Seconds washed away with the rain and as I waited for Ayden in the dark woods, I had the strangest feeling that I’d been here before. I wondered if his family was okay, or if the neighbors had heard anything. Knowing the King, he would have made sure no one knew about this. The guards were silent and hid in the darkest shadows until we were alone, stealing the night and depriving it of its secrecy. That’s how they worked.
Sighing, I turned back to see Ayden running towards me with my bag and his in tow. I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I was holding and ran to him. “Are you hurt?”
“A little,” he whispered. He took my hand and held tight. “We need to get out of here.”
“And go where?” I asked.
“Don’t worry, I know just the place.”
T W E N T Y–
S I X
Ayden
Echo’s hand shivered in mine as we rushed down the dusty streets of Shadow Hills. She glanced around the neighborhood and then at me. I’d never read her so loud and clear in that moment; her eyes spoke legions. I wanted to comfort her, but all I could think about was getting her to safety and away from the guards. It wasn’t even about me anymore, always her. I would lay down my life for Echo and in that small second I saw the guards outside the window, I realized that.
“I can’t run anymore, Ayden,” she gasped. Her face was red from exertion and her hair unruly and wild.
I stopped for a second and glanced back at her. “We can’t stop, they’ll find us. The house is just over the hill, trust me.”
Her hands on her waist, Echo nodded slowly as tears trickled down her face. I would have kissed every one of them away and took my time doing it, but that risked death and losing her—two different punishments, but it would hurt me all the same. I took her hand again and we wandered through the dark streets as silent as shadows. There was only one place I thought safe to go, really. I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to help us even if that meant sheltering runaways from the King.
The rain hadn’t let up at all. What should have felt like a generous soul cleansing from the gods felt more like a sin, a cry for help, and all the tears shed over pain and the loss of victory. This was the penalty for love, for loving Echo. I couldn’t say I hadn’t seen it coming from the beginning, but I expected more time with her. Though I knew her a lot better than I did five weeks ago, she still remained a mystery to me. I wanted to waste time on her and not have to fear losing her the minute I turned around. She’d made me out to be the person I was meant to be, not the person New Haven had thrust upon me. There weren’t too many people in my life who made me doubt myself, so Echo had achieved something so great, and yet so naturally. We were so different, but somehow our bad collision worked out perfectly.
We made it over the hill and my legs had grown weary. Instead of giving up, though, I mustered up all the strength I had and pushed on. The house came into sight and I sighed when I spotted a light on through the windows. Echo was still soundless beside me, but she held onto me with everything she had. And that was enough.
We ran through the house gates that barely sat on their hinges and crossed the yard. I knocked my knuckles against the door and waited.
“Where is here?” Echo asked.
I had a momentary flashback to the first night I’d taken her with me. She’s said the exact same thing and was dripping in water from the rain. Now, though, she looked wiser and older. She didn’t look like the scared girl who’d practically begged me to kidnap her. She looked every bit of the woman I’d given my heart to.
“It’s an old friend’s. He’ll keep us sheltered until I figure something out.”
“Will you?” she asked, lips trembling. “Will you figure something out?”
I opened my mouth to push away her doubts the same moment the door opened and a small woman with red hair stepped out. She watched us cautiously. “Can I help you with something?”
“Yes. Is Giovanni here?” I held my breath as I waited for her to answer.
The woman nodded and called out to Gio in the house. Echo melted into my side and I sensed her fear. I could have only imagined her thoughts; it was one foreign place to another. But I’d promise her the end of this soon, and we’d be smiling and we’d be together. The destruction of the world could meet us in days and we’d cling to that last hope.
Giovanni came up beside the woman and stared out at us. There was a mixture of shock and grief on his old face, and then finally understanding. He glanced out at the barren roads and motioned us inside.
The house was just as I remembered. Dark, warm, and crowded. Giovanni had six kids so I could see the reasoning. He sat us on the couch opposite from him and his wife, the redhead, moved to the kitchen. He ran his hand down his face and sighed. “Before I start, you should see something.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, tossing it over to me without a word. “Read it.”
I opened it up and the first thing I saw was my face. Glancing down lower, I saw Echo’s. In big bold letters under the sketches of us were the words: $500,000 reward if found and returned to the King dead or alive! Echo’s hair was drawn short so I wondered if anyone realized he’d put his own supposed daughter up for sale. I crumpled the paper in my hands and didn’t bother showing it to Echo.
“What is this?” I barked. I threw it back at him with a scowl.
“It’s a grant. While you two were off in your own world for the past three days, the King was busy announcing you as renegades. He says he no longer has a daughter named Echo and the New Haven kingdom has foolishly believed him.”
“It’s true,” Echo murmured.
I glanced at Giovanni and shook my head for him to ignore it. I would explain everything later, not now. “We just need a place to stay until morning. I’ll find Adamo and we—”
“And you’ll what, Ayden? Keep running? Tonight was only the beginning. You got away for now, but how long do you think it’ll last?”
He was right. I knew it, of course, but I chose not to acknowledge it. I couldn’t afford to lose Echo. Not now, not ever. I would fight until my last breath to ensure her safety.
I glanced up at Giovanni and nodded. “This means war. I’m not running, I’m fighting.”
Giovanni tilted his head and really looked at me. The corners of his mouth twitched with a small smile and I knew he understood.
“AM I doing this right?” Echo called from the field. She stood out amongst the many bleeding hearts while Kale and Ciprean practiced throwing their daggers at trees like Echo had taught them.
“What do you mean? Try it again.” I came up behind her and wrapped my hands around her leather-clad waist. Tamara, Giovanni’s wife, had given her a few things to wear for when we went out to practice in the field. They fit her smugly, but she insisted on wearing them. I didn’t complain, she looked great and as a Tigress should.
“I feel like I’m doing this all wrong. You guys picked up on the swords and daggers so quickly, why can’t I do this?”
I moved around the tree she stood in front of and watched her. She’d tied her hair up in a ponytail and was doing her best at hand-to-hand combat. She wasn’t a bad beginner, she just lacked confidence. “Just try it again.”
Sighing, she stood with her left foot forward and focused all of her attention on the tree. She counted to three and then rear-kicked the trunk with a hard blow. She’d been at it for hours and while she wasn’t seeing improvement, I was.
“I’m not hitting the target, Ayden. I’m hitting the tree, but not the target.” She blew out a shaky breath and backed away from the tree.
“You’ll get it, stop stressing yourself out.”
“And if I don’t? I’m a big part of this plan, Ayden.”
I nodded slowly as I regarded her. The whole night had been spent revising a plan to escape. It wasn’t about revenge, but freedom. There was no way the King was letting us go so easily, and Giovanni saw no other option than to fight. I knew he and his family were risking their lives
to help us. And so were Ciprean, Kale, and Adamo. I’d dragged them all into this mess and I was determined to drag them right back out.
“This is really important to you, isn’t it?” I asked her.
Echo nodded. “It is, and I’m scared. We’re breaching a border that is guarded by many and running foolhardily into the King’s arms. Gods, it’s so hard to imagine he is not my father. He was the only one I knew.”
“I’m sorry about that, Echo, but we won’t even be long. You’re only to get Isobeli and your mother and bring them back. The guys will take care of the rest. Everyone will meet here and we’ll escape into the woods.”
“And just us, alone?” she said incredulously. “I can’t die out there, I have too much to live for now. Within days we’ve become fugitives and are now plotting a war! We’re going to kill people, Ayden. I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” I went to her and held her tight. “We’re not going to slaughter everyone in sight; we’re going for the King. Not to kill him, but to declare our freedom. Don’t you want that? To be free?”
“It’s all I’ve wanted,” she whispered. “I’m so frightened that I’ll lose myself in this, though, that I’ll lose you. Do you even know how much it pains me to think of you as dead? It’s unnatural and unthinkable.”
Echo’s voice was soft and barely above a whisper. Of course I had my own doubts, but they were subtle. I believed in Giovanni, I believed in Echo. That was all the affirmation I needed.
“Echo, look at me.” Echo glanced up and I noticed the tears in her eyes. She was crying so much lately, but I didn’t blame her. There was a time for everything and she deserved this moment. “We’re not hiding, we’re not running. We’re going to fight for this. Burning bridges, remember?”
Echo smiled. “Yeah, I remember. I get the flames, you get the bridge?”
I laughed and glanced over at the guys watching us in the field. “Sounds perfect.”
“You kids practicing or what?” Giovanni called.
Echo kissed me, and then walked over to him. “Yeah, sorry. It was partially his fault, anyway.” She jabbed a finger in my direction. “It’s the lips.”
Adamo whistled and wiggled his eyebrows. Giovanni gave me a disappointing look and I merely shrugged, laughing silently to myself.
“What can I say? It’s the lips.”
T W E N T Y–
S E V E N
Echo
I was to be wedded in two days. Not that I feared anything, but I couldn’t see how time had flown by so fast. I was grateful for the time I had with Ayden and wouldn’t take it back for the world, but every time I allowed my mind to drift, I thought about the impending war, I thought about my mother, and I thought about Isobeli. I worried myself to the point of depression; I don’t think I’d ever cried so much in my life.
Ayden managed to make all the pain go away with a single kiss, though. With his words alone, he made me feel secure and fearless.
“What does that one look like?” I asked him, pointing to the cloud over our heads.
“A duck,” he said.
“Really? I’d say it’s more of a rabbit.”
“A rabbit?” He laughed and shook his head. “No way. That’s clearly a duck, do you not see the bill?”
“I see ears. Rabbit ears.” Still laughing, Ayden rolled over on the blanket we’d laid out in the field and turned to watch me. We started calling this place The Bleeding Heart Garden awhile ago, and it seemed to fit. I always wondered what was beyond the green hillside, my thoughts of a different world beyond Old or New Haven conjured anew. “What was school like for you?” I asked him silently.
“Didn’t you go?”
I faced him and stroked the side of his face. I could never get enough of looking into those eyes. “No, not really. My mother taught me everything I know right there in the palace until I had turned seventeen. Shadow and Everlae were taught that way as well. Caesar, my older brother, was the only one who went to an actual school to learn.”
Ayden groaned and crossed his eyes, making the matter seem a lot less serious. “You didn’t miss much. I kind of wish I hadn’t gone, actually. I don’t remember learning a thing.”
“And what about church? Did you go?”
Frowning, he said, “No. My mother is very religious, but my father and I are at crossroads. We don’t know what to believe. Milo and Misty are oblivious to the whole thing.”
“You know,” I muttered, staring out at the wispy clouds, “I’m not sure what to believe either. Mother told me that there are many gods and we should thank them every day, but Issy once told me that in Kylon they believe in one god. It’s a lot to take in, so I just sort of ignore it. The way I see it, if there is a god or gods, Alwaenia wouldn’t have been so horribly destroyed.”
“But then everything happens for a reason,” Ayden stated. “God or gods, they must have a reason. I just have a hard time figuring out what it is.”
I sighed in agreement and blew my untamed hair from my face. In the last moments when you know you are about to put everything on the line, you find out a lot about yourself. In a way, I guess you never know how strong you are until you are running for your life. You never notice how important the people are around you until they are gone.
I was determined to survive this.
Pushing back the hair from my face, Ayden whispered, “I love you.”
“How much?” I teased.
“Another rhetorical question, right? Because there is no limit to the kind of love I have for you, Echo—it’s infinite and unconditional.”
“You mean that?” I mumbled against his lips.
He smiled and said, “I may be a lot of things, Echo, but—”
“You’re not a liar,” I finished. “Not with me.”
When my lips touched Ayden’s, I couldn’t help the tears of joy that came. I was just so happy and alive that, for the moment, nothing else mattered but this feeling of total bliss. It encased me from the inside out and every nerve in my body sparked, flew, and then finally exploded in a euphoric ecstasy.
Breaking away, I playfully poked him in the eye and he winced. “I’m going to go blind with all the poking you’re doing.” He laughed, flashing that cocky grin. I poked him in his side just to see what he would do and he yelped out again. “That’s it. Someone needs to learn how to keep their hands to themselves.”
I rolled to the end of the blanket before Ayden could grab me and jumped to my feet. He chased me around the field as I ran in circles trying to escape him, and my cheeks burned from smiling so much. I’d only seen Ayden smile when he was with me, but his smile reached new limits then; a beautiful, glorious memory I’d treasure for eternity.
“What lesson are we learning, Ayden?” I taunted with a smile.
He watched me from a foot away with a heated glare. I stared back. “What lesson? No, love, we’re adlibbing. First thing is first: you reap what you sow.”
In a heartbeat, I was running in the other direction and up the hill. He followed me, of course, making my getaway a lot more impossible. “It was just one poke!” I yelled. I opened my mouth to speak again, but his arms snaked around my waist and pulled me back. He swung me around and poked me until I thought I’d see stars.
“It was only fair,” he whispered breathlessly, setting me back down on the ground. He kissed my temple and I sighed, laying my head back on his shoulders.
“I love you,” I muttered. My back pressed to his chest, I glanced up and kissed his lips. If kissing was a language I was sure we’d know it well. If it could measure the amount of love you felt for someone, our love was infinite after all. Even when we hugged I felt a special connection to him. It was in his loving embrace that I sought solace, where I found it, and where I would keep it. Our love was enchanting and magical, secretive and special. Overall, though, it was ours and we would treasure it.
“Tell me something I don’t know about myself,” I whispered once I’d broken the kiss.
Ayde
n’s chest vibrated with his laughter. “That’s an easy one. When you’re upset or nervous you play with the thread of your dress like a cat does yarn.”
“I do not.”
Ayden nodded.
“Okay, well when you’re upset you continuously comb your fingers through your hair. Not that it’s a bad thing, I love your hair. It’s a cute habit.”
Shaking his head, Ayden mumbled, “I can’t say the same.” I knew he was joking, so I lightly elbowed him in the chest to get my point across. “Okay, okay. I was kidding. You’re cute when you’re mad.”
“That’s what I thought.” I pointed to a cloud in the sky and his eyes followed. “What about that one?”
“A rabbit,” he said.
“You’re kidding. That looks like a rabbit, but the other didn’t? That’s clearly an octopus.”
“An octopus. In the sky?”
“It can happen. I suppose.” I held Ayden’s hands around my waist and closed my eyes. I could have fallen asleep right then. With all the practicing we’d been doing, I barely had time to sleep.
“It looks more like a turtle to me,” a voice said. Ayden and I spun around and searched for the person in the clearing. My first reaction was to assume it’d been in my head again, but when I saw Noah striding slowly towards us, I knew the only thing in my head was fear.
Ayden immediately pushed me behind him as he faced Noah. His muscles tensed and my breathing slowed to short gasps. “Who are you?” Ayden asked.
“Who am I? Well, I was going to ask you the same question. I also want to know why you have your grimy hands all over my woman.”
Woman? I balked inwardly and tried to hold back a laugh.
“Don’t worry about who I am. But she’s not going anywhere with you, whoever you are.”
“Ayden,” I whispered. I noticed then that Ayden really had no clue who Noah was. The fact that Noah had that over him frightened me.
Burning Bridges Page 25
