The Eden Series: The Complete Collection

by Stalder, Janelle

  What was happening to him?

  Elisa tossed her bow and quiver on the bed. Her feet ached, and her eyes had started to close on their own near the end of her shift. The King had immediately sent out groups of people to scour the city. No one actually thought they’d find anything, but it didn’t stop them from looking. Elisa had headed to the archway at the entrance to the city. There was enough room for her to balance on top of it, letting her see as far as was possible. There was nothing though. Lily and the winged man were long gone.

  Still, Elisa had stayed out most of the night. She talked to people, and looked for anything suspicious. Her father had warned them that there could be soldiers of Aziz’s in the city, and Lily’s abduction was just a distraction. Elisa had wondered that herself at first. What was the point of taking Lily? Was there even a point? She had asked herself those questions all night while she kept a keen eye on the patrons of Nysa. Nothing seemed amiss though. All the other men she had spoken to on her way back to the palace said the same. There was no secret attack. No ambush trying to take them by surprise. No, the only crime was the kidnapping of Lily.

  The sun was already peeking over the horizon when she reached the palace. The climb to the second floor almost did her in. She desperately wanted a bath, but decided she’d go straight to bed. If she knew her father and the King, which she did, they would give everyone a few hours to rest before heading back to the Capital at full speed. They’d have to restock some supplies before heading east. They’d be walking into the biggest battle any of them could imagine, except this time they had the north on their side.

  Everything had changed so fast it was hard for her to accept. Seeing Callum with her father and Jameson gave her mixed emotions. Part of her was happy that the two brothers could be a family again. Jameson’s face told her he had wished for this very thing, and it warmed her heart to see him so happy. She was also happy that Callum had finally realized he was wrong and given up on his quest for revenge. It was obvious he was also happy with the way things had finally worked out. He seemed a bit awkward around everyone, probably still getting accustomed to not being their enemy, but he kept his wife close to his side and that seemed to help.

  The other part of her was still angry. How could she just accept him back into their lives when he had ruined so many? She thought of Felix and her heart physically hurt. They had lost him because of Callum and his carelessness. For how long had he brought nothing but misery to the people of Eden, and now everyone was just expected to accept he had changed sides? It all seemed a bit much for her, but she knew that was exactly what Jameson would expect. Callum was his brother, and still the rightful Prince in the Capital. He would want everyone to be as forgiving as he was. Not as easy as it sounds, Elisa thought.

  Lost in her thoughts, she nearly screamed when her door burst open. Standing in the doorway was the other thing that had so greatly changed only yesterday. Elisa had, only a short time ago, been engaged to the leader of this city, Markus. Now she was no longer engaged to him, and was happily in love with the man who had been the bane of her existence for most of her life. The one she could never again live without.

  Wolf closed the distance between them in a flash, reaching his hands around her waist to pull her to his chest. His face was buried in her neck before she could even react.

  “Hello?” she said.

  “Hello,” he replied, his voice muffled in her hair. His arms tightened a fraction, crushing her further.

  “Wolf? Are you okay?”

  “I just need to hold you for a second.” She didn’t know what was going on, but she relaxed her body into his while he continued to breathe her in.

  “It could have been you,” he finally said, lifting his head to look at her. “I know it’s wrong of me, but I can’t help but feel grateful that it was Lily and not you he took. I don’t know what I would have done.”

  Her chest tightened at the clear anguish in his eyes. He looked so worried and afraid. She rested her hand on his cheek. He leaned into her palm, closing his eyes.

  “Wolf, I’m fine.”

  “I know, I just need to hold you until I feel better. I didn’t get a chance before the King ordered us all out, and I’ve been running around this damn city all night thinking about how all I wanted to do was have you in my arms.” He lifted his hand to crush her head to his chest, resting his cheek on the top of it.

  This was a Wolf she wasn’t quite familiar with, although she had a sneaking suspicion he’d be making an appearance more often now. She wondered if he ever felt like this before they had gotten together, and decided to ask.

  “Of course I did,” he answered, his voice resentful that she even asked. “I was always worrying about you, it drove me nuts.”

  “What did you do then, since you couldn’t hold me like this?”

  “I got drunk.” He said it so matter-of-factly she knew it was the absolute truth. It hurt to know that she might have been the cause of all the times she had seen him stumbling home from the taverns. Her arms tightened around his waist in silent appreciation for what he went through without her knowing.

  “Can you let go now?” she asked.

  “Just another minute,” he answered. They stayed like that until finally she felt his hold on her loosen. She angled her head to look up into his beautiful face. There wasn’t another man alive that was more appealing than her Wolf. Her eyes trailed over his fine bone structure to the soft, plump lines of his lips. It wasn’t natural for a man to have such sensuous lips, she thought to herself. She couldn’t help but think of all the women who had the privilege of being familiar with those lips. Don’t think that way, she reprimanded herself. She had to get used to the idea that he had been with other women before her. It didn’t matter. He was hers now.

  Unlike Wolf, she was completely inexperienced when it came to men. She had never even kissed anyone until that night at the Spring Festival when Wolf had kissed her. Markus had kissed her a few times, but it was nothing like the way Wolf did. When Wolf kissed her he was like a man dying and she was the only thing that could save him. It made her feel powerful and beautiful. When he wasn’t kissing her she’d start to feel insecure again. She had never lain with a man, and didn’t know how to approach something like that. Would Wolf expect that of her right away? What if she was horrible and he realized he didn’t want her anymore? What if she made a complete fool out of herself?

  “What in the Gods names are you thinking about?” Wolf asked, interrupting her inner turmoil.

  “Nothing,” she replied.

  “Elisa, I just saw more emotions run across your face in the last minute than I have the entire time I’ve known you. One minute I thought you were going to devour me, and then the next you looked like you were about to cry,” he said, running both his hands in her hair. He held her head in place, ensuring that she had to look him in the eye. “What’s going on inside that pretty head of yours?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she admitted. She already felt stupid as it was; there was no way she was going to confess how she was feeling to Wolf. He gave her a disappointed look, and suddenly the words were pouring out of her. She didn’t know how he did it. Apparently he knew how to crack her. “I was just thinking about how many women you’ve been with,” she explained. His face screwed up in distaste. “Then I was thinking about how inexperienced I am, and how I don’t want you to not want me anymore because of it.”

  She registered the complete shock on his face. Clearly this was not what he had thought she was thinking about. Elisa wanted to laugh, but her cheeks still burned with embarrassment from telling him.

  “First of all, don’t ever think about women I have been with in the past, because that’s all they are, the past. The only woman I want is you, and you’re the only one that matters. You’re the only one that’s ever mattered,” he said, pulling her closer until every point of their bodies touched. “And there is nothing you can or can’t do that would make me not want you anymore
. You’re mine forever, no matter what.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. Having his lips on hers and his scent all around her made her feel at peace. All the stress from the night evaporated and all she was left with was the intensity of Wolf.

  She reached her arms around his neck, trying to deepen the kiss, but he suddenly pulled back. Her lip instantly jutted out in a pout. Wolf chuckled while he leaned down again and nipped it. “Ow!” she cried, sucking in the tender flesh.

  “Don’t pout then,” he said. “Just wondering…how inexperienced are you, exactly?”

  Elisa looked up in horror, feeling her face grow even hotter. She could not believe he was asking her this. She could see in his eyes that he was laughing at her, but she didn’t doubt for a second that he really did want to know. The words just didn’t seem to want to come out.

  “Did you and Markus…?” he continued, trailing off. Both eyebrows were raised in anticipation. She couldn’t get the words she needed out, so she just slowly shook her head. Wolf let out an obvious sigh of relief.

  “Does that make you happy?” she asked, confused by his reaction. Didn’t men want a woman who knew what she was doing? That’s how she had always understood it, but then again she never really understood men at all.

  “That makes me happier than you can ever know,” he replied. She didn’t get a chance to say anything else before his lips were on hers again. There was nothing soft about this kiss. They were slowly making their way toward her bed. Elisa was walking backwards, but she trusted Wolf to keep her from walking into anything. He didn’t look up once, his full focus on her. His tongue tangled with hers, letting her taste him and feel him. She let out a soft moan that was instantly answered by one of his own. Suddenly she felt the bed at the back of her legs. Instead of letting her simply drop onto it, Wolf lifted her easily, wrapping her legs around his waist. He knelt on the bed, placing her carefully onto the middle of it all the while keep their lips locked. He lay over her, bracing himself on his elbows beside her shoulders. Every part of him that touched her was driving her wild. She had been exhausted before, and only thought of sleeping, but now she was teeming with energy.

  “There you are!”

  Wolf froze above her, his lips instantly stilling. Elisa’s eyes popped open to look into Wolf’s irritated ones. Pushing himself up and off her, he sat down next to where she lay. Elisa turned her head to see Logan standing in the doorway.

  “How did you know I was here?” Wolf said in a tight voice. Elisa quickly sat up, straightening her clothes. Normally she would have been mortified, but the fact that it was just Logan who had walked in on them didn’t seem as bad.

  “I guessed,” Logan answered, casually walking toward them.

  “Lucky guess,” Wolf muttered.

  “Thanks!” Logan sat down, letting out a tired sigh. “Man I’m beat. You two have no idea what just happened to me.”

  “Whatever it was, I’m sure it could have waited until the morning,” Wolf replied.

  Logan looked at him as though he was an idiot. “It is the morning.”

  “I’m locking the door next time,” Wolf said, falling back onto the bed. He covered his eyes with his forearm and let out a tortured moan. Elisa absently patted his arm. She was actually interested in hearing what Logan had to say. He wouldn’t have searched for them if it wasn’t important.

  “Ignore him,” she said to Logan. “What happened?”

  “I was in Markus’ office with your dad, Jameson, Callum and Aiden,” he started. “We’re all there, looking over a map, when all of a sudden it’s like a tornado is in the room!”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” she said.

  “Nothing he says ever makes sense,” Wolf piped in from under his arm. Logan sat up straighter, clearly excited about what he was saying.

  “I’m deadly serious. All of a sudden there was wind blowing from all directions. Things were flying through the air; the chandeliers were falling to the ground. I mean, it was complete chaos!”

  Wolf shifted so he was now looking at Logan. “You honestly expect us to believe that there was some sort of wind storm inside the palace? But only in the room you were in?”

  “There are five other people who can attest to the same thing,” Logan defended. “Honestly, do you think I’d make something like this up?”

  Wolf regarded him for a moment before seeming to accept it. “I guess not. You’re not that creative.”

  “Exactly!”

  “So what was it?” Elisa asked, getting back to the main topic.

  “No idea,” he answered with a shrug.

  Wolf flopped back down on his back. “Well that was anticlimactic,” he said, hiding his face again.

  “It was a wind storm, Wolf! Strangest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  Elisa looked down at Wolf as he rolled over, burying his face in her side. “Please make him leave,” he said, his voice muffled.

  Logan smiled, wiggling on the bed to get more comfortable. “So, who’s hungry?”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Elisa trailed behind Wolf and Logan as they headed to the dining hall. Jameson had let everyone sleep four hours before sending around a wakeup call. She still felt groggy, but the small rest helped a little. It didn’t hurt that she had spent those hours sleeping in Wolf’s arms. She looked up at his tall, brawny figure and couldn’t help but smile. Being held by those muscled arms was even better than she’d imagined. Sure, she’d slept in them before, not too long ago either, but this was different. This time they were a real couple, and she could just enjoy it without worrying about sending the wrong message.

  “Stop looking at my ass,” Wolf called out, without turning around. “I can feel your eyes burning me.”

  She snorted. “Nice try,” she said just as her eyes drifted to said ass. It was definitely worth looking at she decided with a chuckle. Her thoughts trailed off to what she and Wolf had started last night before Logan interrupted them.

  “Are you even listening to us?” Logan asked in an exasperated tone.

  She blinked, focusing on the two of them. “Do I ever listen to you?” she replied, one eyebrow raised.

  “Touché.”

  The three of them reached the door to the dining hall. It was a large room, not quite as big as the ballroom, but still quite grand. Row upon rows of tables had been set up to accommodate all the people. Elisa guessed that the place looked significantly different when there weren’t so many soldiers staying in the palace. The walls were painted cream and gold, lending a calm feeling to the room. It looked entirely too fancy for the group of men eating in it. The space was packed full with both armies. She didn’t see any of the Sun People’s men, so she assumed they had separate eating quarters. There was a clear division between the north and the King’s army, but everyone seemed to be relaxed. She didn’t sense any tension between the men, simply an awkwardness and unfamiliarity with one another. She hoped this peace lasted. There was bound to be disagreements between the armies. She just hoped it never escalated to violence.

  “She’s not listening again!” Logan complained.

  Wolf chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist. “What are you thinking about that has you so distracted?” he whispered in her ear. Her face grew warm as she turned to look up at him with a small grin.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” she said back.

  Both of his eyebrows rose, his eyes heating as they drifted down to her mouth and back up again, meeting her gaze. “I would, actually.” He pulled her closer. She felt her body relax against his, not even concerned that there was a room full of men probably watching them.

  Logan’s voice crashed into her, destroying whatever tension was building between them. “What are you two whispering about?”

  Wolf sighed, dropping his forehead to rest against hers. “It’s like we already have a child,” he said. Elisa laughed.

  “Seriously, let’s go eat. I’m starving,” Logan complained, oblivious.

  Elisa s
ighed, stepping back to grab Wolf’s hand. “Let’s go,” she said. “Our boy is hungry.”

  “It was insane! Stuff was flying all around my head, I could barely see!” Logan exclaimed, his hands flailing around him. Aiden simply nodded in agreement as he ate. Logan had been going on non-stop since he walked up to Aiden in the food line about the bizarre moment in Markus’ office. Elisa and Wolf sat down across from them, each shooting Logan annoyed looks. Aiden guessed they had already heard the story.

  “Hey Aiden,” Elisa greeted. Her smiled was slightly strained. No one had looked at him normally since Lily was taken. “Did you get any sleep?” she asked after he smiled in greeting.

  He swallowed the large bite of meat before answering. “A couple of hours,” he admitted. “Not really enough, but I don’t think I’ll get any real sleep for a while.” She nodded in understanding. They both seemed to be ignoring the bouncing body of Logan beside them. He was literally like a child in his seat. Wolf was still shooting daggers his way.

  “So what do you think it was?” Logan asked, bringing them back to his topic. “Do you think it was Aziz?”

  Aiden looked at him with a frown. “I don’t think so,” he answered. “What would have been the purpose of that?”

  Logan shrugged. “Just to scare us?”

  Aiden shook his head. “I don’t think Aziz would do something like that. It seems beneath him.”

  Aiden had no idea what happened, but he could guess. The truth was, he was scared to even think about it. Since they were all dismissed and he had been able to return to his room, he’d done nothing but try to avoid thinking about it. There was a tiny voice at the back of his mind telling him exactly what he suspected, but he was currently ignoring that voice. There was already too much going on in his life, the last thing he needed was something like this. Was he some freak of nature? Or was it just something connected to this magical world? Stop! He ordered himself. He needed to focus on the upcoming trip back to the Capital.