Evie's Knight (36 page)

With a defeated sigh, Calvin sunk into the couch once more and let out a painful groan. It was torture–leaving Evie at that house– unprotected with Jocelyn on the loose. As he tried to focus on Fiona’s words, a wave of sickening heat permeated the surrounding air, caused him to break out in a sweat. His blood, coursing beneath his skin seemed to run cold against the heat, and the chill made him shudder.

“Remember, the fact that you see
anything
happening in daylight proves that they’ll keep her alive through the night–you’ll be there to see to it. But also, I know Jocelyn would never have her killed before you guys get there. If she did, she’d have no card left to play, nothing to provoke you to murder. Without that, she can’t get into your heads and carry through the rest of her plan.”

Calvin disagreed. “I can tell you right now that if I stumbled on a man who’d just killed Evie, I would slit his throat without a second thought. Don’t you think Jocelyn knows that?”

“She’d never rely on it, Calvin. Not even you can be sure you’d be able to go through with it if it wasn’t going to save her.”

Calvin moaned, pulling his head to his knees. “I’ve never felt so sick in my life.”

“We can do this, man,” Parker said, breaking his silence. “Don’t start losing hope, Cal. It’s not like you.”

“Listen, Calvin,” Fiona said. “We don’t want to alter the events in Evie’s life. She needs to go to and from school as if nothing has changed. The only difference is that you and Parker will be waiting close by during times of high threat, following her. As for the summer, does she have any vacations planned?”

“She’s been talking about this cooking expo in Arizona. I told her I’d take her there. It’s a week or two after spring semester ends.” He checked the date on his phone. “Guess that’s only a few weeks away now. Great, I’m going to bomb finals this term.”

“Shouldn’t I come too?” Parker bent forward to untie his shoes. “What if they go and she’s abducted while they’re gone? I won’t be around to help.” Parker paused then. “Maybe we can all go, Fiona. You could come too,” he said.

She nodded. “We may as well not lose the weekend. If I come, we can continue practicing, find a vortex out there.”

Parker grinned.

“Okay, so we’ll all go,” Calvin said. “We’ll be leaving that final weekend in May, which is one week before the first display of fireworks. I already checked our route for Southern Utah and Arizona, and we shouldn’t run into any celebrations along the way.”

Fiona stretched her arms over her head, releasing a weary groan. “I better get going. We all need some sleep. I’ll give you guys a chance to recoup, but I’ll be back first thing in the morning.”

“You sure you don’t want to sleep here?” Parker patted the cushion next to him.

Fiona rolled her eyes. “I’m sure,” she said, closing the door as she left.

Parker turned over his shoulder to watch her through the window. “She said
yes.”

It took Calvin a moment to register his brother’s words. “About what?”

“The trip. She’s coming to Arizona.” His grin was wide. Too wide. Calvin resented it. Parker was crazy about Fiona; it was obvious. It must be nice, he mused, to know the woman you love is safe. That no one is seeking her demise. Calvin lived in constant fear, reluctant to give Evie a decent kiss half the time. He wasn’t sure if it was the curse or Evie’s desire to wait that had him so reluctant. It was the combination, he decided then. The fear that he might possibly lose her one day made him desperate and careless. A justification often echoed through his head when he held her close:
Why worry about tomorrow if all they had was today?
He didn’t trust those thoughts though. They felt greedy and wrong. Faithless, even. He couldn’t accept the idea that they were in for such a terrible fate. He wouldn’t. One day he’d be married to Evie. And then she would really belong to him.

“She is pretty great, huh?”  Parker asked.

“Who is?”

“Geeze, Calvin, come back to the present. Fiona.”

“Oh.” He managed a nod. “Yeah. She is.” Though he hadn’t given Fiona much thought. All he could think about was Evie. She’d finally learned about everything they faced, and she’d chosen to stay with him. Now it was his job to keep her safe. As Calvin let his eyes close, he recalled Fiona’s words, reminding himself that he should sleep, get the rest he so desperately needed.

He tried. Only sleep didn’t come. Instead, Calvin found restless thoughts of Evie’s capture, creeping into every facet of his mind. Filling him with an almost audible thrum of panic.

He finally gave in to the torment, allowed himself to drive out to her house. With the misuse of his ability, Calvin mindfully twisted the lock, opened the door, and slipped down the stairs leading to her room. White streaks of moonlight spilled through the blinds, casting an angelic glow over Evie’s face. He felt ashamed for being there. He wouldn’t wake her, and he wouldn’t stay. She was safe, as Fiona had said she would be. Now he could go home; now he could sleep. But first, he’d commit the lovely image before him to memory–beautiful Evie Wylder, captured only by a peaceful slumber–and he’d use it in desperate times of unease. Somehow, in the weeks that lay ahead, he’d learn to trust. Learn to follow the clues he’d been given, rely on them even, and hope it would be enough to save her.

Chapter Thirty-eight

Evie looked around her room as if it was the last time she’d see it. Bright light from the faithful fixture above poured amply into the space, but it couldn’t quite ease the black night’s outer darkness penetrating the cream colored walls and carpeted floor–the determined force seeping into the room in a silent crawl.

Dressed in jeans, a tee shirt, and an old pair of Converse shoes, Evie tucked some extra socks into her small, navy tote bag. The silver clasp of the zipper, cool against her fingertip and thumb, slid seamlessly–the sharp noise cutting into the silence.

Maybe she shouldn’t have made the bed; it looked too tidy. Unoccupied. Final.

Stop it, Evie. It’s just a weekend trip.
Why did she have to be so paranoid? It wasn’t like anything was going to happen yet. Calvin didn’t anticipate running into even one fireworks’ display the entire time, and, according to his dreams anyway, fireworks were sure to accompany the abduction.

Still, as she climbed up the basement stairs, stepped across the tiled floor in the dimly lit kitchen, she couldn’t quite squelch the thought that she might never return.

“You about ready to go, Eve?” Dad called from the front room. His voice sounded so normal. So unaware.

“Yep. Just getting a drink.” The fridge blared bright as she tugged it open. “You want a water?” she asked, securing an extra bottle in her hand.

“Sure, thanks.”

Dad was lounging on the couch. Stacks of paperwork covered the coffee table; his bifocals and tape recorder stood nearby. She wondered, for only a moment, what this picture would look like if her mother would’ve stayed. Would she be curled up beside him, flipping channels on the TV to find a movie they could watch together?

She stifled the emotion that brought moisture to her eyes, shuffled over to him, and held out the bottle of water. “You done?”

“Just finished up.” He stretched both arms before taking it from her. “Guess I’m going to be a loner this weekend.” He twisted the lid off his drink and took a swig. “Have I already told you it was a bad idea to leave so late at night? Why not wait ‘til the morning?”

“It’s only ten, Dad. And the expo starts in the morning, that’s why.”

He nodded. “That’s right. And Fiona had to work late.”

Evie kept quiet, returning his nod in reply. Never mind the fact that Fiona’s work involved training her boyfriend and his brother how to fight off some dead lady who wants to kill Evie and take Calvin for herself.

Her dad tipped his head back once more, taking another pull from his water, and gave her a puzzled look as he gulped it down. “I thought Fiona was meeting you here.”

A sliver of guilt twisted in her gut. Evie hated lying to him. Her father had been introduced to Fiona as Parker’s girlfriend a while back, and he’d been impressed with her. He had no objection to the two of them taking the trip, but the four of them would be a different matter. Of course they’d be getting separate rooms–one for the girls, the other for Calvin and Parker–but that would do little in way of easing her father’s mind.

“Well, Parker’s bringing her out, but I said I’d meet them at the gas station, save us all some time.” That part was mostly true. They were supposed to meet her at a gas station nearby, but not for another half-hour. Though she was ahead of schedule, Evie was too anxious to wait any longer; she’d just drive out to Calvin’s instead.

“That makes sense,” he said. Evie had never seen him look so lonely. The wedge of guilt burrowed deeper. 

“Will Calvin be with them too? I bet he’ll want to say goodbye.” He came to a stand. “Oh, that reminds me–you’ve got a surprise in the kitchen. Did you see it?”

“What? No.” She tucked the cold water bottle under her arm and spun around.

“They were delivered while you were in the shower,” he said, coming up behind her.

Fluorescent light flooded the room as she hit the switch. There, sitting atop the clean, white counter stood a flower arrangement she hadn’t noticed a moment ago. A shining black vase, sleek and tall, held deep red heart-shaped flowers. She pulled in a tight breath at the sight of them.

Her lips moved soundlessly, “Bleeding Hearts.”

Chapter Thirty-nine

“Who sent these?” Evie breathed, fighting back the panic.

“Didn’t read the card. I’m guessing they’re from Calvin though,” he said. “Probably going to miss you this weekend.”

She knew better; Calvin would be with her over the weekend. Not to mention–that flower haunted him and her both, reminded them of what would come. Yet haunting as it was, she couldn’t pull her gaze from the bold, striking arrangement.

“These are bleeding hearts,” she said.

Her father nodded. “Yeah, beauties. I’ve never seen them in red before, didn’t know there
was
such a thing. Thought they only came in pink and white.”

Evie took in the dark, ruby petals. The stems were deep plum, almost black, and extended over one side of the ebony vase. Delicate heart-shaped flowers clung to the succulent stems and bled their tender, tiny drops.

This was a message–it had to be. A warning about her fate. Her father had mentioned a card, and it took Evie a moment to place it, nestled amongst the leafy foliage. The poignant flowers slowly slipped into a blur as she focused on the small, white envelope.

“Evie?” her dad prodded.

She blinked, hoping it would free her from the hypnotizing effect of the sight before her. “Yeah, I’m going to read it downstairs while I grab a jacket.” Her voice came out shaky, almost hoarse.

“Everything alright, Eve?”

“Yeah.” She coughed. “Throat’s dry. I think I’m getting a cold.” Evie set down her water bottle and tried to steady her hand as she reached for the envelope. “I’ll be right back.” She turned, headed for the stairs.

It felt like a long way–her flight down the staircase. The small card grew amazingly heavy in her hand as she imagined what it might say. Would it threaten her life, suggest that her heart would bleed, the way the hearts on the flowers did? Would it say that someone was waiting for her now, hidden in the back seat of her car, or waiting for her at the doorstep?

Her mind raced as she made her way into her room, closing the door behind her. She tore into the envelope with fast, shaky hands, sending shreds of paper flittering to the floor. Before opening the fold, Evie peeked just under the corner of the card, read the last word printed at the end of the message. It was a name, actually. She furrowed her brows in confusion and read over the rest.

Evie,

My heart bleeds for you,

Still.

I’m so sorry I missed you at the club.

Give me another chance?

Tyler

Evie forced out one short, hard chuckle and hunched over her knees, panting. “Tyler?” The blood spilled back into her head. 

“They’re from Tyler?” With her back against the door, she slid to the ground, weak and off balance. “What an idiot.” Pestering calls and endless texts had followed that creep’s latest insult months ago. Evie thought he’d finally given up.

She couldn’t even think about how ridiculous her ex-boyfriend was right then–too distracted by the lingering threat of doom hovering in the room like a second presence. When would relief swoop in, free her from the gripping fear?

The small card hit the base of her empty trashcan with a hollow thud. The torn pieces of envelope followed. Had she not spotted her jacket wadded up on the floor, Evie would’ve forgotten about it altogether. She sighed, bending down to grab it; no need to let Dad know how distracted she really was. As she wrapped her hand around the doorknob, Evie reminded herself again: it was just Tyler. Innocent, harmless, bone-headed Tyler.

Once upstairs, she passed the lone floral display and felt little in the way of comfort. The sight of the bold flowers made her stomach churn. Yet she continued to reassure herself during her dad’s lecture on drowsy driving, and while he said goodbye with a warm embrace–the flowers were from Tyler, the voice in her head assured, not Jocelyn.

In the yellow glow of the porch light, Evie shrugged into her hoodie and stepped down the creaky stairs. Once in her car, she gripped the cool, leather steering wheel and backed out, filling her lungs with deep, slowly paced breaths. Restless rocks seemed to bounce in her stomach as she worked to shake off the lingering fear.

She needed to call Calvin, let him know she’d headed out a bit sooner than planned. After un-wedging her phone from her pocket and seeing the blank screen, Evie frowned. She’d been listening to an audio book on it all day, and the battery was dead.

“Great.” Balancing the wheel with her forearm, she plugged it into the car charger and thrummed her fingers. Just a few minutes more and she’d be able to call him. He’d want to know about the flowers, though the ones in the vase were nothing like what Calvin had seen. His vision showed the Bleeding Hearts in an outdoor environment, not in an arrangement. Still, the coincidence was too great to ignore.