My attention shifted to Ethan and the angry ball of blue fire in his hand.
Harvey slowly got to his feet.
Tyler and Alec’s guns were both pointed at him.
To say their show of force to protect me from a human boy was overkill would be a massive understatement. But I was fast learning their protective instincts knew no bounds. Just like my own toward them.
I wrenched myself out of Tyler’s grip and planted myself between my ex-boyfriend, who had managed to regain his feet, and my four Bondmates, as the Lighthunter had called them.
Tyler and Alec immediately dropped their guns but kept their eyes on Harvey.
“Stop!” I held my hands up to either side, as if I were separating misbehaving children. “He is not going to hurt me. This is his house. He helped me. He kept me safe.”
Logic worked with Tyler; his posture relaxed visibly, and he even tucked his gun away. Alec kept scowling at everything, but that was nothing new. I turned to check that Ethan had extinguished that angry flame, and breathed a sigh of relief when no fire was in sight. My big guy was doing a good impression of his older cousin, scowling with his arms crossed.
That’s when Harvey made another mistake. He came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder, speaking in a low, suspicious voice. “Eve, what the hell is—”
His words were cut off by Josh using his ability again, only this time it wasn’t directed at Harvey. I found myself flying through the air backward, the wind knocked out of me. The sensation was like when you miss a step walking down stairs, and your stomach ends up in your throat while your whole life flashes before your eyes.
But unlike Harvey, I didn’t land on my ass. In a split second my back hit something, and strong arms encircled my waist protectively. Josh had used his ability to pull me to himself. I was equally annoyed at his overreaction and proud that his telekinetic control was improving.
“Josh, it’s OK. He’s not a threat. This is—”
“Harvey,” he finished for me, his green eyes meeting mine over my shoulder. “Yeah, I know.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“His first reaction when he got here was to protect you. He ran at two loaded guns to get to you. I knew he wasn’t a threat. I figured he must be the ex.”
I gaped at him. “Joshua,” I scolded, extracting myself from his arms and turning to face him with my hands on my hips. “Not cool!”
He had the decency to look sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at his feet. His dirty-blond hair was a mess, and he was in one of his band T-shirts and shorts. His neat chinos-and-shirt combo was nowhere to be seen.
“Sorry,” Josh mumbled to the ground.
“This is your ex?” Ethan came to stand by me, another ball of fire appearing in his hand, his signature cocky grin pulling at his lips. “This should be fun.”
“Ethan!” I was just about at my limit of testosterone for the day.
The fire was yellow, meaning it was harmless and would fizzle to nothing if he threw it, but Harvey didn’t know that. To his credit he stood his ground—a human facing the crazy Variants down despite the growing fear in his eyes. This was why I’d fallen for Harvey; he really stood up for what he believed in. He was brave.
“If the one who pulled you away with his ability, which is totally cheating, by the way”—Harvey was scowling, his fists clenched by his sides—“is your boyfriend, then who’s this fuckwit?”
“What the fuck did you just call me?” The fire in Ethan’s hand started to turn blue.
“Enough!” I yelled. “Unless you want to whip ’em out and measure ’em, it’s time to behave like adults.”
All three of them looked as if they actually considered it for a moment, sizing each other up, but finally Ethan extinguished the fire, Josh stuffed his hands into his pockets, and Harvey rolled his neck while taking a deep breath.
“That’s better.” I looked over my shoulder, wondering why Tyler hadn’t stepped in sooner. He and Alec were standing shoulder to shoulder, both wearing matching amused expressions. He was too proud to act as juvenile as Ethan and Josh had, but he was enjoying the way they were staking their claim.
I shook my head.
“Guys, this is Harvey.” I chose not to put a label on him. He was definitely no longer my boyfriend, but he was much more than just a friend. “Harvey, this is Josh.”
“Her boyfriend,” Josh added as he waved, but at least his tone was friendlier.
“And this is Ethan.”
“Her boyfriend.” Ethan dropped one big arm over my shoulders, his grin widening at the confusion on Harvey’s face.
Tyler walked over to us and took my hand. He extended his other to Harvey. “I’m Tyler, her boyfriend.” I rolled my eyes, but laughter was starting to bubble up in my chest from the ridiculousness of it all. “Sorry about the rocky start.”
“Um . . . OK.” Harvey shook Tyler’s hand, then looked at me with raised eyebrows. “How many boyfriends do you have?”
We all turned to Alec, who was now leaning on the railing, his arms crossed and his cool blue eyes narrowed.
“Uh, it’s complicated,” I answered. “And that’s Alec. You should probably just . . . stay away from him.”
“Yeah, you definitely want to steer clear of Alec,” Tyler reinforced my warning.
But we’d spoken of the devil, so he appeared. Alec walked right up to Harvey, a smile tugging at his lips. There was nothing friendly about it. He extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Alec.”
Harvey’s manners won, and he returned the greeting, reaching his hand out.
As soon as their hands clasped, Harvey yelped in pain and yanked his back to his chest, rubbing at the palm.
The creepy smile was still on Alec’s face. “That’s just a little taste of my ability.”
I rounded on him. “Alec, what the fuck?”
His fake smile fell away. “So this is why you flew halfway across the world? To see your ex?”
“Man, you know she came here to help find Charlie.” Tyler sounded as frustrated as I was angry. “Calm down.”
“I’m not a fucking moron,” I seethed. “I’m not going to put my life in danger to have a chat with an old friend. I came here for Charlie. I went to Harvey for help. He was gracious enough to provide it.”
“How convenient. Isn’t four enough? You looking to add another to your collection?”
I flinched but didn’t hesitate in my response. “I don’t have four. I have three.”
He watched me for a long moment, neither one of us willing to back down, look away.
“You have four,” he said with such certainty I almost wavered and reached out for him. Almost.
“You’ve got a funny way of showing it.”
“What?” It was his turn to look confused.
“Dana,” I ground out between clenched teeth. I’d tried to pretend I wasn’t jealous. I’d tried to tell myself Alec and I weren’t together, so he was free to do whatever he wanted. But I was his Vital. He was in my Bond. He was mine.
“Dana?” Bit by bit, the confusion in his furrowed brow turned to anger. “Dana?! I haven’t fucking touched Dana in . . . since the fucking gala. I told you that the morning after Dot’s birthday. I fucking want you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, am I supposed to read your mind? How the fuck am I supposed to know . . .”
“Stop fighting!” Ethan’s voice was so loud and sudden I actually startled. “Just stop. I’m so sick of this. I can’t take it anymore. Please . . .”
His voice lost its booming quality, his shoulders sagging. He looked so tired. Had he slept? Had any of them? They all looked disheveled and haggard, hair messy, expensive shirts rumpled.
“I have never seen so much tension in a Bond.” Nina had exited the car and was standing next to Harvey, who looked somewhere between confused and uncomfortable. “She has more than enough Light to sustain all four abilities.”
“Light? Abilities?” Harvey’s eyes widened. “Eve, what is going on?”
Harvey deserved answers. Though he wasn’t a part of my life anymore, at one point he’d been my whole world. His kindness had meant everything at a time when I’d felt so isolated. Then I’d just disappeared. And now I’d just shown up out of nowhere, bringing all my drama and baggage into his life. I was surprised he wasn’t being more forceful about getting the truth.
“A lot has changed since we saw each other last, Harvey.” I smiled sadly, nostalgic for how simple my life had been back then, when all I had to worry about was keeping my boyfriend a secret from my mother—and occasionally about what we were running from. Simpler times . . .
“Yeah, I’m starting to get that.” He smiled back.
“Put the kettle on?” I nodded toward the house. “I’ll tell you all about it over a cuppa.”
He nodded and walked into the house, running his hands through his brown hair and releasing a deep breath.
“Eve,” Tyler said tentatively, “we don’t really have time to—”
“Yes, we do,” I interrupted with a smile. I wasn’t going to run off on Harvey again. There were very few people I’d ever gotten close enough with to care about. I needed to stop hurting them. Might as well start here, in the scorching heat of a dusty Australian sun.
Twenty
My cup of tea with Harvey turned into lunch. The seven of us crowded around the little round table, and the guys let me do most of the talking. Nina observed every interaction, every little touch between us, as if she were trying to put together a jigsaw.
Harvey wasn’t stupid; the talk of Light and all the guys’ abilities led him to the conclusion I was a Vital. But he had a million questions. I answered them all, despite the other men’s disapproving looks and even attempts to stop me. I trusted Harvey, and other than the Melior Group stuff I wasn’t supposed to know, I wanted him to have the truth.
I did, however, make the gravity of the situation clear. “You understand you can’t repeat any of this to anyone, right? You can’t tell Mia or your parents you even saw me. People’s lives are at stake. My life could be at stake.”
Harvey frowned but nodded. “This have something to do with the Vital abductions I’ve been seeing all over the news?”
Tyler’s voice was patient but firm. “Yes. It’s very complicated, and we can’t tell you much more—for your own safety as much as anyone else’s.”
The guys, realizing they couldn’t stop me from telling him as much as I could, ended up just imploring Harvey to stay quiet. Tyler used logic and his naturally authoritative demeanor; Josh had seen how much he genuinely cared for me, so he appealed to those feelings; Ethan poured his big heart out, telling him how much I meant to them, how much it would hurt to lose me. He made me get all emotional, but he still wasn’t meeting my eyes most of the time. Alec just glared, his threat evident in his posture and facial expression.
After lunch, we drove for hours, past the city and to a private airstrip. At least that explained how they’d gotten to me so fast. Leaving as soon as you want and refueling in the air certainly saves time.
I gave Harvey a brief hug on the tarmac, hyperaware of the four sets of eyes watching us intently.
“Keep in touch this time?” he joked, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“I’ll text you when we land. Thank you so much, Harvey.”
He nodded, and I turned away, walking to my guys and onto the plane.
In a much shorter time than it had taken me to cover the same distance, we were back home.
Everyone filed through the entryway and into the massive foyer of the Zacarias mansion. Extravagant Christmas decorations had appeared in the few days I’d been away. Next to the curving staircase stood a massive tree, resplendent in red and gold decoration, and poinsettias had replaced the usual vase of fresh flowers on the side table. Even the banister was decked out in garlands.
Nina smiled as she stepped inside, lowering her bag onto the pile of coats and luggage by the door. “You must be Dorothy.”
Dot looked more nervous than I’d ever seen her. She was standing between her parents, Lucian hanging back by the stairs. “You can call me Dot.” She cleared her throat uncertainly.
“Hi, I’m Olivia.” Dot’s mom waved. “And I have to be honest here, I don’t really understand how this works, and I’m not entirely convinced it’s a good idea.”
“I understand your concerns, madame. My name is Nina, and I would be happy to explain to you as much as I can how my connection to the Light works, but I have a feeling everyone in the room would prefer if I tried to track your son first?”
“Yes, please!” Dot’s eyes were wet, and my own throat tightened. We’d been waiting for this so long; the anticipation, the hope that we could be so close to finding Charlie, was palpable.
Josh circled his arms around my front. Ethan had been very quiet the whole way back, and while he wasn’t rejecting me when I hugged him or leaned on him, he wasn’t initiating any affection. He was still pissed at me.
“Come.” Nina gestured to Dot. “Let me get a proper feel for you.”
Nina took Dot’s hands in hers and closed her eyes. After only a moment, she opened them again and sighed, giving a sad, tight smile. “I’m sorry—”
“No!” Dot wrenched her hands back as her mom started to cry. Dot’s dad, Henry, folded his wife into his arms, his own eyes tired and misty.
“No, you misunderstand,” Nina rushed out, her French accent becoming more pronounced. “I am not saying he has, how you say, passed away. Only that I cannot track him as—”
“I knew it!” Alec burst out. “This was a waste of fucking time. She’s a fraud. Now she’ll ask for money.”
Everyone started speaking over each other, and Nina looked more than a little frustrated.
“Let her speak!” I yelled, and miraculously, everyone quieted down. Alec huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. The frown on Lucian’s face was just as skeptical, but at least he was controlling himself.
“I cannot track him now,” Nina continued, “but I will be able to once the foreign Light is out of Dot’s system.”
“What do you mean?” Dot asked, wiping tears away.
“I mean that you have too much of someone else’s Light coursing through you.” She looked pointedly in my direction. “The connection is not strained toward your Vital because your ability is sustained. Once Eve’s Light is cleared, I will be able to track your brother.”
“Shit.” Guilt gripped my lungs, making it hard to breathe. It was my fault we couldn’t get to Charlie right away. I’d only been trying to help Dot, make her feel better, but I’d ruined everything.
“You could not have known.” Nina smiled at me, then frowned. “You have been very generous with your friend. There is more of your Light in Dot than in some of your Variants.”
Her dark eyes traveled to Alec. She had very expressive eyes.
“OK, how does this work?” Henry stepped forward, demanding answers, daring to hope.
“I will be more than happy to answer any questions you have, but I do need a shower. We may have flown in a private jet, but twenty-two hours on a plane is still twenty-two hours on a plane.”
“Of course!” Tyler stepped in. “I’ll show you to the guest room.”
He took off up the stairs, carrying Nina’s bag. The other guys dispersed too, in search of showers and fresh clothes.
Dot came up and enveloped me in a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re OK,” she whispered into my neck, “but you smell like shit.” She pulled back, making a face.
“I’m sorry about the Light.” I looked down, not finding any humor in the situation. “If I’d known . . . and now we have to wait longer.”
“Stop.” Olivia pulled me into another hug. “You have nothing to apologize for, Evelyn. I’m glad you’re OK. Thank you for doing this. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”
She was starting to cry again. She gave me another squeeze and moved off after Lucian and Henry, muttering abo
ut making tea.
Olivia may have let me off the hook, but I was still nervous about what Dot had to say.
“Don’t even worry about it.” She waved me off, moving to sit on the stairs. I breathed a sigh of relief and sat next to her.
“So, you took the private jet, huh?” She nudged me with her shoulder. “I’ve never been in it. What’s it like?”
“It was actually really cool.” I couldn’t help grinning. Extravagant things didn’t usually faze me, but the jet was amazing. “I loved not having to deal with customs or passport control or waiting for ages to board, and it has a bed!”
“A bed, eh?” She gave me a knowing look, but I rolled my eyes.
“As if. We had company. Plus, Alec won’t touch me, Tyler had to work most of the time, and Ethan’s still pissed at me. I took a nap with Josh though.”
“Yeah, Ethan was pretty upset.”
“I know. I feel really bad. I’m constantly hurting someone or letting someone down. I’ve just never had this many people in my life, you know? I’m still learning how to not only think about myself.”
“Speaking of pissed . . .” Dot cringed, and I groaned.
“What now?”
“Zara. I talked to her, explained the situation. I think she gets it, but she feels like we lied to her.”
“We kinda did.” I sighed.
“I know, but this was about Charlie, and I’d do it again a hundred times over if it meant getting him back. I just think you should talk to her.”
“I will. I’ll go home . . . soon.” I yawned, leaning my head on Dot’s shoulder.
My phone vibrated. It was Harvey, replying to the text I’d sent him when we landed. It felt good to have him back in my life, to have some connection to my past. I smiled as Dot read over my shoulder.
“So, how’d the guys do with meeting the ex?”
I groaned. “About as well as could be expected.”
“Oh, so he’s dead? Then who’s texting you?”
I laughed. “OK, slightly better than expected. They gave him a hard time, and it started a fight with Alec. But I made them all be nice.”
Dot chuckled, jostling me on her shoulder.
Vital Found (The Evelyn Maynard Trilogy Book 2) Page 24