Rule (Roam Series, Book Five)

by Stedronsky, Kimberly

“I suck at history.” Violet admitted, and when no one came to her defense, she pouted. “Eva’s a sponge.”

  “I know as much as Rose when it comes to American History,” Will admitted, his charming smile completely enchanting the baby. He reached for her, and I gawked as she accepted him without so much as a fuss. He propped her on his hip, moving toward the kitchen. “Roam, how can I assist?”

  I watched him in awe, dropping to a chair near Chris’s.

  “Sit. You are family now, Will,” she gestured to the chair next to mine. “Bringing Eva home was more than we could have ever asked for. Thank you.”

  He met my eyes, and I shifted my gaze to the table, clearing my throat. “When are Morgan and Jason coming?”

  “Their flight lands at eleven. The twins are staying with Grandpa Cam,” West glanced at his watch. “I’ll go out to pick them up at the airport around ten-thirty.”

  “I’ll go,” I volunteered, and Will nodded once.

  “I will accompany her. Now, how is this game played?” He bounced Rose on his knee gently, reading over the old, tattered instructions. “Am I to understand that we are playing for pie?”

  “Sort of,” I tried not to look directly at Rose, admiring the easy way Will held her. “I’ll help you.”

  He turned to me, his voice lowering below the easy conversation in the kitchen. “Thank you, love.”

  His words sent warm currents through my bloodstream, and I scooted my chair closer to his. Wynn smiled at his words, pretending not to hear.

  I lowered my voice. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I was… immature. I was embarrassed, knowing my dad… knew… or knows, or thinks that… that we…,”

  “Eva,” he silenced my stuttering with a gentle kiss, and I closed my eyes, exhaling softly. “Hush.”

  I imagined what our life might be, if we lived in my world… a house, definitely somewhere warm… his kiss each morning when I woke…

  “I’ll feed her,” Violet interrupted my daydream, bending between us to retrieve Rose. Her knowing smile unnerved me.

  I moved my chair as close to Will’s as possible, leaning into his arms. He understood the game quickly, and when he began answering questions, I glared at him. “How do you know these answers?”

  “My father provided me with many books,” he said, and I watched my mom’s hands wring together at the reference to Troy.

  “What Russian city boasts the Hermitage Museum?” My dad read the question and groaned. My mom flattened her palms to the table.

  “Bonus pie,” she announced. “Originally it was St. Petersburg, then Petrograd, then Leningrad, and now, St. Petersburg.”

  “Bonus pie?” Will reached for the instructions, but I shook my head, pushing them away.

  “It’s this weird way they play. If there was an original answer, and then that answer changed over history, and you answer both correctly, your team gets a bonus pie.” I grinned, pointing to the green pie next to Chris’s hand. “You know I want Science and Nature. Hand it over.”

  “Mom gets to pick. She answered it, not you.”

  “Rose is finally asleep… where are we… crap who got the bonus?” She glanced away from her iPhone for a moment to look at the board. “Dad, I can’t believe you let that happen.”

  “Green!” I ordered, holding my hand out for Chris.

  “No. Mom’s choice.”

  “Oh, Vi?” I raised my eyebrow at her, scooting my chair backward. “I’m freezing. Are you freezing?”

  Violet knew immediately what I was doing. Chris scowled in my direction. “If you play that song -…,”

  “I’m freezing,” Violet shivered exaggeratedly. Logan rolled his eyes, grabbing the empty potato chip bowl, and Wynn sat back, smiling.

  “Mom!”

  “Maybe you should… warm it up, Chris!”

  Violet jumped up as I waved my hand in a circle. Chris tried to get up, but as Kriss Kross’s Warm It Up Kris began, and I hurried to my brother’s side and blocked him. Violet joined me on his other side.

  She mirrored my choreographed moves from my sixth-grade talent show until Christopher, completely giving up, grinned and spun his baseball cap to a backward position on his head. He rapped the next verse with me, laughingly delivering a fake punch to my shoulder.

  “Stupid, immortal sisters,” he declared, and I caught Will’s eye as Violet hugged our brother, laughing. Will sat back, his arms crossed behind his neck, a wide smile on his lips.

  “Volume, Eva,” my mom reminded me, and I closed my fist, lowering the music as I remembered that Rose was asleep.

  Chris feigned aggravation, grinning. “Is she this magically annoying in your world?” He asked Will.

  “I know you weren’t talking about me.” I turned his cap and pushed the bill of his hat over his eyes, and Chris kicked at my chair just seconds before I lowered myself to the seat. Will caught me in time, and my dad gave him a reproving look.

  “Okay, okay, knock it off,” he ordered Chris, turning to me. “Are you sure you want to go back to the airport?”

  “Of course,” Will stood, still balancing me on his lap. “You will drive?”

  “Sure. We’ll be right back.” I retrieved my keys from the bowl near the door, following Will to my Mustang.

  I drove, contemplating the radio before finally settling into silence.

  The stillness in the car grew strangely uncomfortable, and I stopped at a red light. “Is everything… okay?”

  Will turned from the window to face me, a forced smile touching his lips. “Yes.”

  “You’re very… quiet.”

  “I feel accountable. For the time that you are losing with your family. You are very close with your siblings and your parents.”

  “This prophecy isn’t your fault, like it isn’t my fault. We’re stuck dealing with the mess that our parents left for us.”

  “My father was inherently evil, Eva. I do not trust myself. I fear that someday, I will inevitably follow in his footsteps.”

  “Will.” I pulled off into an empty bank parking lot, throwing the car into park. “You are good. You are just… so good. I don’t know how to convince you. You just have to trust me.”

  He leaned across the seat, pressing his lips to my cheek. I turned, adjusting my mouth to meet his.

  The moment his tongue parted my lips, I released the steering wheel and slid my hands over his arms. I don’t know how I feel, but I know that this feels right… I moaned softly as his fingers touched the edge of my dress, lightly tracing the side of my leg. Currents of electricity sparked beneath my skin, and I jerked beneath his touch, pressing against my seatbelt.

  The dashboard lights flickered before turning on, blinking erratically and drawing both of our attention. The radio whined to a high-pitched frequency that assaulted my ears; I broke away from him, trying desperately to turn the volume down. The engine began to rev, and I slammed my back against the driver’s seat. “What the hell- I’m not touching the pedal-…,”

  “Easy,” he reached for the keys, turning and removing them from the starter. Still the battery worked on its own accord, overcharging the electrical unit in the Mustang.

  “I have to cool off,” I realized, fumbling with the door handle. The locks alternated, and I managed to catch the latch in the unlocked position long enough to open the door and step out. The evening breeze was colder than normal for North Carolina, and I took deep breaths, focusing on the overhead light in the parking lot. The moment I looked at the bulb, it sizzled and popped, burning out.

  “Eva,” Will was behind me, turning me into his arms. “I’m sorry. Breathe.”

  I listened to his voice, nodding, flattening my hands on my knees as I bent over. Finally, the headlights on the Mustang stopped flashing, and I could tell the dashboard was finally dark.

  “What just happened?”

  “My theory about your magic not being as potent here… was obviously wrong.” He opened the car door for me, holding out the keys. “I am sure that I
can drive, if you need me to.”

  “No, no, I can,” I assured him, climbing into the driver’s seat. “No touching, okay?”

  “Agreed.” He gave me a guilty smile, crossing his arms and sitting as far away from me as possible.

  We sat in silence the rest of the way to the airport, and I gripped the steering wheel, white knuckled. How does he do this to me? Why can’t I control myself?

  Morgan insisted on sitting in the backseat with me while Jason drove back from the airport. “I am just so afraid for you, every minute you’re over there. Will, please tell me she’s safe there, that the horrific place that I remember isn’t the same world she’s living in.”

  “The sun shines every day, and my kingdom welcomes her as their queen,” he assured her.

  “Stop worrying about me. Tell me about the girls. Please.” I listened to her talk about my cousins the entire way back to the house, huddling in her arms in the warm back seat.

  I realized I’d fallen asleep as Will was carrying me from the car. I blinked, loving the way the moon silhouetted his face as I gazed up at him. “I keep finding myself in this position,” I murmured.

  He smiled down at me. “Sleep, love. We will have an early breakfast with your family tomorrow.”

  “No, I’m not going to bed yet! I don’t want to miss out on any time-…,”

  “Eva,” he set me to my feet in the front entryway, gesturing to the living room. “Your mother and father are awake. We will speak with them now.”

  I hugged Morgan and Jason before they greeted my parents. They took the last room downstairs, and I turned to the living room. My mom sat on the couch, waiting for me. Curling next to her, I watched my dad come in from the hall, taking the seat on my other side. He brushed his hand over my hair lovingly.

  Will sat on the loveseat. After a moment, he spoke softly. “I have decided to go back to Icepond tomorrow… alone.”

  “What?” I sat up, almost making it to my feet before my father held me back.

  “Eva.” His handsome face darkened with unexpected sadness; I longed to go to him, but my father’s grip on my arm held me steady. “It is evident that, though you are extraordinarily brave, and worthy of the kingdom… you still need your family very much. A need so great, if left unfulfilled, will cause you resentment that I could not bear.”

  “Will, I want to go back! The suns are burning, and I have to-….,”

  “Then I shall rule the kingdom until the end.” His ice blue eyes met mine, and I jerked free of my dad’s grip, standing.

  “You’ll kill everyone there.”

  “The rebellion has grown in only the few days you have been queen. For as long as the prophecy exists, your life, and your brother’s life, are in danger. I must bring an end to the suffering, and the… indeterminate state of my world.”

  “And when the world burns… and you’re left immortal, you come here?” I asked, shaking my head. “How heroic.”

  “Eva!” My mother stood up, her hands wringing forcefully at her waist. “You have no idea what is heroic- don’t talk to him like that.”

  I ignored her.

  Will stood, taking a step toward me. “Whether or not you rule there, Eva, one of these worlds is destined to burn. And as my father’s son, I feel that I have a debt to pay. To you, to your parents… and to your world.”

  “No.” I rolled my shoulders back, glaring at him. “I am the queen of Icepond. I refuse to let you do this. You can’t go alone. I have to travel through with you.”

  “I’ll go with you. I’ll take you back home with me.” My father’s voice broke my heart into two separate pieces inside my chest.

  I turned to him, betrayal clear in my eyes.

  “You can’t do that!”

  His expression darkened. “I can- and I will.”

  “I hate you.” I balled my fists until my fingernails cut into my palms. “Look what you’ve done. You are to blame for all of this!”

  “Your father has sacrificed,” my mother wiped at her tears, her eyes flashing with anger.

  “Roam.” He turned to her, shaking his head once before turning his eyes back to me. “I have done everything I can to stop this world from burning, and to save your life.”

  “You created me just to save this world! To end a prophecy! Look at what mom has gone through… look at her. The room that she was in, the room she shared with Troy? It is cursed with her screams. I heard her scream from a world away, and it was horrifying.” I blinked rapidly, fighting away the burning tears. “It can’t be all for nothing! I am here- you’ve all gotten what you tried for centuries for. I am here. You made me into a fighter. I can fight. I will end this. I am the only one who can.”

  The silence in the room was deafening.

  “No you’re not.” Christopher walked from the hallway, and my father turned his glare on him, his own fists clenched at his sides. “I can stop the other sun. I want to go there, too.”

  One look at my father’s eyes told me that he was fighting for control. “No fucking way.”

  “Dad,” he grinned, as he always did at the worst possible moments. The room lost its edge, and Will listened to Chris. “Eva is right. You can’t let those innocent people burn, and you can’t expect Eva to fix everything. You and mom had another kid. You brought that second sun.”

  “Christopher, no,” my mother’s beautiful face paled, and he moved next to her, wrapping his arms around her.

  “I’ll come back as much as I can, for short periods of time. Like Eva and Will did today.”

  Will stepped forward, facing my dad. “You have raised two very courageous children, West. I refuse to take them both from you. Christopher is young; you’re right to keep him here. Eva,” he turned to me. “You will make your own decision.”

  “She is my daughter. I’ll make her decision.” West growled, pointing at me as though I were an inanimate object in the room.

  “She is my wife,” Will challenged, taking a step forward. “In this world and every world. Respect her. She will choose.”

  I turned sharply to Will. I had never heard anyone speak to my father in such a way.

  Dad is going to punch him. Before I could throw myself between them, I focused on the anxiety churning in my stomach, closing my eyes tightly.

  I heard the electric shock before I opened my eyes again. My dad’s fist met with an invisible wall, searing all of the knuckles on his right hand. “Goddamnit!”

  “What just happened?” Chris demanded, glaring at me, and my mom burst to her feet, reaching for my dad.

  “I feel like I just got electrocuted,” he turned to me, and I took a breath, sending him a vicious look.

  “Well, never throw the first punch, Dad. Only the last. You taught me that.” I turned to Will. “Let’s go.”

  I waited for my father to say something, anything, but when I made it all the way to the top of the stairs without a word from below, I turned to look at him.

  Christopher was gone. My father held my mother in his arms.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Are you awake?”

  “Of course I’m awake. I told my dad that I hated him and electrocuted him. I feel like a piece of shit.”

  “Come here,” Will moved from the overstuffed arm chair near the window, stretching out on my bed next to me. I turned to him, pressing my cheek against this chest as he pulled me into his arms. “When you love someone as much as I know that you love your father, broken words are easily mended. In time.”

  “He’s been through terrible things, too. I blamed him for everything.” Digging my forehead into his chest, I pinched my eyes closed. “I should go wake him up and talk to him.”

  “You used your magic purposefully tonight, Eva. You controlled it. If you choose to come home with me, I’ll see that you grow your abilities with the help of both Asher and Eric.”

  “Eric?”

  “He knows a great deal about magic.”

  “I can’t believe you wanted me to stay here
.” I lifted my face to his. “I thought you cared about me.”

  He shifted his eyes to the ceiling, his expression darkening. “I’ve come to care very much for you. That is why I gave you a chance to stay.”

  I reflected over his words, drifting in and out of sleep as I stressed over the fight with my dad, Christopher’s offer, and my family. Over and over, Will’s fingers smoothed my hair, away from my face and down my cheek. The gentle caress of his fingers lulled me, consoling my tumultuous thoughts.

  Sometime later, as sleep beckoned, I heard his voice through his chest.

  “I am falling in love with you, Eva.”

  Blinking, I lifted my face to his. His eyes were closed, and he lay with my head on his chest, his fingers stilled at my temple.

  He’s sleeping… did he just say that? Did I dream that he said that? Turning to face the window, I concentrated on the perfect full moon outside the glass.

  “Eva.”

  I am in the water. I taste salt, and know that I’m treading in the ocean. Darkness everywhere; the unknown voice beckons.

  No… not this nightmare.

  “Who’s there?” I kick my feet below the still water, my heart hammering as my bare foot brushes something sharp beneath the water.

  “Eva…,”

  The first bite, just at the tender part of my ankle, sends me into terrified, breathless screams. I try to swim, but the teeth sink into my calf next, tearing at my flesh. I go under, taking in a mouthful of water. The next bite, at my side and just above my hip, begins to drown me as I suffocate beneath the water that is burning my lungs.

  A tunnel below; light, energy. I force myself downward, reaching for the tunnel.

  “Wake up… Eva wake up,” Will’s frantic voice silenced my screams, and I bolted upright in the bed. Except, I’m not in the bed…

  “Your majesty,” Eric’s voice bewildered me as he covered us both with a heavy blanket. The heat, oppressive, drugged my already confused senses.

  “You brought us back here, somehow,” Will hurried, carrying me in his arms. “I have to get you inside the castle-…,”

  “There was a tunnel, under the ocean… in my dream… oh,” I winced at the pain in my side, and Will loosened his grasp, staring down at his fingers.