The Garden

by Emily Shore

  “I’d rather not see my eyeballs filleted,” he explains, then escorts me to the door.

  I roll my eyes. “You really need to get over that. And yourself,” I respond.

  “Working on it.” He plants a hand against the doorframe. “Someone like me…let’s just say I’ve never been denied anything.” When he closes his eyes and inhales in memory, I frown. “Bounties were endless!”

  “I got it,” I practically snarl as he chuckles right before I close the door.

  As soon as I step into the hallway, Sky arrives with my bag.

  “Thank you,” I murmur once he’s placed it on the bed, cringing a little as he stands. More scars for my mind to collect.

  “Sky…let me see.”

  He blinks once at me, expression unreadable as if he wavers between his options. I guess he decides it isn’t worth a quarrel because he pulls the shirt above his head, baring the marks riddled all along his chest and back. They’ve healed well.

  “All for me.”

  Sky grunts, eyes narrowing but managing to say, “For you.”

  I almost press my fingers to one on his chest, but I push away all the feelings surfacing. Sky without his shirt on is…too much. Depleted, I slump onto the bed, legs dangling off the edge but relaxing into the generous duvet. Mimicking me, Sky sidles up next to me. I raise a hand, pointing to the wood canopy. “The bed in the lake house has one of these.”

  “Mmm…” Sky acknowledges.

  I turn my head, bumping my nose against his. “So, that’s your fantasy? Skinny-dipping in the lake every night?”

  “Less fantasy. More hope. But I’m certain we could come up with a few other things,” he hints, pressing his forehead against mine.

  I turn away. “You know we’d drive each other mad.”

  “We’re already mad, Ser. We’ve driven each other mad from day one. You drove me mad the first moment I laid eyes on you. You were beautiful then, and you’ve only grown more so every day just as you will continue. Inside and out.” He brushes a finger to my temple.

  I contrast his words with Neil’s. How not one speck of my anatomy should go to waste. Except Neil doesn’t know about the implant. How long will it delay my aging? Whatever the case, for Sky, my beauty will never fade. It will be as fresh as new lightning. And for Luc—I can’t deny the artist in him. Even if he wants it for himself, his intention is still to capture my beauty. Like Neil’s imprisoned photographs, Luc wants to bottle up all my curves—possess me, both in body and in his holographic sketches.

  “Take your time, Ser.” Sky reads me well. “But I won’t share you. He already shared the Swan with the entire world. I’ll be damned if I share Serenity with anyone else.”

  Irony wouldn’t exist if the subject of our conversation hadn’t knocked on my door and entered before I could so much as grant permission. Maybe a holdover from our time in the Aviary since he never knocked then. But then again, neither did I when I stole into his room that one time.

  Both of us are sitting on the bed when Luc enters, studying our image.

  “I came to reveal the exhibit for you,” Luc informs me.

  I rise from the bed. “Thank you. I know. I just spoke with Neil. The Snow Queen.”

  Swan. Skeleton Flower. Snow Queen. How many personas will I wear before it’s all said and done?

  Sky grimaces. “As if you have the right to showcase her like one of your damned Birds again.”

  Luc approaches, midwinter eyes lashing across mine as he reminds us, “It seems you’ve forgotten the graphickers I killed, the Museum I surrendered, the Hatchery I lost, and even losing my own body to Jade’s control. And none of us should forget that this is Serenity’s decision.”

  The former director strides toward me. The closer he gets, the more Sky’s muscles tighten. “And I think we know how much the exhibit thrills her.”

  As soon as Luc’s hand reaches up to cup my cheek, Sky shoves Luc’s chest, forcing him back. “I don’t give a tinker’s damn if you’re my blood. Don’t touch her again!”

  Unlike Sky, Luc keeps his cool. Maintains the calm he’s harnessed throughout the years from his days as a Family assassin. “Drop this pointless spectacle, Skylar. We are both equal candidates for her heart.”

  “Wrong,” Sky corrects him. “I’m the one who knows her. I’m the one who loves every speck of her. You just love all her good parts. I love her mind, her heart, her body, and her soul, and I’ll take the bad with the good any day of the week.” His massive shadow reminds me of a great black wing. It would overwhelm Luc if Sky was two inches taller. Or if he had Luc’s brows. “Put that in your pipe and smoke it because there’s no world where you can ever love her as much as I do.”

  Never mind. His words are overwhelming enough. But Luc’s brows narrow.

  Having had enough, I throw my body between them, my voice marching right into their midst. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

  I point to Sky and Luc. “You and you…just—”

  Frantic, I try to snatch at pointless words until I finally stumble on them. “You know what? Get out. Just get out!”

  They speak in unison. “Serenity—”

  “Out!” I scream and fling the door open wide, slamming it hard, shaking the wall from the impact.

  I tear the silk robe from my body, crumple it into a ball, and disappear under the sheets for the night.

  27

  i N P l a i N S i G H t

  I smell him first.

  It’s potent. Cinnamon-laced dark coffee. Unrecognizable. Undistinguishable.

  “Put some clothes on, Swan,” he murmurs before I even open my eyes, while I am still frozen and feigning sleep. A poor attempt since he knows. “I can deliver you to your father naked, but he will dock the bounty.”

  I open my eyes once to see the gun barrel aimed at my head, but it wouldn’t matter. Surprise is a rather formidable skill of mine, and the bounty hunter is about to learn that. Over the past few months, I’ve learned to be more than careful. Even before the Aviary business, Sky taught me well. Never sleep without a weapon, especially if I decide to sleep naked. Less than a second later, I plunge the blade right into his chest, discovering just how messy knives are. The gun goes off as I suspected it would, but my sudden action throws his aim off, so the bullet shoots through one of the windows, corrupting the glass.

  Sweeping the sheets around myself, I discover how the darkness has betrayed me. It isn’t the chest but closer to the shoulder near the collarbone. A growl erupts from the bounty hunter’s mouth, but men in his field are accustomed to injuries. And pain.

  “I’ll make you pay for that, Swan,” the hunter snarls before he raises the gun, intending to use it as a club this time. Though the knife I hold glints with his blood, it isn’t about to deter him. But the second voice does.

  “No, I will make you pay.”

  The low tone in his voice is familiar; it’s the same one he used for the graphickers that fateful night.

  “Drop the gun,” Luc commands a moment later with his own weapon trained on the back of the hunter’s head. The bedroom door isn’t even open. How did Luc get in here?

  The hunter follows Luc’s order. At the same moment, Sky bursts through the door, alerted by the gunshot. First, he takes stock of the situation before Luc directs him to pick up the gun. Sky does but pauses to check on me.

  “All right, Ser?”

  With pursed lips, I nod and tighten the sheets around myself.

  “What do we do with him?” Skylar asks his brother while tapping the barrel of the gun against his open palm, jerking his head to the hunter.

  “I’ll deal with him,” Luc responds. “Fortunately, the environment provides prime opportunity for body disposal. The river is quite deep,” he announces while pressing the gun farther into the base of the hunter’s skull, finishing with, “and the currents will carry any evidence straight to the Canadian coastline.”

  “We also have a giant oven if you’d rather burn the body,” Neil procla
ims as he pokes his head in, distracting Sky and me but not Luc.

  “Luc, how did you get in here?”

  “I’ve been on the terrace all night. After our conversation earlier, I erred on the side of caution. You almost went over the edge tonight. Good to see you’re adjusting so well.”

  Pinching my lips together, I half-growl. “If anyone else is hiding in my room, they better come out right now or so help me!”

  “My death won’t make a difference,” the hunter spits, interrupting us but directing his words on Luc. “Force knows where she is, and he’s raised the reward. There will be others.”

  “And I’ll deal with them one by one. Now move.”

  The hunter salutes me, brows drawn low to tell me, “It was a pleasure watching you sleep, Swan.”

  On my knees, I seethe, but Sky cups my shoulder, halting any action on my part. Instead, I call just as Luc leads the hunter out my bedroom door, “It was a pleasure stabbing you!”

  “Serenity…give me the knife.”

  I don’t even realize it’s still gripped in my fist until Sky sets his hand on top of mine. Squeezing it too tight left handle marks riddled into my skin, but it’s not until I surrender the object that my fingers tremble and I realize some of the hunter’s blood has found its way onto my hand. A more pressing matter demands my attention.

  “How does my father know?”

  Still in his boxer shorts, Neil enters the room and grumbles, “Jade. I should’ve known all along that it was too simple to secure your release from the Garden. That last stunt you pulled with your beau must’ve sent her over the edge.”

  “He was hiding in my room,” I point out.

  “He was a Temple-sanctioned hunter. Like Luc, they have their own ways of getting into places.” My half-brother snarls and threads his fingers through his locks. “This changes everything.”

  “Everything?” I flick my gaze to Sky, who hasn’t left my side.

  “Like he said, Force won’t stop. And I can’t jeopardize the progress I’ve made here…or the children I have under my protection. I can use my connections to dissuade Force, but I doubt it will do much.”

  Sky shakes his head. “We will keep her safe.”

  “And if Force dictates other methods to get her attention? Like killing one of the children? Or perhaps one of my scientists working on the vaccine? I can’t take that risk.”

  “He was hiding in my room…” I murmur again.

  Neil remains glib. “Yes, I think we’ve established that.”

  “Ser?”

  “What are you going on about, Serenity?” My brother glares at me.

  Sighing, I bite down on my lower lip and say, “I have an idea.”

  After banishing Sky and Neil from my room so I can dress while we wait for Luc to finish ‘cleaning up,’ I ponder how the hunter hid in my room without Luc or Sky noticing. Not in the bathroom or the closet because I used them both. Under the bed was the simplest hiding position, so why there? Because it’s obvious…

  * * *

  “Under the bed? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Sky expresses his frustration after he’s spent at least an hour searching the lake house for me.

  I scoot out with ease, my skirt ripping a little, but Sky’s reaction is far too precious. He always says I am a champion hider. With my petite body, I can worm my way into the tightest of places or cover myself to resemble a cushion or some inanimate blanketed blob.

  “I knew you’d never look there. It’s way too obvious,” I tell him as he helps me to my feet.

  “Hiding in plain sight…” Sky muses while sighing, his breath blowing a curl of my hair in the process. “Fine, you win. See, you can be clever.”

  I stand on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Don’t worry. You’ve still got the brains.”

  “My brains, your brawn,” he says, rehearsing our inside joke because one doesn’t always need to have muscles to have brawn. One just needs a good set of guts.

  * * *

  For some time, I reminisce until Luc returns. Finally, I summon all three for a meeting. At least Neil wears a pair of jeans over his boxers now, but he remains just as relaxed as ever with his chest bared.

  As I lower myself to the settee in front of the fireplace, I observe all three men. Luc is the most hypnotizing. Sultry eyes, stately stance, controlled bearing—and the beauty of his fashioned cheekbones and shapely mouth is enough to invite anyone. Both a delicate artist and an executioner.

  In contrast, Sky is his own breed of beautiful. Lionhearted and rugged, he wears his scars unashamed. Anger over the night’s events starves his mouth to a thin line. Muscles that can seal me in like the leather binding of a book. Like my pages belong there.

  Last, I observe my half-blood brother. As much as he is a pain in the ass, his irresistible charm leaches from every pore in his pale skin. If this fails, I will miss his casual humor, his artful banter with me as I try to forget our other shared memories.

  All three men wait in their different forms: Neil slumped into the leather chair, legs propped up over the armrest, Luc standing on one side of the fireplace, arms almost statuesque at his sides, fingers curled, and Sky on the other side, crossing his arms over his chest, ample muscles bulging.

  Finally, I purse my lips and relay my plan of action.

  As expected, the two in front of me don’t hesitate to say in unison, “No!”

  “It could work,” Neil opts, clearly intrigued.

  “Shut up! You’ve known her for five minutes,” Sky warns, accusing finger pointing. “You don’t get to have an opinion.”

  Neil shrugs but stands to confront Sky. “Au contraire! I’ve known parts of Serenity my whole life. And since I’m the only one in this room who shares her blood, I’d say I have more than enough right. Besides, a man’s castle is his…castle.”

  “Don’t you have anything to say?” I tilt my head to ask Luc.

  He shakes his head once, resolute. “There is nothing else to say. It’s out of the question.”

  “And my choices don’t matter, then? Just like in the Aviary?”

  Luc steps toward me, eyes closing midway. Firelight warms them even more. “Your choices always mattered in the Aviary. But I did not give up my Museum to keep you out of the Temple just so you can sneak into it!”

  I sigh. Always knew the day would eventually come where he’d use that against me. So, I fold my hands in my lap. The only words I can conjure up are, “Things have changed.”

  “Damn right they’ve changed,” states Neil. “And you’re all missing the silver lining.”

  “What silver lining?” Sky’s hand forms a fist, and I worry about whether he will throttle Neil.

  “Force’s death.” Neil’s answer is a surprise to us all.

  “Explain,” Luc invites him.

  Neil starts pacing, finger tapping his mouth as he speaks, “This is a prime opportunity. Once a month, the Temple holds auditions for the penthouse. Only virgins are accepted into the program. They perform a medical test at the Temple, then model the candidates, photograph them, and send their shoots to Force for inspection. He chooses one candidate as the grand prize winner. She wins a day with Force. Twenty-four hours in the penthouse. I’ve watched them happen every month. He gives the winner a tour, wines and dines her, and then beds her at night.”

  “Element of surprise lost as soon as he sees her photograph,” Sky points out just what I am thinking.

  “There’s a certain procedure I can arrange right here before the process.”

  This time, it’s only Luc who objects. “No, I won’t allow that.”

  Sky rubs his eyes. Am I the only clueless one here?

  “What procedure?”

  “It’s temporary,” is the first thing Neil adds, answering me. “It’s lengthy, will take all day, but it’s a temporary craniofacial prosthesis—an implant that will wear off within a matter a couple of weeks. Since the committee doesn’t check for anything other than a routine medical virginity test, i
t won’t be noticed. And it carries no long-lasting side effects or harm. You’ll feel some discomfort, but other than that—”

  “How will it work with my current implant?”

  “I can override it…temporarily.”

  “Get to the point, Neil.” I urge him along, avoiding my automatic cringe at the thought of Force just breathing on me. “If you think I’m going to let Force get me even near his bed—”

  “Serenity,” Neil interjects, presenting his case with palm open. “After seeing the aftermath of what you did with the hunter, I doubt you will flinch once from the prospect of killing your father.”

  “How?”

  Neil smiles, revealing, “Poison.” He taps his chin, explaining. “Contact lens. New technology my scientists just designed. It won’t affect your eyes, but all you have to do is remove it, crush it in his drink, and Force will be dead within minutes. Heart attack will be the assumption.”

  “And how can you guarantee she’ll be selected over the other candidates?” Sky tries to poke a hole in Neil’s ironwork plan.

  “Guys…” Neil rolls his eyes once before jerking a thumb to me. “Have either of you seen her naked?”

  I hiss at the same time Luc voices a straightforward ‘yes.’

  Sky replies with a grim ‘no’. It doesn’t escape my notice when Sky’s eyes level with Luc’s like he’s bringing down the weight of stone towers on the former director.

  Crisscrossing my arms over my chest so my fingers knead my shoulders, I close my eyes and bring up another objection. “You’re forgetting one thing—what happens when I’m caught?” I question. “Won’t Force’s security just kill me?”

  “I’ll be nearby,” Neil announces first. He follows with, “You’ll be arrested, but once they administer a DNA test and find its match, you’ll be released.”

  “Why?” I wonder, struggling against the breaths that grow shallow from the possibility of undertaking this whole scenario.