The Eternal

by Bianca Hunter

  I’m falling in love with you; I don’t think that’s the right choice.

  “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran started playing. Blake stepped back slightly. “Mirror what I do,” he whispered as everyone around us did the same thing. We were barely close enough to warrant my sudden anxiety, but as I felt his body against mine I wanted nothing more than to tell him something, anything about the way I felt, but what could I say? That I was falling in love with him, and I couldn’t help myself even though I wanted to?

  I lifted my chin and took a deep breath.

  Tell him something, tell him anything, but say it. You could die tomorrow, and he’ll never know.

  “Blake,” a voice from behind him sounded. It was John. Blake and I broke apart as he turned to face him. “We have a problem. Nero, Servilia, and a few nomads have been spotted ten miles from here,” he whispered so quietly I could barely make out the words.

  “Find Tristan,” Blake said immediately. “And Lyle and the Dark Soldiers. And, John, tell no one else. We’ll go now.” Blake turned to me. “Find Ravenna and go back to the manor.” His eyes narrowed with concern.

  Before I could reply, he turned away from me and disappeared into the dancing crowd.

  Say something to him, Evelyn, go after him! I started pushing through the crowd, trying to spot him. He’s gone. He’s gone, and he’s going after Nero, and he could die, and you haven’t said anything to him, you haven’t told him how you feel.

  I bit the inside of my lip. I could have cried. I kept glancing around and pushing through the dance floor, desperate to find him. He’s gone. My shoulders heaved with disappointment. I was just about to give up when someone took my hand. I turned.

  Blake.

  Say it now, Evelyn, just say it. “Blake,” I breathed, my chest heaving with nerves.

  “Listen to me,” he said, stepping forward and cupping my face in his hands. “If something happened to you—just promise me that you’ll stay safe,” he said.

  I bit my bottom lip. “Blake,” I whispered, “please don’t go.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment and moved his hands to take mine. He lifted my fingertips to his lips and kissed them softly.

  “I will always come back to you.”

  Before I could say anything else, Blake let go of my hand and disappeared into the crowd again.

  He feels the same way about you.

  I stood among the dancing couples. Suddenly, nothing seemed as dark and sorrowful as it had just minutes ago.

  “Evelyn,” Ravenna’s voice broke my trance. I immediately remembered Ravenna’s warning about not allowing myself to fall in love with Blake and guilt washed over me. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Had Blake and I just started the series of events that would end everyone’s lives?

  I turned to her and clenched my jaw. “We have to get you to safety, let’s go,” she said, taking my arm and guiding me through the dance floor. As soon as we walked out of the hall and into the crisp night air, Ravenna turned to me as we walked to the car. “I can’t believe that Nero is going to try to get over the border.”

  “He won’t manage it, will he?” I asked, suddenly realizing the severity of the situation. If Nero got across the border of Greyhaven, he would come for me. He was ten miles away. One protection spell was the only thing keeping him from coming into Greyhaven and killing us all, starting with me. Nero could be here in minutes. Ravenna opened the driver’s side of the Range Rover at the same time I opened the passenger door.

  “I just don’t understand why he would come tonight? Every Dark Soldier is here,” she said, closing her door as I struggled to get into the car with my dress. I finally made it up and slammed my own door.

  “But Viktor and Markus aren’t,” I whispered as she started the engine.

  “They’re both on their way back. They’ll be arriving in the next hour—with the chest,” Ravenna replied as she reversed the car so fast I grabbed the edge of the seats. With the chest? I looked out of the window and bit the insides of my cheeks as the adrenaline coursing through my arms and down to my fingertips. Vicotria’s warning in Sin burned into my mind again. Serena has a bigger plan, the chest is going to be in Greyhaven and Nero is trying to get in.

  Ravenna glanced at me as we arrived at the bottom of the hill. “Don’t worry, love, we won’t let them get to you,” she said as she revved the engine.

  We arrived at the black iron gates moments later, and they opened for us. Ravenna tapped the steering wheel with her fingers. I had never seen her nervous before. As soon as the gates were open enough, she sped into the courtyard. I glanced back to check that the gates were closing. They remained open—it’s not like they would keep Nero out anyway.

  We both slid out of the car, and I followed Ravenna to the front door as quickly as I could in the dress. I had to take this thing off. At this point, Nero would just have to gently push me over, and I would be defeated.

  “I’m going to go change,” I said as soon as she shut the front door behind us.

  “Let’s go,” she said, taking my arm to help me up the stairs.

  Once we reached the landing, she turned to me. “Meet back here in five?” she said.

  I nodded, and she turned right as I turned left.

  I had to take the same small steps I was forced to take the whole night, and even without my heels on, it took me five minutes to get from the landing to the Queen Mary. I wanted nothing more than to rip the dress to shreds when I finally closed the bedroom door and breathed a sigh of relief that I could finally take it off. I didn’t waste any time. I felt for the zip on my back and pulled it down, feeling the instant relief as the dress loosened around my chest and waist. I peeled the rest of it off and made my way to the bathroom. But as I passed the bed, I noticed an envelope on my pillow. I frowned. I picked up the thick, silky white envelope and opened the unsealed flap, pulling out a handwritten card.

  Evelyn,

  Nero and I hold Gwenn just across the border of Greyhaven in the hills where you heard Astara cry out. You have until the sun rises to meet us or she will die. If you inform anyone, I will know, and she will die. Come alone.

  Serena

  My stomach clenched, my chest heavy. I immediately made the motion to turn around and find Ravenna to tell her, then thought of the consequence. Serena would be monitoring my actions somehow, watching my every move and decision.

  I looked around the room, desperately trying to find an answer on the blank walls.

  You have to help Gwenn; they’ll kill you, but you dying was always meant to be, not Gwenn, never Gwenn.

  Chapter Forty

  After a minute of turmoil, I realized that I did not have a choice in the matter; I would never trade my life for Gwenn’s. I took a deep breath and walked to the wardrobe, grabbing a pair of jeans and a black shirt, my fingers shaking so desperately that I almost dropped them. As I dressed, I considered the options for how I was going to leave Greyhaven without Ravenna’s notice. My breathing was so heavy that I was sure she would be able to hear me.

  Calm down. This will only work if you’re calm.

  I would have to steal her car. Where did she leave her keys?

  Not two minutes later, my hair still pinned up and the makeup still firmly in place, I walked downstairs, my boots echoing loudly throughout the hallway. I walked back into the entrance hall, trying to keep my heartbeat and breathing steady and trying desperately to control my shaking hands. I tried to remember what Ravenna did with her keys.

  She never takes the keys out of the ignition; they’re always in the car. She never locks it.

  I glanced back at the marble stairway. I wanted nothing more than to say goodbye to Ravenna—I would never see her again. Just go before she comes down and stops you.

  I took a deep breath and opened the front door as quietly as I could, holding my breath the entire tim
e. I shut it behind me to buy myself some more time. If Ravenna noticed it was open, she would know I had left and come after me instead of looking for me in the manor. I prayed that there were enough mortal heartbeats in the house between Nelly and the rest of the staff so that Ravenna wouldn’t notice mine was missing.

  I walked to the car, trying to step lightly on the gravel, which was crunching. I slowly opened the door of the Range Rover. The keys were in the car, and it had a Start button.

  When you start the engine, you have to be as fast as you can, or she’ll catch up to you.

  I took a deep breath and reached my shaking hand out to the button. Go now! The engine roared to life, and I immediately veered the car to the left and started speeding out of the courtyard. The gates were still open, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I glanced at the manor in the rearview mirror, expecting Ravenna to storm out of the house, but she didn’t. I revved the engine, reached the curved road, and made my way to the bottom of the hill. I felt a mixture of ecstasy and anxiety as I turned left toward the bridge road. I was going to make it to Gwenn, but once I got there, Nero would certainly kill me.

  Blake.

  My heart sank. I would never see him again.

  Don’t think about that.

  As I reached the bridge, I gripped the steering wheel tighter as my hands and arms shook. I thought of Gwenn as I crossed the bridge and started driving toward the hills where I had first met Tristan. I knew it was a twenty-mile journey and sped up to 120 miles an hour. The road was clear, and I knew the chances of anyone else driving toward Greyhaven tonight were zero to none. Blake and the Dark Soldiers would have made their way to where Nero was last spotted. By the time they realized he wasn’t there, it would be too late.

  I started thinking about what I would find when I reached Nero, but I didn’t have to guess for long. The headlights illuminated three people on the side of the road about ten miles before I reached the hills. I noticed Gwenn’s long curls immediately, but there was no sign of Serena. Instead, a man and a woman stood with her.

  The man looked like a Roman gladiator, tall, with a short black buzz cut. His square jaw and straight nose made his face look hostile. I thought about how I would have to die twice, once as a mortal and again as an immortal.

  Don’t think about anything, just do it, just save Gwenn. That’s all that matters.

  As I parked the car right in front of them, I noticed his eyes were completely yellow, and his entire body seemed to be radiating a black mist. I quickly glanced at the woman, who was holding a knife to Gwenn’s throat. Her straight silver-blond hair fell over her shoulders and down to her waist. There was something familiar about her face, her top-heavy lips and small nose, but her black eyes were unfamiliar. I noticed the fear on Gwenn’s face as I opened the car door. I left it open in case we needed to escape quickly.

  “You took your time,” the woman drawled as she pulled Gwenn’s back closer to her body. Gwenn took a deep, sharp breath.

  “Whatever it is, I’ll do it, just please let her go,” I said, standing a few feet away, too scared to move again in case they hurt Gwenn. “You can let her go. She can get in the car and drive away, and you’ll have me.” I tried to keep my voice steady.

  “You?” the man roared with deep laughter. “What in the nine gates of hell would we want with you, little mortal girl?” His accent was distinctly Italian.

  “I don’t understand,” I said directly at Gwenn. “Why did Serena ask me to come?”

  “Oh God,” the woman said, rolling her eyes. Her British accent added to the drawl. “You girls are just so silly, aren’t you? You’re here, my dear—” She spoke slowly, as if talking to a child. “To take us back to Viktor.”

  My heart stopped beating for a moment. “What?”

  “Yes, yes, surprise,” she said, once again rolling her eyes. “We’re going to get into that car, the four of us like one big happy family, and you’re going to take us back to Greyhaven.” Her yellowed teeth gleamed through her red lips.

  “I—” I started.

  “And if you don’t, we’ll kill this lovely morsel first,” she said, pushing the knife closer to Gwenn’s throat. “And then we’ll kill you, allow you to return as an immortal, and then tear you apart limb by limb before we rip your wretched little heart out of your chest.” She spoke cheerfully, her black eyes glimmering in the moonlight.

  “Throat,” the man added.

  “What?” The woman sneered at him.

  “Rip out her throat, less work,” he replied simply. “Not so rough on the hands.” He stretched out his enormous hands now.

  “So, what say you, little dove?” the woman said, ignoring the man’s interruption and turning back to me. “It’s up to you. You can allow this mortal to die, barely eighteen years old, an unlived life with so much potential, etcetera. Or you can allow us to visit Viktor, an immortal who has lived a full life for over two thousand years. The choice is yours.”

  Ravenna is alone in the manor. Can she take them on with Viktor? If he’s not there, Ravenna will die. Blake and the Dark Soldiers are miles away. There are hundreds of innocent immortals in Greyhaven, including Bastian and Miyuki.

  How could I exchange Gwenn’s life for all of theirs? I looked into Gwenn’s eyes. Can all the immortals in Greyhaven fight Nero?

  “Quickly now, little dove. Tempus fugit,” she snapped. I have to buy us time.

  “Yes,” I replied. “I’ll take you to him.” I would have precisely twenty miles to figure out how to fix all of this.

  Twenty miles to plan on how to stop anyone from getting hurt.

  “But she gets out at the bridge,” I said, pointing to Gwenn.

  The woman stared at me, her expression filled with boredom now. “Yes, all right,” she snapped. “We’ll let her out at the bridge.”

  “Alive,” I added, realizing that this woman would probably happily slit Gwenn’s throat and throw her into the river.

  “Yes, yes,” she replied, pushing Gwenn toward the car.

  I watched as they got into the back seat, the man in the front passenger seat. I took a deep breath and slid back into the driver’s seat. I glanced back at Gwenn’s petrified expression in the rearview mirror and narrowed my eyes.

  What the hell am I going to do?

  Every part of me had never wanted Blake with me more than now. He would know what to do.

  Just keep going. You’ll figure something out. Drive slowly, give Viktor time to return to Greyhaven and Blake and the Dark Soldiers time to realize that Nero has already made it here.

  I started the car and turned back toward Greyhaven, trying to swallow down the panic that was rising in my chest.

  “Have you met our nephew? Maybe you know him? Blake?” the woman asked, leaning forward, her tone as flat as if we were having a simple conversation over a cup of tea.

  “I have,” I said, glancing at the stone-cold man sitting quietly next to me.

  “Wonderful, I hate awkward introductions,” she said, sitting back now.

  I drove slowly, trying to buy more time to come up with a plan other than letting Gwenn out of the car.

  “What are you planning to do with the immortals in Greyhaven?” I asked, my voice shaking slightly. If I could just figure out who they wanted to hurt first after Viktor, I could try to warn them somehow.

  “We won’t kill anyone else,” Servilia piped up. “We’re just here for Viktor, and if we can get to him easily enough, Markus,” she said simply. “How is Lorenzo by the way?” she asked, leaning toward me.

  “Dead,” I said coldly.

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” she replied, sitting back and sounding like she couldn’t care less about her father.

  Nero turned to me. “How?” he asked, his voice cold and deep.

  “I don’t know,” I said, not willing to tell them about Blake’s involvement.
>
  “Blake killed him,” Servilia answered simply.

  Did she have the same ability Tristan did? Could she read my thoughts?

  “I can,” she chimed.

  The panic surged through my veins. I couldn’t think of a plan. She would be able to read my thoughts. What was I going to do?

  Silence fell over the car. I glanced back at Gwenn again, who was apparently waiting for me to look into the rearview mirror. I watched as her eyes widened in desperation and fear.

  “Where is Serena?” I asked, breaking the silence.

  They both ignored me, and my stomach jolted as I noticed the dark outline of the bridge in the distance. My chest heaved, and I tried to calm myself down.

  “Oh, little dove, look, you’ve done it,” Servilia said, taking in the scene in front of her.

  We had reached the bridge, but I stopped just as the car hit the wood.

  “Gwenn leaves now,” I said, sharply glancing into the rearview mirror. Gwenn was frozen with fear. If they were ever going to kill her, it would be now.

  “Yes, all right, go, get out,” Servilia said, clearly eager to get to Viktor.

  I nodded to Gwenn in the mirror, and her eyes narrowed desperately, trying to communicate something to me.

  Please just go. I’ve probably sacrificed everyone in this town to keep you alive, please go.

  “Get out before I kill you,” Servilia said sharply.

  I nodded to urge Gwenn on. She opened the car door, and I felt the sharp, cold air hit my face. I kept my eyes on the bridge ahead, not wanting to risk Nero or Servilia’s rage.

  As soon as I heard Gwenn’s door shut, I started driving into Greyhaven, my hands shaking on the steering wheel. We were all going to die tonight, and it was all my fault.

  Chapter Forty-One

  I watched as Gwenn’s figure grew smaller in the side mirror and then disappeared altogether as I made a left turn. Servilia leaned forward, and I felt the sharp edge of the knife on my own throat.

  “Now to Viktor,” Servilia hissed coldly and pressed the blade closer to my skin again.