So, I’m safe. Take Ludan, figure out your business, and give me some time alone. I’m not used to being shadowed all the time. Makes me feel like I’m two.”

  “We could use his input,” Ramsay said. “But we need to get a move on.”

  Eryx tilted her face to meet his. “Promise you’ll stay here. And don’t leave the grounds. For anything.”

  Lexi rolled her eyes. “Bad guys. Everywhere. Got it.” She waggled her eyebrows. “But I can fry ’em now from a decent distance.”

  “Don’t get cocky, hellcat.” He kissed her forehead and headed for the waiting men. “And keep that blowtorch pointed away from the house.”

  Chapter 24

  Stomach rumbling, Lexi wandered toward the kitchen. Eryx hadn’t lied about her needing more food. Especially after two non-stop hours of target practice—and that messy elemental weapon experiment with water.

  Off the main corridor, a castle worker dusted a twenty-foot table.

  Lexi smiled and waved.

  The young woman averted her gaze and wiped the shiny surface double-time.

  Same response she’d had from everyone. A little lacking on the welcome wagon side of things, but she couldn’t blame them. Not with her prophetic calling card splayed on Eryx’s arm.

  On the bright side, she’d wielded electricity, fire, and wind with little, if any, hesitation by the time she’d stopped, her aim finally somewhat predictable. But Ludan was right—wind was definitely her thing. Her distance sucked, but no way was she hooking up with those strands again until she talked to Eryx. For all she knew, it was bad Myren mojo.

  Crap. She drew to a halt in the foyer, retracing her steps in her head. Must’ve been the left hallway instead of the right. She huffed and redirected.

  A flash through the giant picture window stopped her. In the garden beyond, a tall patch of amet
hyst blooms shook, rattled by something dark at its base. Silver hair peeked above the top.

  Orla. She changed her path, her steps lightened with the promise of company. The white sand path sparkled in the noonday sun and the varied blooms settled on her palate. Sweet. Spicy. Citrus. All mixed together with the bite of tangy ocean salt.

  Rounding the corner, she drew up short and nearly stumbled over a set of youthful legs with bare feet. “Oops. Sorry.”

  With a handful of errant weeds, Orla looked up from the flowerbeds, and a pretty girl with loose pigtails crawled out from behind a tall patch of wispy grass.

  “Lexi.” Orla dusted her hands on her apron. “I thought you were in the gardens with Eryx.”

  “Nope. Been solo most of the morning. The boys went to play war.” Tired of tiptoeing around the strangers in her new home, she held out her hand to the girl. “I’m Lexi.”

  The girl took Lexi’s hand and ducked her head in a shy, but polite semi-bow. “I’m Jillian.” Though small, her sunny smile matched her yellow tunic and leggings. “I live here with Orla.”

  Lexi took the cautious hand offered and a vague familiarity brushed her senses. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Dark blonde hair, tiny freckles along her cheeks and nose, and a prominent bone structure that looked awkward on her young face. She’d grow into those bones though. And mixed with those hazel eyes? The boys wouldn’t know what hit ’em.

  Hazel. Expressive. She’d seen that—

  “Wait a minute.” Lexi looked to Orla then back to Jillian. “How are you related to Orla?”

  With the exuberance of youth, her eyes lit up. “Oh, I’m not. She takes care of me. I’ve lived here with Uncle Eryx and Uncle Ramsay ever since I can remember.” As quickly as she’d brightened, her features locked up tight. Her gaze darted to Orla. “I-I mean, they’re not really my uncles. I’ve just always called them that. If you’d rather I didn’t…”

  Lexi opened her gifts a fraction. A lost, wayward soul. Happy, but still disconnected. She squeezed Jillian’s arm in reassurance. “My being here doesn’t change a thing. Maybe we could spend some time together and you could help me get to know everyone? Every time I get close to them they duck and cover.”

  Jillian clasped her hands behind her back and a blush pinked her cheeks. “I’d like that.”

  A dog padded out from behind the wall of tall grass, his long coat a color flitting between lilac and gray, maybe periwinkle. The only break in the surprising shade was a streak of pearlescent white shimmering down his spine. It ambled forward and nudged Lexi’s wrist with a cold, wet nose.

  Jillian’s laugh flittered with the same lightness of the petals dancing in the breeze. “Oh, now you’ll come out.”

  “He’s beautiful.” Lexi petted the top of his head. “What’s his name?”

  “Samuel.” Jillian crouched and dragged her hand along the white streak at his spine. “Uncle Ramsay got him for me.”

  “He’s a menace.” Orla stood and rubbed the small of her back. “We’re finishing up here. If you’re not practicing your new skills would you like some lunch?”

  “That’s where I was headed. I got lost on the way to the kitchen and found you instead.”

  “Perfect.” Orla tossed her spade into a battered taupe tote made of some sturdy fabric and motioned at a handful of tools strewn on the path behind her. “Jilly, get those gathered and I’ll get these in the shed.”

  Lexi joined in to help and snagged the bag before Orla could. “I’ll put them up if you’ll tell me where they go.”

  Orla nodded, picked up her sack of weeds, and pointed down the path at a shed set near the garden’s edge. “Just over there. While you do that, Jilly and I will start on the food. Anything in particular you want?”

  “What was it you made yesterday? The pastry with the peach and caramel sauce on top?”

  Orla and Jillian both laughed, but it was Orla who answered. “That’s lasta. And it’s normally for breakfast, but what the heck.” She looked back at the weed-free beds behind her. “We’ve worked for it right?”

  “Absolutely.” Lexi took off for the shed, motivated by the promise of Orla’s treat almost as much as she’d been eager to learn to throw a fireball. She rummaged through the rows of tools, found an empty spot for the tote, and stepped into the nearly noonday sun.

  “I’d hoped I’d be able to find you.” Serena’s anger hadn’t tapered off since the last time they’d met.

  Lexi clamped down her gift and braced. “What do you want?”

  Evil burned in her exotic blue gaze. “Maybe I wanted to atone for my behavior the other day.”

  “Something tells me you don’t apologize for much. Sniffing around for my fireann is more like it.”

  “You use that term pretty easily for a woman who knows nothing of our race.” The classic catty tone. A blade slipping from its sheath. “You’re right, though. I don’t give a fig about your feelings. And Eryx will be mine.”

  “Like hell.”

  “Really?” From the folds of her gown, she revealed a slim, gold box no bigger than her hand. She held it out to Lexi with an unspoken dare. “I’ve got something here that says otherwise.”

  Lexi stared at the box, then at Serena. “Games?”

  “Hardly.” Her free hand floated to cover the lid. “See for yourself.” She lifted the lid. A gold shield lay on a bed of white felt.

  Dread tingled through Lexi and her stomach lurched. Don’t react. Breathe slow and steady.

  “What is it?” With a little luck, Serena would be too hopped up on vengeance to notice the tremble in her voice.

  Serena’s head cocked. “You don’t recognize it? I thought surely you would. His memories made it look like he was proud of his time as a…what do they call them in Evad? Policeman? Hasn’t he shown you this?”

  The shiny gold emblem winked from its innocent bed. The black TPD emblazoned across the middle sliced her gut open wide. Dread thickened to fear, but no way was she showing her cards to this bitch. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, darn it. I’m so bad with names.” Serena touched one finger to her chin and surveyed the sky. “Ike….Isaac…” Her eyes popped open and her head snapped upright. “Oh, I know. Ian.”

  Fuck.

  Serena paused, all dramatic effect and Grinch smile. “He wouldn’t admit he knew you either. It’s rather cute the way you two try to protect each other. Does Eryx know about him? Surely you two weren’t intimate. He’s so old looking.”

  Lexi’s nails bit into her palms, the need to seize Serena’s perfect neck and squeeze nearly more than she could stand. Her temples ached from the press of her clenched jaw.

  “Your friend’s tucked away in a villa on the outskirts of Cush. All you have to do to get him safely back where he belongs is to meet me there tonight.”

  Lexi straightened, tall as she could. “I realize you hold me in the lowest regard. But no one, not even a human-raised Myren, would be stupid enough to walk directly into a trap like the one you’re suggesting. And you grossly overestimate the pawn you’re using as bait.”

  “So, you wouldn’t mind if I give the order to slit his throat now?”

  Lexi’s lips sealed up tight, unable to let such devastating words loose.

  Serena chuckled. “I didn’t think so. I’ll give you the location and you’ll be there tonight, alone, at sunset. And think twice before you share your plans with your precious new fireann. I’ve got political connections and an army at my disposal. All it will take are a few, well-placed words in the right ears and you’ll be the lone instigator of a full-fledged war.” Morbid delight glittered in her azure blue gaze. “I’m sure your subjects would be thrilled to know their new malress was the sole reason for bringing a new era of suffering and death to our people.”

  Serena rattled on with her instructions.


  Lexi kept her silence. There had to be some way to deal with this. Some way to cut the shrew off at the pass and get Ian someplace safe.

  When she was done, Serena stepped back into the shadows and shimmered into nothingness.

  An overly perfumed breeze brushed past her.

  Serena whispered in her ear, “I’ll see you tonight, my malress.”

  Chapter 25

  Eryx stomped from the kitchen toward the garden and tamped down the silent fury racing through his veins. Orla and Jillian had pounced as soon as he’d landed with a frantic download of what had happened in his absence. Not that their words were helpful. Serena might have dropped in and rattled Lexi to the point of visual agitation, but no one seemed to know what was said. With Serena, it couldn’t be good.

  He stepped out into the late afternoon sun. Lightning pierced a wooden crate propped against the fire pit. Another three crates sat on the ground—if one could still call them crates. Hacked up scraps of wood and piles of ash was more like it. And the air reeked with the stench of smoke.

  “That crate must have really pissed you off.”

  Lexi spun to face him. Her crimson tunic was damp down the center and clung to her torso. Two splotches of dirt or ash marked one cheek and her forehead. “I didn’t hear you come out.”

  “I see that.” He started forward, cautious. Curious how she’d play whatever she was up to. “You been at it awhile?”

  Lexi nodded, a little too emphatically. “Getting lots better.”

  “Looks like it.”

  She tucked her hands behind her back and shifted her feet. “How was the meeting?”

  Ah, so diversion was her tactic. “We modified our focus area. Patrols have gone out.” He hugged her and the fine hairs along his arms lifted, a flagrant indicator she’d been at her drills too long. “You stop and take a break today?”

  Lexi’s head bobbed up and down, but her eyes didn’t quite meet his. “I had lunch with Orla and Jillian.”

  He waited to see if she’d add anything else.