An Eternity of Dead Sun (An Eternity of Eclipse Novel Book 2) (35 page)

Eclipse’s query about how much longer we had to hike prompted me to check. I consulted the map we had, sneakily hiding its contents so Eclipse wouldn’t be able to peek at it. A relieved breath touched my lips when I noted that it was finally time to turn in.

“Let’s go this way,” I directed chirpily, migrating into the wooded area.

We hiked through the woods, enjoying the fresh scent of trees and unpolluted air. The beams of the evening sun speared through the canopy of leaves, casting their warm orange glow over us. Birds, insects, and little forest animals tweeted, chirped, and buzzed all around us, and I couldn’t help but smile. I felt like I was in a whole new world.

“You don’t strike me as the outdoorsy type,” Eclipse observed, catching my elated smile when we stepped over mulches of leaves and fallen twigs. In the distance, I could hear water streaming. What a wonderful sound that was. Everything out here was beautiful beyond words.

I turned to him, picking up a twig and breaking it off into small pieces for fun. “Why?”

The complimentary glow in his eyes appraised my body as if my outer appearance answered the question for him.

“I happen to like being outdoors,” I told him defensively, mindlessly breaking off another small portion of the stick. “I don’t get a chance to do it often. I usually stay in the city.”

Eclipse regarded me in interest. “Because you feel safer there?”

I shrugged, truly not having a definitive answer for it. “I just don’t like leaving Seoul.”

He smiled dimly, his reaction hinting to me that he had the answer for my behavior. “It’s your survival instincts.”

I canted my head, perplexed by what he was implying. “What do you mean?”

“Have you ever told anyone the name of your school?” he then asked.

We continued to trek through the woods while my eyes grew more and more puzzled.

“Huh?”

“At Sanctuary, for example,” he elaborated patiently. “Have you told anyone there the name of your school?”

“Of course I have. They know I go to college in Seoul.”

“Yes, but have you ever told them the name?”

I ruminated over it and I realized that, much to my surprise, I hadn’t. The most I had ever told anyone was that I went to school in Seoul. Now that I thought about it, if I were in their shoes, the most I’d assume was that I attended Seoul University, which wasn’t my school at all.

“How do you know this?” I inquired, nearly tripping on my own feet because I was so stunned with this insignificant, but accurate, observation.

“That is your Source instincts at work.”

Birds, insects, and the sound of streaming water continued to hum melodically as I listened to Eclipse’s enlightenment.

“You will never tell anyone the name of your home and school, the two places you frequent daily. You will show them to the people who need to see them, but it is a rarity for you to announce the names out loud because, even without knowing, you are protecting yourself. I suppose this is similar to a chameleon being able to transform to fit into their environment. Your survival instincts are innate. You are reluctant to leave Seoul because deep down, you know that Seoul is the one place where your veil is the strongest. It is the one place where you know danger is less likely to find you.”

I was daunted.

I mulled over all the times in my life where I was reluctant to leave Seoul, all those times where I omitted giving out the name of my apartment complex or vaguely insinuating to others that I went to Seoul University. I smirked. I had always thought that I was only blessed with book smarts. It was consoling to know that I had some street smarts after all.

“So tell me why you’re still single, Gracie,” Eclipse suddenly brought up. His tone of voice was careless, but the subtle inflection behind it revealed that he was extremely invested.

I fired him a look that said I didn’t want him intruding in my personal business, and he fired back with a stark look of his own.

“You brought me to the middle of nowhere to climb up a mountain and trek through insect-infested woods,” he said with stern charm. “You better be ready to entertain my curiosity.”

I uneasily bit at my lower lip before drawing in a deep breath. I gazed at OinkOink, who was happily sniffing out trees and ignoring us. I ripped off another portion of the stick.

“I just am,” I mumbled, avoiding eye contact. The new topic made me feel shy around him for some unknown reason.

“You’ve had boyfriends, I presume,” he prodded idly. “Like that golf ball of a boyfriend you gave an apparent piggy back ride to.”

I sighed before dismantling the bashfulness I was displaying by admitting, “I’ve dated a lot, but I’ve never really called anyone my ‘boyfriend.’ I only think of them as guys that I dated longer than the rest and I refer to them simply as an ‘ex.’ But yeah, I guess in the technical definition, I’ve only had three ‘ex-boyfriends.’”

“Tell me about them,” Eclipse said anyway.

I briefly hesitated, but rationalized that if this would distract him from complaining, then it could only favor me in the long run.

“I was with the first one for a few months,” I launched with a reminiscent sigh. “He was the preppy type and really cute. I had just started college, and because I had no love interest during my chubby girl phase in high school, I really fell for him hard. He was a real gentleman, but when he realized that the most he could get out of me was a kiss on the cheeks, he dumped me and told me that he needed someone who was more ‘romantic.’”

I shook my head absently, ducking underneath a tree branch. “Then there was the second one. He was a virgin and he really respected the fact that I wanted to save my virginity for marriage. However, the thing with this was that he was very
religious. I guess he assumed that since I was soft-spoken and somewhat of a pushover, I’d convert to Catholicism for him. When I told him that this would never happen, he parted ways with me. And finally, there was the third one.” I smiled to myself. “I really liked the third one.” I laughed, turning to Eclipse. “He was the one I gave the piggy back ride to.”

“Why’d you like him so much?”

For a moment, I thought Eclipse’s voice sounded annoyed.

“He was a model.” I blushed, thinking about my memories with him. My last suitor was truly a wonderful guy. “And he was one of the cutest guys I’ve ever met.” Of course, no one came up to par with Eclipse, but I kept that to myself. “He was really respectful and amazing. He never once pushed me into doing anything I didn’t want to do.”

“Who left who?”

“I left him.”

The answer took Eclipse by surprise. I surmised that since I had the two previous track records of being dumped, he logically assumed the third one would be a similar case. “Why?”

“I liked him a lot, but I didn’t like him enough.” I struggled to find the right words to explain. “There was no passion in that relationship. It felt really safe and satisfactory . . . and I guess I didn’t want that. I realized that I didn’t want to be content in my relationship—I wanted to be challenged. I wanted to never be satisfied, to always be kept on my toes. I wanted my relationship to be so passionate that I’ll never get enough of the one I love.” I shrugged. “Basically what I wanted, he couldn’t give me.”

I tossed what was left of the stick into the further depths of the woods.

“I’m not the type of person who wastes time if there is no hope. As amazing as it was, it wasn’t meant to be.” I smiled with effort. “Anyway, that’s my story,” I concluded, very curious about his story now. The hostess—Rho—at Tony’s restaurant floated into my mind. “What about you? What’s your story?”

“I’ve had plenty of girlfriends,” he reminisced, unthinkingly holding my hand as we galloped over a fallen tree trunk, “sometimes several at once. My monarchy has some of the most beautiful women you’d ever see.”

I felt jealousy spark within me. I disentangled my hand from his and coolly asked, “Like Rho?”

A baffled expression overtook Eclipse’s face. “Who?”

“The hostess at Luxuria
,
” I reminded firmly. “I heard your Elders mention that you’ve had your fun with her.”

Realization lit his eyes. “Oh, her. Lollipop girl . . .” he chortled awkwardly.

I simmered at the fact that he referred to her as “Lollipop girl.” He must’ve had some fun with her and that lollipop of hers if his eyes lit up that much.

“I forgot that she worked there,” he admitted, nervously scratching the back of his head. It was evident that he found it awkward that I met one of his old flames. “I was with her for a while, but I was with others too. I was a”—he paused momentarily—“what do you call guys like me in your world? Oh yes, player. I was a player.”

“What kept you from being committed to them?”

“I’m a big workaholic,” he provided listlessly, his eyes watching as OinkOink continued to explore the woods ahead of us. “Plus, some were too predictable. They wanted me too much.” I cast him an “are-you-serious” look, and he smirked. “You think I’m magnetic right now, right?”

I didn’t dare to answer and thankfully he didn’t push for an answer.

“Well, you should try being around me when I’m at full capacity. Your senses won’t stand a chance against everything that makes up my existence.” He tipped his head back, pausing for a second to think up the right analogy for it. “It’s akin to being drunk on gallons of alcohol and it’s akin to being trapped in a heat wave. Your senses are screwed up and the only thing that acts as your salvation is me. I am your beginning, your end, and the reason for your entire existence.”

He laughed dryly. Rather than being proud of having this effect on women, he actually appeared to have found pitfalls in it.

“Basically I am your poison and your only antidote. With this type of frenzy, as the one being lusted after, it turns you off. You never know if they truly want you or if it’s a mirage—if it’s only because they are caught up in their own lust.” He turned to me with a prideful look in his eyes. “As you know, I am not the type of entity of who will live in anyone’s shadows, even ones cast by my own presence. So that’s why I’m still a virgin, so to speak. At the risk of sounding cliché, I suppose you can say I haven’t found the ‘right one’ who can overcome everything that embodies my existence and simply lust after me for me.”

Strangely enough, his explanation made sense.

Then, with his gaze fixed on me, he abruptly changed the subject and asked something that was so out of the blue, it nearly caused me to trip and fall on my face. 

“Having said all of that, who was the guy that was with you at the student lounge?”

“What do you want?”
22
: The Cottage

I had to do a double take when Eclipse’s question hit me.

I wheeled around to face him in surprise. He made it sound casual, but I had the feeling that he had been waiting to ask me this question since the trip started.

“Excuse me?” I replied carefully, watching as Eclipse casually threw a stick he had picked up and tossed it in OinkOink’s direction. With an excited bark, OinkOink chased after the stick, retrieved it, and eagerly ran back to Eclipse with the stick in his mouth.

“My eyes and ears found you that night, remember?” he reminded before taking the stick out of OinkOink’s mouth and tossing it again.

I swallowed uncomfortably, watching as OinkOink jovially ran after the stick. He was unaware of the fact that I wanted to run with him so I could escape this conversation. I snarled silently. I should’ve known Phix—the Gossip Girl—would have reported everything to Eclipse as soon as he woke up.

I appraised Eclipse with shifty eyes, not appreciating being put on the spot. I had been doing a good job of hiding my relationship with Shin from him, and I resented being called out on it. Eclipse and I weren’t in a relationship, but when he asked me this, I felt like I had been caught cheating, which was ridiculous considering we weren’t romantically involved.

“Why does it matter to you?” I countered briskly, putting up the appearance of naivety.

“Since I’m your soul mate, this guy needs my seal of approval if he wants to be my soul mate’s suitor.”

The look I threw him was rife with venom. “Just like what you did with DonKi?”

Eclipse stifled a chuckle at the reminder of DonKi and the fiasco he created. When he noticed my glare, he cleared his throat of laughter and went back to his earlier question.

“Seriously, Gracie. What’s the deal with this guy?”

“He’s really good-looking,” I told Eclipse honestly.

For a moment, I thought I saw his jaw stiffen in discontent before he indifferently voiced, “Yeah?”

I nodded and because I was still feeling jealous of him and Lollipop Girl, I kept going. “And he’s really understanding . . . and sweet . . . and respectful . . . and I think he thinks I’m cute.” I shrugged, smiling like a little schoolgirl. “I don’t know. I think he might make a good potential husband . . .”

“A potential husband?” Eclipse repeated in disbelief, displaying an unusually envious side. His scrutinizing eyes raked over me. “Why are you in such a rush to give him that title? How long have you even known this guy?”

“I didn’t say I wanted to marry the guy,” I defended. “I just said that he might make a good potential husband.” I shrugged again before immaturely muttering, “I’m sure he wouldn’t make my nose bleed and threaten my existence if he were to get intimate with me . . .”

“If he even knows his way around,” Eclipse muttered under his own breath.

“I’m sure he’s more experienced than you,” I fired back.

“Don’t count me out yet, Teacup,” he fired back with just as much intensity. “You have no idea how experienced I actually am.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” There was a hidden implication in his statement that irked me. It was my turn to gaze at him with scrutiny. “I thought you said you were a virgin?”

“I’m the Demon of Lust,” he stated haughtily. “I could satisfy my woman without getting her into bed.”

I stopped in my tracks, gaping at him. “And you’ve done this?”

“More times than I can count,” he retorted. “Why do you think Rho is so addicted to that lollipop? Because
I
got her started on it.”

I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded scandalous and offensive enough to make me lose my cool.

“You disgusting jerk!” I shouted, throwing rocks at him. OinkOink, who had returned to us with the stick in his mouth, was staring at us in confusion as his head darted from me to Eclipse. “Who talks like that?!”

Eclipse smirked dryly, looking just as embittered. “You taunted me as well with that other guy, virgin.”

“I was just saying nice things about him because your ass brought him up,” I argued.

“And I brought up the rest of the girls because you asked me about them.”

“My answer was not as perverted as yours.”

“No, it was very innocent,” he said stiffly, his structured jaw constricting in anger. “Which is why it bothered the hell out of me even more.”

I snorted, stepping several paces away from him to put some distance between us. “Who are you to get mad?”

His face was dangerously irate. “Naïve girls like you shouldn’t go around giving your virginity to just any human guy.”

“Oh, so I should endeavor to give my virginity to the Demon of Lust who could kill me at first orgasm?”

I jolted to a halt, putting a wrench to where this conversation was headed.

“No, wait. Let me tell you something before this talk goes any further,” I snapped, moving further away from him. “I may be soft spoken and a people-pleaser, but I’m not going to be a pushover. You can’t tell me what to do. I’m not going to be one of those girls who allows her boyfriend to dictate who she can or can’t talk to.”

His annoyance with me eroded slightly. A dark brow rose in distracted intrigue. “I’m your boyfriend now?”

“Y-you know what I meant,” I blubbered in haste, panicking at the idiocy of what I said. I shook my head before speedily retracting my statement. “I’m just saying that you can’t tell me who I can or cannot talk to. You’re not going to control my life like that. I can talk to whoever I want.”

“I was never trying to control your life,” he agreed. “You can talk to whatever guy you want.”

I nodded in approval at his understanding—that was before he put a huge asterisk next to his previous statement.

“Those guys just can’t talk to you or I’ll have their heads.”

I folded my arms in anger. “Is this how you handle a misunderstanding in Hell?”

“There are no misunderstandings in Hell,” he sneered, offense present in the regal features of his face. “Down there, I am worshipped. When I step into a room, women fight one another to throw themselves at me. Everyone falls to their knees because they are in awe of my presence.” Bitterness streaked through his luminescent eyes when they found mine. “The only one who seems to misunderstand this consensus is you, Teacup. I am a God in my world, and yet here I am, out of breath and climbing up a goddamn mountain for you. As opposed to counting your blessings, you are standing there, in your sinfully cute hiking outfit, daydreaming about some other guy instead.”

Now it was my turn to scoff at him and his overbearing arrogance. “You are unreal.”

“You know what?” he finally snapped, coming to a deafening stop. He looked infuriated. “Tell me his name so I can go kill him and end our problems right now.”

“What? No!” I gawked at him wide-eyed. “Are you seriously jealous right now?”

His dark, embittered laughter ricocheted off the rustling leaves. “No. Jealous would be me telling you that I’m going to kick this guy’s ass. I’m
enraged
right now. This nameless fuck just ruined my birthday. I’m going to kill him.”

“If you kill him, I’m going to kill myself along with him!” I bluffed without thinking, causing OinkOink to whine in concern.

“Why the bloody hell would you do that?” Eclipse thundered at the absurdity of my reply, looking further vexed. “You hardly know the guy! It doesn’t make any sense!”

“Well, it doesn’t make any sense to want to kill a guy because I like him, you insanely violent Demon!”

His nostrils flared, his eyes getting violently fiercer. “If you kill yourself because of him, then I’m going to resurrect him and kill his ass again for indirectly hurting you.”

I scoffed inwardly, stomping harder through the woods and garnering more distance between us. I couldn’t believe that for such an intelligent being, he was being so idiotic.

“You’re a psycho, you know that?” I stated heatedly, rage clouding my vision. “You are a complete and utter psy—Ahhh!”

Thump!

One second I was stomping away from Eclipse, and next thing I knew, my nose was hurting, my face was numb, and there were stars canvassing my eyes while I laid on the ground, whimpering in pain.

Holy eff . . .

I just bulldozed into a tree!

“Gracie!” I heard Eclipse’s voice.

This was one of those few moments in life where I wish I could’ve blacked out because once the pain settled in, a rush of mortification came spilling over me as well.

Oh my flying pig.

I couldn’t believe I just crashed into a tree.

This was so humiliating!

“What happened?” I felt Eclipse pull me to his chest while his hand lightly tapped on my cheek.

“What does it look like? I crashed into a tree because of you!” I cried, furious at him for being the indirect reason why I had stupidly hurt myself.

“Who the fuck crashes into an inanimate object?!” he contested, clearly offended that I was blaming him for my own mistakes.

“Shaddup! This is all your fault,” I went on unreasonably, pushing him away once the darkness had lifted and my vision was clear again. My nose pounded in pain. “I was so blinded by my anger that I didn’t watch where I was going.”

“
Woman
,” he gritted tightly, his face more frustrated than I had ever seen it. “You are the single most unreasonable person I’ve ever met in my life.”

“Funny. I was about to say the same thing about you.”

When it looked like Eclipse was about to retort with more fighting words, he abruptly stopped.

Looking around the forest and as if realizing how ridiculous this whole argument was, an ocean of laughter poured from him.

“I can’t believe you crashed into a tree,” he said in a fit of laughter. A smile reappeared on his lips as he looked at me with adoration. It was clear that he no longer wanted to continue this silly quarrel. “It’s going to be a long hike. Let’s not be mad at each other, Teacup.” He held his hand out and smiled innocently. “Peace?”

I softened my frown and sighed. I thought over how ridiculous we were being and agreed with him. This trip was just beginning and it was his birthday weekend after all. There was no point in continuing this absurd fight.

“Peace.”

As he helped me clean the dirt from my clothes, we resumed our trek through the forest. 

“I’ve been a relatively good sport throughout this hike, but I have to ask,” Eclipse began, batting away a few bugs. “Where are we going, Gracie? Are you planning on making us sleep out here too?”

“It’s a surprise,” I offered enigmatically.

Once he saw the resolve in my eyes, Eclipse simply smiled as we continued to exhaust ourselves, hiking under the sunset.

I stepped over a bed of crunchy leaves and allowed my train of questions to meander into a more fun and distracting topic.

“How does your monarchy celebrate your birthday?”

“They are very extravagant from what I hear,” Eclipse remarked disinterestedly.

I sent him a surprised expression. “From what you hear?”

His gaze turned over to me. For a breath of a second, I thought I saw melancholy in his eyes. He shrugged carelessly, giving me another one of his trademark smiles to mask the poignant undercurrent in his voice.

“I’ve never celebrated my birthday before.”

Confusion sprinkled like rain over me. “Why not?”

Eclipse was one of the most egocentric creatures I had ever met. How could he not celebrate his own birth?

“Would you find it appropriate to celebrate the day your father went into hibernation and never came out?” he asked broodingly, revealing a sensitive side he had never shown before. He shrugged again, and I could sense that this wasn’t something he was comfortable talking about. I thought he was going to end the conversation right then and there, but when he locked eyes with me, I surmised that he must’ve felt that it wouldn’t be fair to leave my question hanging. To give me some closure, he added, “I may not have any love for the guy, but it’s still a fucked up thing to celebrate.”

I nodded.

For the first time, I realized that we had more in common than I’d care to admit. Before I could evaluate my actions, I admitted something that I had never voiced to anyone before.

“I’ve never celebrated my birthday either,” I told him bleakly. A small smile managed to crawl on my lips when our eyes connected. “I may not have any love for my family, but I still think it’s messed up to celebrate the day of my birth when they died less than a couple of hours before my birthday.”

Eclipse regarded me with surprise. I suppose in his mind, he coined me as being the same selfish creature as him. He couldn’t fathom why I wouldn’t want to celebrate the day of my own birth. Our situation wasn’t exactly the same, but it was heavily similar and sometimes, a similarity was all you needed to bond.