An Eternity of Dead Sun (An Eternity of Eclipse Novel Book 2) (34 page)

“What’s with all the top secret conversations with the baby Demons?” Eclipse asked, reclining in the seat with a pillow behind his head. He was dressed in his pajamas: a white hoodie and white lounge pants.

“They were saying that they were sure we were going to have lots of fun this weekend,” I easily lied, tossing my backpack into the backseat.

Eclipse smiled before eyeing the stuffed backpacks. Though he appeared aloof, I could tell he was very curious as to what I had planned for the day.

“Where are we going, Gracie?”

“Can’t tell you,” I bristled, merging the Rav4 onto the road and setting our weekend into motion. “It’s a surprise.”

I waved at the baby Demons as we drove past them before speeding the car up and gunning us out of there before they got any smart ideas and endeavored to stop me from enacting my surprise.

Eclipse stared at the rearview mirror where the reflection of Phix and Coco were becoming smaller and smaller.

“What were the baby Demons really saying to you?” he asked casually, his voice knowing.

I pursed my lips, acknowledging that there was no point in telling fibs. Someone as clever as Eclipse had probably figured out from our body language—and the subtlety of me flipping them off—that it hadn’t been a friendly conversation.

“They think this surprise is a bad idea,” I finally admitted. “They were trying to convince me to hand over the reins so they could set up the birthday weekend instead.” I peered at him hesitantly. “Did you tell Phix that you’d come after him if I mess up on this trip?”

Eclipse laughed warmly, appeasing all my worries while he played with OinkOink. The puppy was happily barking, lying on his back and pawing at Eclipse’s hand in glee.

“I was partly messing with him,” he revealed coolly. He locked his assuring eyes with mine. The genuine confidence within them made me flush. “Whatever your surprise is, I’m sure I’ll love it, Teacup.”

●●●

“This is the worst surprise I’ve ever been damned to get in my life!” Eclipse bellowed at the top of his lungs hours later, his irate voice thundering across the mountainous terrain. If there were snow present on these green mountains, then an avalanche would’ve deluged down from the force of his booming voice.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Eclipse grunted, climbing up the mountain trail while I panted and struggled to do the same.

The soles of our shoes crackled over the hard rocks, reminding us with every laborious step how agonized we were.

As part of my birthday celebration for Eclipse, I had gone all out for this excursion. My conversation with Shin was still fresh in my mind when I came up with this idea. I remembered him telling me about his experience at Mt. Halla and how incredible it was. Though we were far off from Mt. Halla, I thought it would be exciting to take Eclipse mountain hiking and give him an unforgettable weekend. I had the surprise planned to a T. I stayed up all night to figure out our hiking trail, where we would sleep, our itinerary for each day, and our clothes for the weekend.

At the outset, I thought that Eclipse would be excited for this surprise. He was so fit and lean that I figured he had to be an outdoorsy person. I should have known that my assumption was off when we parked our car in the lot for hikers and Eclipse was looking as lost as OinkOink. I should have also taken the hint that something was off when I ushered him to go change out of his pajamas and into the hiking clothes I picked out for him. For a transitory second, he looked like he was about to haul ass. His personal opinion of this surprise was kept to himself as we hoisted our backpacks over our shoulders and began to hike up the mountain. Sadly, after several hours of huffing and puffing up the steep slope, Eclipse lost all reservations about sharing his feelings.

I could sense his fuming eyes on me, searing into my back. “Seriously, Teacup? Out of all the things you could’ve planned for my big day, you choose to take me hiking?”

“We’re here,” I answered rigidly, struggling to traipse up the incline. “So shush up and keep climbing!”

I turned to him while the glorious sun began to set beside us, casting a gold and orange tint over the lush land. All around us were mountains covered with green grass and towering trees that just exuded wonderment. The day was unusually warm and bright for fall. It was like the skies were also celebrating Eclipse’s birthday. It would’ve been a magnificent experience if not for the sexy complainer behind me.

I had to admit that it was downright amusing.

Eclipse, as healthy looking as he appeared, was ridiculously out of shape. Bless the genetic freak for being created with the perfect male body that would make Greek gods cry in envy because I had no doubt that he’d be one fat kid if given the normal genes of human beings. The ironic thing about him huffing and puffing while climbing up this mountain was that even though he was out of breath, he was still smoking!

“Maybe if you stopped smoking, we’d get somewhere,” I added crossly, ascending further along with OinkOink in my backpack. Over my shoulders, I could see that his furry head and upper paws were peeking out of the backpack while he stared at Eclipse.

“That’s it,” the Demon retorted, taking one final inhalation of his cigarette before stepping on it and flicking it off the mountainside. “I’m taking off.”

“You’re leaving me to hike alone?!” I squawked, flabbergasted. I stopped in my tracks and wheeled around to face him disbelievingly.

“Of course not,” he replied, fatigue coloring his face. He stuck his hand out. “Come here, tell me where the destination is, and we’ll be there before you know it.”

“B-but I thought you were conserving your powers?”

“I was . . . but I really don’t want to exercise right now.”

“You can’t leave me,” I wailed, bouncing back to him in urgency. The rocks on the trail shadowed after me as I ran down. I stared up at him once I reached him, my gaze ablaze with panic. I didn’t stay up all night planning to cancel the surprise now. “I worked so hard to plan this trip for us.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” Eclipse blustered petulantly. He looked like he was seriously contemplating suicide to end his misery. “Don’t you know I have the stamina of a fat kid when I’m conserving my powers?” He gave me a suspicious look. “Are you still mad at me? Is that why you’re forcing me to do this? Are you punishing me?”

“Oh, just hurry up, you undercover fatty,” I dismissed tiredly, waving off his accusations. I was still slightly pissed off at him, but not enough to exact revenge in this manner. I grabbed his hand and started pulling him. “You brought war upon your father’s monarchy and you can’t climb up a mountain? You can’t do a simple thing that so many other humans have done?”

This was what lit the fire under the soles of his feet.

Eclipse looked offended by what I said.

He looked insulted, absolutely energized, and unstoppable. He stomped past me, fighting through the physical limitations of his recuperating body and challenging the mountains that lower beings (humans) have conquered. It looked like Eclipse would conquer this thing, but when he reached another steep incline on the trail, he stopped in his position, sat down on a nearby rock, and simply gave up.

“What the fuck is wrong with you humans?” he panted hotly.

He evaluated our environment and the soaring altitude we were in. His eyes welled up with incredulity.

“You build cars and airplanes, and yet you use your legs to climb up the steps of Hell?”

“Ugh, that’s it,” I grumbled, kicking a pile of rocks over the cliff and stomping towards Eclipse. He eyed me suspiciously when I approached him. I gestured my hand at him when I got close. “Come on. I’ll give you a piggy back ride.”

“Are you serious, Teacup?” he enquired, gawking at me like I, the little piglet, had just offered him, Godzilla, a ride on her back.

For a moment, his astonishment usurped his exhaustion.

“Yeah,” I replied honestly. Wind whipped at us with force, flapping my ponytail about. “I gave my ex a ride on my back once when he was tired. It was no biggie. I’m sure I could gather the strength to do the same for you.”

His eyes flashed defensively at the mention of an “ex-boyfriend.”

“You gave a piggy back ride to an ex-boyfriend?” He snorted, standing up and looking me over in criticalness. “Was this boyfriend as big as a golf ball or something? How the hell did you carry him?”

“I’m a lot stronger than I look,” I shared in a matter-of-fact tone. I placed my hands on my hips and stared at him challengingly. I didn’t bother to tell him that this “ex” was just a serious suitor and not someone I labeled as my “boyfriend,” but I held back. He didn’t need to know anymore than that. “Which is more than I could say for you.”

I suppose it was a combination of making him feel bad about himself, comparing his strength to mine, and referencing an ex-boyfriend that did the trick because this time, as if true fire had lit his heels, Eclipse looked energized again. With a bitter grin, he placed another lit cigarette between his lips, propped his hands on my shoulders, and started pushing me forward. As he did this, he shadily walked behind me, transferring his exhausted weight onto me. I was about to call him out on using me as his resting post, but his next words prevented such a retort from coming out.

“My only consolation prize is that I get to admire that pretty little butt of yours while we climb uphill,” he whispered, his hot breath caressing the skin behind my neck.

I turned bright red, feeling a crackle of heat sweep through my already hot body. “You were pretending to be tired so you can stare at my butt?”

“And what a magnificent view that is,” he said with much satisfaction. He groaned before releasing his hands from my shoulders and coming beside me. “But seriously,” he resumed, a haze of smoke billowing from his lips, “this hike is killing me. I give credit to the humans who do this as a leisure activity. This is hard work.”

And with that useless crediting that did nothing to give us energy, we continued on our ascent, our lungs continuously gasping for air. By now, we had deposited OinkOink on the ground and made him hike with us as well. Curious as a cat, he tiptoed near the edge of the mountainside to stare down at the sprawling world below us.

Any normal owner would have thought to put a leash around their puppy’s neck to keep them from running off the mountain, but no one ever said that Eclipse and I were normal owners. Instead of leashing OinkOink for his own protection, we allowed him to roam loose, trusting that he was smart enough to not do anything reckless. We were not only negligent, but we were also feeling pretty damn mean. There wasn’t much for entertainment up on these mountains and OinkOink appeared to be the perfect living thing to tease.

Feeling quite sadistic, Eclipse and I exchanged mischievous glances before we jokily screamed, “Jump, OinkOink! Jump!”

Issuing a whimper of confusion, OinkOink turned to growl softly at us. Like the smart puppy that he was, he took a moment to stare at us in disapproval before he rushed several paces ahead of us again, turning back every now and then to ensure that we didn’t pick him up and throw him off the mountain ourselves.

I wanted to pat his furry butt in approval. I loved that he was so smart.

“You’ve never done anything like this in Hell?” I conversationally asked once we reached a plateau area of our hike. I took the opportunity to admire the breathtaking view and the serenity of the secluded world we were in. I may have been exhausted, but the picturesque environment alone was worth the fatigue. The sun was still setting, and I had never seen a more splendid display of golden colors settling over the rolling green mountains.

Eclipse laughed, shaking his head as he took one final puff of his cigarette. “No.”

“What do you do for fun then?”

He threw his cigarette to the ground, stepped on it, and briskly said, “Plan for world domination.”

There was no doubt that this was true. In light of everything he had disclosed to me, I was willing to bet that he had been obsessed with world domination since his first intake of air. Now that I had time to reflect upon it, I doubted someone like Eclipse would have time to climb mountains. He was too busy
moving
mountains.

Eclipse cast another glance at the scenic backdrop, perspiration dotted along his face. Just like the time at the gym, he looked sexy and alluring in this manner. I, on the other hand, looked like a sweaty pig with rivulets of sweat gliding down my temple. Apart from the icky perspiration coating my skin, it also didn’t take long for my joints to act up every time I placed pressure on them. I was beginning to get vertigo from this “workout,” and I was pretty sure Eclipse had been hit with the same ailment.

“How much longer do we have to hike here before I actually get bitter and throw OinkOink off the mountain for fun?” Eclipse whispered jokingly. When he smiled, one of the sun’s rays hit him at the perfect angle, making him appear more like a playful Angel rather than a mischievous Demon.

At Eclipse’s comment, OinkOink whimpered in front of us, swinging around to look at Eclipse as if he had betrayed him.

“I was just joking, champ,” Eclipse called out to OinkOink, who had cleverly moved closer in front of me. It seemed that to him, I was the lesser of two evils.