Eryx didn’t stop until he had Lexi plastered next to him, a nearly mirror grip at her neck to the one Ramsay so often used with her. He glared at his twin. “You want to tell me why my baineann’s crying?”
“Unwind your panties,” Ramsay drawled from behind Trinity. He uncoiled his marked arm from around her and held it out where Eryx could see. “Just confirming family ties and sharing all ’round good cheer.”
Eryx gaped.
Ludan leaned in, studied the sword on Ramsay’s arm then ran his gaze up and down Trinity’s. His mouth quirked into an almost awkward grin he seemed determined to keep in check. “Sparkly.”
“Fuck you, Forte,” Ramsay said.
“Ignore him,” Eryx said. “He’s just scared the mating biz is contagious.” He offered Ramsay his hand. “Pretty damned impressive, brother. Guess that’s one way to make sure people tell us apart.”
Ramsay clapped hands with his brother, or more like forearms. The weird grip looked like something she’d expect in a gladiator movie. “Yeah, well, the fancy upgrades came with a few extra up-charges.” He winked at Trinity as he released Eryx’s forearm. “Made for a wild night.”
“Ugh.” Lexi swatted Eryx on the shoulder. “Male posturing. You guys go beat on your chests somewhere else and let me and the rest of the girls plot out how to unravel our mysterious family tree.”
All the humor in Eryx’s face fled. “Yeah, about that.” He locked stares with Ramsay and jerked his head toward the castle. “Just had a meeting with one of the senior ellan, Maron Deesus. He showed up unannounced about an hour ago and dropped some intel we can’t ignore.”
“Serena?” Lexi said.
“Angus.” Eryx aimed an apologetic smile at Trinity. “I was coming to tell Lexi we were headed out to get Ramsay. Need him to run down a lead.”
Ramsay tensed. “What kind of lead?”
“Angus visited the ellan a few days ago. Unexpected. Didn’t really have a good reason for being there either. Next day, the ellan realized an ancient text was missing from his library.”
Pinpricks sizzled along Trinity’s nape and a low, aggravating hum tickled her ears. A warning. Bolder than usual. Nearly as potent as the day her adopted father had died.
“Translation tables?” Lexi glanced between Eryx and Ludan. “I thought we got the only ones that were left.”
“Seems there are a few more circulating than we thought, two of them in this ellan’s family library.” Eryx pegged Ramsay with a stern look. “Need you to pay a visit to Angus. Everything’s circumstantial at this point. If you can get him to slip, we can bring him in formally.”
“Why me?” Ramsay said. “You’re the one he’s got a beef with.”
“Exactly. He’ll be on guard with me. With you, I’m hoping he’ll take the questions less serious. Besides, Ian’s tracked down the last two humans we haven’t checked out from the mystery sightseeing trips. Ludan and I are gonna split up and see if we can get any evidence Serena’s the one behind them.”
The space behind Trinity’s solar plexus cramped up tight, almost like someone had reached in and fisted the muscles.
Beside her, Ramsay shifted. His hands were clenched tight enough the veins along the back of his hand popped up in angry ridges.
Guess that answered whether or not they were imagining feeling each other’s emotions. She covered his hand with both of hers. “You go and see what you can find. I’ll stay here with Lexi.”
He uncurled his fist and laced his fingers with hers. Bright white shards flickered in his darkened gray gaze and his mouth was pinched in a nearly flat line.
“Go.” She stroked his arm and feigned a carefree attitude her insides railed against. “It’ll take what? An hour?”
“We need two or three hours, tops,” Eryx said. “We can all meet back here and figure out next steps.”
Ramsay pulled her close and glared at his brother. “I do this, then my next step is time alone at the lodge with Trinity.”
Eryx shook his head, laid a quick kiss to Lexi’s temple, and headed toward the castle. “Best not to plan that far ahead in this household.”
Chapter 31
Three hours. Three fucking hours Ramsay had tracked that crotchety old shit, Angus, all over Cush from one ellan’s office to another. He might be old, but he sure as histus got around quick.
Ramsay prowled the far wall of Angus’ dreary study. For a guy who’d spent his whole life in public office and made a damned fine living off the opportunities it created, his home didn’t show it. From the minute Ramsay had stepped across the threshold, his lungs had struggled against the moldy stench, and the maroon rugs looked like they’d been around since before Angus was born. The guy was what? Nearing six hundred now?
Muted voices sounded in the hallway beyond.
About time. He’d finally caught a break running into Angus’ page at the main council hall and learned Angus would be headed home after a quick appointment across town. He’d thought about waiting for the old fart outside, especially after he’d got a whiff of the living tomb, but figured a little unsupervised tour couldn’t hurt.
The dark walnut door opened and Angus shuffled in. His stark white council robe was painfully bright after thirty minutes in the windowless office. “A visit from the spare Shantos. Can’t say I ever expected to find you in my study.”
He shut the door behind him with a flick of his hand and scanned the tiny room as he shuffled to his desk. “I’ve got plans this evening with a colleague. Whatever you need, get on with it.”
“You’re a busy man.”
Angus sat gingerly on the stiff wooden chair, the type one might expect to find in an old legal drama. “Yes well, not all of us were born with a castle and full coffers.”
Yeah, but he had plenty now. Too bad he didn’t put a little of it into his box of a home. Maybe it was Angus’ crude upbringing that made him hesitant to spend what he’d earned.
Didn’t matter. How the guy lived wasn’t Ramsay’s problem and Trinity was waiting. “I understand you paid a visit to Maron Deesus a few days ago.”
Angus paused in riffling through his desk drawer, but kept his head down. Not much, just a little hesitancy. Could have been a tell. Could have just been he’d startled the guy with his voice. “I did. What of it?”
“He seemed surprised by the visit. Said he hadn’t been expecting you.”
Angus slowly shut the drawer and lifted his head. “I wasn’t aware the ellan were required to report each and every visitor to you or your brother. Am I unaware of some new protocol?”
“No requirement.” Ramsay eased into a spindly chair across from Angus’ desk. The damned thing creaked like it might fall apart at any minute. “It’s just your visit was timed with an unfortunate loss in his household.”
“Loss?”
Damn. If the guy was guilty of anything, he did a good job of covering it. “A book. Something from a family library.”
“And he accused me of taking it?”
“He didn’t accuse you of anything,” Ramsay said. “Just reported a missing valuable. We’re tracking all the people who happened to be in the house around the same time.”
Angus harrumphed and pulled a well-worn planner from the side of his desk. He wrote something in the far corner. “I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time coming to me. I was with Maron the entire time. Never left his sight.”
“You take anyone with you?”
His grip tightened on the pencil, and his smooth writing motion turned jerky for a few strokes. “My page. He’s usually with me on my visits. Helps keep me organized.”
Interesting. He’d have to see if Maron had mentioned the page to Eryx. He leaned in and motioned to Angus’ planner. “That list out all your appointments over the last few weeks?”
Angus’ gaze snapped to Ramsay. “Something in particular you want to know?”
“Just running down leads. Being thorough.” He shrugged like he didn’t consider the request any big deal. More of
a nuisance. “Figured since you had it handy you wouldn’t mind.”
His thumb moved up and down along the pencil’s shaft. Once. Twice. “I don’t see any reason why not.” He turned the book around and shoved it across the desk.
Ramsay sat back with the beat-up planner in his lap. The guy’s scrawl matched Angus’ attitude, all jagged edges and angry angles. Busy day today for sure. Yesterday, not so much. Council session the day before that in the morning and an afternoon visit to Maron.
Serena. Four days ago. The day before the texts went missing.
He kept his head down and turned the page to the week prior, pretending a bored perusal. “You visited Serena Steysis?”
“Of course I paid her a visit. The woman did our race an enormous favor ridding the world of Maxis Steysis, far more than you or your brother have done. I made no secret in voting in favor of leniency with her sentence. I felt the least I could do was visit and give my personal thanks.”
Bullshit. A damned good excuse and one he’d obviously prepped before he’d turned over the planner to Ramsay, but bullshit all the same. “You mind sharing your memories from that visit?”
Angus chuckled low and reclined against his seat, fingers laced across his lap. “Ellan conversations with their constituents are protected. I’d no more share my conversation with her than I would yours with her. It defeats the purpose of providing our race a safe harbor for conveying their concerns.”
Nice. Extremely well played. “True. Just thought you might be willing to help your malran keep a close eye on someone we’re not yet convinced has our race’s best interests at heart.”
“I’m always interested in protecting our race. Even those held in disfavor by the malran.” He steepled his fingers under his chin. “If you want me to share the memories of my conversations with Serena, you’ll have to petition the council for the right. That, of course, would require a charge against me. Is there one?”
Lousy fucker.
“Nope.” Ramsay stood, tossed the planner on the desk like he couldn’t care less what happened, and headed to the door. As he exited, he said, “Not yet anyway.”
* * *
Trinity rolled the cinnamon-scented dough Orla had given her in a long line on the flour-covered counter. Lexi and Brenna already had theirs coiled up in a close representation of the roll Orla had demonstrated, but Trinity was having a hard time multi-tasking worry alongside baking.
“You okay, Trin?” Lexi said.
Trin. The same nickname her girlfriends back home used. At some point she was going to have to talk to Ramsay about getting word to them she was safe. She might not be in a hurry to get back to the human realm just yet, but that didn’t mean she was willing to give up her friends. “Yeah, sorry. Just thinking.”
Lexi swirled the rest of her dough with a whole lot more flair than Trinity thought she could ever manage for any kitchen activity. “Wanna talk about it?”
Orla and Brenna stopped their side chatter, but kept working, heads down.
Probably not the best topic for a group, but a little color commentary might take her worry down a notch. “The stolen texts. Do you think they’ve got anything to do with the prophecy?”
Lexi cocked her head and pursed her mouth. “Hard to say for sure.” She scooped up the finished roll and laid it on a baking sheet waiting by the oven. “Kind of fishy timing. Probably smart Ramsay’s running it down.”
Brenna peeked up from her dough, met Trinity’s eyes, then snapped her head back down to business.
“Somehow I doubt that’s all that’s on your mind.” Lexi pinched a new section of dough and started another roll. That was two to Trinity’s not yet one.
Trinity started the wide circle like Orla had shown them, patting the top with her flour-covered fingers to hold the dough in place. “What would happen if someone brought the wall down? With the powers, I mean?”
“Ah, prophecy worries.” Lexi shrugged. “Well, for one, humans would have a free back and forth path from here to Evad. Not saying that’s bad. I’d just be worried about people like Maxis and Serena taking advantage of them.”
Brenna dropped the dough she’d been coiling in a nearly perfect replication of Orla’s steady work.
Orla patted Brenna’s hand. “Maxis is gone, dear. He can’t hurt you anymore. And my boys won’t let Serena anywhere near you.”
“Personally, I’m hoping I get a chance to gut the bitch. Maxis died waaay too fast and easy. Seems to me a little karmic justice in the form of Serena’s long, drawn out demise would be fitting after all he put Brenna through the last fifteen years.” Lexi flicked the last bit of dough into place, and then jerked her head up. “Sorry. Too morbid for kitchen convo?”
Not in Trinity’s book. She couldn’t even fathom how Brenna had survived the horror Maxis had heaped on her. Kidnapped at only eight years old and forced to serve as a slave. And according to Ramsay, the serving part didn’t stop at just menial labor.
Brenna grinned and ducked back to her work.
Orla smiled, but it sure looked like she was trying to hold back the bulk of it. Probably thought it was better not to encourage Lexi.
Trinity straightened and let out a heavy breath. Not too bad of a roll. Kind of an oval more than a circle, but overall it looked pretty even. “What do you call these again?”
“Lastas,” they all said at once.
“I should have known better than to feed them to Lexi as a first meal,” Orla said. “She’s had them nearly every day since.”
“And we’re not stoppin’ anytime soon,” Lexi added.
Silence settled in the cozy kitchen.
Orla popped a pinch of the dough into her mouth and shuffled to the sink to wash her hands.
“What about the powers?” Trinity asked.
Lexi dusted her hands and joined Orla at the sink. “What about ’em?”
“You said Eryx was the malran because he had the most powers. That no one was strong enough to challenge him. If someone else had the same, what would happen?”
Lexi clutched the kitchen towel in a death grip. Clearly, she’d considered the question before, because her mood shot straight from balanced to murderous. “Eryx said he’d likely be challenged for the throne, and odds are good it would come down to skill and experience. If someone else won, it would be up to Ramsay to win it back.” She tossed the towel aside. “If he could.”
Trinity stared down at the untouched lump of dough in the bowl in front of her. Stupid. So damned stupid. She was playing housewife, while her husband—fireann—was out trying to protect his family’s legacy and the overall human race.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
And selfish.
She could fix it if she wanted to. Give them all the information they needed if she’d just suck it up and accept what was rightfully hers.
But then you’ll lose Ramsay. No way would they let such a huge violation go without serious reprimand, most likely her life.
Something splattered onto the flour-covered surface. A tear.
She dashed the next one slipping down her cheek aside with the back of her hand before Lexi could see or comment on it.
Brenna came up beside her. “Lexi can you grab another cookie sheet?” She waited until Lexi bustled to the large side closet filled with all manner of pans, and then quickly dusted a trace of flour from Trinity’s check. She leaned in quick and quiet. “You’re not selfish. If I could have what you have, I’d never let it go.” She squeezed Trinity’s fisted hand on the counter then got back to work like she’d never said a thing.
Trinity held stock still, shocked and more than a little worried Brenna had managed to home in on her thoughts. She might be human, but there was definitely more to her than met the eye.
And there was more to Trinity than just being Myren. She was Spiritu too. Maybe it was time she started acting like one.
Chapter 32
Ramsay took the castle stairs two at a time and followed his brother’s link toward the t
hird floor. Things in Evad had either gone tremendously well or fallen to shit fast if Eryx was in the rec room. He, Eryx, and Ludan had spent the better part of twenty years building out the Myren equivalent of a man cave after their awakenings, making it their own. Histus, during their training days, Ludan and Reese crashed there more often than they did at home.
And then Eryx and Ramsay’s dad had died.
Ready or not, Eryx had stepped into his place as malran. Ludan replaced his father, Graylin, as somo, and Ramsay had assumed the role of strategos. Exploring life one minute, disciplined vigilance and loaded responsibility the next. What he’d lost in companionship with his brother he’d made up for in his time off in Evad. Parties, music, women. Years of it. All out from under the watchful eyes of his race.
And utterly empty.
Two weeks he’d been with Trinity. Two roller coaster emotional weeks, but he’d wrung more out of life in that span than he had in over a century prior.
He rounded the last flight of stairs and strode down the dark corridor. The thick burgundy rugs muted his booted footsteps. An unfamiliar, itchy aggravation scraped at his insides. Probably just antsy to get back to Trinity. If he was lucky, Eryx would trust Wes and Troy to tie up whatever loose ends were needed with Angus and Serena. Dodging his duties forever wasn’t an option, but he didn’t think another day with his new baineann was an over the top request.
He opened the mahogany door at the end of the hall with a thought, and the late afternoon sun pierced the opening. The rounded turret wall came into focus, varied shades of gray stone and picture windows spanning a heart-stopping view.
Graylin’s low, cultured voice rumbled from somewhere deep in the room. “You don’t have enough evidence to bring charges against her. You’d be better served to wait it out. She’ll trip up again. She’s too impatient not to.”
What the hell was Ludan’s father doing at the castle? He’d barely left his cottage for more than supplies and formal ceremonies in the last sixty or so years. In the last month, he’d been here two or three times a week. Come to think of it, almost every time he’d seen Graylin, he’d been in the kitchen.
Waking Eden (The Eden Series Book 3) Page 27
