Waking Eden (The Eden Series Book 3) Read online

  “I don’t mind blunt.” Heck, considering the situation, blunt was freakin’ great. She frowned at Ramsay. “Thoughtless kind of bugs me though.”

  Lexi laughed, one of those big uninhibited ones. She shoved Ramsay, who still hadn’t moved, to join Eryx, leaned close to Trinity and whispered, “Pretty sure it’s more like scared shitless.”

  The two settled into her tiny sitting area, Eryx at one end of the couch, Lexi nestled right beside him. Ramsay plunked in the lone club chair angled next to the sofa.

  Trinity hesitated, too hung up on Lexi’s comment to initiate momentum. Ramsay? Scared? Of what? She’d never met a more self-assured man. Her gaze slid to Eryx. Okay, maybe there was one other more confident man. The two of them had the market share in spades.

  And they were staring at her.

  Right. Explanations.

  The only space left on the sofa was way too close to Ramsay, so she stood opposite the coffee table and crossed her arms for a little extra oomph. “I doubt bringing your brother and his wife for a visit has much to do with your lack of common decency, so why are you here?”

  Ramsay glanced at Eryx.

  Eryx dipped his head. More silent permission than any kind of agreement.

  Ramsay cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t call you back because I was trying to learn more about you.”

  Okaaaay. Not where she’d thought he’d go. “You mean like a background check?”

  He frowned at the floor. “Not exactly.”

  Lexi chuckled.

  Ramsay’s head snapped up, aimed at her. “You’re not helping.”

  “Sorry, I never thought I’d see a little bitty thing like her make you fidget.”

  Eryx squeezed her arm and Lexi rolled her eyes.

  Ramsay let out an impatient breath and refocused on Trinity. “That night I met you, when you fell and I helped you up, I saw something. Something I never expected to see away from home.”

  “Oklahoma?” Sure, Texas was a little more cosmopolitan than their northern neighbor, but it wasn’t exactly edgy like New York or California.

  “Eden,” Ramsay said.

  “As in New York?” she said. “I thought you said you lived in Tulsa with your family.”

  Lexi’s laughter bubbled up again, though this time it was more along the lines of a sympathetic girlfriend. “Clearly, my geography sucks because that wasn’t my first response.”

  The pleasant buzz in Trinity’s head kicked back in. “Well, where else is there?”

  Ramsay stood, eyes locked on her, and took her hand. “The Eden, Trinity. Though the history for the one you’ve probably heard about isn’t entirely accurate.”

  She tried to jerk her hand away, but Ramsay tightened his grip. Not hard, but firm. “Take a breath and hear me out.”

  He trailed his fingers down her neck. They dipped beneath her crewneck sweater and under the chain of her necklace. A second later the pendant slipped free. “Your necklace, this symbol, it’s kind of a big deal where I’m from. Everyone’s talked about it for a long time, but no one had seen it until about a month ago.”

  Lexi leaned forward, her mouth slack and eyes riveted on Trinity’s neckline. “Holy shit, it’s identical.”

  “Identical to what?” Trinity fought the need to move. To hide. Run. Do something besides stand there while they all gaped at her. Even Eryx seemed a little shell-shocked, and she’d be willing to bet that took a lot to accomplish.

  Her guests glanced from one to the other, their expressions shifting like they were holding a conversation without words.

  Eryx stood and shrugged out of his jacket. He tossed the jacket to the sofa and faced her. Stretched up and down Eryx’s arm was a replica of the necklace her adopted father had given her. An exact replica.

  Trinity stumbled back, dimly registering Ramsay’s steadying hand at her shoulder.

  No. Freakin’. Way.

  “Now you see why I was so surprised,” Ramsay said quietly beside her. “Why I started asking all those questions. That mark means a lot where I come from, more now than ever.”

  Trinity shook her head and stepped away. She gripped the pendant. The black filigree bit into her fingertips and her heart pounded against her hand. “My father gave me his. Yours looks like a tattoo, so how did you come up with the design?”

  “It’s a mating mark,” Eryx said. “When I took Lexi as my mate, I took her family symbol as well, just as she wears mine.” He smiled down at his wife. “We found her here in Evad, what we call the human realm. She was one of our lost, though at the time we didn’t have a clue she was Myren, let alone what her family mark would be.”

  Trinity’s gaze snapped to Lexi. “Family mark.”

  Lexi’s lips tightened and she stood, gripping Eryx’s hand. “Exactly. Every family has its own and they’re not repeated. The fact that you have a necklace that matches it makes us wonder if we’re not…well, related.”

  The buzzing she’d felt when she saw Lexi. Not unpleasant so much as familiar.

  Obviously Kazan hadn’t spilled all of his secrets.

  But he wouldn’t have been able to. Sharing her history was one thing. Sharing someone else’s would’ve crossed the line.

  This was it. Her crossroad.

  Her heart lurched and tumbled, and her mouth ran so dry it almost hurt to speak. “What’s so important about this mark?”

  “It’s the focal point of a prophecy. One that’s been around since our earliest generations.” Ramsay sidled closer. “They say that when a Shantos male takes a mate bearing that mark, a new era will dawn for our race.”

  Vague. No direction or consequence of any manner. Which, if the fantasy books she loved were any indication, was the norm for such predictions. “That tells you almost nothing. How are you supposed to know what it means?”

  Eryx sat on the edge of the couch and pulled Lexi down with him. “We were kind of hoping you could tell us.”

  Trinity drifted to the club chair in a daze. Ramsay’s hand rested on her shoulder, the other at the small of her back, so maybe he was guiding her. Her mind was too muddled to clarify, or even care.

  A prophecy. A different realm. A different race, if she’d caught that detail accurately. What had they called themselves? Myrens?

  Oh, and she might have a relative, too.

  Her breath kicked up and the space behind her chest burned. Kazan definitely hadn’t spilled everything from his almost-all-knowing hive mind.

  And Ramsay. What he’d been after was information. The touching, he’d been after a visual, not really interested in her at all.

  “So this…” She looked up at him, standing tall beside her, and waved between them. “It was all just to learn about me? Find out what I know?”

  Ramsay crouched in front of her and gripped her limp hand from the armrest. His eyebrows drew in tight, sharpening the impact of his silver eyes. “At first, yeah.” His thumb stroked her knuckles. “I realized it was a dick move and I backed off.”

  So the touching after he’d gotten an eyeful had been a pity thing. Excellent. And she’d called him like an eager puppy the next day.

  Lexi stood abruptly and motioned her husband toward the door. “Let’s go.”

  Eryx gazed between her and Ramsay, and then slowly joined her.

  Lexi turned back with lips pinched tight, and jammed her hands in her pockets. “I know you’d probably like to kick his ass out the door, but if you can tolerate him a little longer, you could at least prod him for more information.” She shot Ramsay a death glare. “He might even pull his head out of his ass and own up to what he’s too afraid to acknowledge.”

  Tugging her hands free, she took a tentative step toward Trinity and held out her hand. “I’m guessing a hug is too much right off the bat, but I don’t want to leave without telling you I’m thrilled to know I might have family.”

  Trinity stared at her outstretched hand.

  Family. Not adopted parents. Not a mystical paren
t incapable of a normal relationship, but an honest to God, flesh and blood human.

  Well, maybe not human.

  Lexi lowered her hand and shrugged with a wry smile. “It’s okay. You’ve had a big night.” She raised an eyebrow at Ramsay. “Might be bigger, who knows.”

  She ambled toward the door, and Eryx splayed his big hand at the small of her back.

  Trinity shot to her feet. “Wait.”

  All eyes whipped to her.

  She rubbed her hands on her slacks to steady them and paced toward the door, Ramsay close beside her. It was a wonder she didn’t choke on the violent pulse at her throat.

  She could do this. For family, she could sure try. “If there’s a chance we’re relatives, maybe we could try a hug.”

  Chapter 12

  Ramsay held his breath and braced to intervene as Lexi hugged Trinity’s petite shoulders. He’d yet to get Trinity to tell him how the whole touching thing impacted her, but the way she guarded herself from humanity made it obvious it wasn’t pleasant.

  Trinity tension unwound on a relieved exhale, and she wrapped Lexi up at the waist.

  “All good?” Lexi cupped the back of Trinity’s blond head.

  Trinity jerked a tiny, awkward nod.

  Part of Ramsay relaxed and offered up thanks to The Great One. Another, far more selfish part, bristled. So much for him being unique for Trinity.

  Lexi stepped back, hands on Trinity’s shoulders, and smiled. “Maybe us being able to touch means we’re related. It would explain the necklace.”

  “Probably more race-specific than relationship.” Eryx edged closer to them and offered his hand. “Either way, it’s a good thing. No touch isn’t healthy.”

  Trinity hesitated, then slid her hand into his. She smiled up at his brother a heartbeat later, one of those killer sunshine ones that stopped a man in his tracks.

  Yeah, not as thrilled with the growing population of people who could touch Trinity.

  Lexi locked eyes with Ramsay. “I dangled a hall pass for you. It’s up to you to kiss ass and get back in her good graces, but so help me God, if you hurt her again, I’ll cut your nuts off.”

  Eryx agreed with a telepathic grunt, pulled Lexi against his side, and held out his hand palm up. “Keys.”

  Ramsay tugged the Hummer’s fob from his jeans pocket. The second it was free, it shot from his hand and across the room to Eryx’s.

  Trinity jumped a good foot away from all three of them and fisted her hand at her throat. “Whoa.”

  Ramsay moved in to steady her and glared at his brother. “She just found out a whole new race exists. You think now’s the best time to showboat?”

  Eryx grinned, if you could call it that. More like taunted with evil glee. “Just giving your girl extra reason to keep you around. Someone’s got to explain the details.”

  Meddlesome jackass. “I seem to recall you spoon feeding Lexi all kinds of information when she first came to Eden.”

  “I knew she was my mate and wanted to protect her,” Eryx said. “What’s your motive?”

  Mine.

  The claim rattled through him as clear as it had three nights ago when she’d come riding his fingers.

  “Where are you two going?” Trinity asked. “I mean…” She glanced at him, wide eyed, fidgeted with her necklace, and zeroed in on Lexi. “I’m thinking more viewpoints and explanations might be better.”

  Safer, that was for damned sure. He didn’t want a relationship. Didn’t want the responsibility that came with an innocent like Trinity. He wanted light and fun like things used to be. Relationships only set people up for disappointment.

  He moved to her anyway and pulled her back against his chest. Protective. Claiming.

  “I’ve got this,” he said to his brother, and only his brother. Lexi wouldn’t understand the need to be alone with Trinity with this. Not like Eryx would.

  Without hesitation, Eryx tossed the key fob into the air, caught it, and steered his mate toward the door. “Can’t. I’ve got one night’s reprieve from the chaos at home with my baineann. She deserves a little taste of home while we’re here.” With one last pointed look at Ramsay, Eryx winked at Trinity and wrapped his hand around the doorknob. “Ramsay will take care of you.”

  The door clicked shut behind them.

  Trinity wiggled out of his arms and half stumbled, half marched to the kitchen. She turned on the tap, wetted a dishrag, rang it out and started wiping down counters already so clean they were fit for surgery.

  “Anyone would be a little freaked out to learn the things you heard.” Ramsay paced closer to the tiny bar separating the kitchen from the living area. “Lexi’s about as open-minded as they come, and even she was disbelieving.”

  Trinity shook her head, moved her shiny stainless steel toaster out of the way, and kept cleaning. “I wouldn’t say I’m freaking out.” She shifted to the far side of the counter and repeated the whole process with the cobalt blue storage containers artfully arranged by height in the corner.

  Slowly so as not to completely push her over the edge, he inched in behind her and covered her hand with his.

  She froze.

  He opened his senses to gauge her emotions through his own gifts, but hit the same mental wall as when he’d tried to scan her memories. He smoothed his thumb along the inside of her wrist instead.

  Her pulse hammered back at him. Not frantic like someone ready to run, but powerful.

  “Talk to me.” He laced his fingers with hers and pulled their joined hands up to her chest. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  Her gaze stayed locked on the counter, distant. “You didn’t want to talk before.”

  Shit. Man, he had this ass-handing coming. And honestly, he deserved whatever she wanted to dish out. Probably best to get things on the table so they could move on. Whatever that looked like. Problem was, he didn’t have a clue where to start.

  “I screwed up.” It was something at least, and nothing short of the truth. He wrapped his other hand around her waist and squeezed the one intertwined with hers. “This prophecy thing has me worried for my brother, and I didn’t stop long enough to think it through.”

  His conscience punched hard and fast.

  Liar.

  Trinity nodded and tried to move from his arms.

  “Wait.” He tightened his grip and rested his cheek at her temple. “That’s not entirely the truth.” He dragged in a slow breath and closed his eyes. Her clean, sunshine scent surrounded him. Innocent and provocative all at once. “I wanted answers. I also wanted you.”

  Trinity tensed.

  “Everything we did, I wanted,” he said. “I lied to myself plenty to get us both to that point, but I wanted it.” He turned her, trapping her with his body against the countertop.

  Trinity stared up at him with wide, cautious eyes, and her lips parted.

  God, he hoped that meant she’d give him a chance. At least long enough to explain. He cupped her face and stroked her cheekbones with his thumbs. “Everything was genuine. The only reason things didn’t go further is I realized the truth. I wanted to back off and do things the right way.”

  Trinity fisted her hands at his chest and pushed. “I need some space.” She paced to the living room and rubbed her palms against her dress pants. “Your race…” With most of her apartment between them, Trinity turned and braced one hand on the back of the club chair. “You think it’s because you’re different that you can touch me?”

  So much for making headway on the intimate scale. Not that he could blame her wanting to sidestep that issue. Histus, he wasn’t even sure he wanted things to register on that scale. “Probably a good guess. But you said others have touched you, right?”

  Her eyes shifted toward the floor. “My dad.”

  And he’d died when she was little. Possibly before her phobia had fully developed. So maybe it was race specific.

  “So…” She steeled her spine and sat on the edge of the chair, rubbing her hands. “Tell me a
bout you. Your race.”

  “You want to narrow that question down a bit?” He strolled closer, edging between the simple coffee table and the sofa to sit beside her. Close, but not too close.

  She shifted another two inches away, one hip pressed hard to the far edge of her chair. “Pick a spot. The beginning, I guess.”

  Praise The Great One, this was not his forte. Battle, yes. Sex, oh yeah. History, no.

  He rubbed his chin. “Well, for starters, we’re not supposed to tell anyone anything. Not humans, anyway. There are two tenets we’re bound to; no divulging our race to humans and no interfering in their destiny.”

  Trinity sat up straight, her eyebrows arching high. “I’d say you’ve blown number one tonight.”

  “If you and Lexi are related, then you’re not human.”

  Her mouth slackened. Had she really not put the two together? Although, she’d also had a lot thrown at her. “You think I’m one of you?”

  “Lexi was what we call a lost Myren. Someone who’s grown up in Evad, unknowing of their race. We took her to Eden. A few days later, she underwent the awakening ritual and came out whole and hearty on the other side.”

  Trinity’s face blanked a split second before she ducked her head. She traced the cuticle of her thumb. “I doubt that’s the case with me.”

  Damn, but he hated seeing her this uncertain. Even dodging contact in a crowded restaurant, she’d seemed confident. Determined to find a way to make it from point A to point B. Now she acted like someone had played Yahtzee with her whole life.

  Oh, wait. They had.

  To heck with distance. Ramsay sat on the coffee table in front of her and grabbed her hands. “Trinity, look at me.”

  She frowned at the floor and shook her head.

  “I think it’s possible you’re exactly like Lexi. There’s something different about you.”

  She surged to her feet and moved a good five feet away, keeping her back to him. “There’s not a thing different about me. I’m just an average girl.” She spun to face him, arms flaring out with more drama than he’d ever seen from her. Or maybe it was frustration. “I’m a librarian, for crying out loud. I’m as plain and ordinary as they come.”