Eden (7 page)

My mouth fell open and I laughed out
loud. “Jared!”

He laughed and lifted me into his
arms, walking in the direction of the casita. “I didn’t say it was
a bad idea.”

He carried me a few yards, past the
trees, to the familiar surroundings of our casita. He opened the
screen, and then brought me inside, softly leaning me against the
mattress. The moonlight faded away, and the wind picked up. With a
hand on each side of my shoulders, Jared hovered over my body.
Distant thunder rolled somewhere over the ocean. He leaned down and
touched his lips to mine just as the first raindrops began to
spatter against the tin roof.

Jared’s lips traveled in a line down
my neck, and he anchored himself with a knee as he lifted me with
one hand, and unzipped the back of my wedding dress with the other.
With both hands, I pushed back his jacket and slid the sleeves off
of his arms, and then unbuttoned the first two buttons of his white
dress shirt. Impatient, I grabbed the hem and pulled it over his
head.

Watching his bulging muscles tense and
move under his smooth skin did nothing for my nerves. Determined to
enjoy the comfort I usually enjoyed when we made love, I focused on
undressing him. I worked on the button of his slacks, and then
ripped down the zipper.

“
I said it was a good
idea, but I didn’t promise not to take my time,” Jared said,
kicking off his pants. He bent his elbows, letting his body press
against mine.

“
You can take your time,”
I said. “We have all night. I think if I just get past this part I
can relax,” I said, pressing my fingers into his back.

He reached under the skirt of my
dress, and pulled the thin, lacy fabric of my panties down my
thighs, over my knees, and then past my ankles, letting them fall
to the floor.

His hand traveled back up my leg,
disappearing under the layers of silk. My legs tensed, and I sucked
in a quick bit of air. A few moments later, I couldn’t help but
close my eyes and let myself sink into the mattress.

“
I’m glad you said that,”
he said against my lips. “I fully intend to take all
night.”

Chapter Five

The End.

I sat on the beach, listening to the
waves. The last time I had come to this island, I pretended to be
Mrs. Ryel. Now it was reality. I sighed, and placed my hand on my
belly. I wished things could be different; that I was like any
other new bride, enjoying the beauty surrounding me on my first day
as a wife. Wishing wouldn’t help, and I knew that. Another life
would mean the absence of Jared. If we had never met, most of the
chaos wouldn’t have happened, and the worst-case scenario would
have been to find out my father was a different person than I
believed him to be. Apart from that disappointment, life would have
continued on—mundane and mediocre. I would have married Ryan, and
worked at Titan. Bore a child or three. We would have lived day in
and day out with a respect and love, facing day to day challenges
of ordinary life.

My nose wrinkled. A life without Jared
was unimaginable. Coupled with that stipulation, I didn’t want it.
Chaos, a constant state of being on alert and uncertain was a
respectable tradeoff for a love like his. He didn’t ask for this,
either, after all. The danger was what we went through to be
together, and it was worth it for him. He never questioned it, and
I grudgingly accepted it. It might not make sense to everyone, but
then again, they could never understand. Most hadn’t experienced
what I had. I’d been waited for, longed after for years. The
safety, security, and calm I felt with Jared were unmatched; no one
else on earth made me feel that way. No one was held as sacred by
their husband as I was, so they couldn’t fathom what one might
endure to protect it. Our love, in all its imperfection, was
perfect.

It was then that a moment of clarity
came over me. From the moment I’d learned the truth, I had fought
with the feeling of loss for a normal life, but without Jared, that
life wouldn’t have as much meaning. Sure, I was an individual. I
was a strong person. I didn’t need someone else to complete me, but
I was happier with Jared than without him. More than happy. Why
settle to prove that I was free? I was, with and without him. Being
with him was a choice—a choice to love and be loved and exist in an
affirmative state with someone. Even with the chaos going on around
us, it was more than I could have hoped for. More than most hoped
for. His love was the purest example of anything a human could feel
for another. The more I weighed the options in my head, the less
appealing Normal became. It was downright insulting to compare the
two. Suddenly I couldn’t remember why I had missed it in the first
place, and scolded myself for ever letting Jared feel that I was
anything but grateful for every moment he was in my
life.

“
How are you feeling,
love?” Jared said from behind, bringing a tall glass of ice
water.

“
As if you have to ask. I
feel really good. It seems like every day I feel better and better.
Is that normal? Aren’t I supposed to feel sick, or tired, or
both?”

“
Not necessarily. What is
normal when you’re carrying our child?” Jared said, taking a seat
beside me.

We watched the surf together. The
storm from the night before had raged until the early hours of the
morning…and there was a good reason that I knew that for a fact.
Jared had kept his promise to take his time. I slept for an hour,
maybe two, after the sun breached the horizon before venturing to
the beach. The ocean was endless, stretching out until it met the
sky. The only way to tell one from the other was the slight
difference in shade. I took in a deep breath and leaned against my
husband.

“
What is it?” Jared said,
grazing his lips across a small patch of skin on my
forehead.

“
It doesn’t matter,” I
said closing my eyes. I wanted to focus on the sounds of the waves
rushing the beach, and the way the breeze blew my hair forward. If
it were possible to block the frightening thoughts from my head, I
would have. I wanted to pretend that the truths I had come across
in recent years weren’t real. But they were, and inconceivable,
nightmarish things waited for us at home. Those thoughts made it
difficult to relax and enjoy my honeymoon, even with Jared’s
tireless reassurance. I had finally accepted my life for what it
was, but that didn’t make it less frightening.

“
Look,” Jared said,
nodding to a spot up the beach.

Samuel stood at least two hundred
yards away, too far away for my human eyes to tell if he was
watching us or the ocean.

Jared nuzzled the hair just above my
ear. “He has been granted a temporary new post.”

“
To babysit us?” I asked.
“He must be thrilled.”

Jared chuckled. “Something like that.
Hybrids don’t have Archs. Have I ever told you that?”

“
No, you
didn’t.”

“
We don’t. Our job to
protect humans, that along with our knowledge and abilities makes
having our own guardian angel redundant. Not to mention the
curse….”

“
But you still need
protection, don’t you?” I asked.

Jared thought for a moment. “We are
born to protect. I think He sees it as an infinite waste of
resources.”

I nodded. “I see.”

Jared’s brows pulled in and he cocked
his head a bit. “You seem different today.”

“
I do? What’s wrong with
me?”

Jared laughed. “Not your general
well-being, I mean you. Your behavior. You seem less on edge. Why
is that?”

My brows shot up, and I shrugged.
“It’s not because I’m not worried, I can promise you that. I have
one more year of college, I’ll be taking over Titan soon after…and
I’m pregnant. The best part—my personal favorite—I have to be on
guard for the next nine months just to stay alive long enough to
deliver our baby, and hope the Creator of the Universe decides
against his own rules to help us do that.”

“
Ten.”

“
What?”

“
It’s actually ten months.
Forty weeks is ten months.”

I frowned. “That doesn’t
help.”

Jared stifled a grin. “I was proud of
you at the hearing.” When I didn’t reply, Jared explained further,
“With Michael. You made a great case. It might have been what kept
me out of serious trouble.”

“
What might have happened?
If Eli had decided against you?”

“
The worst punishment
would be death.”

“
But…,” I began, thinking
as I spoke, “you can’t die unless I do.”

“
Or
if I’m found guilty of disturbing The Balance. Heaven has
zero tolerance for both of those things.”

“
The baby supposedly
disturbs The Balance,” I said, touching my belly.

Jared put his hand on mine. “God
didn’t create the baby, Nina, we did. Free will and The Law are on
opposite ends of the universe. I could explain it for the rest of
your life, and you still wouldn’t understand. Even I don’t fully
understand it all. Just know that The Law is a constant, and The
Balance is a variable. In our case, it depended on Free Will, and
that makes The Balance a whole new beast.”

“
My head hurts,” I
said.

“
I’m sorry. More
water?”

I looked down to my glass. It was
empty. “I hadn’t even realized I’d touched it.”

Jared moved his hand up my arm, his
fingers pressuring different spots. “Your temperature is elevated,
but I believe it’s due to the pregnancy.”

I nodded, staring out into the ocean.
“Will it ever be over, Jared? Once the baby is born, will we have
to keep fighting for every day?”

“
No. Heaven will have to
decide at some point that enough is enough. They will either save
us or let us die. Once that decision is made, we are
protected.”

I looked up to the sky. “Why doesn’t
He just make it now?” Jared didn’t answer, and it was just as well.
I didn’t expect him to. “Jared…,” I hesitated. I didn’t want to
ruin our perfect morning. “I think I should continue my
training.”

He sighed. “You’re pregnant,
Nina.”

“
Yes, I know. But, can we
both agree that there may come a time when I might have to defend
myself...or the baby? I’m not asking you to beat the crap out of
me; I’d just like to spend more time with the firearms, and for you
to teach me some more complex moves.”

“
Okay.”

“
Okay?”

Jared wrapped his arms around me,
resting his chin on my head. “You’re right. We have to be prepared
for anything. We’ll start when we get back.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

He leaned back, and lowered his chin
so that I would meet his gaze. “You have to take it easy, though. I
mean it.”

“
I will. I
promise.”

Satisfied, Jared took my glass and
returned moments later with a fresh batch of ice floating in the
water. I took a sip and sighed, trying my best to relax.

We sat in the morning sun, waiting as
it crawled across the sky, hiding every so often behind the errant
cloud. Jared and I were wrapped in each other’s arms, enjoying a
small moment of peace. Eventually, my stomach began to
protest.

I looked down, and then to Jared. “I
guess we better find something to eat.”

“
I’m surprised you didn’t
say anything sooner. You haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

“
I’m surprised the baby
didn’t say something sooner,” I said, extending my hand to Jared
when he stood.

He tugged on my hand. “I can see I’m
going to have to take better care of you.”

We made our way to the eating lodge,
where just a few other patrons sat at a table across the room. I
dove into the fresh fruit bowl on the table, and then eagerly
waited for the waiter to arrive.

An hour later, empty or nearly empty
plates of Grouper, Callaloo, Conch Fritters and other Caribbean
cuisine lay all over our table. For someone that didn’t feel
hungry, I couldn’t seem to stop eating.

I mashed the leftover crumbs from the
banana bread we requested for dessert with my finger and then
licked them off.

“
Wow,” Jared
said.

“
What?” I said.

“
You’ve always had a
healthy appetite, but this is impressive.” He grinned.

“
I suppose so,” I smiled.
We both knew finishing the ridiculous amount of food I’d ordered
was above and beyond anything I’d accomplished meal-wise before.
Our table looked like we’d had a dinner party with ravenous
wolves.

“
Ready for a nap?” Jared
said, laying a large bill on the table.

“
Let’s go exploring,” I
smiled. “Or snorkeling.”

“
Snorkeling? Still not
tired?”

“
No. I feel amazing,” I
grinned. Jared frowned. “What? I’m not supposed to feel
amazing?”

“
No. To me, you feel
tired. You were hungry an hour before your stomach growled. I can’t
decide if I’m losing my senses or that your body isn’t responding
normally because of Bean. If it’s the latter, I don’t want you
overdoing it.”