A car drove down the street slowly, navigating the icy patches and casting pale shadows on the snow in the yard.
Alex finally turned around. “We keep things mostly status quo for now.”
“Mostly status quo?” I thinned my eyes. “What does that mean?”
He took a long, deep breath. I could almost see his heart pumping the extra blood required to keep his brain working properly instead of going completely primitive on my butt. “Like you said, Evie. We’re with you most of the time. Now we’ll be with you all of the time. Aside from locking you in your room, there’s not much else we can do.” He looked to Emil. “One of us stays with her at all times. Only now, we always keep each other informed of where we’ll be. That way, if we need backup, it will be there.”
Emil nodded in agreement. I shook my head. “This is ridiculous. You know that, right?” They both stared at me. “Unless someone kills me, I’ll be alive at least another seventy years, and then I’ll be born again and it will all start over. We can’t keep this schedule thing up for the duration. People will get suspicious. Jas already thinks you’re both stalkers, and that was before I stopped talking to her. Now, she probably thinks you’ve convinced me to join a cult.”
“What would you propose?” Alex asked. “I’m sure we’re both open to ideas.”
I shrugged, getting up. I was tired, and sick of talking about the imminent threat hovering over me. I was going to get some sleep, and maybe I’d have answers in the morning. I started toward the stairs and said, “I don’t know, but something’s gotta give.”
I climbed the stairs without looking back.
When I got to my room, I glanced at myself in the mirror. My curls had started to unravel slightly, making it look like I’d just woken up. My makeup had held up well considering the night I’d had—the makeout session with Emil included. Thanks to the kissing, my dress needed a serious date with an iron, but it still looked great too, the folds of the dress cut beautifully against my waist and hips.
And then there was the jewelry. I ran my hands lightly over the necklace as the gems sparkled under the florescent lights of my room. I didn’t want to give them back, but knew I’d have to. The gift was far too expensive for me to accept, especially when I hadn’t chosen between him and Alex yet.
I reached up to take the beautiful earrings out first. I felt a little dizzy as I pulled one earring out. I steadied myself against my dresser; it had been a long night. I pulled out the other earring, and just like that, my soulmark was warm, and I was falling.
I stood in front of a mirror, my pale blue dress a soft, shimmery fabric. The square neck was cut low with intricate cream colored lace wrapping around the neckline and blossoming out from the bottom of my sleeves. The big skirt was pushed out with hoops and fell to the floor. My stays were pulled so tight I gasped, slowly retraining my breath to handle the confinement. My chestnut hair was piled beautifully on top of my head, curls escaping in long ringlets down my back.
A knock came on the door behind me. I quickly gathered my composure. “Come in,” I said, turning. The door opened slowly. I smiled as I saw who it was, before my mouth slid into a pout. “You’re not supposed to see me yet,” I scolded.
“I couldn’t wait any longer,” Emil replied, coming toward me.
I laughed as he wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. He held my gaze and leaned his head down, gently touching his lips to mine. As I responded, he pressed harder, his hands moving on the bodice of my dress, slowly starting to undo the buttons lining my spine. I felt the tug and immediately pushed Emil back, giving a low laugh. “That’s for later,” I said. He looked mischievous as he cocked a brow. “Besides, if you undo all of those buttons, it will take me another hour before I’m ready, and my mother will have a fit.”
Emil gave a husky laugh. “I wouldn’t want to cause the mother of the bride distress,” he said, buttoning my dress back up. “So I’ll give you your wedding gift and wait for you downstairs.”
My eyes widened as he pulled out an intricately carved cedar box. It was stained to bring out the natural light color of the wood, and carved on the top was a single rose. The sides of the box had smaller roses with leafy detail connecting the flowers together. He handed it to me. “Open it.”
I took it, sitting gingerly on my couch. I slowly lifted the latch. When I looked inside, I let out a surprised gasp. My eyes settled on the gift for several seconds until I finally looked up at Emil. “These are for me?”
He nodded. “They remind me of your eyes. I wanted to give you something almost as beautiful as you are.”
Tears quickly formed and started to pool, clouding my vision.
He smiled. “Will you wear them today?”
I nodded, unable to speak as I tried to control my emotions. Emil took the tear-drop sapphire necklace surrounded by two rows of round diamonds from the box. He clasped the necklace around my neck, his hand lingering there. I tilted my head to the side as he leaned his mouth down and slowly kissed up the side of my neck. When he got to my ear, he whispered, “I’m looking forward to taking that off later,” he paused, “or maybe leaving it on.”
I smiled slowly, my thoughts focused on our wedding night. I felt him move away from my neck. “I need to go. We don’t want people thinking I’ve ruined you.”
I laughed. I wouldn’t mind being ruined. Not at all.
He walked to the door. “Don’t forget the earrings.”
As I heard the door latch, I stood and went to the mirror again. I gently picked up the smaller earrings that matched the necklace perfectly. I opened the clip and found the center of the soft spot of my ear. I slowly closed the clip on my skin so it wouldn’t snap shut and pinch me. I repeated the action for the other side. Taking a step back to look at myself once more, I smoothed the lines of the dress Emil had helped wrinkle and took a deep breath. I hated crowds, but I was ready for this. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more.
Another light knock came on the door. I assumed it was my mother telling me it was time. In the mirror, I saw the door start to open. “I’m coming, Mother. One moment.” I picked up the mounds of fabric around my legs, trying to hold everything up as I turned slowly, then dropped the fabric abruptly and stopped breathing entirely as I took in the person standing in the doorway.
I stood stock-still as his eyes moved over me like an embrace, one I’d been missing for months. His gaze settled back on my face, his green eyes bright in the afternoon sun streaming into the room through the window. In his right hand, he held a single pink orchid. I started to feel faint and remembered to take a breath. When I finally had air in my lungs, I whispered one word, “Alex.” It came out like an oath, like I was holding my memories of him in his name. I had missed him, more than I had been willing to admit.
At my tone, his breath caught. For a moment, he didn’t move. Neither did I. He shifted slowly and shut the door, still holding my gaze. “I had to see you one more time before you’re his.”
I shook my head. “He does not own me, Alex.”
He lifted his brow as he removed his hat. “It’s more that way than you realize.”
I knew the argument was futile so instead I said, “It’s been months since I last saw you. Did you not get my letters?”
He pulled his lips into a line. “I got them. You knew I couldn’t come. You chose him over me. It would have been hard to handle regardless of your suitor, but even more so with Emil.”
“Why?” I asked, genuinely curious. “What is your quarrel with him?”
A muscle at the corner of Alex’s eye twitched and his face tightened. “He’s not right for you, and he knows it. A better man would have stepped down.”
I clutched my hands around the folds of my dress, hardening my expression. “He makes me happy.”
Alex tightened his jaw. “You think he makes you happy, and for now he might. But you didn’t give us a chance. I was the right choice, Cassandra. Someday you will realize it. I hope it won’t be too la
te.”
I shook my head, my lips turned down in a frown. “I wish you could be happy for me, but I will settle for you being here. Thank you for coming today.”
He pursed his lips. “I can’t stay.”
I nodded slowly and looked down at my hands, worrying the lace of my dress. “I know.”
His eyes went over me again, hesitating on the necklace at my chest, and the earrings dangling from my ears. “The blue suits you. It matches your eyes.”
I looked up. “Emil said the same thing. He gave them to me as a wedding gift.”
Alex’s face hardened and his hands tightened on his hat until his knuckles were white. “I need to go. I just couldn’t let this day happen without seeing you again.”
“Why can’t you be happy for me, Alex? You make it sound as if I am going to my death instead of my wedding.”
He watched me steadily. “You’re more accurate than you know.” He moved toward me, never taking his eyes from mine. My breath was almost non-existent as he stopped inches away. He reached out, cupping my face with both hands, his skin hot against mine. He slowly lifted my head and leaned in, hesitating slightly, waiting to see if I would back away. I didn’t. He gently pressed his lips to mine, our mouths moving in perfect harmony. He slowly pulled away, looking at me one last time, then turned, placing the orchid on my chair. He walked to the door, reaching for the handle, but paused. He did a quarter turn, looking at me sideways. “When you’re ready to leave, you know where to find me. I love you, Cassandra. I always will.”
I watched the door close, confused as I touched the necklace at my chest. I took a deep breath, looking at the orchid Alex had left. It was a symbol of what he’d wanted from me—what I couldn’t give. My heart belonged to Emil. I brushed a stray hair from my face, picked up my bouquet of sterling roses, and opened the door.
I‘d come to realize flashbacks were both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because I was finally getting answers—answers I could trust because they were coming from my own memories. They were a curse because I couldn’t control what I was seeing, and the answers weren’t helping me get the information I needed to make any decisions.
Long after I’d finished my flashback journal entry last night, I’d tried to sleep. It didn’t work. Instead, at five in the morning, I’d wrapped up in my dark purple hand-pieced quilt from my mom and climbed out the window onto my balcony. The stars in Gunnison are beautiful. The air is clear and the town is so high in the mountains that when you look up at the night sky, you feel like you can pluck a star from the universe, a small token to keep for yourself. Sometimes I think the world is sitting on my shoulders and the decisions I make could screw up eternity. I like the peace that looking at the stars brings. It reminds me how big the universe is, and how insignificant I really am.
With that in mind, I was able to think through the flashback again. So, the necklace and earrings had been a wedding gift from Emil. No wonder Alex hated them.
I wasn’t sure whether I should tell Alex and Emil about the flashback, or how much to reveal…especially about that particular memory. I knew Emil wouldn’t be pleased to find out I’d kissed his rival on our wedding day. That was a pretty questionable action for a bride. I wrinkled my nose, unhappy with the Cassandra incarnation of myself.
I’d been hoping these flashbacks would help me understand what had happened in my previous life with Alex and Emil, and help me choose. I mean, obviously, I’d chosen once before. But the more I saw, the more it seemed my Cassandra incarnation was just as confused as my Evie version. So was Cassandra confused because she made the wrong choice? Or because she truly loved them both? Or was it because they were both her soul mates and she didn’t know it at the time?
The flashbacks really weren’t helping my situation.
As the sky began to lighten, I shivered and climbed back inside the house. I flipped on the light switch, bathing the calm, light brown walls in a soft glow. The carpet was a dark brown Berber—a design choice I was sure the owner had made when they decided to rent to college students. My bed, a simple full-size mattress with no headboard, sat between two windows. I threw my purple quilt back over it and made my bed, before going downstairs.
I found Alex making breakfast in the kitchen. An empty plate sat in the sink. “Did you already eat?” I asked.
“Yeah, and so did Jasmine.”
I widened my eyes as much as I could for eight in the morning. “She was here? And talked to you?” I was dumbfounded. Jas wasn’t a big Alex fan. She’d helped pick up the pieces after he’d broken up with me and disappeared last summer.
Alex handed me a plate of cheesy scrambled eggs and toast. “She does live here, you know.”
“I know, but she rarely shows up anymore. She’s avoiding me now as much as I’m avoiding her. She spent most of her time at Zach’s before anyway, but now I feel guilty even letting her pay half the rent. You and Emil should be paying it instead.”
Alex nodded in concession.
“Did she wonder what you were doing here?”
Alex picked up the egg pan, scraping it clean over the trash. He moved to the sink, turning on the water to wash it. “Like you said, I’m always here. I’m sure she’s used to it by now.”
“Not likely,” I scoffed. “She thinks you and Emil are both stalkers.”
Alex inclined his head. “That would explain the lack of conversation and narrowed eyes.”
“I’m sure that was part of it. The other part was probably that she’s angry I’m spending so much time with you two instead of her.”
Alex finished with the pan, putting it on the drying rack. He turned, facing me, and leaned against the counter, his palms on the edge. “I think you need to start hanging out with her again. And you should talk to your parents more, too.”
I stared. I didn’t realize he’d noticed my lack of parental communication lately. I’d pulled back from talking to my parents because I didn’t know what to say—just like I’d done with Jasmine. I texted, emailed, and talked to them on the phone occasionally, but not like I had when I’d first moved to Gunnison. Our communication now was a lot more surface and less detailed. The distance was to be expected. I was in college and trying to be an adult. But it was still hard when I’d been so close to them before. I shook my head. “I told you why I can’t.”
“Your life is going to get more complicated, Evie. You need your friends, whatever that means.”
I dropped my fork and stared at him. “Seriously? You’re giving me permission to tell Jasmine about the Amaranthine, Daevos, and all the crazy crap that’s happened since I met you?”
He held my eyes. “I’m giving you permission to be happy. Whatever that takes.”
I stared at him as he pushed off from the counter. “I have something I need to do, but I’ll see you later.” He stopped in the doorway. “I meant what I said. We can protect her. Zach too. If that’s what you want, we can try to keep them safe. Do what you need to so you feel normal again.”
I thought about Alex’s offer and opinion for the next few days. Feeling normal again wasn’t in the realm of possible outcomes, but having Jasmine to confide in would at least make me feel less alone. Maybe with another person to talk to, I’d be able to get a different perspective on the situation with Alex and Emil. Jasmine had always been great at giving me relationship advice, and she’d never been shy about it. I thought her observations might help me make a decision.
I wasn’t sure if she was ready to hear about my soul mates and all the paranormal stuff yet…but it would come in time. I knew Jasmine would think I’d completely lost my mind, but it’s not like I was lacking in proof. I had real live Amaranthine and Daevos members I could reintroduce her to, plus Alex’s ring could convince any skeptic. It had convinced me. After a lot of thought, I decided I’d talk to her. It wouldn’t be easy to explain, but I needed it. I needed my best friend back.
My text to Jasmine, asking her to meet me after class, was met with angry cynicism I co
uld feel through the phone. Her response had simply said: fine. My bubble gum blowing friend was never so succinct, or angry. Usually the response would have included capital letters, emoticons, and several exclamation points. The fact that she simply said ‘fine’ was the equivalent of telling me to go to hell. And stay there.
Since the Denver incident, Alex and Emil had been spending more time with me as a precaution. However, Alex had kindly agreed to watch me from his ring instead of hanging out in the coffee shop. Since Jasmine attributed part of our issues to Alex and Emil, I didn’t think we’d get far at repairing our friendship if either one of them was with me.
Given her text message and frosty responses every time I’d seen her since the cafeteria argument, I wasn’t sure if she’d actually show up. So I was mildly surprised when she opened the coffee shop door. She was wearing jeans, boots, and a bulky white winter coat. The white seemed even brighter because of her smooth mocha skin. A fuchsia pink scarf was wrapped snuggly around her neck and her cheeks were bright red. She kind of looked like Ski Barbie, only without the blonde hair and gravity-defying boobs. Her eyes seemed a little red, like she’d been crying…or was tired. The fact that I didn’t know the reason was like a punch to my stomach. I shouldn’t have ever tried to keep her out of my life, even if I’d had good intentions.
Given her outfit, I wondered if she’d decided to celebrate the temperature reaching ten degrees by walking to the coffee shop. It was only a few blocks from campus.
I’d been sitting on the edge of a comfortable black leather armchair. I stood. She scanned the coffee shop, her eyes falling on me. Her already cool expression turned to complete ice. She crossed her arms over her chest, turning her body away from me. She couldn’t have been more clear about her feelings if she’d yelled it with a megaphone. I slowly blew out a breath. This was not going to be pleasant. I just hoped she’d listen.
Eternal Echoes, Emblem of Eternity Trilogy Book 2 Page 9
