Nolan's Evolution (23 page)

As if she read her mind, Elenora gave a nod. "I wasn't always so mean you know? I wasn't quite as nice as you are, but I was a decent girl. I had my moments!  I was spoiled by my daddy and doted on upon by my grandpa. Mama was teaching me how to be a lady." She giggled at this. "I was destined to be a mother, a wife. You should know me well enough to know that wasn't setting well, even back then. I hid that from her." Her voice suddenly went soft and sad.

“You miss her then,” Raina’s voice was soft.

“Sure, I guess.” Elenora pressed her forehead against one of the bars on the window. She bit her lip, and seemed to be fighting of some sort of emotion.

Raina remained silent. She didn't want to break the spell that Elenora seem to be under. She had always been curious about her side of the story. The only thing she'd ever heard from her two immortals was after the change. She only ever heard the evil side of Elenora.

"I was going to make her proud. I was going to be a good housewife. They even had someone picked out for me. He was handsome enough and wealthy. He was just so God awful boring! I was dreading it but that was going to be my lot in life. Back then it was the lot for every woman's life."

"What was it that you wanted to do?" Raina whispered.

Elenora smiled sadly. It was hard to see this in the dark but Raina could make out the straight white teeth even in the dark.

"I wanted a lot of things. I did want to find someone that I could love…obviously. But mostly I wanted to help my dad out in the business. I was jealous of Jonathan. Men back then had all of the opportunities. I was better with my hands than Jonathan was...that's for sure! As you see, soon after the change, Jonathan went law school. He's never been the hands-on type of person. Daddy was furious." Elenora gave a laugh. "He got over it after a decade or two."

"What did you do after you were changed?"

"After grandfather changed me, I became a lot closer to my father. I think when you take mortality out of the picture, people's ideals change. I think he saw in me what he wanted in Jonathan. It had nothing to do with being male or female. I think he was shocked to come to that realization. A lot of things change when forever is set before you. What you once thought was so important because you only had a certain time to actually accomplish them, becomes an endless possibility. Being made immortal was the best thing that ever happened to me and it was the worst thing." Again the sadness entered Elenora's voice and she closed her mouth against anymore words.

Raina thought it was the end of that conversation when Elenora did not speak for a few minutes. She found herself holding her breath. And then she heard a soft sob. Again she felt compassion and strangely wished that she could comfort her own enemy.

"Why was it the worst? I know why you feel it's the best."

Elenora loudly blew out a breath. "Not having Mama here with us was rough. You may feel that I am heartless, and usually I am, but I was still a woman and I still needed her. And I needed my brother. Things between us changed after.” She shrugged. “My brother and I fight and we’re at each other's throats most times, but family is family. Jonathan took her passing the hardest. She had always encouraged him against daddy’s wishes to become a lawyer. I think that's why he tempted daddy's wrath after the change. He did it to honor Mama. Daddy told him that we should forget the dead and disregard the mortals. This was when the rift between grandfather and daddy happened. He took Jonathan's side. Daddy hated him for it. He said that Jonathan was becoming soft and he would not claim a son that was soft."

Raina thought of Jonathan now in the beautiful being he was. Who would not want to claim such a person?

“Grandfather argued that what Jonathan was doing a worthy noble thing and that he should be supported!”

Raina thought now of Jonathan’s brilliance in contracts, his ever pressing need to help those around him. He had become an incredible person!

Again it was as though Elenora had read her mind. "I will kill you if you ever repeat this," she growled. "My brother is one of the most amazing immortals I've ever met. Besides Nolan, of course. Losing my mama and, in essence losing Jonathan, has been the worst part of my immortal life. He hates me."

"I don't think that Jonathan hates you, Elenora. I just think that he disapproves of your lifestyle. If ever you were to make a change, I think you would see that your relationship would be mended." Raina knew she was taking a chance by saying something like that. She would always be truthful though.

"I know," Elenora growled. "Sweet Raina… you think I don’t know this? I don't want to change my lifestyle."

Raina wondered if she actually believed this, but she didn't push any further. She also didn't want to bring up the fact that if she had been a different person when Nolan met her that she may have actually had a chance.

“Enough going down memory lane," Elenora suddenly snapped, as if she realized how personable she was actually being. She had a reputation to uphold after all.

Raina swore she saw her wipe tears from her face. She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from smiling. She still couldn't stand the woman but she hated her just a tiny bit less at this moment.

"My dad spoke to you?"

Raina nodded. "He gave me some information but said the plans were not set yet."

Elenora cleared her throat. "Ah yes, he needs to speak to his ,er, partner." She gave a sharp laugh as if this statement were something funny. "I wonder when he'll decide to let you meet this partner."

Raina's brow furrowed. "Who is the partner?"

"Actually, there is his partner, and a rather more silent partner. I can't reveal either of them. I wish I could reveal the one. This would give me great joy but I'm not allowed," she pouted. "I'm never allowed much. I think sometimes my daddy thinks I'm an idiot."

Raina wanted to argue the point but once more, she kept her mouth shut. She knew why Elenora felt that way.

"So now we wait for Nolan." She turned to Raina. "You want proof that my dad thinks I am an idiot? Well, here it is; He thinks that I obeyed him and got you here so that I could have a chance with Nolan. He's the stupid one."

Raina swore she saw sparks fly from Eleanor's eyes in this darkened room.

"I obeyed him and brought you here because I knew if I didn’t help this plan succeed… Nolan was as good as dead. This way he will be spared. It's just a pity that you have to remain alive for this to work." She returned her gaze to the window.

"But Nolan doesn't have to die," Raina whispered. "Your father will just have to answer for his crimes."

Elenora snorted. "As little as my dad thinks of me, I still love him. I won't see him die over someone as insignificant as you. This is the only way."

Raina bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry that you hate me. From what your grandfathers told me, I would have liked you before all of this.”

Elenora laughed at this.

“I can't help what is happening Elenora. I didn't intentionally hurt you by falling in love with Nolan. And I never expected that he would fall in love with me and I'm sorry that that has hurt you."

"He never even gave me a chance. He just saw me as his best friend's girl. He never gave me the opportunity."

"He was being noble and a gentleman. You can't fault him for being a good friend, Elenora. I'm sure that that is the part of him that you fell in love with. You saw his nobility, and his kindness, and the pure goodness. If he had given in to you and hurt Thanatos, then everything that you fell in love with would've been null and void." Raina hoped that her words came across as soft and compassionate and not accusing.

Elenora drew in a breath. "After, when Nolan was changed and I revealed to him that I was not truly in love with Thanatos that he just belonged to me… he still didn't want me." She growled under her breath.

Raina couldn’t deny that that gave her a little bit of satisfaction. "Love is funny that way. Just because someone is available does not mean that we can make them ours."

Elenora growled. "Do not try to give me love advice sweet little Raina. I hate you because he loves you." The tone in her voice told Raina that even though she spoke the truth, the words were painful to say.

"Why did you come here tonight?" Raina asked her softly.

Elenora cleared her throat and leaned her head against the glass of the window. She turned her face slightly to Raina. "I spoke to Nolan tonight on the phone. I have a weakness where he's concerned. He asked me to check in on you and be sure you're safe and comfortable. So to put his mind at ease, here I am." She moved back to the other bunk, lifting something. She came to stand before Raina drawing the scratchy blanket away from her skin. In its place, she laid a soft warm cover over her.

Raina felt shock run through her system. She welcomed the warmth that the blanket offered. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I did it for him. Don't get any ideas about you and I."

"I'm still thankful." She truly was.

"You're welcome," Elenora said softly. "I was supposed to tell him where we were tonight. My father had ordered this but I disobeyed. He's still safe for the moment, and I want to keep him away from you as long as I can. My father will only allow this to happen for so long."

"I hope you never reveal where I am," Raina whispered. "I don't want to use him. I don't want to be the reason that he's being used."

Elenora rolled her eyes. "You are so syrupy sweet it's sickening. It's like being in the middle of the romance novel when it comes to the two of you." Her eyes darkened. "And I'm jealous.”

Despite her circumstances, Raina felt like laughing. She studied Elenora as she stood at the window. She had never had much compassion for this woman a.k.a. she devil. For just a moment she put herself in her shoes. What would she act like or be like if she couldn't have Nolan? Granted, all of Elenora’s issues did not stem from her obsession over Nolan, but still, Raina could understand being a little testy without him.

"Elenora, how did I get here?" She decided to change the subject. "I mean, it's near impossible to have a private moment when you're being protected by Thanatos or Nolan. They take their job pretty seriously. So how did I get here without their notice?"

Elenora turned toward her and shrugged. "I'm just that good." Her dark eyes glittered mischievously.

Raina couldn't help her smile. "No seriously, how did you do it?"

Elenora drew in a breath and again lifted her slight shoulder. "Well, I overheard the conversation between Arabella and Thanatos the night at the club. I knew it would only be a matter time for him to be tempted to go out with the girl. She does, after all, resemble me greatly." Elenora seemed very proud of this. She was also pleased when Raina gave a nod of agreement.

Raina agreed on the physical resemblance, but Arabella had a sweetness about her…not the arrogance Elenora had!

"So I fed the line about going to see Nolan again. I knew he would believe me and there would be a false sense of security. I also knew he wouldn't leave you alone. You would have a plan for when he did go out. So I had to make my own plan. I watched the house and I listened of course. The night he went on the date, I heard his plans to come get you a specific time. I heard him relay them once again when he picked up Arabella. The girl seemed to understand though I know she was probably upset. What woman wouldn't be?” She twirled a strand of hair, then flipped it away. ”I knew I would have to distract him some way. Of course not distracting him with my physical self…he would've caught on to that."

Raina was curious now. She was actually impressed at the she devil's thought skills. "What did you do then?"

"I got into his head. I made him forget the time and I made him focus only on Arabella. It was easy enough. She’s actually one of those sweet ones like you." She rolled her eyes up in her head. "I knew if Thanatos passed the time he was supposed to come pick you up you would start worrying about those mongrels of yours. He fell for it. And then you fell for it." She looked well pleased with herself.

"But Nolan and Thanatos always seem to sense something when it comes to me. I mean, I've had to discipline myself and my emotions and my feelings because they always seem to alert them to thing that distressed me." It was her turn to roll her eyes. "It was rather annoying when the things that distressed me were those simple things that distressed every woman and no guy would ever understand."

Elenora give a snort of a laugh. "Well Thanatos wasn't alerted because you had no chance to feel alarmed. You were calm when you came out on the porch and I was able to incapacitate you before you even knew what was happening. It was so quick even the dog didn't notice."

“No one noticed,” Raina said forlornly.

Elenora then bit her lip and peeked over at Raina as if she were contemplating whether she should say her next sentence.

"What is it?" Raina asked softly.

Elenora blew out of breath and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Well really it's nothing. I just thought it odd that…" She crossed her arms before her. "You say that Thanatos wasn't alerted. And this is true. But your kidnapping did not go completely unnoticed." She worried her lip again and gave her signature eye roll. "Like I said I spoke to Nolan tonight. I guess the moment it happened he knew. He woke up in a panic or something."