Wicked Game

by Romy Lockhart

  “Eden, you might as well walk straight into traffic in rush hour.” Cupid doesn’t like it one bit, apparently. Why am I not surprised?

  Eli nods slowly, straightening as I hug Skyler and smile at him. He knows what I have to do. He’s going to help me. I’m going to need as much help as I can get.

  Two Gods. Am I crazy?

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Asher

  I’ve found out Catherine is staying at a hotel in Haleton. It didn’t take much guess work. The woman would never stay in a bed and breakfast. A five star hotel near Rapture isn’t hard to narrow down. There’s only one. I called it and asked to be put through to her room, and I hung up after I heard her voice.

  She’d know someone was looking for her now, most likely, but I figured that was Logan’s problem. I didn’t owe the guy a thing. If anything, he owed me, and that was the only reason I was heading out to see him instead of telling him to get lost.

  He’d thrown me for a loop when he showed up at the library. The more I thought about that, the angrier it made me. The guy had tried to kill me out of sheer jealousy, and he has the audacity to then turn around and ask me for help? I’d thought he was a complete prick asshole before he shot me, and my opinion hasn’t gotten any more forgiving since.

  My head was on the tender side from Nick’s insistence on a drinking session last night, but I wasn’t quite brutally hung-over. I guessed that was because we were drinking spirits. Wine always has a more potent effect. Our conversation had veered into dangerous territory. It had seemed impolite at best to discuss a woman sexually when she wasn’t a part of the conversation, but loose lips seem to come hand in hand with alcoholic consumption. It had been enlightening, to say the least. Thoughts of how we were going to welcome Eden home consumed me. It was going to change everything between the three of us. I knew that, and it made my heart pound to consider what might happen after the act.

  I have to push those thoughts out of my head to concentrate on the task at hand. My irritation at Logan is becoming something more potent already. As long as I can contain it to mere anger, I’m sure I can make the most of this shitty situation and rid Rapture of two people who’ve caused us more than enough trouble for one lifetime.

  I decide to walk to Diana’s place after staring at my car keys for five minutes and wondering why I couldn’t remember where I’d parked it. Sasha’s house. I’d driven us there last night, not expecting to feel the need to get tanked up on wine. My mood had been foul before we even arrived. It could have been a perfectly nice meal. If Sasha wasn’t treating Nick as if he might steal the silver-wear the moment her back was turned. Truth was, Logan’s visit had wound me up, and I was already twisted up about Eden’s departure so soon after she’d come home. Not much could have made me feel better.

  It’s nice out and the fresh air is waking me up. I try to count the positives as I walk on towards Diana’s house. Eden loves me. I have a good job, and a nice car. I like Nick. I can see us becoming friends. He might be a little outrageous, but he’s a good guy. He cares about keeping Eden happy. If I took anything from our conversation last night, that was it. I might have assumed he was trying to talk me into something he wanted, but the more I listened, the more I realized it’s what Eden wants. No, it’s what she needs. Right now, she loves us and she knows we love her back, but she’s never going to trust that we accept everything she is and everything we have together until we can show her we mean it.

  “It’s the one thing she’ll never ask for that she really, truly needs,” Nick had told me, and the moment he said it, I knew he was right.

  Giving Eden everything she needs is up to us. She’s ours to satisfy, ours to protect.

  I think about that as I cross the street to get to the door of a woman I can’t stand. The last time I was here, it was to warn Diana to back off. Now she’s with an asshole who was obsessed with Eden. It feels like a strange sort of fate, and the best possible opportunity I could grasp to force them to get as far away from us as humanly possible.

  I knock on the door, noticing it isn’t quite properly catching in the lock. The long creak it makes swinging open is louder than the sounds I made on the door.

  I wait outside, hearing movement and breathing out a sigh of relief as Logan appears in the hallway. He comes toward me and stops at the doorway.

  “I know where she is.”

  “You could have just called.” His expression is tight. He doesn’t like that I came out here.

  I smile. “I have a proposition.”

  He frowns at me, his hand on the door. He’s trying to keep me out of sight in case Diana walks by. As if she wouldn’t just demand to know who he was talking to.

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about me helping you.” I fix him with a hard stare to make sure he knows how I feel about what I’m saying, without having to come right out and say the words. I shouldn’t need to. He’s a psycho, not an idiot.

  “You have a price.” He rolls his eyes.

  I keep my grip on the flaring anger that sparks. He’s trying to piss me off. I need to calm down. If I let him get to me, this plan of mine is dust. While it’d be no skin off my nose to see Diana’s mother grind this assholes bones into the ground, I need to remember that it also means Diana will become a threat to Eden once more. If I’d thought she was a bitch before, I hate to think what she’d be like if her lover was taken from her.

  “I do.”

  “Whatever it is, consider it done.” He closes the door halfway. “Text me the details. I’ll call you later.”

  “You don’t even...”

  “I don’t care if you want me to nuke this whole town, Asher. You help me with this and it’s done.”

  He closes the door. I guess that went well.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Eli

  I see it the instant Eden makes the decision to rescue the back-stabbing asshole who dragged her out to L.A. She’s determined. The fire in her eyes is a force to be reckoned with. A hundred questions rush through my head all at once. Maybe I should have asked more last night instead of using my tongue for other things. There’s so much I need to know before we do this.

  Her guide is worried. I don’t like that. It means this is serious. Eden may be immortal, but she can still be hurt. I’d ask exactly what that means if Skyler wasn’t still a sobbing mess in her arms.

  “We’re going back there,” I know that much for certain.

  Eden nods. She presses her lips together before she closes her eyes and engulfs Skyler in that light of hers. “Sky, you need to sleep now. You’re safe. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.”

  I see the moment the weeping woman becomes a dead weight in Eden’s arms. Swooping in, I lift Skyler and gaze down on her face. She’s passed out cold, cheeks wet from her tears.

  “Can you put her to bed please, Eli?”

  I nod and take her out of the room. I can hear Eden hissing irritably at her guide as he continues to issue warnings. I move back into the room and they go quiet. Closing Sky’s bedroom door, I take a breath.

  “What exactly are we up against here? Why is this is dangerous when Eden’s immortal?” I need to know how best to protect her. I need to know everything.

  “You can’t take him.” The guy is blunt. I can tell he won’t be swayed on this, but I can’t tell why.

  I raise an eyebrow at him. “Excuse me?”

  He doesn’t even glance my way. He just keeps his focus on Eden. “Eden, you know they’ll instantly kill him in front of you. It came this close to happening already. If you need to do this, you need to leave him here.”

  “Screw that.” I can’t let her go back there alone. I look Eden over but her gaze avoids mine.

  “He’s right, Eli. I can’t be hurt physically. I would heal from that. The only thing that could make me mortal is to break my heart.” She lets her eyes meet mine on the last word. “If they killed you, it would start to happen. Bringing
you is like handing them a weapon to use against me. I can’t do it.”

  “They must have weaknesses we can exploit.” I refuse to take on board what she’s saying.

  “Someone needs to stay with Skyler anyway,” she goes on. “That’s important. They might try to get her back.”

  “So we can call in a babysitter. Get as many bodyguards in here as you want. I’m not letting you go back there alone.”

  She blinks. “That’s it.”

  “Bad idea,” her guide says, shaking his head.

  “What is it?”

  “I can’t go alone. I need Asher.”

  “Eden, you’re asking for trouble if you involve any of your lovers in this.”

  “Are you telling me two of us aren’t better than one?” She frowns at him before she goes into her pocket for her phone.

  The guy sighs at her. “I’m telling you this is a horrible idea.”

  She smiles as she makes the call.

  I don’t get it. “What makes Asher so...”

  “Logan killed him. Eden brought him back. He’s immortal now, like she is. He can’t be killed. At least, not permanently.”

  I let that sink in. It makes a lot more sense as to why Logan would bury him, thinking he was dead.

  “Asher!” She starts to talk to him, walking away from us into the bedroom.

  “So they can’t hurt him.”

  He shrugs in response. It’s not exactly reassuring.

  “How much danger is she in if she goes back there?”

  “She’s newly awakened. She did well with one before, but these two are more powerful. She doesn’t stand a chance.”

  “Even with Asher?”

  “If she gets out of this intact, he won’t.”

  Fuck. I wish I knew what to do here. It all sounds so fucking hopeless.

  “I doubt she’ll be able to save Lawson either. This is going to explode in our faces.”

  She comes back into the room and sits down. “Asher’s on his way. If he can’t get a flight in the next few hours, he’ll drive. We need to sit tight and come up with a plan.”

  “I’ll be back when you need me.”

  Her guide disappears. She barely notices. Her thoughts are elsewhere. The hotel.

  “I’m going to call bodyguards to come in and start working,” she tells me. “You need to stay here either way, Eli. I can’t risk you.”

  “I can’t just watch you leave, Eden. Not knowing you’re going into a deadly situation.”

  I’d protect her with my life. I can’t handle letting her risk herself like this. Even if she’s not exactly mortal. Even if the only way to hurt her is through her heart.

  “You have to. Besides, I’ve got this feeling they’ll send people to get Sky once we’re with them. I can’t stand the thought of that, Eli. She’s already been through so much.”

  “So you want me to stay here and protect your friend.”

  It feels like I’m being side-lined. I was never any good at sitting back and watching others play the game. I don’t think I know how to do this.

  “Please, Eli. If you come with us, you could be killed. These Gods don’t mess around. The one you saw me destroy killed two men in front of me with a fucking glance. I’m not even exaggerating. They don’t need to touch you to kill you.”

  I remember the men lying on the ground now that I think about it. What good can a mortal man do against Gods? “Don’t they have any weaknesses?”

  She shrugs. “Honestly, the guy I met was terrifying. I think I only figured out what would break through his darkness by some sort of fluke. It was panic that forced me to act on that. I knew he was about to kill you. I don’t know if I could pull it off a second time.”

  “Maybe you’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’re stronger than you think.”

  She smiles at me, but there’s sadness in her eyes. “I wish I was strong. Honestly, sometimes I think I’m just crazy.”

  I pull her into my arms. “Don’t ever call yourself crazy. You’re not.”

  “I’m not?” She whispers the words, blinking back tears.

  I shake my head slowly. “You care too much, maybe. That doesn’t make you crazy.”

  “I’m scared, Eli. I don’t know if I can do this, but I need to.”

  I need to quit dragging over this. She’s told me what she needs me to do. I can’t go against that now and mess everything up for her. She’s trusting me not to do that. I need to trust that she isn’t about to dive in over her head. How can she trust herself if I doubt her?

  “I wish you didn’t need to, Eden, but you do and I’ll do whatever you need me to do to help you.” I kiss her soft lips gently and let her go. “You can do this.”

  “I can?”

  “What are your instincts telling you?”

  She smiles. “I can do this.”

  “Good girl.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Nick

  I wake up when I realise all of the stomping around isn’t going to stop anytime soon. Groaning, I remove the covers from my face only to see it isn’t even midday yet. What the hell? Someone had better be dying...

  I throw off the tangled sheets and don’t bother to put on clothes. Naked and pissy, I leave the room to find out who woke me before it’s even time for breakfast.

  Surprise, surprise. It’s Asher, and he’s throwing shit around as if he barely has time to think. The noise is coming from the room we shared with Eden for one night, before she had to head back to L.A. He claimed it as his. I yawn as he darts around, leaning in the doorframe to keep myself upright.

  “What’s the deal with this?” I spot the bag and frown. “Are you leaving, or...”

  He takes a deep breath and looks at me, doing a little double-take and frowning before he speaks. “Why are you naked?”

  I shrug. “It’s the break of dawn.”

  “It’s ten a.m.”

  “Same difference.”

  He straightens. “I need to get to L.A.”

  “Uh, what? Is Eden okay?” I’m suddenly wide awake.

  “There are Gods of Destruction she needs to navigate before she can come home.” Ah, now I understand the tight lines to his expression.

  “That sounds pretty fucking bad.”

  “Hence why I’m joining her in L.A.” His gaze locks with mine suddenly. “Shit.”

  “What?” I don’t know why he’s looking at me like that.

  “I can’t leave you here.”

  “You can’t?” I don’t know what the hell kind of use I’d be around all powerful immortal beings. I mean, unless they were looking for a good time, like two years ago.

  “Catherine.” He closes his eyes briefly. “Fuck. You’ll just have to come with me.”

  “Giving me orders now? I didn’t say you could be in control twenty-four-seven.”

  His glare cuts through me. “Get dressed, and be quick about it.”

  I get moving, wondering what the hell’s going on. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough. I rush through my bathroom routine so I don’t rattle Asher any more than he’s already done to himself. I toss on crumpled jeans and a fresh T-shirt. No time for underwear. Just as well I don’t really care for it.

  “Are we flying?” I call through as I look for socks.

  “We have to drive,” he calls back. “We couldn’t get a flight until tonight.”

  “We’re road-tripping?” I find my wallet and shove it into my pocket once I’m stuffing my feet into my sneakers. It’ll take hours to drive there. Eden better not be desperate for our company. “I can call a guy. We might be able to take a helicopter.”

  He raises an eyebrow at me as he comes out of his room. “Seriously?”

  “I’ll make the call.” If I can remember where I dropped my phone last night. I go back into my room and hunt around the bed. I find it on the floor next to the night stand.

  My inbox in full to bursting with business shit and booty calls from ex-flings who refuse to believe I’ve changed
. I ignore the messages. I have been for a while. Responses only invite conversation.

  I make the call to Jay. He’s an old friend from college who does private rentals on flights in L.A. Mostly he does mini air-tours in smaller helicopters, but I know he has a couple of bigger ones that can do longer flights and can refuel in the air.

  “Nick?” He sounds shocked. “Did hell just freeze over? Or did my watch stop?”

  I laugh. “I know it’s early. Listen, I was looking to book a flight.”

  “How many?”

  I wonder how long it’s been since I called him. Too long, going by the sly tone he’s hitting me with. “I need something that can pick me and a friend up in Rapture, in a couple of hours, and bring us to L.A.”

  “Rapture? I know I’ve heard of it.” He sounds like he’s thinking. “Wait, yeah. I know it. Shit, man. You’re actually seeing Eden Rose?”

  I bite down on the initial instinct to crack a joke. Keeping things light is what you do when it’s nothing serious. This is so different to all of my other relationships; so far removed I barely know how to react. Eden knows it’s serious. The world doesn’t, not yet.

  “We’ve been together for a while now. We’re not just seeing each other.”

  “Wow. Man, I know she was like your Holy Grail. Congrats.”

  “Thanks. So, you think you can hook me up?”

  “Give me half an hour. I need to round up a pilot. I’ll call you back.”

  He hangs up and I glance at my full inbox before I stuff the phone back into my pocket.

  Asher’s still standing in the hallway, apparently waiting impatiently for me to tell him if we’re flying to L.A.

  “I’m waiting on a call back. He needs to go find a pilot.”

  Asher frowns. “You think he’ll be able to?”

  “He usually manages.”

  “Maybe we should head toward the airport. Then there’s no wasted time if he can’t get someone.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “This thing with those Gods must really be serious.”