The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3

by Valerie Roeseler

  I growl through my gritted teeth, “I'll make you pay.”

  Eric gives Solas a meaningful glance. Solas’ face falls, clearly not happy with Eric's thoughts. Eric directs a sinister smirk at him as Solas tries to take a step back. Eric follows with his fists clinched at his sides and crouches low for an attack.

  “Hey!” I yell to get Eric’s attention. “What the fuck's going on!”

  Eric lunges and barely misses as Solas rolls away. My vision narrows again, and all I see is Eric. He's an immediate threat. I charge his side as Solas grabs a sword from the wall. Eric sees me coming and takes to the ceiling. He glares at me from above, and I know I have to find a way to get to him. He changes direction and dives at Solas. I chase after him as he slams Solas into the wall. Plaster explodes in chunks around Solas' unconscious form. I run up the side of the wall and use it to springboard. Flipping backward, I cartwheel with my legs, kicking Eric across the face. He's back on his feet before I land. He rushes to me as I storm towards him, and brief surprise crosses his face. He thought I would cower in place.

  I'm not a coward.

  I cartwheel again with my hands still tied behind my back, then change direction to flip backward over the top of him. He grabs my legs as I'm jumping over, and the pull brings us tumbling to the ground. As our momentum slows, I realize he'll land on top. On my back, I kick my legs straight up until my feet meet his ribs and throw him over my head. Eric grunts as his back meets the floor.

  I rush to Solas against the shattered wall, sword still in his hand. I crouch in front of him protectively as Eric stalks towards us. I rub the rope binding my hands on the blade. When they start to split one by one, I run out of time. I roll away from Eric’s progression and pull my arms away from each other with as much angelic force as I can muster. Eric pounces on me as I hear the bindings rip. My body's crushed into the wall as the rope falls away, and I smirk in arrogant triumph. Placing both hands on the wall at my back, I slam my head into Eric’s nose—signature Ivy move when I'm in a bind. I hear the bone crack, and blood gushes from his face. He stumbles backward. At once, I spring on him pinning him to the ground with my legs. Just as I bring my fist back to punch him in the face, both of my arms are restrained, and I'm pulled off of him.

  Solas' broad arms wrap around me tightly. Pride, passion, power. He whispers gruffly into my ear while I struggle to escape, “You got him, princess. Easy. Easy. We were just testing you. We knew you wouldn’t attack if it didn’t look real.”

  “What?” I scream, jerking to view him over my shoulder.

  Eric coughs on the floor and rises to one knee, pinching his nose. “Damn, Ivy. You broke my nose,” he whines in a joking tone as he wipes his face with his arm.

  I lurch from Solas and storm into Eric’s face, pointing my finger at him as I sneer, “You fucking deserve it. I thought you turned on us. I thought you were going to kill him!”

  “That was the point,” he says, giving a dismissive shrug.

  I spin on Solas and glare. And you! Letting me think you were out cold! I know Eric's strength rivals with your own. What the—

  “I’m sorry. It was the only way to see how you could manage in that kind of situation.” I cross my arms over my chest and cock my hip out. “We only needed you to think you were in danger.”

  My tension and anger deflates, “So, you’re ok?”

  Solas holds the sides of my face, “I’m perfectly fine.” He kisses me in hungry passion. I wrap my arms around his hard body and melt into his powerful embrace.

  Eric clears his throat, but we ignore him. He passes us to ascend the stairs as he asks over his shoulder, “You guys coming? I’m starving.”

  “Don’t ever fucking do that to me again,” I growl for them both to hear.

  “You got it,” Eric mumbles at the top of the steps. Solas kisses my temple, and we follow Eric upstairs.

  I get cleaned up while we wait for Alice to return with the pizza. As I'm towel drying my hair, there's a light knock on my bedroom door. I open it to find Evelyn standing on the other side. Her hands clasp together in front of her as she stands resolute. “Evelyn?”

  “Can I speak with you, dear?” The tone in her request makes me nervous. I know what’s coming.

  “Sure. Please, come in,” I open the door wider to let her pass, and close the door quietly behind her. I take a deep breath as she crosses the room with her back to me. Tension builds inside of me. “Is everything alright?”

  Her shoulders sag, and she turns to me with her hands still clasped in front of her. “It’s Solas,” she states sadly.

  I knew this was coming. I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want to feel more treacherous than I already do. I love Solas, and our bond deepened during my capture. I don’t know how to explain to her how I feel. I take a tentative step towards her and stop. “I don’t know what to say, Evelyn.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Just listen.” Her eyes begin to gloss over, “I know you have a strong connection to him. I was shocked at first, but I understand your need to be comforted by him. He's been there for you through the roughest of times.”

  “I—”

  She cuts me off with the wave of her hand. “Just listen.” She takes a deep breath. “He's very protective of you. I may be reclusive around the manor, but I’m not naive. I know things have escalated between you two.” My heart begins to pound in my chest. I know this is where she'll admit being disappointed in me. She takes a step towards me and reaches out to hold my hands between us. I feel her nervousness, sadness, hope, and love. What I don’t feel is anger or discontent. I’m confused about what she's trying to say. I don’t say anything and wait for her to tell me what she feels. “Jack loves you, Ivy.” A tear betrays me, and she wipes it away with her thumb. “I know he wants you to be happy. I know he wants you to be protected. I'm not angry or disappointed with you. I noticed the connection between you and Solas the first day you arrived with him.” She pauses, and I see hesitation cross her face. She seems afraid to say more.

  I urge her on, “But?”

  “But… There are things about him, Ivy, which you need to be aware of. He's Fallen for a reason. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  I’m saddened by her words, yet angry all the same. I can’t understand why everyone's so apprehensive about him. I know his heart. I know his intentions. He may be Fallen, but in my gut, I know it's a mistake. “I know what he is. It doesn’t change how I feel about him. I trust Solas with my life. He would never hurt me.”

  She lets out a breath of resignation, embracing me. “I hope you’re right, dear. I hope you’re right.” I'm glad she understands—somewhat—about my feelings for Solas. Her peace and calm settles over me and fields my anger.

  “Pizza’s here!” I hear Alice call from downstairs. The spicy Italian confection assaults my senses, and my stomach growls in response.

  Evelyn releases me from her embrace. “You should go eat, dear. You worked up quite an appetite today,” she says with a forced smile.

  “Are you coming?”

  “No, dear. I have a meeting with Michael. I’m to update him on what we've discovered so far.”

  “Ok.” I turn to leave and pause with my hand on the doorknob. I glance over my shoulder, “Thank you, Evelyn.” She nods, playing with the pearls of her necklace.

  Descending the stairs, my stomach grumbles again. I round the corner to the kitchen where three large pizza boxes are stacked on top of each other on the marble island. Eric lifts the lid of the top box and takes a big whiff of the heated steam rolling off the pizza. “Mmm.”

  Alice takes plates out of the cabinet, and I hug her from behind. “I love you, Alice.”

  “Only because I feed you,” she chides.

  “No. You’re my best friend. I’m sorry about earlier. I would never hurt you,” I tell her.

  She turns to me with loving eyes, “I know.” Her eyes avert to Eric, and she snaps at him, “Hey! Use a plate!” She marches to the island and
thrusts a plate in his hands.

  Solas kisses my cheek. “Are you ok?”

  I let out a breath and fake a smile to ease his worry, “Yeah.”

  As we scarf down the pizza, we discuss my animalistic fury during training. I explain the protective nature that overwhelmed me, and Eric voices how proud of me he is for not letting my emotions hinder my ability to protect Solas during their ruse. They laugh at my appetite as I finish off an entire pizza by myself, comparing me to the Griffins.

  Solas' new cell phone buzzes on the table, and the screen lights up with Beckett’s face. Solas looks confused as he puts him on speaker, “Hey. What’s up?”

  Beckett’s voice resonates with desperation, “Chief. We’ve got a problem.”

  “What’s wrong?” Solas prompts.

  “Theodora's briefed us. Her connection in Sheol notified her that one of the soldiers escaped after the ceremony. They know Ivy destroyed Beleth. They're coming.”

  “Shit!” Solas shouts. “When?”

  “Soon.”

  Solas commands with militant modulation, “Gather the Griffins. Bring what you can of the arsenal, and get here as soon as you can. Brief me on any further information as it comes. Get here. We'll set up a parameter. Our top priority is protecting Ivy.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He disconnects with Beck. Alice grips Eric's bicep as she address Solas, “What do we do?”

  “I need to speak to Evelyn. We’re about to have a legion of Griffins descending on the manor. I need her to understand the necessity of their presence.”

  “What do you want us to do?” Eric asks, and I realize that while he and Solas have taken the lead on our strategies thus far, Solas has remained Chief Commander even outside of The Keep. Though they respect each other equally, Eric's become his second in command.

  “We can’t let them know someone's blown the whistle. We keep going on as we have. Act normal. Someone stays with Ivy at all times. In the afternoons, we train. It'll take the Griffins two days to arrive. Eric, you'll work with the Griffin's General and me to strategize defenses when they arrive.” My anxiety peers its ugly head with the intensity of Solas’ voice. He reads the emotions clearly written across my face and takes my hand in a comforting gesture. “In the meantime, I need you and Alice to gather as many weapons as you can.”

  Eric smirks, a wicked glint behind his violet eyes, “We’ve got that covered in spades.”

  “Good,” Solas states before addressing me. He squeezes my hand once, “You’ve got practice Saturday. We have to keep up the pretense that we're oblivious. I need you to be careful when you go shopping with Alice.”

  “We’re going shopping?” Alice tilts her head.

  “I need a costume for the Ball. You promised to help me find one,” I remind her.

  Her excitement builds as she adds, “Well, maybe it'll help distract us. You need more than a costume. You need a whole wardrobe. I doubt they're coming back with your belongings now that they have to bring weapons.”

  Chapter 25

  I spend the entire next day combing over the last of my assignments to turn in from my absences. I find it hard to concentrate with the lack of sleep the night before. My nerves are shot with the impending battle looming over my shoulders. At some point, I nod off.

  The interior of my Honda S2K reeks of marijuana. I roll down the window to release the smoke from inside the car. “Slow down. You’re going to kill us before we even make it to the strip,” Gideon chides from the passenger seat.

  “I got this, G. When have you ever doubted my abilities?” I quip. He’s never any fun when I’m high. He refuses to smoke with me, claiming it just doesn’t do anything for him. I think that’s crap, but he never complains about me smoking around him, just broods.

  “I don’t doubt your abilities. Never,” Gideon confesses as I pull up to a stoplight in downtown L.A.

  I survey his serious expression. The red stop light illuminates his blonde hair, making him appear to be a ginger. His ice blue eyes pierce me to the core. It’s then I realize how pathetic I am. For the last three years of our relationship, I've pretended he didn’t break my heart. I pretended I don’t love him with the intensity I do. I let him think I felt more like his sister so I could keep him in my life, even if I could never be with him. I loved him more than anything. Only, that love was never returned the same way. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but I would never chance it, afraid he would drift away from me.

  We were best friends for two years before we tried to date each other. No one had ever shown me that much affection. We were young then and only went as far as holding hands and gentle making out. Until one day, he changed. Gideon told me he didn’t feel like we were meant to be together. He said he felt more like my brother. I played off the pain in my heart he caused and laughed before I lied to him for the first time. I told him I felt the same way. I’ve had to suffer the last three years, watching him date other girls, but I couldn’t live without him. I wouldn’t. I'd never admit my true love for him.

  I wake from my dream with an ache in my chest. It was a memory of the night I crashed my S2K and Gideon left me for dead. He betrayed me. I loved him, and he betrayed me. His actions that night, and the lack of action in the following weeks, all lead me to believe he was responsible for my wreck somehow. It never made sense, though, because he was always so protective of me. Funny, how it hurts after all this time.

  In a sleepy haze, I slink to the bathroom and fill the claw foot tub. I strip down and step into the steaming water. It burns at first, but the further I sink into the water, the more relaxed my muscles become. I close my eyes. The dripping faucet permeates the silence. Flashes of Trey being hung in the dungeon of The Keep torment me, his blood falling with a rhythmic drip. My eyes shoot open, and I push forward to tighten the levers for the hot and cold water until the dripping ceases. Memories of Trey bring about more memories from that dreadful dungeon. Jack. His lifeless body hanging from the ceiling. His feet swinging over his own pool of blood.

  I throw myself back into the water and submerge my face to drown out the memories. I cry and heave in convulsions beneath the water. Jack's gone. Because of me, he's gone. Gideon's gone. He betrayed me. It's only a matter of time before Solas leaves me too. I sit up and fold my arms over the edge of the tub, resting my chin on my arms as I stare at the white tile floor.

  There’s a knock on the door. “Ivy?” Solas calls from the other side.

  “Yeah?” I croak.

  “Is everything ok?”

  I attempt a lighter tone, “Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute.” I decided to pull myself together and block his telepathy.

  I can’t let him see me like this. We have a battle coming, and I needed to be strong. I can’t let my weakness get in the way of what I need to do.

  Solas stays with me the rest of the night. Sleep's hard to come by for us both. We lie awake in bed, entwined in each other’s embrace. We don't speak. There's nothing either of us can say to lighten the situation at hand. As the sun begins to rise, it casts an orange and pink glow in the sky and through the windows of the French doors. I lay across Solas’ bare chest and rest my chin on my hand. The sunrise glowing across his masculine features make him look every bit angelic. “I love you,” I whisper.

  Perhaps looking for a reason I would voice my feelings for the first time, he searches my face and brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. Heart-wrenching pain flows from him with his touch. “Ivy,” he hesitates.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to tell you something. I want you to know the truth about me before you confess your feelings. I just don’t know how to tell you. I don’t want what I have to say to change your feelings towards me.” I lift my head to see him better as he pauses. “I love you more than I could ever express in one lifetime, Ivy.”

  I melt with his words. “I told you before, Solas. I know the goodness in you. I trust you with my life… With my heart.”

  Framing m
y face with his large hands, he whispers, “You don’t understand.”

  “I don’t need to know your past. I know your heart. I do love you. From the first time I saw you in The Keep, I felt a connection to you. I didn’t know what to make of it at the time, but it strengthened with every touch, every word spoken or unspoken between us, and every time our eyes met. It’s an unbreakable bond I don’t ever want to be without.”

  “Ivy—,” he begins.

  A knock on the door interrupts our moment, and I look to the source. “Rise and shine, honey! We’re going shopping!” Alice shouts from the hall.

  I grumble and roll onto my back. “Her enthusiasm in the mornings is so irritating. I mean, who wakes up like that?” I mumble to the ceiling, rubbing my eyes.

  “I heard that!” Alice yells, retreating back down the hall.

  Throwing the covers back, I rummage my closet for any clean clothes left from Alice. I settle on a pair of skinny jeans—which look like Capri pants on me—and a plain gray cotton shirt that brings out the color of my eyes. Brushing out my hair in the bathroom mirror, Solas hugs my waist from behind as his lips trail down my neck.

  I close my eyes. “Mmm... You’re starting a fire,” I mumble, leaning back into him.

  “Stay,” he whispers into my ear as he gives me a devious smirk in our reflection.

  “I can’t. We don’t have a whole lot of time before practice. I need clothes,” I whine, turning in his powerful arms.

  He gives me a quick peck on the lips and sighs. “This conversation isn’t over. We need to talk later.”

  I realize he's not going to let this go until he's told me everything he needs to, so I relent, “Ok.”

  I throw my guitar into the backseat of the Evo as Alice jumps into the passenger seat. I start the car and round out of the driveway, creeping up to the closed gate. Before we reach the gate, Maximus steps into our path. I come to a stop, and he stands tall, blocking the exit. Rolling down the window, I yell out to him, “Max! What are you doing? Get out of the way!” He snorts and shakes his head, pawing the ground with a hoof.