Waking Eden (The Eden Series Book 3) Read online

  Chapter 9

  Ramsay re-read Ian’s info on Trinity a second time and tossed the folder across his new friend’s desk. “That’s it? Three days and the only things you can tell are where she went to college and that she’s an upstanding citizen?”

  “Hey, you didn’t exactly give me much to go on.” Ian eased back in his desk chair and propped one booted foot on the corner. “No birthdate, no social, and no birth city. Plus your brother kind of trumps you on my list of priorities, and he’s got me busy tracking videos from the North Texas thing on gossip sites.”

  Ramsay bit back a curse and stalked to the window overlooking Ian’s aging neighborhood. Tulsa might not be the hub of sophistication Dallas was, but with Ian’s PI setup already in place here it made keeping a pulse on humanity kind of handy. “Not your fault.”

  The postman’s oversized white box truck with its blue and red stripes trundled along the far side of the street, the diesel engine surging from one mailbox to another. Now what was he going to do?

  The sweet, hesitant voice from Trinity’s message replayed in his head for the five-hundredth time in seventy-two hours.

  “Hey, it’s me. Um…Trinity.”

  Like he wouldn’t register her voice the second it hit air.

  “I got your note.” A whisper in the background. “It was nice…being with you last night. I think dinner once you get your work stuff taken care of would be great.” A raspy, indrawn breath. “So, you should have my number on caller ID. Just let me know when you’re available. Good luck with work.”

  He smiled. Christ, that woman did wonky things to him. It was a voicemail for crying out loud, and just remembering it lightened his mood.

  Except he’d never called her back.

  Foolish. No, scratch that. If he was honest with himself, she scared the ever-lovin’ shit out of him.

  “There is one thing I didn’t put down,” Ian said. “Her adoption.” he nodded at the report perched sideways on the desk.

  “Same place as Lexi. Though that’s all I’ve got to go on.” Ian dropped his foot and planted his elbows on the desk, one of those don’t-jack-with-me-I’ve-seen-it-all expressions on his face. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

  Damn. Both of them from the same place, and Trinity with that pendant? There wasn’t a whole lot he could say without dragging everyone into the mix. No way was he ready for that. “It’s just a hunch. Anything else turn up on the videos?”

  Ian sipped his coffee, those wise eyes of his glaring a “not buyin’ it” over the rim. He thunked the mug down on the desk. “Almost dead. We got a little worried when your family emblem popped up, but they’ve gained zero traction since. Most outlets have either dropped the story or knocked it to the bottom of their feeds. A few more days and it’ll be all but forgotten.”

  Well, thank The Great One for that.

  “Thinkin’ that means I’ll be able to research your girl a little more now,” Ian said.

  Bait. Pure and simple. But Ramsay wasn’t biting.

  “Been kicking around suspicious shit my whole life, Shantos. Not stupid enough to ignore a man tracking a pretty girl who happens to have been adopted from the same place as Lexi. If there’s a chance she and Lexi are related, then trust me when I tell you, holding that back from Lexi is going to piss her off when she does find out, no matter what your intentions are.”

  “What if they’re not related?” Ramsay said. “How’s it going to make Lexi feel if she gets her hopes up and we find out it’s all a bust?”

  “That’s not your problem. A smart man would let her and Eryx be a part of the decision. Group conscience is better than one anyway, and you avoid the backlash.” Ian stood and stared down the hallway to where Jillian perched in front of the TV in the living room. “Trust me when I tell you, finding someone after a crazy long search is worth the risk.”

  Eighteen years Ian had tried to find his missing wife and daughter, only to have The Fates deliver him to his surviving daughter through his association to Lexi. A long time to be without people he loved. What if Ramsay was keeping something from Lexi he shouldn’t?

  Ramsay opened the folder back up. A Bachelors in Library Science. Uninterrupted residence in Dallas, Texas. “Lexi never mentioned she suspected she had family.”

  “Not directly, no. But she’s always wanted one. She’s inherited yours through Eryx, but there’s nothing like blood.”

  He was right on that score. And what adopted child, especially one who’d grown up in some seriously nasty foster homes like Lexi, wouldn’t hope to find someone they could call their own? If he was smart, he’d spill what he knew while he had the chance.

  But you won’t because it’s Trinity and you don’t want to share.

  Certainty blasted through him. The minute he came clean with his suspicions everything would change. Not just for him, but for Trinity too.

  “Dad!” Jillian shouted from the front room.

  The clipped, professional voice of a male news anchor ratcheted high enough Ramsay and Ian caught it as they strode down the hallway to join her.

  “So far, six reports have been confirmed across North America. Individuals insist an unseen being transported them to a fantastical, parallel realm their guide referred to as Eden. One of the interviews was conducted by reporters from our sister station in Austin.”

  Jillian whipped around and her dark blond hair spun out at her shoulders. Her hazel gaze locked onto Ian. “They were covering the latest on the videos and this came on.”

  A big, burly guy with long, mostly gray hair flashed on the screen, wrenches and screwdrivers lined up in organized chaos on a pegboard behind him. “Damnedest thing I’ve ever seen. Kind of like here, but more like things were in the old days. No wires. No towers. Lots of colors though. Crazy colors. You should’ve seen the sky. Cool rainbows everywhere.”

  Long blond hair and the reporter’s profile flashed at the corner of the screen. “Can you tell us how you got there?”

  Eyes distant with a cock-eyed grin on his face, the man scratched his head. “Sounds nuts, but we walked through a big ’ole swirling gray tunnel. Had fancy sparkles in it. Kinda like those glitzy dresses women like to wear. I’m telling you, Gene Roddenberry would’ve been all over that—” Bleep.

  The reporter floundered for a minute at the crass commentary. “Any idea who your guide was?”

  “Claimed they were one of the folks from that hubbub up in North Texas. Kinda weird though. Those sure looked like men to me. Big men. And I’ll be damned if it wasn’t a woman.”

  “A woman?” the reporter said.

  “Had to be. I might not remember a face, but whoever it was had the best damned perfume I’ve ever smelled. Something you’d find in one of those high-end specialty stores.”

  “Serena,” Ramsay blurted to no one in particular.

  Ian jerked his gaze from the TV. “What?”

  “He’s right.” Jillian thumbed the volume down enough to talk over the reporter’s wrap up. “I could always tell when Serena had been at the castle. It’s not bad, just unique and stands out because it’s so rich.”

  Ian cocked his head. “Kind of a ballsy move given the sentence they gave her, don’t you think? I mean, why take a chance? What’s she got to gain?”

  A damned good point. But Serena would do just about anything to cause Eryx trouble. Or, better yet, cause Lexi trouble.

  “I don’t know,” Ramsay said. “She’s nuts enough to think she could get away with it.”

  Jillian punched to another station.

  Lost World of Eden Rediscovered stretched across the bottom of the screen. An older woman of Asian descent spoke to a reporter off screen.

  “What if it’s something else?” Jillian spun from the newest story. “What if it’s not Serena?”

  Ramsay crossed his arms. “Who else would do something this stupid and leave a perfume calling card?”

  Ian held up a hand to cut Ramsay off. “What do you mean, Jilly?”
/>   She shrugged and went back to flipping channels. “You heard the Spiritu. We still have the prophecy to deal with. What if this is part of it?”

  Every muscle in Ramsay’s chest contracted. The image of Trinity’s pendant flashed in his head, and a cold, sharp dread blasted from the inside out. It couldn’t be her. He’d been with her all night long. And she sure didn’t reek of anything close to what the man had described.

  But that didn’t mean she or something about her didn’t factor into the prophecy.

  Shit.

  He tugged his iPhone from his back pocket. Eleven-thirty. If Eryx had council business, he’d be back at the castle soon. “How long will it take you to research the other reports?”

  Ian stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and frowned at the TV. “I don’t know. An hour. Maybe two. Depends on how much has made it online.”

  Ramsay stalked toward the kitchen. So much for keeping things quiet until he ran all the possibilities. He jerked open the ancient fridge. “Good. I need a beer before I tell my brother.”

  * * *

  Chatter. Lots and lots of high-pitched, non-stop chatter. Serena’s vision glazed over as the mouthy little chit perched on the plum brocade wingback across from her went on and on about some drivel from her home region.

  What day was it now anyway? Wednesday? Thursday? She counted out the days since being welcomed back into her family home, keeping her expression attentively neutral.

  Damn. Only Monday. Three whopping days since the trial, but it felt like a century. She’d die before she made it a year, let alone five. Especially if all she had to occupy her time were endless visits from vapid socialites.

  “Don’t you agree, Serena?”

  Serena beamed her most dazzling smile and added a fluttery laugh for good measure. What in histus were they talking about?

  The receiving room doors opened, and heavy footfalls sounded on the marble beyond.

  “Your highness, if you’ll but give me a moment to introduce—” Their family butler, Otter, hopped to the far side of the threshold, barely escaping a head on with Ludan Forte.

  Eryx strode in behind his somo, his brother beside him, all three decked out in standard issue drast and black leather.

  The seven chatty women situated through the room surged upright in an almost perfectly orchestrated move, and their gasps and murmurs rippled in all directions.

  “My malran.” Serena rose and joined the rest of her guests. Her pulse quivered at her throat, and her mind sparked for the first time in days. Every one of her gossip-hungry visitors zigzagged expectant gazes between her and Eryx.

  Well. Wouldn’t want to disappoint a captive audience. She clasped her hands between her breasts and floated forward. “I’ve missed you, Eryx. I’m so glad you came.”

  Right on queue, the girls sighed behind her. She could practically hear the stories buzzing through the capital already. “The malran visited her personally. Without the malress in attendance.”

  A muscle ticked at the back of Eryx’s jaw.

  Ramsay crossed his arms and lifted a bored eyebrow, and Ludan growled.

  Oh, yes. Eryx’s appearance couldn’t possibly have been better timed. Father would be thrilled.

  Eryx pinned her with a bland expression. “I can interrogate you on more Rebellion activities in front of your guests, or we can go it alone. Your choice.”

  “My malran, the ellan found me—”

  “Don’t push me, Serena.” His gaze drifted over the women, far too much calculation burning in his silver eyes.

  Better to take her small win and get her audience out while she had the chance. “Ladies, I apologize for the inconvenience. Perhaps you could visit again tomorrow? Your company is such a comfort as I face my time alone.”

  Ludan scoffed loud enough to make one of the women jump as she hustled past him.

  The rest of the women squeaked farewells and promised future visits between none-too-subtle glances over their shoulders.

  No doubt they’d be back. Those in her circle loved gossip even more than they loved her unrequited love story.

  Serena settled into her chair and crossed her legs. Unrequited love indeed. Matings were about power and, if you were lucky, exceptional sex. “So, what brings our benevolent ruler for a house visit? And without your half-breed mate, no less?”

  Eryx prowled across the room.

  Ramsay held his spot near the door, and Ludan crossed his arms and scowled.

  “Where have you been the last few nights?” Eryx said.

  Was he joking? “Where in histus do you think I’ve been?”

  He stopped little more than a foot away. At six-foot-four inches, he towered over most people, but from her seated angle, he seemed double that. “I asked you a question. You get one more shot before I unload the last scrap of civilized I’ve got left.”

  The whites around his steel gray eyes began to glow. Not enough to batten down the hatches and duck for cover yet, but enough to know he was one flippant comment away from making it enough. “I was here. Right where I’m supposed to be. If your guards can’t confirm it, then I’ve got a string of visitors who can.”

  His eyes dimmed.

  Serena crooked her head and smirked. “I’m not sure you’ve heard, but it seems the public has a fondness for unrequited love.”

  “I’ve heard. Your father may as well have hired street criers.” He strolled to the far side of the room and peeked beyond the window curtains, staring out at the front lawn. “How’s it feel to be your father’s most recent marketing ploy?”

  Bastard. One of these days she was going to find a way to take his smug attitude and shove it up his tight and very fine ass. “Better than how you must feel knowing I’ve got sympathizers.”

  He snapped around and lasered her with a killing look.

  She lifted her chin.

  “You’re pretty cavalier about the whole situation.” Eryx glanced at Ludan and jerked his head in her direction.

  Ludan stalked closer.

  Eryx remained by the window. “If you’ve got nothing to hide, then you won’t mind Ludan checking to see exactly where you’ve been.”

  “That depends.” Probably shouldn’t have poked the tiger. The smart move would be to call Thyrus, but damn it, she’d been playing by the rules, as much as it bored her to tears. “Has there been a charge leveled against me?”

  Ramsay huffed a harsh laugh. “Aiding and abetting the Rebellion isn’t enough?”

  “I’m paying for my poor judgment.” She reclined into the wingback and shrugged. “Besides, I offered my memories already.”

  “You call this punishment?” Ludan’s coarse voice raked through the room, an auditory affront compared to Eryx and Ramsay’s easy baritone. The freak. Scary and decidedly lethal, but a freak nonetheless. Just once she’d like to swipe that superior expression off his face.

  She focused on Eryx. “I’ll ask again, what exactly do you think I’ve done?”

  Eryx paced to the artful floral arrangement centered on a marble-topped stand between the windows. He stroked the petal of one white bloom hanging low over the vase’s edge, a deceptively gentle move. “Seems someone decided to bring half a dozen humans on a sightseeing trip to Eden. Every last one came back with wagging tongues and accurate descriptions. The only thing they can’t remember is their tour guide’s face.”

  Interesting. She feigned a bored expression. “Sounds terribly exciting. Or terrifying. Maybe it’s fallout from your,” she waved at the mark on his arm, “prophetic mating. Still not something I can help you with.”

  “So you were here and can corroborate it with your memories?” Eryx said.

  Serena froze. Waiting for Thyrus would be safer. Not only for keeping Ludan out of places he shouldn’t be, but from a pure witness perspective. Then again, nothing felt better than calling your ex’s bluff.

  She held out her hand to Ludan. “See for yourself.”

  Ludan grinned, though there wasn’t anything happy
about it. More like a demon looking forward to eating its own young. His big hand gripped hers.

  Cold, stinging and brutal, stabbed up her arm and down her spine. Her vision dimmed and a loud roar barreled through her head.

  She ripped her hand free and looked up at Ludan. Her chest heaved as though she’d sprinted four miles. “What the hell was that?”

  “Time conservation,” Eryx answered from beside her.

  When had he moved? Ludan had only gripped her hand for a second or two.

  “It’s also a comprehensive record all rolled up into one,” Eryx said. “Ludan’s handy with memories.”

  “Feel good?” Ludan’s eerie grin stayed locked in place, but frustration marked the corners of his eyes.

  She fisted her hand in her lap and forced her jaw to unclench. To histus with him. With Eryx and his twin too. They had nothing on her. Her memories proved it. “If Ludan’s so talented, then you know I was here.”

  Ludan ambled back to his place near the door. “Nothing but black space at the time the humans say they were here. Could be sleep, could be you blocking.”

  “Oh, please,” she said. “I’m not that good.”

  Ramsay laughed. “Like to get that on record.”

  Serena stood, adrenaline making her movements jerky and awkward. She faced Eryx. “Why on Earth would I want to jeopardize myself to bring humans here?”

  “Maybe you’re out to stir up trouble and claim it’s the prophecy,” Ramsay volleyed from behind her.

  She kept her focus on Eryx. “Maybe you’re worried I’m getting more positive press than your new baineann.”

  “Maybe it won’t matter.” Eryx ambled around her and headed to the door. “Ramsay, check her room. Gather up everything she’s got.”

  Ramsay grinned and opened the doors with a flick of his wrists.

  Eryx kept moving toward the entry.

  Serena trailed them, a shaky urgency rattling through her torso. “Everything I’ve got of what?”

  Eryx stopped in the foyer and watched his brother dart up the grand staircase. He waited until Ramsay disappeared from sight and faced her, eyes triumphant. “When the humans were interviewed, they all said the person had a unique perfume. One they couldn’t get out of their head.” A deadly smile stretched across his handsome face. “One screw up, Serena. That’s all I need and you can spend the rest of your life without power surrounded by people you detest.”