* * *
“I can’t believe this,” Carrie tearfully said after we told her and Tree almost everything that happened after the first night I met Nathan. We left out the ring part because it was bad enough they now knew about the dark spirits, which could put them in danger if they weren’t smart about it. But if they knew about the ring and my involvement, they’d want to help, and I couldn’t risk their lives. I did, however, still needed to tell Nathan what the “old one” had said to me. “Tree and I are going to be old and decrepit while you and Nathan remain looking like you do now. That’s not fair.”
“Carrie,” Tree said, trying to calm her down. “Brayden will be old too.”
Nathan was standing between the two couches. I glanced at him, and he nodded.
“Um.” I scratched my head, tilting it to the side.
Tree scrutinized my face, then blanched. “Brayden too?”
Carrie’s eyes darted between us. “What?” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and sniffed.
“Anwar told us yesterday Brayden has been marked for immortality as well,” I said and winced, knowing she was going to have a fit.
“Brayden too!” She smacked her knee with her fist and slammed her back against the couch, burying her face in her hands, crying again.
“I can’t believe it.” Tree shook his head, draping an arm around Carrie. “Does Brayden know about you two being immortal as well?”
Nathan placed a box of Kleenex on the wooden coffee table in front of Carrie. “No, and we would like you two not to tell him or let him know what you know about him. You need to keep what we’ve told you a secret because it’s not safe.”
“Anwar already spoke to us about that and we will,” Tree said. “But what if Brayden tells us?”
“It’s your judgment call.” Nathan shrugged. “We trust the two of you will do the right thing.” He sat next to me, but when I stood, he took my hand, giving me a where-are-you-going look. I glanced at Carrie still crying in her hands and understanding dawned on his face.
“Carrie,” I said, sitting beside her. “It’s going to be okay.” I bumped shoulders with her until she dropped her hands.
“It’s not okay, Paige. I’m going to be an old hag, and you’re still going to be young and beautiful. And Brayden is going to stay young as well. It’s not fair. Why can’t we be immortal with you?”
I tenderly wiped her tears. “I don’t know, but like we told you before, you have to be marked in order to be able to turn immortal. We can’t willfully turn you. It doesn’t work that way.”
“I just thought of something.” Tree moved to the edge of the couch with his legs spread apart, his face ghostly pale. “When Brayden finds out Paige is immortal too, he’s going to see it as proof they belong together.”
“Yes, we’ve already acknowledged that fact,” Nathan answered with displeasure.
“You two don’t understand,” Tree said, a note of panic in his voice. “Something is going on with Brayden, and I’ve noticed a change in him.”
“We all have,” I said.
Carrie made an agreement sound while she grabbed a Kleenex, and then blew her nose.
“Brayden was never like this before,” Tree told Nathan. “But I’ve seen a strong determination in him when it comes to Paige. He seriously believes they belong together, and he hates you. He thinks you’re taking advantage of her, even though we’ve told him otherwise, and he believes you’re using her vulnerability to get what you want from her.”
I looked at him. “But it’s not true.”
He rubbed his hands together, his grave eyes on mine. “We know, but that’s what he thinks. He feels like Nathan has seduced you into thinking you two belong together.”
“That’s so frickin’ stupid,” I said under my breath, noticing Nathan clenching his hands in his lap.
“I know, but when he finds out you’re immortal as well, he’ll make it his mission to get you to see the truth as he sees it, and he won’t stop until you’re his.”
“He’s going to have to go through me before he gets to her,” Nathan fumed. “My tolerance for that boy ended when he put his filthy hands on her, and he’s damned lucky I didn’t bash his head in.”
“But,” Carrie said, much calmer now. “Paige is stronger now, so she can fight him off.”
“So is Brayden,” Tree commented with a sour look.
“Brayden will always be stronger than me,” I told them. “But Nathan is much older and stronger than him.”
Nathan’s ears were dark red, and I could hear the quickness in his breaths and heartbeat from across the room.
Tree held his hands up. “Wait a second. How old are you Nathan?”
Nathan took a deep breath, then released it. A whooshing sound flooded my ears. “I was born in 1837 and turned immortal in 1856,” he answered.
“Holy fuck,” Carrie said, clapping a hand on her mouth.
“Are you serious?” Tree’s eyes were so big, I thought they were going to bust.
I laughed. “That was my same reaction when he told me.”
“Were you in the Civil War?” Tree asked, which stunned me because I never thought to ask him that. Dang it. Why hadn’t I thought of that? I was the one who loved history.
The corner of Nathan’s mouth lifted, and I was thankful for this change in conversation.
“My brothers were. They fought with the German immigrants who were antislavery, and they were at Camp Jackson with General Lyon when they captured the local militia, who were pro-slavery. This happened on May 10, 1861. I wasn’t a part of it in fear my brothers might recognize me, but I did what I could to protect them.”
I was speechless. I had no idea about this part of his life and was in total wonderment of him. He had told me what it was like back then, but never mentioned this.
Carrie removed her hand. “Did they die?”
“No,” Nathan replied. “But one of my brothers lost a leg and almost died from it.”
“What did you do to protect your brothers?” I asked him.
“Well, besides tracking dark spirits, I gained the confidence of independent guerrilla bands. I discovered their tactics and used the knowledge to protect my brothers. I actually obtained quite a bit of useful information from Jesse Woodson.”
“You’re shittin’ me?” Tree’s jaw dropped, his eyes still huge. Carrie and I looked at each other, not getting why Tree was acting like this. “You knew Jesse James?”
“What!” Carrie and I screeched.
Nathan smiled, entertained by our reaction. “Yes, and he’s not the Robin Hood some people claim him to be. He participated in terrible atrocities, and after the war he used the tactics he learned and applied them to bank and train robberies.”
Tree turned to me accusingly. “Did you know this about him?”
I playfully shot a dirty look at Nathan. “No.”
Nathan laughed. “Well, I didn’t know about you playing the tin whistle.”
I went to him and smacked his knee. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me to him and bent me over his lap. He flashed me a silly grin and kissed me.
“Have you heard her play?” Carrie asked him.
“Yes, I have, and she plays beautifully.” He shifted me into his arms, and I felt warm blood rushing to my face.
Carrie leaned forward as if this was the most fascinating conversation she’d ever had. “Have you seen her dance to that type of music?”
“Carrie.” My cheeks were getting hotter. She made a face, enjoying my embarrassment.
Tree, on the other hand, was deep in thought, not paying attention to us.
“No,” Nathan said. “But I plan to.”
Carrie continued embarrassing me. “We used to play make-believe in the woods where Paige was the fairy, which is why Tree sometimes calls her that. I was the princess, Tree was the wizard, and Brayden was the knight. We would pretend an evil sorcerer had put a sleeping spell on all of us, except it didn’t affect Paige. So in order for her t
o break the spell, she had to play her Celtic music and dance around us until the spell was broken.”
“You guys were very imaginative,” Nathan said, impressed.
“Well, our parents didn’t believe in kids rotting their brains inside the house,” Tree said. “Anyway, I want to know more about the Civil War.”
“Give it a rest, Tree.” Carrie rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he’ll tell you more about it some other time. I want to know what these two can do.” She looked at us in anticipation.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t even tried it out yet,” I said.
“Let’s go see what you can do.” Nathan stood and took my hand.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Revelation
Beyond the Eyes: YA Paranormal Romance Page 58