“Where are his glasses?” He doesn’t always wear them in bed but he’s told me before he can’t get very far without them.
“I don’t know,” Eden says, sounding a little dismayed as she crouches at the side of the couch and wipes gently at the grime on his face. “They’re probably back there in that damned basement.”
“The crime scene,” Lawson mentions, rather pointedly.
“There was another crime?” I glance at Eden and she nods.
“I don’t know who the other man was, exactly, but Catherine used Logan to kill two people.” She continues to clean up Asher’s face, slowly and methodically. “She used him to create some chaos in Haleton and then to kill Asher to incapacitate him. Then she had Logan kill him.”
“Wow,” Sky whispers.
“We need to find those glasses,” Lawson says. “I need a set of wheels.”
“Wait, what happened with Catherine?” I feel as if I’m missing something again.
Lawson looks at me. “She’s mortal now, and she’s going to confess to the murders. Eli’s taking her to the sheriff’s station as we speak. If there’s evidence that can link her back to any of you, that’s bad news. I need to go find Asher’s glasses before cops start to search that basement.”
Eden sighs. “My car keys are on the phone table next to the front door.”
“I should go with you, we can search faster with two.” I make the decision after a second’s hesitation. Eden’s no longer in danger from a Dark Forces Goddess. And Sky will keep her company until we get back. She’s immortal now, like Asher, so she’s the perfect body guard.
She looks up. “There’s a flashlight in the trunk. You might need it.”
“We’ve got this. Just look after Asher.” I kiss her head before we leave.
Lawson runs to the car and I keep up. He drives like a maniac, but I guess we are up against the clock.
“By the time we get there, even at this speed, Eli will be back in Haleton. We need to get the glasses and get out of there fast. I don’t want to be anywhere near the place when the cops show up.”
“Can’t you make them forget they saw you or something?” I know Gods and Goddesses can make commands of mortals. It doesn’t seem like it would be too complicated to talk a couple of cops into walking away.
His frown tells me a different story, right before he shakes his head. “I don’t like to do that. It can get messy.”
“But it’s a backup plan, at least. Right?”
He doesn’t answer. I guess we’re just going to have to get in and out before the cops arrive.
Chapter Forty-Four
Eli
Catherine is entirely cooperative, even if the scowl she wears tells me she doesn’t want to be. She gets into the back of the car and I breathe out a sigh of relief. The woman looks her age now, something I hadn’t been prepared for. At first, I wasn’t sure it was her. Considering she hasn’t looked a day over twenty-nine for the last few decades, the wrinkles and gray hairs seem oddly fake.
I get into the driver’s seat and glance back at her from the rear view. She’s still scowling, only now her arms are crossed.
“Belt up,” I tell her, starting the engine. “I don’t want you breaking anything if I have to do an emergency stop.”
“I do not take orders from a psychopath like you.”
An uneasy feeling washes over me. Don’t tell me she knows what I did. Her daughter might have seen me dispose of a body, but that doesn’t mean she would know. They weren’t exactly on good terms.
“Suit yourself,” I say, beginning the drive to Haleton.
Eden wants this wrapped up fast. I don’t know why she insists on protecting a guy who could be dangerous to her, but this is important. She wants Catherine to face consequences for what she’s done. I can understand that. So I tell myself not to question anything else.
“You follow her orders too blindly,” she mutters.
I turn on the radio, attempting to drown out any chatter she tries to throw my way. As I understand it, she was a Dark Forces Goddess for the majority of her life. That means she’s sneaky. It means she tries to cause pain at every possible chance. I can’t give her an opportunity to strike. Regardless of whether she’s mortal now or not.
She leans forward. “I bet she didn’t have time to tell you about the little development between her and that ex body guard of hers.”
I feel a chill fall over me at the insinuation. Logan had flirted with Eden. She’d considered taking him as her fourth to get the power boost that would allow her to take Catherine down. He’d rejected the idea vehemently, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have changed his mind.
“I should have killed him when I had the chance. Fickle-hearted. His love for my daughter was quickly stolen by the slut. I knew this would happen. I was only doing what was best for her.”
“Right. Because denying her a chance to live was what was best for her.” I have to focus on what Catherine did wrong, because anything else will drive me crazy. Logan was murderously obsessed with Eden. That she would forgive everything to open her heart to him makes no sense.
Unless, she really had no other choice. She’d sounded a little odd when she called but I brushed that off as being drained by the process of making Catherine mortal. It twists me up inside to think that she might have been pushed into a corner, forced to take a lover she didn’t want to fix everything that was going wrong.
“Eden will take many lovers,” Catherine tells me, smirking all the while. “Many. Most will be temporary. But the four of you... You’re bonded to her for eternity. To each other.”
I turn the volume up and she sits back as I kick up the speed. It’s too late to avoid it now. Her vile words burn through my thoughts, already spreading their sickness. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t care if Eden needs other men to keep her happy. That doesn’t bother me. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s bullshit. I’m okay with it either way.
It’s Logan being her fourth that I don’t like. I like Asher and Nick. I trust them. Logan? Not as far as I could throw him. I’m sure they’re of a similar opinion. If it was Eden’s choice, maybe I could learn to live with it. If it’s not? I’ll need to do a better job of getting rid of him this time. I won’t let anything upset Eden’s happiness.
I glance back and catch Catherine smirking at me. She looks like she’s won. She doesn’t know how wrong she is.
Chapter Forty-Five
Eden
I should have asked Lawson to bring Asher to bed. I’ve cleaned him up as best I can, but I don’t want to strip him out of his dirty jacket and shirt in front of Sky. I know my friend. She’ll use it as an excuse to ogle. In his strange state the thought of that upsets me. I’ve dealt with this once before. He was quicker to revive then, it being his first time. I send my light through his body in the hopes it may speed up the process. I want him back, I need to see his dark blue eyes sparkle with life. Right now I’m filled with apprehension.
“So he’s like me,” Sky murmurs.
She has a thoughtful expression on her face when I glance up at her. I realise what she’s getting at and nod.
“I saved him.” When Logan shot him. Logan, the man who rejected me and fell quickly for another woman. The same man I wrapped my legs around in the backseat of that car, begging him to never stop thrusting with that huge cock of his. He’s my fourth now. I can’t quite believe that.
“Like Lawson saved me.”
She nods slowly, then looks into my eyes. “Do you love him more than the others?”
“I... No. I love them all equally.” It sounds lame, but it’s the best way to describe it. All four of them mean everything to me in different ways, even if it hurts a little to admit that for Logan. I do love him, but he wasn’t meant to be mine. At least not yet. If fate planned us to be together, this cruel twist forced it to happen too quickly. Both of us raw, and completely unprepared.
“Oh,” Sky sounds disappointed.
“It’s hard to e
xplain.”
I reach out to touch her hand and I understand suddenly why she’s not happy with my answer. I remember my conversations with Lawson in L.A. and I know how to calm her thoughts.
“Sky, it’s different for Lawson. He doesn’t need lots of women to satisfy him sexually. He only wants you.”
She flushes. “But we haven’t even...”
It’s an odd sight to witness Skyler’s embarrassment. I smile at my friend. “He doesn’t care how long it takes. You’re the only woman he wants.”
She raises an eyebrow. “And how would you know that?”
“We spoke in L.A. before we rescued you.”
“You interrogated him, didn’t you?” She sounds accusatory.
“Interrogated is a strong word...”
“Eden!”
I have to laugh. This feels like old times. “I can’t wait to go on tour with you.”
She sighs blissfully. “I’m so happy you agreed to it.”
I am too.
Chapter Forty-Six
Nick
Lawson stops the car and I wait a second for my body to adjust before I step outside. I feel queasy enough to have to stand still for a minute and just take in some deep breaths of fresh air. It’s slightly windy outside and Lawson’s already running towards the creepy abandoned town. I get Eden’s flashlight out of the trunk before I follow, keeping a slightly less intense pace. I watch him disappear into a house and push myself harder to catch up.
The house is dark. I switch on the flashlight and swing it around. Lawson’s hulking frame startles me for a second and I have to laugh.
“What’s funny?” he asks.
“Oh, nothing. I just feel very Hardy Boy-ish right now.”
He grunts as he moves out of sight. I follow, sweeping the flashlight across the ground when I remember what we’re actually doing here. Asher’s glasses could be anywhere. They’re not on the bare floorboards in this room, but there are dark stains that make me shiver.
I move into the room Lawson disappeared into. Nothing on the ground in here either. The open basement door makes me pause. Suddenly this feels like every bad horror movie I’ve ever seen. No good ever comes from going down into a dark basement.
I move forward slowly and jerk backwards suddenly when Lawson comes rushing back up the stairs.
“What is it? What’s down there?” I swing the flashlight up toward his face.
“Can you lower that thing please before I go blind?”
“Oh, sorry.” I tilt the light to his chest.
“I found them. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
He waves the glasses at me and I breathe out a sigh of relief.
We walk back to the car and he passes them to me. I turn off the flashlight and leave it on the floor at my feet as Lawson guns the engine. The sky is dark now, this whole day went by so fast. I suppose that’s partly because I spent most of it unconscious.
Almost time for bed, I guess. The thought makes me smile.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Eli
I hand Catherine over to one of the more competent deputies for processing. I’m fairly sure she doesn’t have dirt on me, but I’m also sure Eden will find a way to handle it if she does. The woman’s no longer an all powerful immortal being. She’s just a woman fast approaching sixty. Someone who’s guilty of many murders carried out in cold blood.
She smirks as she’s lead into interrogation. I head back to Rapture, keen to leave this mess behind and return to my Goddess. I make sure they know officially I’m still on vacation, but that this case is huge and I’ll want updates.
The desire to get back to Eden is potent. I need to be at her side. I know it’s been a hell of a day for all of us, but for her most of all. She’s going to need me, she’s going to need all of us.
All of us. Does that include Logan now? I shudder at the thought.
If it’s really what she wants I’ll deal with it. I know that. There’s no turning away from my Goddess. Not now, not ever.
I just hope he isn’t a part of this now, because it won’t feel so easy anymore.
The drive back seems to take forever. I’m flooring it, but it’s not a quick ride.
My thoughts churn on and on. Everything feels like it’s in a state of flux. Until I know what’s happening, until I see Eden’s face, I’m going to feel like this. Uncertain. Torn.
I’m so tense when I finally get there that I almost plow into the gate before it opens fully to let my car inside. I breathe slowly, trying to get a grip on my emotions before I see Eden.
I get out of the car once I feel slightly less wound up. When I get into the house, I find Nick alone in the living room, drinking something that looks alcoholic.
“Hey,” he says, glancing up from the low-volume sci-fi flick he seems to be watching.
“Hey. Where’s Eden?”
“She crashed out when I got back with Lawson. He took Skyler back to L.A. since they have that tour to prep for now.” He pauses and nods as I raise an eyebrow at him. “Long story, and you can hear it all tomorrow when Eden feels like telling it.”
Shit. She’s asleep. Why didn’t I consider that might be an option? It’s close to midnight now. Of course she’s in bed. She must be completely worn out. After the day we’ve all had, I can’t say I blame her. I blow out a breath.
“Everything okay?” Nick leans back, sipping at the cocktail. Probably a Long Island Iced Tea. He seems partial to those.
“Got more of that stuff?” I could use something to take the edge off.
He gets up and puts his glass down. I undo the top few buttons on my shirt and sit down as he brings over a pitcher from the fridge and a tall glass.
“Thanks,” I tell him as he pours me one.
“So you seem kind of tense. It didn’t go well with Catherine? Eden told me what you were gone doing when I woke up.”
I shake my head. “That worked out fine. She confessed, and I passed her over to one of my deputies for processing. I’ll get updates as the case moves along.”
“So, then what crawled up your ass?” He raises an eyebrow.
I have to wonder how he feels about Logan. I know why Asher hates him, and Nick can’t be too happy with him considering the guy choked him out today.
“I’m not sure how I feel about Logan becoming Eden’s fourth.”
His eyes widen and he just about spits out the sip he just took. “Um, what?”
She didn’t tell him? She must have been tired, told him it was a long story. “Eden took Logan as her fourth. It’s how she got the power boost to make Catherine mortal.”
“Holy fucking shit,” he whispers, taking a long, deep drink right after.
“She wasn’t sure about it when we talked about it after you were passed out, so I don’t know how the hell it ended up happening.” I don’t like that I don’t know either. If he forced it somehow, I don’t care what he is to her now, I’m going to kill him anyway. She has other potentials for a fourth. Anyone would be better than him.
“Fuuuuck,” Nick curses under his breath. He puts down his emptied glass and stares at it in disbelief. “Lawson was right.”
“Lawson?”
“He seemed to think Logan was Eden’s fourth when I told him Catherine killed her fourth. So he actually became her fourth? How did that happen?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to her about. I don’t know.”
Nick pours himself another drink as I pick mine up and sink a few hasty gulps. I’m not a fan of the taste, but it’s alcohol and that’s good enough right now.
“Shit,” Nick says, shaking his head. “That’s just... It’s the worst.”
“Don’t like him either, huh?”
“No-one likes him,” he blurts. “The guy’s an asshole. He’ll ruin our whole vibe.”
“Our vibe?” I stifle a snort and he glowers at me.
“You know what I mean. We’re cool with each other, and everything’s easy. That dick will just stomp around r
uining everything like fucking Godzilla when he’s hangry.”
I laugh. Then he laughs.
We’re silent for a few minutes. I let it sink in. He’s right. Everything felt like it was working. Now? It’s all going to change, and I don’t know how we’re going to handle that.
“Eden must love him,” Nick says quietly. He shakes his head, takes a drink and lets out a long, weary sigh. “You know what, I’m not thinking about this until the morning. Eden can tell us what it means then. Maybe it’ll make more sense.”
I hope he’s right, but I’m not going to bank on it.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Asher
I blink awake and gasp in a breath. Eden’s eyes flutter open and I gaze at her beautiful face, wondering why I have a bad feeling in my gut. Then it floods back, and I remember I was hit over the head, then there was darkness. I vaguely remember waking up only to feel searing pain in my chest and be pulled right back under. Shit. Did I die again?
“You’re awake,” she says, sounding pleased.
I pull her closer and realise I’m naked. She is too. This is exactly the way I want to wake up any time I die in the future. I smile. “I feel like maybe I missed something. Maybe a whole twelve hours or so.”
She dips her head to kiss my chest. “You did. So much happened. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Then just kiss me.” I move to press my lips against hers. She tangles her fingers through my hair as she kisses me back, and I stroke her lower back. She feels so good against me, the semi I woke up with has hardened already. My fingers move lower to grasp her full ass.
I wonder about taking her the way Nick did when we were all together. The thought sets my blood on fire. I’ve never even put my fingers inside that hole. He had his cock there and she seemed to love it. It would be so unexpected. Would she like it if I did that? Or is it just something she likes with Nick?
She pulls back and looks at me curiously. “You want to fuck my ass?”
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