Emil stepped forward again, his chest pressing into mine. Still holding my gaze, he wrapped his arm around me, resting it on my lower back as he pulled me to him. He let his other hand continue trailing lightly down my face to my neck, where his fingers found the beautiful necklace he’d given me to wear. I breathed in a ragged breath as my heart beat faster. His eyes met mine and held. I’d declared the no dating rule three months ago, so the thought of kissing Emil again made me a little swoony.
Emil lifted his hands to the back of my head. I felt gentle tugs as he deftly removed the pins from my hair. I wrapped my arms around his neck, tilting my head to the side. Our lips met in a sweet kiss, though months of pent up pressure quickly turned the kiss from soft to aggressive. My soulmark was on fire. I’d been waiting for this for far too long. Emil’s grip on my neck tightened as I pressed my hands into his hair. I couldn’t breathe, but no longer cared. I was kissing Emil for the first time in months, and it was amazing.
He moved his arms around my stomach, hugging me to him and lifting me off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his waist.
Emil used the side of the house for leverage, holding me there as we continued to kiss. One hand went back to my chest, tracing the area around my necklace, and following it down to the neckline of my dress. His fingers brushed the line over my cleavage as I sighed. I let my hands explore the muscles of his back, my fingers clawing at his shirt, pulling the fabric tight across his chest. I tugged a little too hard and heard a rip as some of his shirt buttons clattered to the ground, revealing his hard, smooth chest and abs. I licked my lips, and decided we were going to need somewhere more private than the front porch. The last thing I wanted was to be caught by a nosy neighbor. I was about to suggest we go inside and find something more comfortable than lumber to be braced against when I heard the squeaking hinges of the front door.
The door swung open revealing Alex, a dark silhouette against the light pouring out of the house. His lips were pursed in a fine line, muscles tight, hands clenched at his side. Emil and I both froze. We’d been caught with our hands in much more interesting places than a cookie jar. Emil loosened his grip. With blood rushing to my cheeks, I quickly untangled my legs from Emil’s torso. I stood, grimacing as Emil’s button casualties cracked loudly under my heels. Alex’s jaw tightened at the sound. I smoothed my hair, though I doubted it helped. It probably looked like I’d been plastered against a wall during a tornado—a tornado named Emil. I glanced down at my dress making sure everything was where it should be. I couldn’t check my rear, but aside from the wrinkles, my front showed little signs of scandal.
Alex took in my dress, stopping at the necklace on my chest and holding there. A muscle ticked under his eye. When he got to my hair, his whole body tensed even more. It was a good thing he was immortal; his blood pressure looked like it was at dangerous levels. He shifted his gaze to Emil, whose clothes were in a much worse state than mine thanks to me trying to remove his shirt like a badger. The anger that flashed across Alex’s face was reflected in Emil’s as a silent conversation took place between them. Judging by their stony expressions, their unspoken words contained a lot of expletives. Finally, Alex moved his eyes back to meet mine. “Come inside. Now.”
I shouldn’t have felt like a child who’d been disciplined by a parent, but I did. I walked into the house. Emil followed, doing his best to close his shirt with the remaining button survivors. Alex still stood by the door, looking like he wanted to slam it—and any other blunt object he could find—in Emil’s face.
Alex had surprised me with his initial calm demeanor, but that didn’t last long. He shut the door. Hard. Then he turned, looking straight at Emil, his eyes shooting daggers. “You took her to Denver and didn’t tell me that’s where you were going?” His voice was steadily rising.
Emil looked at the ground, gathering his emotions. “I had it under control.”
“Clearly,” Alex said through his teeth, “you didn’t.”
I knew the amicable relationship between Alex and Emil was too good to last.
Alex turned around, his back to Emil and me. He stayed that way for at least a full minute. His tight shoulders reflected the frustration I knew he felt—it was a posture I seemed to evoke from him frequently. “I was out of the area in a meeting, and wasn’t too interested in watching your date. When I came back, you still weren’t home. And you weren’t in Gunnison either. That’s when I checked my ring and located you. On a plane.” He turned back around, pegging Emil with a cold glare. “After picturing your face on my punching bag for the last thirty minutes, Stone, I decided to wait for you both here. I arrived just in time to find you with your tongue down her throat on the front porch. You should have warned me.”
Emil’s lips lifted ever so slightly. “That I was going to kiss her, or take her to Denver?”
Alex’s mouth curled in a snarl he could barely contain. “Don’t antagonize me.”
I blew out a breath, folding into the couch. It looked like we’d be here a while.
Emil shifted his weight from one foot to the other, putting his left hand in his pocket. “You’re overreacting, Alex. Again.”
“We were fine.” I caught Alex’s eyes and held them in a hard stare. “We made it back safe. And you’re pissing me off.”
Alex immediately shifted his attention from me to Emil. “It was irresponsible,” he said. “You should have taken backup.”
“I did,” Emil defended. “Our driver was also a Daevos member.”
Alex stared at him, disbelieving. “You took another Daevos member for backup? Are you stupid?” Alex paused, shaking his head. “I hope to hell it was someone you trust.”
Emil rolled his eyes, sitting on the couch across from me. “No, I thought I’d ask someone I don’t trust to drive us all over Denver. Seems smart.”
Alex’s hands tightened into fists. I could tell he was fighting for a measure of control. “The date, Denver,” he stopped to glare, then his eyes shifted to my chest.
And held.
Through his teeth he said, “And the damn jewelry.” He paced the room, his expression tight with an anger I didn’t understand. “What other ways are you going to ruin my night, Stone?”
I pushed my eyebrows together. “What’s wrong with the necklace?” It was a gorgeous necklace! I didn’t want to take it off even now.
Alex kept talking, his voice raised. “You never should have taken her out of Gunnison alone. Evie is mine to protect. You’re here because I let you stay. Don’t forget that. And next time you want to take her somewhere she might be in danger, you damn well better tell me.”
Emil stood slowly and looked Alex square in the eyes, holding the stare. Emil was usually level-headed and rarely lost his temper, but right now, he was furious. The air was pulsing with anger from them both. Emil’s voice was low, solid and unwavering, “She might be your responsibility to protect, Night, but she was mine before she was ever yours. You’re her Protector, but she was my wife. Don’t forget that. Ever. My bond with her is stronger than you could ever imagine. I don’t need your permission to do anything, and I certainly don’t need your permission to stay.”
Blood rushed to Alex’s face. He was almost as furious as I was, but I got the next word in before Alex could. “You both better stop with the possessive crap. I don’t belong to anyone.”
Emil held Alex’s eyes for a few more seconds before breaking the stare and taking a deep breath. He nodded toward me. “Alex is under the misguided assumption that you’re his property. He needed to be reminded you’re not, and he’s not the only one interested in you.”
“I get that reminder every day thanks to you,” Alex spat out. “In fact, I got that reminder again a few minutes ago right outside the door.”
Emil flashed a sly smile as he sat back down. Warmth covered my cheeks as I thought about the kiss on the porch.
Alex looked from Emil to me. “Glad you both find it so entertaining.”
“I’d like to poi
nt out that you both wanted me to date, Alex. You can’t get mad when that’s what you asked for.”
“Date. Not disrobe each other in the front yard.” He shook his head. “The dates aren’t an excuse to be reckless. The fact is, you shouldn’t have left tonight without telling me your plans. Evie could have been hurt. We don’t know what’s going on with the missing Trackers, and from what I learned tonight, things are even more dangerous.”
Emil sat up, suddenly interested now he wasn’t being disciplined and they weren’t having a fight over who got to own me. “What did you find out?”
Alex looked at me like he wasn’t sure what to say. I hated when he did that because I knew it meant he was trying to decide whether or not to tell me the truth, and how much to say. “Don’t censor yourself because you think I can’t handle it, Alex.” I crossed my arms over my chest, defiant. “Because you know I can. I deserve to know what’s happening as much as Emil does.”
Alex scrubbed a hand over his face. “Trackers are still disappearing and the Protectors are getting restless. They’re convinced the Daevos Resistance has something to do with it. No other explanation makes sense.” He paused to look for a reaction from Emil. Emil’s face was granite-hard, giving nothing away. Alex continued, “There has also been another development. Protectors have reported seeing shadow-like figures in the area before their Trackers have disappeared.”
My heart started to thump against my chest as I remembered all the shadowy figures I’d seen: the one in my backyard; the one after karate; and the eight figures that had descended on our car a couple of hours ago.
Emil pursed his lips. “There were shadow figures in Denver tonight.”
“What?” Alex yelled. He exploded toward Emil, holding his arm against Emil’s neck. I jumped up from the couch, trying to stop him. “What if she’d been taken again! Or worse, killed! We don’t know what the shadows are. I should take your soul just for putting her in that position!”
I pulled at Alex. “Let him go.”
“I. Will. Not.” His eyes were on fire. I knew Emil could have fought back, but I think he sensed there was enough violence in the air without him adding to it. “He needs to pay for what he’s done.”
“He didn’t do anything except take me on a date, Alex. Nothing happened, and we were fine. Either let him go, or leave until you cool off.”
Alex didn’t move for at least thirty more seconds. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to calm himself down, or decide whether or not to take Emil’s soul. Finally he pulled back. He walked to the fireplace and stood there in silence as he stared at the glowing embers. After several minutes, he asked, “What happened?”
We recounted the shadows, the voice, and the wall of snow I’d built with my mind. Alex looked thoughtful as he considered everything we’d told him.
Emil leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees. “So the Amaranthine Society knows about the shadow figures. What do they think the figures are?”
Alex looked at me as he answered, “The only other time we’ve had to deal with a figure like this was when Evie saw something outside her window last summer right before I left.” My fingernails dug into my hands as I remembered the platinum-eyed ethereal figure that had hovered outside the kitchen window. It had scared the crap out of me, and made Alex think the Daevos had found him. He broke up with me because of it. “I thought the figure outside the window was just Caleb and since it was nighttime, he seemed to be a shadow figure when Evie saw him,” Alex said, pausing to recall the memory. “When I asked Caleb about it in the cave last year, though, he didn’t confirm or deny it.”
A shiver ran through me and I pulled my wrap snug around my shoulders. I wasn’t sure what I’d seen last July, but I knew it wasn’t human. I’m not a Daevos scholar, but I’m pretty sure the Daevos don’t have the ability to change shape and become somewhat transparent. The shadow figure with bright platinum eyes wasn’t Caleb.
Alex sat on the edge of the chair across from me and met my eyes. “Can you tell me exactly what you saw last summer, Evie?”
I pulled myself out of the memory and recounted what I’d seen. “It was hard to make out because it was dark outside and the window screen was in my way. I saw it dart from one side of the yard to the other. I thought it was probably a college student goofing off, running through the yard. But then, the figure was suddenly right in front of me on the other side of the screen, inches away. It was a black, human-shaped mass with bright platinum eyes, and it definitely wasn’t solid. It seemed to be floating in the air. I screamed for you,” I tilted my head to Alex, “and the figure backed slowly away. But it flashed a horrifying smile as it did, then the light from its eyes dimmed, and the figure disappeared.”
As I finished, Emil’s lips were pulled tight in concern, and Alex seemed to be vacillating between worried and angry. “You didn’t tell me all of those details when it happened, Evie.”
“Yeah, because you were already freaking out about the guy we’d seen in the park, and telling me I had to move to another country. I wasn’t giving you any more ammunition. You’re over-protective enough as it is. Plus, you seemed to have a lot on your mind when it happened. Gathering information before you act isn’t one of your strengths.”
“Because actions are my job,” Alex said, his lips barely moving. “And I can’t do it right when I don’t have all the details.”
“Well, you have them now,” I answered.
Emil broke the tension. “Based on Evie’s description, the shadow figures tonight sound like they were similar to what she saw last summer, though we didn’t get close enough to see their eyes. How does Evie’s description relate to what the Protectors are seeing before Trackers are taken? Are they comparable?”
Alex looked at me, nodding slowly. “The shadows vary in size and form, but yes, the description is similar to her experience.” A realization dawned. If I’d given Alex more details about what I’d seen, maybe the Protectors could have watched for the shadow figures and kept their Trackers safe. I blew out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. Adding to my already guilty conscious wasn’t helping things. It didn’t make the truth go away, though. I might have helped save some Trackers if I hadn’t been keeping secrets. The thought gnawed at me as Alex kept talking. “The shadow figures are becoming more prominent and always prelude a Tracker being taken. However, it seems the shadows are being seen in other places around the world, too. We need to start watching for the figures, as well as watching for Daevos members in case the Daevos and shadows are connected.”
“That would be easier if it wasn’t winter,” Emil pointed out. “Their vowmarks are the only way to tell if they’re Daevos members. The cold weather is the perfect excuse to wear long sleeves and coats so their vowmarks are covered.”
Alex nodded in assent. “I agree, but we still need to watch for them. You can help too, Emil, since you’ve spent time with a lot of Daevos members and might recognize some of them if they show up.”
“Yeah,” Emil said, “but that doesn’t help the shadow situation.”
I’d been listening to Alex’s explanation and the plan for keeping me safe long enough to be sufficiently shaken at what I’d seen when I’d slid on the ice and hit the snow bank. I sat up, still holding my wrap tight around me like a security blanket. “I probably should have mentioned this before, but there was an…incident a few weeks ago.”
Emil raised an eyebrow, waiting for the rest of the story as Alex folded his arms across his chest. A muscle at the corner of Alex’s eye started to twitch. “An incident?”
I looked down, smoothing my dress. Abolishing wrinkles seemed very important at the moment. “I’m pretty sure I saw a shadow run from behind a tree.” I paused. “The tree that was behind the snow bank I’d just run into.”
Alex’s face reddened and his fists clenched. “You saw a shadow figure three weeks ago and just barely decided to tell us about it?”
I tried to shrug off the concern I was feeling. If I sh
owed fear, Alex would pounce and convince Emil they needed to be even more protective of me…if that was even possible. I was already feeling smothered enough. “Nothing happened. And I can take care of myself, too. I don’t need to run to my knights in shining armor every time I have a problem.”
Alex’s whole body tightened with stress. “That’s what I’m here for.”
I folded my arms across my chest, glaring. “Yeah, and if you remember right, me trusting that someone else would take care of me is exactly what got me abducted by Caleb’s Clan in the first place,” I said. “I’m not doing that again. Why do you think I’ve been taking karate? It’s not because I like hanging out with people who still watch the Disney Channel.”
Emil sat calmly, watching us with a keen eye. Alex shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t keep things like this from us. Emil and I should have been warned about the threat.”
“So you could have caged me even more?” I asked, voice louder than before. “You two are already with me all the time, and probably ring-watching me during my sleep. I have no privacy and frankly, I’m sick of having overlords. I understand you’re trying to protect me, but you need to give me room to breathe.”
Alex and Emil both stared at me. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared back.
Alex exhaled a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry, Evie. I’m not trying to cage you, I’m trying to protect you, so I get angry when I don’t have all the information.”
“Gee, you think? Maybe now you know how it feels.”
He took another deep breath. Released it, then, “Will you tell me the details about the shadow you saw?”
Now it was out in the open, and I was already feeling guilty for not telling them earlier and possibly putting other Trackers at risk. My speech had made my point so I went ahead and told Alex and Emil everything that had happened after my car slid. When I was done, Alex went to the front picture window. He looked outside for several minutes. His arms were crossed high over his chest and even from the side, I could see he was lost in thought.
Eternal Echoes, Emblem of Eternity Trilogy Book 2 Page 8