The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (127 page)

Diana sighed. “Maybe if Jameson knew, he could help us figure this out.”

Elisa looked over to where the boys sat. They were eating and laughing at something Logan was saying. Every time she looked at Aiden she got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Especially at times like these when he looked so happy. How could she bring his whole world down?

“What about my father?” she asked while she continued to watch her friends.

“I’ll tell Jameson first. It’ll be his choice about who else needs to know,” Diana answered.

“Okay.” Elisa turned to look back at the witch seeing the same conflicting emotions she was feeling mirrored in Diana’s face. “What do you think he’ll do?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.

Diana shook her head, silent for a moment. She looked up at the moons, partially hidden by the cloudy night, before looking back at Elisa. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “I don’t know,” she admitted.

Elisa remained by herself after Diana left. She looked out at the desert thinking about the man whose homeland it was. She had never seen Aziz in person, wasn’t even sure what he looked like. The sorcerer had always been a presence in her life since she was a small girl, a man of myth it often felt like. He was that monster parents would warn their kids about. Somehow, he never felt real. But Elisa knew differently. She knew he was very much a real force to be reckoned with, and now she was heading straight for him. What would Eden be like when he was gone? The concept of peace was almost foreign to her after so many years of preparing for war. It was hard to contemplate a life without it.

Strong arms circle her waist from behind. Wolf rested his chin on her shoulder, pulling her close.

“What are you doing over here by yourself?” he asked softly.

“Thinking,” she answered.

“Should I be worried?” he teased. She turned in his arms, letting her own wrap around his neck.

“Never,” she replied with a smile.

He returned her smile, kissing the tip of her nose. “What did Diana want?” She couldn’t hide the way her body automatically stiffened. Wolf observed her closely, his brows pulling together in concern. “You know you can always tell me anything, don’t you?”

Elisa nodded before letting her forehead drop to his chest. One hand stroked her back reassuringly. When Aiden had first arrived in Eden, Elisa had been sworn to secrecy about his origins. At the time, she and Wolf had been at each other’s throats, so it hadn’t bothered her to keep a secret from him. But now things were drastically different. He had been so bitter back then, when he finally learned the truth, knowing that she had kept it from him. She could only imagine how he would feel when the newest secret came to light, and finding out it was her that had discovered it. Could she really keep something of this magnitude from him again?

She looked up into his beautiful face, and the loving way he looked back at her. “I’ve discovered something,” she whispered tentatively.

He quirked an eyebrow. “What kind of something?”

She sighed, looking away for a moment. “Something that could possibly ruin a friend’s life,” she confessed. She turned back to him. “I’m conflicted over revealing it. I don’t know what it means, not just for this person, but for all of us. I told Diana,” she continued. Wolf’s mouth flattened as she said the last part. “Only because I thought perhaps she knew already herself,” she explained quickly.

“And did she?”

Elisa shook her head. “No one did, so far as we know. Except Alistair,” she told him.

“How did you find out then?” he questioned, his face serious now.

“I got a clue about where to look and found a letter Alistair had written, probably in case something happened to him, like it did.” She paused. “I want to tell you too, but part of me doesn’t want to burden you with this weight. Especially considering how close you two are.”

Realization dawned on him. “Is it about Aiden?” Elisa nodded. “Tell me, Elisa. Only so you’re not the only one to carry it. That’s what I’m here for – to share whatever burdens you may have, so that it is easier on us both.”

Elisa smiled, tears brimming in her eyes from gratitude. She eased up onto the tips of her toes, kissing his mouth softly. “I love you,” she said as she pulled back.

“Don’t think you can easily distract me, woman,” he joked.

Elisa titled her head to the side, giving him a mocking look. “I think we both know you’re easily distracted,” she argued.

Wolf chuckled, giving her hips a squeeze. “Tell me,” he urged.

She took a deep breath. “Once, when I was attending a mass, Alistair came to speak to me afterward. We stood before this painting in the chapel I had never noticed before. It was of the Goddess holding a small child. Do you know it?”

Wolf thought for a moment. “I don’t think so,” he admitted. “I’ve never really paid attention to any of the paintings in there.”

“Well it’s beautiful, so I stopped to look at it. Alistair was the one who painted it.”

“I didn’t know he painted.”

“Me neither, but he told me that day. When Aiden mentioned that he had whispered something about a painting before he died, I knew instantly what he was referring to.”

Wolf’s mouth dropped open. “Smart,” he complimented.

“I have my moments,” she replied dryly, earning another squeeze from him. He stayed silent so she could continue. “I went to the sanctuary that night, while the rest of you looked for the shooter. I swear, Wolf, I stared at that painting for hours trying to figure out what about it was so important that Alistair would have made it his dying words. I just couldn’t grasp what he meant, and I started to wonder if maybe I was wrong. Then it occurred to me that perhaps there was something hidden, something I wasn’t seeing.

So I took the painting off the wall, and there it was – a folded piece of paper. My heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. I ripped it off, hung the painting back up, and ran to Alistair’s gardens so no one else would see.”

“Where is the letter?” Wolf asked.

“Buried,” she replied, “beneath his favourite fig tree. I didn’t know what to do after I had read it, so I just hid it again. The thought of anyone else seeing it made me panic.”

Wolf reached both hands up, stroking back her hair gently. His palms felt warm against her cheeks. “Tell me what the letter said,” he pressed.

“It was about the prophe –”

“Someone approaches!” a voiced called out loudly. Elisa jumped looking around Wolf’s body to see a storm of sand, no doubt kicked up from the hooves of many horses, headed their way.

“Grab your bow,” Wolf ordered, turning to run back to the fire. Elisa saw that Logan, Moose, and Aiden were already on their feet. Elisa joined them as they all moved forward to where her father and the King stood.

“Are we expecting someone?” Turk asked tightly.

“Not that I know of,” Jameson replied.

The dark night made it impossible to see anything. Elisa’s heart raced. She strung an arrow, readying herself.

“Hold fire!” a voice called out. Jameson put up one hand to halt everyone. Elisa lowered her bow, but kept it ready.

“Identify yourself,” he called back. The sound of many horses filled the quiet night. Elisa blinked against the sand blowing through the air.

“If you don’t know me by now,” the voice answered, amused. “I’d say you’re getting even older than I thought.” Elisa saw her father and Jameson relax, an easy smile spreading across the King’s face.

“It’s about time you got here,” he replied lightly.

The group drew closer and Elisa could finally make out the front rider in the darkness. She breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized him. Her eyes found Wolf, and she saw a grin stretch his mouth.

“We might be Riders, my lord,” Hawk, chief of the Riders said. “But we can only go so fast. I’ve been pushing my men for days to reach you.” The Riders pulled to a stop. Elisa could see the exhaustion on each of their faces. “Did you have to move so quickly?” he asked, dropping down from his horse. Hawk stepped forward, grasping forearms with Jameson.

“We wanted to make it a challenge for you,” the King jested.

Hawk’s deep laugh filled the air. “No doubt you did.”

“It’s good to see you again,” Jameson said seriously. “I wasn’t sure if you would decide to join us or not.”

Hawk nodded solemnly. “I’ll admit, it was hard to leave our women. Sunny is…well she’s not doing well, but I couldn’t just sit around and let you buggers have all the fun. Where is he?”

Jameson stiffened slightly. Before he could reply, Callum walked up from behind Elisa where she hadn’t seen him, and went to stand beside his brother.

“Hawk,” he greeted in his deep voice. Elisa couldn’t help but admire the younger Prince, although she’d never admit it to Wolf. There was something very appealing about Callum in a way a wild horse was beautiful, not just for his looks but for the mystery surrounding him. He was striking, with his long, dark hair and deep brown eyes. His jaw firm, covered by only a brush of hair. But he also seemed unpolished, as if no one could manage to tame him or force him to uphold the rules of the court he was born into. It surprised Elisa how different he was from what had been said of him during his youth in the Capital. She could understand why Rose would be taken with him. And yet, despite that wildness she could see, there was also a stillness; a quiet, contemplative feel from him that said nothing and no one went unnoticed by this younger, hardened Prince.

“Callum,” Hawk greeted. They stood in silence, staring at one another, and Elisa wondered if Hawk got the same feelings from him as she did. The chief held out a hand between them. Callum took a moment before gripping forearms with him. “I’m happy to see you have chosen the right path.”

Callum nodded his head once. “Thank you for joining us,” he said. Elisa could imagine the relief the Prince was feeling. When the Riders had left in the south, no one knew if they would still support the King’s army should Callum become the leader. Even after the truce, most doubted the Riders would want anything to do with the King’s brother.

“Someone’s got to keep an eye on your brother,” Hawk answered. “And we both know Turk does a lousy job of it.”

The tension in the air instantly lifted as the High King’s laughter filtered through the air.

“Come on you two, let’s get these men fed and rested before we have to head out in the morning,” Jameson said happily.

Everyone began moving as another army joined the combined King’s. Elisa looked up a Wolf, their interrupted conversation coming back to her.

“I need to speak with my father,” Wolf said, turning to her. “I want to check up on my mother. We will talk again soon, okay?”

Elisa nodded. “Of course, go make sure everything is alright.” He kissed her quickly on the forehead, and then walked toward his father and brother. Suddenly she was very tired. Her life seemed like a constant circle of tough decisions. All she wanted to do now was sleep.

Walking away from the group that was growing larger by the minute, Elisa found the small tent she had set up earlier and crawled in it for the night.
I will tell Wolf everything tomorrow
, was her last thought before drifting off to sleep.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Aiden mopped at the sweat on his forehead as he took a large gulp of water. Quickly replacing the cloth around the bottom half of his face, he kicked Ty forward to fall in line with Logan and Stefan.

“Well this is hopeless,” Logan muttered. Aiden looked at the scenery before him and couldn’t help feeling the same way. After riding non-stop since early morning, the army had finally reached the base of the northern mountain range. And there were
a lot
of mountains. Aiden’s eyes roamed over the snow covered peaks, so high you could barely see them hidden in the clouds. Forests blanketed their bases, thinning higher up.

“How will we find him?” Stefan asked. It was the first time Aiden heard the northerner sound doubtful.

“No idea,” Aiden admitted.

They pushed onward, following the line of men to the first patch of green Aiden had seen all day. It seemed like months. He’d had enough sand to last him a lifetime.

Wolf came riding toward them from the front. He turned, pulling up beside Stefan. “Jameson is calling for a break as soon as we’re beneath the cover of the forest,” he told them.

“About time,” Logan complained. “I think my butt might have fallen off.”

“Don’t worry,” Wolf smirked, “no matter what, you’ll still be an ass.”

Aiden heard someone laughing and turned to see that it was coming from Stefan. He couldn’t help but smile in response. The northern soldier was always so serious, it was good to see him laugh.

“Uh oh, we might be rubbing off on our northern friend,” Logan said teasingly.

“Yeah well, you’ll rub off on anything,” Wolf retorted, eliciting another laugh from Stefan.

“Geez! What is this, pick on Logan
week
?” Logan said, throwing his hands in the air. The three of them laughed, while Logan tried to keep a straight face. It didn’t last long.

They moved along at a steady pace, their conversation light and flowing. By the time they reached the greenery the sun was setting slowly in the sky. Aiden was glad to be under the cover of the forests again. The shade was a much needed relief after having the sun on them all day.

Setting up camp was too difficult in the thicket, so the men lay out their bedrolls only, building larger fires to keep warm as the sun sunk lower. Aiden was just finishing up when Callum approached him letting him know Jameson wanted to meet. Aiden walked beside Callum to where the King and Captain stood, Diana just off to the side. He smiled at her as they approached. She got up from where she sat and headed his way.

“How are you?” she asked, her eyes searching his face closely. She looked concerned, which made him laugh. Diana always acted like an adoptive mother to him. It definitely made a special place in his heart for her.

“I’m fine,” he answered. “A little impatient to find them, but I’m handling it.”

Diana nodded in understanding. “We’ll find them, Aiden. Don’t lose hope.”