Eternal Echoes, Emblem of Eternity Trilogy Book 2 (9 page)

He stiffened, his lips going tight like he was reliving the moment. “More than you’ll ever know.”

We watched each other in silence, both of us trying to understand the other’s thoughts. We were interrupted by Kurt bringing our next course: gnocchi in a spicy tomato sauce, and steak, marinated in a red wine reduction, and grilled to perfection.

I bit into the pillowy potato dumplings and immediately decided if I got to choose my last meal, this would be it. “What about after Cassandra died?” I asked. “What did you do? Just wait around for me to come back?”

“Our bond made it easy to find you. I kept tabs on you throughout all of your lives, making sure my Daevos Clan stayed far away. It was hard to be near you and not be able to be
with
you, so I tried to keep myself occupied with other things unless there seemed to be a threat toward you. I started a shipping business and did quite well, especially during the 1800s.”

I’d wondered about that. So, Emil’s money didn’t
all
come from the Daevos Resistance. That made me feel a bit better. I was pretty sure my next question wouldn’t make me chipper though. “Did you marry again?”

Emil stopped eating and held my eyes. “Never.”

I found that hard to believe. I’d seen women ogle Emil and Alex. They were both attractive in a way that would make perfectly sane women lose their minds if given a chance to date them, let alone marry them. I wasn’t with them all the time, but I knew they got hit on
a lot
. If they weren’t both immortal, they’d need a security detail just to walk around. I searched Emil’s eyes, but didn’t find a hint of deception there. “Did you date?”

“No.”

I blinked, my mouth hanging open. “Are you saying you haven’t had a relationship since you were married to me as Cassandra?”

He held my eyes. “You were the only one I wanted. Why would I waste time with someone else?”

“But you didn’t know if you’d ever get me back!”

He reached across the table, holding my hand. “Nothing worth having comes without risk. I wasn’t going to settle for anyone less than you.”

I was stunned. I couldn’t even decide which man in my life I loved more, let alone put all my faith in one of them for centuries. “That’s…amazing.”

His lips curved into a tender smile. “That’s true love.”

His matter-of-fact statement made me think of something I’d been trying to figure out for a while. After I was safe and Emil had taken Caleb’s soul, Emil had told me the reason he and I could touch was because no one else could detect our bond. I’d asked him why and he’d said he hoped someday I would remember. I wondered if his devotion to me had something to do with it.

Kurt stepped into the room with a warm chocolate lava cake covered with gelato, whipped cream, and a rich chocolate sauce. I decided not to think of the calories. It was better that way. “Is that why no one can see our bond now? Because you haven’t been with any soul but mine?”

Emil ate a bite of dessert, then another. Almost like he hadn’t heard my question—or he was stalling. He finally looked at me. “I guess you could say that’s part of it, but it’s not the only reason.”

I stared, waiting for him to go on. He didn’t. “Are you going to tell me what is?”

He pursed his lips like he was trying to decide if he should. “I’d rather have you remember on your own.”

“What if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll tell you.”

“When?”

“Before you die.”

“Haha. Good one. Seriously, why don’t you want to tell me?”

He leaned back in his chair. “I do. But this is something I’d really like you to remember without me clouding the memory first.”

“Maybe if you give me a hint, it will help jog the flashback.”

He considered that. “Okay,” he said, leaning forward and taking another drink of his wine. “Alex gave you the bracelet to mask your bond, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, there are other ways to hide a bond.”

I stared. “That’s it? That’s the only hint I get?”

He lifted one shoulder. “That should be enough.”

I looked around, waiting. Nothing. “If it was enough, I’d be slumped in my chair having a flashback right now.”

He smiled. “It will come. Maybe not right now, but eventually. You just have to be patient.”

“Not my strong suit.”

He grinned. “Never has been.”

Emil paid for our meal. Given the prices I noticed on the menu, he could have fed a small country with the dinner bill. I thanked him and he helped me into my coat.

I was thoroughly enjoying spending more time with Emil, away from Alex and the crazy life we’d been living. Emil was funny, smart, and on a bad day, he was one of the best looking men I’d ever seen; but in a designer suit, with his hair slicked back and eyes bright from the combination of his sapphire tie and black shirt, he was off-the-charts sexy. I couldn’t help but wonder what he’d look like out of those clothes.
That
was a flashback I’d
really
like to have.

The Mercedes pulled up in front of the restaurant, whisking us to our next destination. Fifteen minutes after leaving dinner, we stopped in front of a park. Emil wrapped my coat around me again, and handed me some gloves.

“Are we going for a walk?”

He grinned. “Kind of.”

Aaron stayed with the car as Emil offered me his arm. We walked across a brick pathway, light hitting the salt that had been thrown down to melt ice from a previous snow storm. We passed under a gazebo, sparkling with icicles in the moonlight. The night air wasn’t as cold as I expected, and being outside in this beauty was invigorating. The mounds of snow and ice looked like miniature versions of the mountains.

Emil guided me along as I took a deep breath and sighed. He looked over at me and smiled, then we rounded a corner and he tilted his head to the right. I turned and gasped. It was the most stunning display of ice I’d ever seen. Ice castles, towering between twenty and forty feet in the air, soared above us. Each one had its own unique shape, the ice crystals capturing the light in a hauntingly scenic way.

“They’re stunning!” I breathed, my voice almost a whisper. “Absolutely beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you.” I stared at him, in complete awe. What had I done to deserve a man who cared about me so much? “Come on, they’re waiting for us.”

“Who?”

He smiled and pulled me close as we walked.

The ice castle display was in the middle of the park. Ice covered everything. I looked around, thinking I’d made the wrong shoe choice for this terrain. As we walked up to the castles, I noticed the ground was covered by non-stick rubber. I breathed a little sigh of relief that I probably wouldn’t end up with a broken tailbone. My high heels still made me nervous though, so I held tightly to Emil.

I stared in awe as we walked. “Each castle is so different.”

Emil nodded. “They’re created with water, strategically placed sprinklers, and the freezing winter temperatures. More water is added daily, so the castles change every few days.”

The castles were lit with bright, slowly changing lights. As one color dimmed and another brightened, an ethereal glow streamed through the ice.

I’d seen a lot of beautiful places—the mountains and sand dunes were a couple of my favorites. There was something overwhelmingly incredible about beauty made from natural elements. But nothing had ever left me feeling quite as peaceful, or speechless, as this.

That Emil would take the time to find such an amazing place, that he knew me well enough to understand why this would speak to me, said volumes about our past history together and what a continuation of our relationship would be like. I’d never been so close to feeling like royalty, and I knew he’d work to make me feel that way every day. Always thinking about me, considering my wants and needs before his own—because that’s the kind of man he was. This was a memory that would stay with me for eternity, etched on my soul. A memory that answered the question: what is love?

I couldn’t think of anything that would make it more perfect.

Then, I heard the music.

I looked to Emil. He smiled again as we came around a corner. In the middle of the biggest ice sculpture in the park, a three string orchestra was playing “Think of Me” from the
Phantom of the Opera
. The orchestra was surrounded by candles on pedestals, the ground, and even the ice sculptures around us. Across from the orchestra, sterling rose petals were scattered on the ground next to two chairs and a pile of blankets. Emil wrapped us up in one and put his arm around me as we sat. A few seconds later, a woman wearing a heavy winter ski coat, ear muffs and gloves handed us each a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

The song transitioned into “Music of the Night,” then “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” before ending with “All I Ask of You.”

I listened to the music, and thought about the man sitting beside me. The man I’d fallen in love with lifetimes ago. It was easy to see why. I was in love with him still.

“Are we flying back to Gunnison tonight?” I asked. The night had been so magical. Emil had managed to take my mind off of my crazy life and make me feel normal for a few hours. The thought of going back to the secluded mountains where I had to be on constant lookout for shadows and people who wanted to take my soul wasn’t appealing. I really wanted to stay in the city for the night with Emil.

“Yeah.”

I frowned.

“Don’t you want to go back to Gunnison?” he asked.

“No. Not really.”

Emil shifted to the side in the back of the car so he could see me better. “Me either,” he said, running his fingers lightly through my hair, “but, there’s an overnight rule.”

I lifted my chin slightly, looking up at him. “An overnight rule?”

“Yeah. Our dates with you can’t last all night.”

I laughed, thinking that line of thought sounded a lot like the old “the devil comes out at midnight” theory people subscribed to in the Middle Ages. I had a pretty good idea which one of my soul mates had instigated
that
rule. “Because nefarious things can only happen at three in the morning?”

Emil gave a slow smile. “Alex seems to think so,” he said with a glint in his eye. “That’s one of the differences between us.” He brushed a hand lightly over my check and held my gaze. “I have experience. With you. And I’ll never be predictable.”

I felt color rising in my cheeks and took a breath to calm it. “Good to know.” I leaned my head on Emil’s chest as he continued to play with my hair. I closed my eyes, relaxing from the gentle tugs on my scalp.

Emil pulled me closer as we drove. I snuggled under his arm and sighed. I couldn’t resist it anymore. I wanted to be with him. I wanted to date him. The problem was the next time I was alone with Alex, I’d probably want the same things from him. I was lost in thought and hadn’t noticed the car was stopped until Emil said, “Is there a problem, Aaron?”

I looked out the window. Detour signs had taken us down a deserted side-street. There were no other cars in front of us. I turned in the seat to look out the back window—no one was there either. A sour feeling settled in my stomach and started working its way up my chest. I glanced at Emil, his lips were pursed and his body tense.

Aaron turned around. “I followed the detour signs, but I somehow ended up here and it’s a dead end.” He turned to look out the side windows. “I apologize, Mr. Stone. I’ll find another way out.” He put the car in reverse, slowly starting to back up. I saw his gaze go to the rearview mirror as we moved. Suddenly he stopped the car, his eyes locked on the mirror. Confusion flashed over his face at first, followed by the distinct wide-eyed panic of fear.

Emil and I shared a glance before turning around. Walking down the lightless street headed straight for our car were eight dark figures. It was too dark to tell anything more about them, but the feeling in the pit of my stomach was enough to know this wasn’t going to be an invitation to join them for milk and cookies.

Emil turned back to me. “Whatever happens, stay in the car.”

I opened my mouth slightly, my eyes huge. “So you’re planning to fight them all on your own?”

“Not on my own. I have Aaron.”

I spared a glance up front. Aaron was turned around, his focus shifting from the group outside to me and Emil. His eyes held a thread of guilt and I suddenly realized he worked for the Daevos. Of course he did. The plane was probably theirs too. Emil was wealthy, but as far as I knew, the network of people he counted on were all involved with the Daevos. It made sense that things like cars, houses, and private planes belonged to them too. I’d been so awestruck by Emil’s lavish date that I hadn’t put two-and-two together. “Aaron is a Daevos member?”

Emil nodded, directing his attention forward. “We need to find out what’s going on, and what they want.”

“Uh, maybe they’re a gang that wants to stab us and steal our fancy car,” I suggested.

Emil shook his head. “I doubt it.”

I didn’t. This wasn’t the best part of town and we were in an $80,000 car with tinting so dark we looked like little lost drug lords.

“I just wanted us to have one drama free evening.” He worked his jaw. “It almost happened.”