And
don"t
defy her. She prides herself on being the most powerful of us all."
We left the holding room and walked onto the tarmac. Lincoln moved quietly, loading our bags into the baggage compartment. I passed him mine trying not to look at him, but when out fingers brushed our eyes met. I didn"t know what to expect, maybe he would say something about me not coming or maybe nothing at all, but instead he gave me a crooked smile and I felt a little of that warmth, that only ever came from him, seep into me like a ray of sunshine. I smiled back and his stunning green eyes lit up for me and I knew, though they weren"t nearly as spectacular, that mine did the same.
Despite everything else, I let myself soak in the warmth as I climbed the stairs behind Steph. Until, that is, I walked straight into the back of her.
„What-" I started to say, but Steph"s yelp drowned me out.
„I can"t believe it!" she cried, now running up the steps two at a time.
I leaned to the side to see what she was looking at and there they were: Salvatore and Zoe.
Before I knew what I was doing I yelped, too, and followed Steph"s pace, bounding up the steps.
Steph was already in Salvatore"s arms and he was speaking quickly in Italian to her. I grabbed Zoe and we hugged like the friends we now were. Friends who had fought and suffered loss together.
„You came back!" and I realised then that I"d started to doubt they ever would. At lest not for this, not when they knew it was such a lost cause.
„We told you we would, didn"t we?"
I pulled her tight. Someone coughed behind me.
„Ah, Eden, you might want to let her go now."
„Oh," I said, releasing my grip and actually looking at Zoe properly. Her spiky short hair now had pink tips, which somehow still managed to look dangerous. She was wearing a dark grey camouflage-pattern pinafore. Only Zoe would pull the overall look together so well, finishing it off with heavy leather boots and her dagger hanging from her waist.
Spence lifted her into the air.
„Let"s move the reunion into the plane, people," Griffin said, coming up the stairs behind us. But he was beaming, too. We"d all needed some good news.
I moved past Zoe into the cabin and Salvatore and Steph broke their embrace long enough for him to say hello. I could tell instantly that his English had improved even more and that I would be able to understand almost everything he said.
Everyone shook hands and hugged as we moved inside. I reached the main cabin area first and spotted the small entourage already seated at the back.
A woman who must have been Josephine sat with her legs crossed. She had long brown hair with auburn streaks that were highlighted by her tight ponytail. She wore a figure-hugging scarlet wrap dress, more feminine than most Grigori attire, and was clicking the top of a pen in her hand as she started directly at me with aqua-blue eyes.
Six Grigori flanked her and it was clear to see why: dressed in similar black clothes and with their eyes not on me so much as on everything, they were definitely bodyguards.
The woman, who looked about thirty, was older than any Grigori I had met. I had no idea of her real age but knew, perhaps by her frighteningly superior air, that she was significantly ancient. She stood up, taking her time, making a point. This woman rushed for no one.
I felt Lincoln move up behind me, his hand lightly touching the small of my back, cautioning me as much as she was supporting me. I could feel his worry through our partnership and this time I didn"t step away from his comfort.
The woman looked towards Lincoln and gave a tight smile. „Lincoln Wood."
„Josephine," Lincoln said, calmly. „It"s good to see you. Allow me to introduce you to my partner, Violet Eden."
Her eyes briefly cast to me as if I were a fly she had just swatted, though she couldn"t help but pause when her gaze reached my wrists, despite the fact they were once again covered.
„Yes. Violet … Eden. I"ve heard so much and yet …" she looked me up and down. „Well, let"s just say I was expecting something else."
Oh. We"re going to be great friends.
She pursed her lips and looked right through me as I were no longer there at all. „Is that you, Griffin Moore?" she called out and waved a hand in the air. It was odd to hear everyone"s full names, like once she said them a certain command was assumed. I didn"t like it.
„Take your seats, everyone," Griffin said, not rushing, but heading in our direction. It was a sweet power play and I liked that Griffin made her wait. „Stephanie, perhaps you can do that from a sitting position," he said, squeezing past her and Salvatore in a lip-lock.
„And far away from me," Dapper grumped, pushing the two of them into a set of seats at the front.
I don"t think Steph noticed or even came up for air.
„Oh, come, Dapper, let them have their young love," Onyx teased. „It makes the build-up to tragedy so much more entertaining." He glanced in my direction an raised a hand.
„Exhibit A."
„Onyx, it"s not too late to throw you off this plane," Lincoln muttered, under his breath, but Onyx heard and shut up, sitting down next to Dapper, who passed him one of his alcohol miniatures
„Isn"t this interesting?" Josephine said, looking at Onyx in disgust as he sipped on his drink. „Is he mentally stable?" Intrigued by him, she had difficulty hiding her contempt.
Griffin reached Josephine and graciously have her a kiss on each cheek. My mouth almost fell open.
„It is so good to see you, Jossie. It"s been too long."
Jossie? She does
not
look like a Jossie!
Josephine blushed but it looked as though she did it on purpose. Why was I suddenly sure that nothing she did was ever
not
on purpose?
„It has been too long, old friend. I"ve told you too many times your place is at the Academy - not out in the wild. After everything that happened to Magdalena - tell me you have come to your sense."
Griffin took Josephine"s hands in his. „Perhaps you were right. Maybe it is time to give it some thought again."
Josephine smiled. „You"re teasing me, Griffin."
Griffin turned back towards us, now aligning himself beside Josephine. Another strategic move, I suspected. The eyes of the black-clad Grigori surrounding Josephine were immediately fixed in him.
Josephine laughed lightly and turned a less friendly eye on them. „Please, relax. We are all on the same side on this place. Except, perhaps, the human exile and his … intriguing companion," she said, making sure we were all aware she"d noticed Dapper wasn"t just human. She flickered a hand at two of her bodyguards. „Go sit near them."
They scooted to the seats behind Onyx and Dapper.
„Oh, splendid," Onyx said, sounding drunker by the second. „Company by the way of assassin."
„The rest of you can relax and enjoy the flight," Josephine said to the others. But none of them shifted their eyes from me so I didn"t thin those were their real orders.
„Why don"t take a seat with Lincoln, Violet?" Josephine and I have much to catch up on."
Griffin steered Josephine towards the back of the plane while I felt Lincoln"s hands on my hips, spinning me on the spot and pushing me towards the front seats, furthest possible from her.
„You know her?" I asked, keeping my voice down, as soon as he was sitting beside me.
„I spent a couple of years at the Academy, remember?"
I nodded. Lincoln had spent time there, completing mandatory training before taking a position under Griffin and waiting for his partner - me.
„How old is she?"
„No on knows."
He gave me a quirky look and held out a hand. „If you want to ask her, go right ahead."
„Got it."
His smile widened and I had to look away before it hurt too much.
I twisted my hands in my lap and played with my bracelets. „Dad saw my markings."
Lincoln"s eyebrows shot up. He knew how major this was. „Are you okay?"
I tucked loose strands of hair behind my ear. „I hate her, Linc."
„No you don"t," he said, quietly, knowing who I was talking about.
„I do. And now Dad will never forgive me. Even if I make it through this alive, I … I saw the look on his face when he saw my wrists - it was like he was scared of me. I don"t know if I"ll have a home to go back to."
We were both silent for a while. I had started to close my eyes when I felt him, so tentatively, reach over and brush a strand of hair away from my face. His touch left a searing trail in its wake.
„You"ll make it through this and … you"ll always have a home to come back to."
I closed my eyes tight to hold back the tears. I wished he hadn"t said it. It felt like my heart might explode. If possible, in that moment, I loved him more than ever.
„
To die and part is a less evil; but to part and live, there, there
is the torment."
George Lansdowne
I drifted off, letting the motion of the plane lull me to sleep. Lincoln stayed beside me.
Eventually, I woke up to the sound of voices.
„Oh, get over yourself, you"ve been guarding her for hours. If she knew you weren"t letting us talk to her she"d hit you in the face," Steph said, sounding pissed.
I kept my eyes closed, listening to Lincoln"s laughter, and fought the urge to open my eyes.
My own personal sentinel.
„Probably," he said.
„She"s my best friend, you know. I could just yell at her to wake up."
„You could try," Lincoln said, and from his tone I could imagine the challenging look plastered over his face.
Steph made a huffing sound. „We"re landing soon enough anyway." I actually heard the flick of her hair. „And don"t think I can"t see you gawking at her all doe-eyed."
Lincoln didn"t say anything but he must have done something because I heard Steph quickly shuffling away and a high-pitched, „I"m going, I"m going."
I waited until I heard her chatting with the others.
„That was mean," I said, opening my eyes.
He glanced at me, but looked away quickly. „You needed rest."
„Are we landing?" I could feel the plane descending.
„Gotta refuel."
I sat up urgently, looking out the window. „In the
ocean
?"
Lincoln laughed and leaned over me, his arm going around my body, his chest pressing into my back. He pointed out the window to a massive ship. It looked like a navy boat, all flat on top and as we got closer I could see helicopters and other small aircraft lined up. I couldn"t speak and neither did Lincoln, as if he"d acted before thinking and now we were so close, touching that neither one of us knew what to do.
The burning that always came when we were near each other reached fever pitch and I fought for breath. My heart beat so rapidly I considered the chances of heart attack. It wasn"t me, it wasn"t some stupid crush, it wasn"t even love. It was more - much, much more. It transcended anything he and I could ever be individually and was all about what we were together. My soul was screaming for him, demanding that it have his.
And I want to give it. Oh, so much,
Lincoln moved closer, his body shaking, and I couldn"t stop from leaning back, letting myself melt into his arms.
I have to turn around. I have to kiss him. I have to …
I shifted, starting to turn, but his hands, now firm, held me still. He spoke right into my ear.
I can smell him. Sunshine and honey.
„Put up you guards."
I knew what he meant, but I just inhaled again.
Mmm … more honey.
„Do I taste or smell of anything to you?" I murmured.
„What do you mean?" he asked, but I knew he knew what I meant.
„You smell like hot days at the beach, the sun - like you"re the sun. And you smell sweet, like honey when you use your power, creamy honey when it"s melted into toast - I can taste it."
He faltered, the pads of his fingers kneading my arms, sending shivers through my body.
But he recovered, clearing his throat. „Violet, put up your defences."
„You"re not going to tell me, are you?"
„That"s not what you need from me right now. Put up your barriers, trust me."
I wanted to argue, to fight against his hold so I could face him, but when that man asked me to trust him - what else could I do? I started to put up my defences.
It was like what I did to keep Phoenix at bay, but different. Phoenix"s power seeped into me, like poison. Using my power to block Lincoln was like bricking up the windows and boarding the doors. It was hard work and it felt … wrong.
I"m blocking out the sun.
Every fibre in my being, my soul, begged me, told me this was wrong, that there had to be another way. But I didn"t know it, and neither did he, so I forced my defences up and pushed the sun away.
After a few minutes, I started to become aware of my surroundings again, heard the air conditioning whirring and voices chatting behind us. Lincoln"s hold on me softened and when I didn"t move, he release me slowly and moved back to his seat.
„I"m sorry, Vi," he said, so softly I almost missed it.
„Me too." I wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing them, trying to adjust to the lonely chill that was now creeping over me.
He nodded. „I"ll sit with Spence on the next flight."
I took a steadying breath and tried to speak without my voice shaking. „How long have you been using your power against me?"
„Since the night in the park with that exile you hunted. I … When we healed each other I didn"t think I"d be able to make my legs move away. I pulled into my power, not really knowing what I was doing until I"d put a wall between us."
I nodded. „It"s good."
And terrible.
-
Griffin, Nathan and Becca were the only ones to get off the plane on the stopover. They had another jet waiting that was going to take them directly to Athens.
Before he left, Griffin called Lincoln and me back to him and Josephine. Lincoln stayed close to me but not too close and we tried our best to keep everything as normal as possible.