“Yes,” Notus said. We’ve spotted four men so far at the place where your father is being held, but we think there are two more—the boss and the traitor from your father’s work. It’s important that when we launch an offensive, we know where they all are. It’s the best way of guaranteeing his safety.” He nodded encouragingly. “Also, I spoke to the Oracle—your father is fine.”
Eden exhaled gently. That was encouraging news. Notus and the others seemed so competent and they had their dragon skills, which made them so much superior to humans.”
“Thank you. That’s very good to hear,” Eden said slowly, examining her fingers. “I was thinking we could—”
Notus was staring at the wall behind Eden with distant eyes, his mouth gaping. He put a hand behind his ear and furrowed his brow, as if he was straining to hear Eden’s words. But she wasn’t speaking.
“Notus?” Eden asked quietly. “Are you okay?”
He didn’t even look at her. Instead, he was nodding frantically and searching his pockets. His lips were moving slightly as if he was speaking but no sounds came out of his mouth.
Notus let out a deep breath and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Eden’s heart started banging in her chest. Notus swiped the screen of his phone rapidly and put the device to his ear, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown.
“Xephyr,” he said into the phone. “The Oracle tells me they’re planning to move Todd to a different location after midnight tomorrow. We have to get them before that.”
Blood pounded in Eden’s ears.
Notus listened for a moment, pacing nervously up and down the room. “I know, I know. It’s not ideal. But we don’t have any choice. Apparently there’s a meeting late tomorrow afternoon, at the same site, and they all should be there.” He paused. “Yes, that’s right. She said we’ll have an opportunity to capture them then.” He listened for another while. “Good. Yes. We’re leaving now. Speak to you later.”
Notus looked at Eden, his face taut with tension. “We have to go,” he said. “Pack a small bag, but please be quick. We should be out of here as fast as we can.”
Eden’s heart thumped in her chest. “Is my father okay? What’s going on?”
“Yes, he’s fine,” Notus’s face softened when he saw her panic. “Everything is fine,” he said, reassuringly. “We’re just taking a precaution. I’ll explain everything in the car.”
“Okay,” Eden said and ran toward her bedroom.
“Take warm clothes and a jacket,” he called after her. “We are going to the mountains.”
Eden grabbed a small suitcase, her hands trembling, and threw the first clothes she saw in it: a couple of pullovers, winter boots, scarf, gloves and her warm parka jacket.
She could hear Notus rushing in the guest bedroom, banging things. She ran to her bathroom and took her toiletries bag.
“I’m ready.”
“Great. Let’s go,” Notus said, taking her suitcase from her, which he carried in his right hand along with his own overnight bag.
They ran to the opposite side of the street, and Notus opened the passenger door of a black Porsche Cayenne for her. She climbed into the seat as he put their carryalls in the trunk.
Notus took his place behind the steering wheel and started the engine.
“I heard the voice of the Oracle.” He stepped down on the accelerator, and the car sped through the street. “The Russians are moving your father to a different location after midnight tomorrow, and the Oracle said that we need to capture them before that. He’s not in danger, they’re just planning to take him out of the country.”
“Out of the country?” Eden’s heart sped up again.
“Yes. It’s consistent with their plan to keep him a long-term hostage, so he can work for them. But we’ll get them before that.” Notus’s voice was confident. “Xephyr and the others are putting together a plan of attack now. And we’re moving to a secret safe location—just as a precaution.”
“Is it risky? Capturing them and saving my father?” she asked.
“Yes, it always is. But we’re in a strong position. We have a lot of advantages as dragons, and especially as chameleids. They won’t even see us coming.”
“What about the boss and the traitor? You wanted to find out who they are before you attack, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. But the Oracle said there’s a meeting tomorrow, and we hope that they’ll be there. It’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
His assurance calmed her, and Eden leaned back in her seat, trying to relax. Trying focus on the dragons’ natural advantages. Her father couldn’t be in better hands, she told herself over and over. And the Russians didn’t want to harm him.
“How many sexy cars do you own?” Eden asked, craving a change of topic.
“I’ve got a few,” he said seriously. “I bought this yesterday. We needed another anonymous SUV.”
“The lay-low car that Eurus drove was from a few decades ago,” Eden said, chuckling.
“I’m not Eurus,” Notus said, a slight coldness in his voice. Was that jealousy? Was he upset she’d compared him to Eurus?
“Isn’t it dangerous to use such a noticeable car?” Eden asked as Notus joined the westbound highway.
“Not necessarily. It’s true it’ll draw the attention of more people. But exactly because of that, if someone was looking for us, they’d expect us to be in something standard. So, they’d be looking for common cars, not flashy ones.”
“That’s smart,” Eden said. He was using the opposite strategy of the one Eurus had told her about.
“So where are we going?”
“Jade Mountains.”
“Jade Mountains?” Eden looked at him in surprise. “That’s like almost six hundred miles away.”
“Better brace yourself for a long journey,” Notus said.
Chapter 10
Eden
“It’s cold in here,” Eden mumbled to herself in the bed. She turned away from the window to shield her eyes from the bright morning light seeping through the curtains.
“I’ll go get some wood and light the fire.” Notus’s voice came from the other side of the bedroom, no trace of sleepiness in his words.
Eden opened her eyes enough to see him getting up from the animal pelts he’d slept on. His chest was bare, muscles bulging, and vivid memories of their recent clinch flooded her mind and created a little tingle between her legs. She’d wanted him so badly then, in a way she’d never desired anyone before. It’d been so spontaneous and unexpected, which had added to the heat, but the truth was there was something about this man that had gotten under her skin. He believed in her. Her father had been so critical of her occasional absent-mindedness that Eden had come to be deeply ashamed of it, so much so that self-hatred and anxiety tortured her for days after each mistake she made. But Notus didn’t mind it. He’d told her that she should be softer on herself. He was also maddeningly sexy, and nothing at all like the meathead she’d originally judged him to be. He was sensitive and creative, and all the while fierce and protective—and that was a pretty good combination.
But he didn’t share her feelings. For him, it was all sexual—he didn’t see anything else in her. That made her sad, but there was nothing she could do about it. She’d try to keep him from penetrating her heart even deeper, and as soon as her father was safe, they’d be parting ways before she knew it. And then she’d move to Norwich, and the distance and her new life will help her forget about him. Yes. That’s what she needed to keep telling herself anyway.
She leapt out of bed and headed for the shower. They’d been on the road for almost twelve hours yesterday, only stopping to have dinner, buy groceries, and gas, and they’d both been exhausted by the time they arrived, which was way after midnight, so they’d just gone straight to bed.
The hot shower warmed her chilled skin and she felt cozy looking at the snow-topped pine trees from the bathroom window. She dressed quickly, choosing gray jeans, a navy wool pullover, and winter
boots, put on her parka, and walked out of the cabin to help Notus with the wood.
The smell of the fresh mountain air reached her nose the moment she stepped out. She squinted, her eyes adjusting themselves to the bright morning light which was reflected from the snow all around her, and she took a deep breath. The cabin was high up in the mountains, miles and miles away from civilization, and the seclusion felt kind of romantic. It also didn’t feel like summer up here, at such a high altitude, and the snow and scent of the pine trees reminded her of the festive season.
There was no sign of Notus, so she began to search for him around the cabin, the snow crunching under her boots. There was a small shed at the far end of the lot and Eden passed the car on her way to it. As she neared the shed, the sound of an axe striking wood reached her ears. She rounded the back of the shed and there he was, placing a big log on a thick wooden board in front of him. He held the axe in both hands and swung it over his shoulder before bringing it down in one smooth motion, right in the middle of the log, which fell in two parts, as easily as a split peach.
“You make that look very easy,” Eden said.
He turned to her and smiled. “It is.”
“Maybe I can try later.”
“Sure thing. I’ll bring these in now. This should be enough for the day.”
There was a big pile of chopped wood beside him. It spread about five feet wide and was almost as high as she was. “Most definitely,” she said. “Almost enough for a week.”
Notus picked up a massive amount in his arms and carried it to the cabin as if it was as light as cotton. Eden took as many logs as she could herself, which seemed like a handful in comparison, and brought them indoors, where Notus was neatly arranging them against the wall to the left of the fireplace. After she added hers on top of his, Notus threw a handful of them into the fireplace and then, completely unexpectedly, a jet of flame shot from between his lips.
Eden gasped. “Holy crap!” she exclaimed, as the logs caught light. “You sure know how to impress a woman,” she said when he stepped away from the fireplace.
He looked at her and puffed out his chest, a hint of pride in his smile. “Really? That was impressive?”
“Yeah-ha!” Eden nodded vigorously to reinforce her point.
“Hm,” he said, shaking his head thoughtfully. “I shall bear that in mind. Do you want to go for a walk while it warms up here?”
“I’d love to,” Eden said.
They had a quick breakfast of cereal and orange juice, put on their warm clothes and headed out.
They walked for a short while, the cold air stinging Eden’s cheeks, and she thought of the crackling sound of the fire they’d just left behind. How cozy and romantic it would be to return to the cabin later when they were frozen and enjoy its warmth with a cup of hot chocolate.
“Xephyr and the others are getting ready to invade the base of your father’s captors. They are planning to do it tonight. They feel good about things,” Notus said.
“That’s really good.” Eden said calmly. She was focusing on keeping her feelings under control and trusting in the skills of his teammates. “Has the Oracle spoken to you again?”
“No, not since yesterday.”
She looked at him with admiration. He had all these talents, yet was so understated, and her heart filled with sadness at the thought he’d never admire her the way she admired him, he’d never want her the way she wanted him.
“Do you hear from her often?” Eden asked.
“No, it’s quite rare.”
“So how does it happen?”
“Normally, just like that, out of the blue. Like yesterday—I was speaking to you and next thing I know I was hearing the Oracle,” Notus said.
“So is that what happened when my father was kidnapped? She just told you all about it?”
“No. Sometimes I have to get in touch with her. That’s more difficult because I can only do it in very specific situations,” he explained.
“Which are the right conditions?”
“There are a few.”
“Okay.” She hesitated. “Not so many words, please, I can barely keep up.”
He looked at her and took a deep breath of resignation. “I have to be calm, and I have to deeply care about someone.”
“That’s nice that you care about my father so much,” she said. “I hadn’t realized that. I thought you guys had only just met.”
He gave her a look of amusement and shook his head in disbelief.
“What?” Eden asked. “What are you rolling your eyes at me for?”
“Not about your father, silly. About you,” he said, and paused for a moment. “I care about you.”
Heat rushed up Eden’s chest and her heart sped up. Did he really just say those words? So, it wasn’t just sexual to him? Or did he mean he cared for her as a friend? Or was he—?
“Do you like the snow?” Notus interrupted her whirlwind of thoughts.
“I do. Uh huh. Do you?” she answered on autopilot, her mind hazy.
What did he mean? Surely he didn’t care about her in that way. He hadn’t shown any signs that he saw her as anything more than a client he wanted to have sex with. Or maybe he did, but she missed them? She wasn’t very good with that kind of stuff. No, no, no. He must have meant he cared about her as a client. Yes, that must be it. She was his client, and he cared about her safety.
“...and puffiness.” The end of Notus’s sentence reached her scrambled brain.
“Uh, sorry, what?” Eden asked, stupidly. “I didn’t hear. It’s a little loud here.” She felt so hot and restless.
Oh, dear. It’s a little loud. What on earth was she talking about? They were in the middle of nowhere, and it was one of the most peaceful places she’d ever been to. She was flustered and talking absolute rubbish. Start listening to him before you’ve made an absolute clown of yourself.
“I do like the snow. It reminds me of Ethereum, all the whiteness and puffiness,” Notus said. “It’s the first time I’ve seen it.”
“Wow!” She stared at him. “Seriously?”
“Yep.”
“Oh. I really have to show you something then,” she thrilled. “Close your eyes. It’s a surprise.”
Notus did as she asked, his face lit by the expectation. Jittering with excitement, Eden took a few steps back, grabbed snow with her gloves, made a snowball and threw it at Notus, hitting him on the chest.
His eyes snapped open, he looked down at himself, and then he gave a shout of amusement. “Now you are in trouble!” he said and charged at her.
Eden ran toward a tree that she hoped to hide behind, but a snowball hit her on the back before she’d reached it. With a yell, she darted behind the tree, made another ball, took up a strategic position and threw it at Notus. As it made contact with his shoulder, there was already another one speeding in her direction.
They continued playing snowball fight for a while before moving on to make snow angels, and then back to snowball fighting again, laughing so much that Eden’s stomach was hurting by the end of it.
“We need to make a snowman, too,” Eden said, as excitedly as a child. “But I’m starting to feel really frozen now. Perhaps we should head back and warm up?”
“I’m cold, too. We sky dragons aren’t so good in the snow. Maybe we can make a snowman later?”
“Great! You’ll love it. It’s my favorite!”
They walked back to the cabin, hurrying, both looking forward to the warmth of the place. The fire was almost out when they came back so Notus made a new one while Eden headed for the shower. The place was starting to warm up nicely by the time she was done, and she busied herself with preparing sandwiches for lunch while Notus took his turn showering. They ate hungrily, their bodies craving the nourishment after their active morning.
They’d just finished their late lunch and washed their plates when Notus’s ringtone sounded from the bedroom and he went over to pick up the call. Nervousness crept through Eden’s
body as the sounds of Notus’s muffled voice came through the walls.
He returned to the kitchen a long moment later, beaming. “There’s someone on the phone for you.”
Eden grabbed the device from his hand with trembling fingers and pressed it to her ear. “Dad?”
“Hi, darling!” her father said on the other side of the line.
“Oh, it’s so good to hear your voice!” Eden exhaled. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart. Everything is fine. It’s all over.”
“I’m so happy to hear that, dad. I was so worried. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Absolutely. I’ll see you tomorrow, I presume? I hear you’re on a little vacation.” He chuckled.
His voice sounded light, and the tension slid off her shoulders like a snowdrift falling from a roof.
“I can’t wait,” she said. “Take care of yourself.”
“You, too. See you tomorrow, sweetheart.”
Eden handed Notus’s phone back to him, closed her eyes and breathed out slowly.
“It’s over,” Notus said and smiled at her.
“Thank Goodness,” Eden said. “Is everyone alright?”
“Yeah, they’re all fine. They’ve captured all of perpetrators, and they’re just waiting for the police to arrive now.”
“What about the boss and the traitor? Did they get them?”
“Yes,” Notus said. “They got both of them.”
“Wow, it really is over,” Eden said, pressing her hand to her heart. “I think that calls for a celebration.”
“We can head to Deerfield now, if you want. I imagine you can’t wait to see your father,” Notus offered.
“No, that’s fine. Yesterday was a long day. And I’m sure my father would appreciate his peace and quiet tonight. It’d be pretty late by the time we get back anyways.”
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