Eternal Eden (18 page)

“Shouldn’t I change?  I wouldn’t want John to miss this stringy contraption when he goes looking for it to torture the next poor woman who comes unprepared for a midnight swim,” I said, raising my brows at him.

“He won’t miss it,” he assured, before jumping onto the dock. He extended his hands to me once he turned around. “Besides, I’m rather fond of that
contraption
, and I wouldn’t mind if we made use of it again.”

My eyes narrowed at the man who had a diabolical smile on his face as I leapt on my own, not taking his hands. I underestimated my strength, as the leap I’d meant to make lightly, sent me sailing to the opposite side of the dock. Thankfully, my balance appeared improved as well. I balanced on my tiptoes on the edge of the dock, not ready to go for another swim so soon. A strong arm ringed around my waist and pulled me back flat on my feet.

“Thanks.”

“Anytime. You’re quite precocious, aren’t you?” he asked, sounding pleased. He nuzzled his face into the side of my neck and his warm breath fogged over me, sending my mind into a fog of its own.

“Bryn, I’ve got something important to tell you. Something I need you to know before we get back to the Manor.”

I turned around, my face unaffected by the gravity in his voice. What
hadn’t
been of great importance tonight during any of our conversations? “What is it?”

He retied the ropes of the boat to the dock, took my hand, and led me from the dock. I took one last look back at the houseboat I would forever have some of my fondest memories from—those where my beloved had come back to me—and smiled when I saw the scrolled script at the base of the boat:
My Light
.

“I’m working out a plan to get you away from Townsend Manor as soon as possible,” he said. “I’d have you away from there tonight, but a few logistics must be worked out first.”

“Why?” I asked, not alarmed. Location was of little concern to me as long as I was with him.

“I’m not what I appear to be there,” he said, leading me over the same trail we’d come. “I’ve infiltrated John’s Alliance of Inheritors for the past ten years—playing the role of their professor, teaching new Immortals the ways of our kind—but I am not one of them.”

“Am I supposed to understand what any of that means?” I asked, as the Bronco came into view. “Because I don’t have a clue what any of that Inheritor . . . Alliance stuff means.”

He sighed. “I know—it’s all very
involved
.” He gave my hand a squeeze of encouragement. “There are two opposing doctrines of belief in the Immortal world.” He opened the door for me and assisted me in.

Jumping into the driver’s seat, he eyed me carefully as he continued, “Despite the opposing views, Immortal life is predominately centered upon balance and finding this balance in everything we do. There are separate governing parties on both sides that are called Alliances. John’s Alliance began throwing this balance off a couple decades ago, and this is why I was sent in . . . to drudge up information.”

“What kind of information?” I questioned, as the rose-tinted glasses of a happy world of Immortals came off. It seemed Immortals were plagued with the same unsavory aspirations Mortals were.

“There is so much about this new world you have to learn,” he said, turning onto the main highway. I hadn’t noticed they weren’t on, but he turned on the headlights. They were obviously for those with Mortal eyes, for neither one of us had a problem seeing into the black night. “But I cannot have you around John Townsend or his Alliance any longer than absolutely necessary. He’s incredibly intelligent and even more dangerous,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “I will get you out of there soon.”

“And you?” I asked, not caring where I was as long as he was with me.

“My mission is no longer what it once was. You are my mission now.” He grabbed one of my hands, and with it, sent a spark of electricity surging through my body.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, when I remained silent.

I selected my words with care before speaking. “How there’s so much I obviously don’t understand about this new world, but”—I looked out my window, watching the wall of dark green flashing past us—“it all seems so insignificant since I’m with you again.”

“I know just what you mean,” he confessed. “Everything else pales in comparison and feels inconsequential now that I’ve found you.” The warmth in his voice drew my face from its faked distraction, and I scooted across the seat towards him. I tucked into the crutch of his arm as he wound it around me, trying not to think about what I’d gotten myself into.

His eyes were intent upon the Manor before us as he slid the front gate open; just enough for us to both pass through, and shut it silently behind us. He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him as we ran across the front courtyard with Immortal speed.

Within a few seconds time, we came to a stop below a balcony, presumably the one leading off my bedroom’s.

I looked up at the balcony with despair. How were we ever going to get back to our rooms escaping detection? I looked over at William, wide-eyed and apprehensive, but his face was composed, and his eyes were examining me carefully.

"Have you reached your limit of crazy yet today?" His silent whisper was no louder than the wind whistling through the willow tree beside us. His eyes gleamed, and when accompanied by his familiar smile, it led me to believe he was up to something.

"I'm sure," I whispered back, mustering up some of my depleted stores of courage—tonight’s revelations had taken a toll. 

His grin grew and he took a step towards me. "Close your eyes,” he said, brushing his hand over them.

I closed them, my heart sped up, and a nervous taste appeared in my mouth. It all happened so quickly; he grabbed me in his arms, I felt him crouch infinitesimally, and then felt my face breaking through air. We were motionless one heartbeat later. I didn’t dare open my eyes for fear of what I'd see. I just laid there in his arms, clinging tightly to his neck, with my eyes glued shut.

He chuckled softly and leaned his face against mine. "Okay, you can open now."

My fear melted when I heard his voice. I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was his face, as awe-inspiring as ever. The permanently-implanted sparkle in his
pale blue eyes
invoked a longing from somewhere deep within. A longing I was not familiar with . . .

His eyes trailed off, enticing me to follow them. When they followed his sweeping gaze, one of his hands thankfully covered my mouth before the cry came out.

"Shhhh, silly,”—he tried to contain a laugh—“or else you're going to get us into a lot of trouble if we’re found so positioned” he whispered, tightening my
position
against him, “on your bedroom's balcony at this hour.”

We were most certainly on my balcony, three stories above where we'd been seconds ago. "How did you do that?" I didn't mask the amazement in my voice from experiencing yet another of his impressive, inhuman capabilities.

"Just another perk to the Immortal life,” he teased.

Still wide-eyed with amazement, my child-like curiosity piqued. "Could I do that?"

His face looked grave. "No, not yet . . . not for awhile. Immortals are weak—in comparison—when they're new to this life. It can take decades before you're strong and focused enough to make a jump like that."

"Decades?" I mouthed slowly.

He stroked my cheek with affection. "Even though you've entered the life of an Immortal, you're still quite fragile—not as fragile as a Mortal, of course, but still quite delicate. That's nothing for you to worry about though, because I'm never leaving you again, and
I
can protect you from just about anything," he vowed.

Setting me down, he raised a brow. "Maybe when you've been an Immortal as long as I have, you can make a jump like that with as much grace and speed.” The jesting challenge was obvious in his voice. “Oh . . . and while holding the person who means more to you than your very own life."

I had to remind my lungs what their function was before I could respond. "I suppose we'll have to wait two hundred and sixty years to find out." I shrugged nonchalantly, making light of the very serious wish that lay within me.

"Are you sure you'll want me there? That’s an awful long ways away." He took a step forward, the gleam in his eyes growing.

"Of course,” I answered, as if this should have been obvious. “Who do you think will be the person in my arms?"

He wrapped his arms around me and rested his hands over the small of my back. “I’ll be there,” he vowed, lowering his face towards mine. “Forever.”

And then he rested his lips against mine. There was a new kind of energy combusting from the union of our mouths, and with the parting movement of our lips, the sinuous energy within me exploded. Every kiss before this had been beyond understanding, yet the others paled beside this one.

The shared knowledge we had of one another—the knowledge that we both wanted each other forever—brought on an intensity and a longing I’d never felt. This longing seemed to be something that would not go away and only magnified with each passing second. The intensity of it scared me . . . nothing else mattered. There was him and only him.

Tonight, though, wasn’t the time to breach the topic of unfamiliar emotions and longings. I had to end the kiss, or else I knew there would be no going back if the longing was allowed to grow any more powerful. He sighed his distress when I removed my parted lips from his.

“Good night,” I whispered raggedly. His breath poured over my face, attacking my newfound resolve. “Would it sound utterly inadequate to say
thank you
?”

“Not even in the slightest,” he responded, his eyes aligning with his warm breath to undo my resolve.

“Thank you, then.” I smiled, and had to sidestep out of his embrace before I was conquered by his army of persuasion. I took a couple backward steps towards my room, dreading taking my eyes from him, as an important question assailed my mind. “When will I see you again?”

  He looked pleased by the new horror gripping my face. “In the morning. Your training starts tomorrow, where you will be filled with more Immortal knowledge than you’d ever want to know. You are officially my student now, and I your professor,” he said with mock authority.

“Although, John would not approve of any teachings that would put us as close together as tonight, so we’ll have to be exceedingly careful in our actions with one another while we’re here.” His smiled faded, and his expression grew somber. “No one can know about our true feelings for one another. While we are within the watchful walls of Townsend Manor, we must behave as if we’re nothing more than casual acquaintances. Do you understand?”

I was disappointed, and I was sure it showed on my face. Now that we’d confessed ourselves to one another, the last thing I wanted to do was suppress it. I trusted William’s judgment without question, though, and would heed his warning. Being with him in any way was a heaven in its own right, and surely one day we’d be able to be together as we both wished.

“I suppose I can do that . . . Professor.” I eyed him playfully.

His eyes jetted off to the east, where the first promises of light were starting to appear. He groaned. “I’ve had innumerable nights that drug by so slowly, I was sure I’d go insane, and the one night I wanted to creep by, sped by faster than I could have thought possible.” He looked thoughtful, continuing to examine the glowing colors on the horizon, before turning back to me with a triumphant expression. “It appears an infinite amount of time is appropriate when one gets to spend their life with you.” He winked, turned to the east, and blurred as he leapt from my balcony to the next one down, a good one hundred feet away.

Again, I was flabbergasted by his inhuman speed and grace. As unnerving as this should have been, I couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful and natural as William was in all his inhuman grandeur. Arriving at his destination in less time than it would take to blink, he turned and waved to me. I thought I heard a faint whisper on the wind, one that made me smile, “Sleep well, my love.”

CHAPTER TEN

IMMORTALITY 101

I awoke the next morning to the sound of impatient knocking. Without waiting for an answer, the goddess from yesterday’s awakenings opened the door and leaned her head in. “Are you awake yet?”

I didn’t think my open eyes and elevated position in bed required a verbal answer.

“Your first class begins in thirty minutes. Make sure you’re ready,” Stella instructed, raising her eyebrows. Her initial impressions of seeing me as some inconvenience had clearly not changed from yesterday. “Professor Winters will be waiting for you in the library.”

My heart performed aerobatics at the mention of his name, and from the knowledge I’d get to see him soon. I felt light, as bright as the morning sun, rising on my face.