22. Chapter 22
E den walked into the common room of Kappa and took a seat on one of the black leather couches. She allowed her eyes to trail over to the lit fireplace and used each snap to bring her thoughts back down to reality. The scene played in her mind over and over. The way Wyatt had been so calm while a storm brewed underneath. The way the electricity had snapped into existence at his fingertips. How even Nick had seemed to be nervous to have upset Wyatt. Maybe it was because he was friends with Aron. Or maybe it was because there was something he knew that Eden didn’t know about Wyatt and what he was capable of.
The demon’s voice rang clearly in her mind. You will deeply regret it. The darkness in his tone told her he was a funeral pyre and she was a moth drawn in, unafraid to be burnt. The memory of him as he stepped aside to give her the option to walk away, he had known she felt cornered. He had helped her to calm down where normally the only person who could do the same was Bastien. Eden felt a slight nudge of energy shift inside her mind and peered around for the source. The energy was familiar to her and reminded her of her most recent encounter with the God, Xemos.
She waited for his appearance from around the doorway, but was confused when she saw Octavius meet her gaze. The sight of him made her stomach turn once more, now was a better time than any to get him away from the house. Her nerves sparked with anticipation as with a smile and cheer, he lifted his cup to her. He stumbled into the room and seemed to have no idea what had just occurred.
“Hey, Eden!” He yelled over excitedly. “Rosalyn and I were just wondering where you went! Everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Are you okay?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m fantastic! This party is great, doncha think?”
“Yeah, Wyatt actually just asked me to see about some more bottles from Omega. Would you mind helping out? We aren’t really supposed to be going places alone, you know?” Eden asked with an innocent smile.
“Sure! Wyatt’s off hosting some sort of game with Aron by the fire. No one will mess with us!” He laughed and motioned for her to follow him out of the house.
The two walked into the night, under the occasional street lamps. Eden pulled the hood up on Bastien's jacket as the man rambled on about the latest gossip he had heard at the party. All the while she listened for anything useful she nodded and occasionally threw some fake enthusiasm. Her eyes scanned their surroundings as they approached the empty sorority house. I can’t do anything here… I have to get him at least into the tree line. At least I can put the same spell on him as Eloise did to Remi if I can’t follow through…
With a quick decision, she used her magic and levitated a small rock by the front door and sent it flying with a whoosh into the woods. In only a few seconds it collided with a tree with a loud crack. The sound caused Octavius to jump, all eight of his extra legs popped out from his back, Eden jumped and turned toward the sound. She let a nervous look replace the smile as the two glanced at each other.
“What was that?” He asked.
“I have no idea, we should make sure someone didn’t wander over here and get lost in the woodlands.” She started to move forward.
“Are you sure? Maybe we should call and wait for the security team?”
“By then they could have stumbled further in. It’ll be fine.” She shrugged and disappeared between the dark trees.
As the two moved through the forest Eden pushed aside low branches and Octavius peered around them as the night became darker. She could hear him beside her, his footsteps much heavier than hers. As they made their way deeper and deeper into the forest she waited for the familiar rush she would get when she was on a hunt. However, it never came. If anything she could feel the knot in her stomach tighten along with the lump in her throat. You will make a fine Matriarch one day, Eden. Eloise’s voice echoed in her mind as the two of them came to a small opening in the darkness illuminated by moonlight. Just prove it to yourself.
“Hey, is anyone there?” He started to call out. “I don’t think there’s anyone out here, Eden. We should go back to the house.” Octavius turned to her, sounding a little nervous.
“Why? We just got out here.” She put on the mask of a darkened smile.
Before the man could react, Eden had her knife to his neck and her free hand on his back. With a quick tug on the threat, her magic sent a line of ice down his spine to prevent his extra legs from a second appearance. She shoved him toward the base of a tree just to the right of their path. His side struck the bark and produced a loud noise as it snapped off and his body slid down. Octavius’s eyes shot up to her as she stood over him as he gasped for the air that was knocked from him. From under the charade, she felt a pang of guilt as his eyes filled with betrayal. He looked stone-cold sober as he started to stand. Quickly she put a foot on his hip and applied enough pressure to make him stop. The look in his eyes was enough to make her pause.
“You’re one of them,” He coughed as he struggled with the words. “You’ve been lying to everyone this whole time. Poor Wyatt…”
His words sent a stab of pain through her chest as the name dropped from his lips. Wyatt’s eyes flashed in her mind, his voice, the way he would have looked at her as Octavius was, if he found out. The mere thought of betrayal on Wyatt’s face instead of the way he had earlier was almost too much to bear. Suddenly, the familiar presence of Xemos entered her mind. Follow where you want your life to go… Is this what you want? To keep living every day in a war with yourself?
Her arm slowly dropped as her nerve faded and the mask fell. Xemos gently touched the blue thread from the source of her magic which sent images into her mind’s eye. It was a strange room that reminded her of their family meeting room however the version of her that was there was a much older version of herself where Stacey currently stood. Eden was gray-haired, around her grandmother’s age beside a man with gray and red short curly hair, bright eyes, and a confidence Eden would recognize anywhere. Heir Holden Holloway.
Three girls and two boys sat around with their spouses and children. Though it was what she had always dreamed she noticed the look in her older self’s eyes, sadness . Her gaze drifted to the man and felt her heart sink. There had been a time in her life when this was exactly what she wanted, however, as much as it had been at the time the same wasn’t true anymore. Instead she saw the regret in the woman’s face and felt herself long to see herself with Wyatt.
The feeling caught her off guard only having truly gotten to know him over the last few weeks they spent together. Somehow, he had wormed himself into her walls and now there was no way to get him back on the other side of them. As the god let go of the thread, the images faded away and the war in her mind seemed to come to a pause.
“Wait, show me what happens if I leave.” Eden demanded softly.
“Not right now, Little Moth.” Xemos’s voice thrummed down the thread.
Her mind went quiet, her sightless gaze still fixed on her prey as he left. The two didn’t move right away, he seemed confused and dared to move only to adjust how he sat on the ground. Eden shook her head and looked back at him. “I can’t do this.”
Her eyes snapped shut as the frustration at herself bubbled up. He probably won’t show me because it doesn’t make sense. Had she really thought Wyatt, a Crossroads Demon and herself a human trained to kill him could ever be possible? He would stay the same and she would grow old. No amount of love could keep her soul intact and allow her to truly live beside him. However, her memory forced one last round of images into her mind and the comfort she had found beside him. From the deepest part of her something drifted toward the surface and for the first time a light of hope flickered within her.
Within moments, she knew what she had to do. Quickly, she removed her foot from his body, and she bent beside him. Octavius pressed his back against the bark but she closed the distance easily. She placed her hand on his chest and gently moved him against the base of the tree with the silver markings on her arms. They illuminated as she pulled at the magic once more using the ice she had previously used it started to take the shape of chains. She extended them around the entire length of the tree and around the man to make sure he wouldn’t go anywhere until morning and spoke as she did so.
“I am genuinely sorry for what I’ve done Octavius- You see I’m in a sticky situation… I owe a great amount to the family that took me in, but I care for Wyatt. For someone like me, that would turn me into a Heretic. It would mean losing everything I know to take a chance. I had to know if I am capable of running the family or if I should follow my heart like Bastien said.” Eden explained.
“Miller, what the hell are you talking about? You’re having family issues… So instead of seeing Andy, you kidnap someone to test a theory?!”
“If you knew who my family was you’d know this was pretty tame.” She shook her head.
“Wait, no now it all makes sense… I wondered why the name sounded so familiar.” His eyes bore his realization.
“I’m surprised more people didn’t question us. Yet again, Miller is a common name. However, we are the hunters you’re thinking of.”
The man shrunk a little against the tree. His eyes didn’t leave her for more than a second to dart around them. Octavius shook his head and spoke once more and seemed to gain nerve.
“It doesn’t matter how you feel about Wyatt, he’s going to be a wreck when he finds out you’ve been lying to him…” His eyes narrowed. “Besides, you’re human, how would that even work? People like you hate us, I’m surprised you could ever see past that to even think of him with romantic potential.”
Eden drew in a sharp breath. As much as she wanted to lash out at him for what he said he was right. Though now she was confronted with something she hadn’t previously considered. If she was to truly be with him she would have to become the thing she despised the most. Her jaw clenched and she shifted her weight between both feet.
“That’s for me to figure out… For now, what I needed to know is if I’m capable of upholding my family's beliefs.”
“Why are you even telling me all this, Eden?” He questioned.
“Because you won’t remember any of it.”
She pushed everything aside and put her hand on the top of his head. The chains glowed dimly and joined a blue light that trailed from the top of her forearms. Slowly, it made its way to her fingertips and along the silver markings. The light found its way into the man’s black hair and his eyelids dropped. Carefully, she erased her face from the memories over the last twenty minutes. With a strained tug at the thread, she created a sound within his memories that made him investigate the forest. One that ended in a drunken black out.
“Sleep now, all you will remember is you were drinking and you stumbled alone to Omega to get more alcohol. You heard a noise in the woods and you went to check it out. After that, the drinks took over. You don’t remember how you were chained up or anything I’ve told you.”
His head fell to the side and as she let go, he was out cold. Eden took a few steps back and she felt her shaky breath hitch in her chest. The weight of what her life had come to overtake her all at once. What am I supposed to do? This life is all I know. Though the choice was clear, she mourned as tears flowed from her eyes. Even in her desire to hurt Lennox, she couldn’t kill one of her friends. If she did, it would tear Wyatt apart and she couldn’t be the cause of his pain. Not after the way he proved his words tonight.
Eden walked in the front door of Kappa House once more and made her way into the kitchen where she saw mostly empty bottles of vodka lined up along the edge of the island. Her nerves were shot as she went and poured herself four separate glasses and downed them one after the other. With a grimace she turned around, leaned her back on the counter and gripped it on either side. Air returned to her lungs as the heat in her chest made its way down. She allowed herself a moment to draw in deeper breaths as the adrenaline coursed through her for the second time tonight. Once her body calmed, she pushed away, turned and had another four shots before she walked into the hall.
She had about five minutes before the world would spin and she was on the hunt for Bastien. The music still played from outside, people danced and sang along with the lyrics. She moved through the crowd almost desperate to find him. She weaved through the group until she caught a loud shout she recognized. Eden beelined for the source until he finally came into view. Bastien drunkenly sang along to the words with a drunk Corvus who looked at him with nothing but love for him.
She stopped in her tracks the moment tugged at her occasional hopeless romantic side. She suddenly wasn’t all too willing to part the two at the moment so instead she turned around and made her way through the crowd once more. Roughly in the middle, she started to get bumped into as the world slowly started to turn again. All of a sudden, she felt someone fall into her right side. Eden stood firm for support and she saw a flash of bright pink hair. Shit, it’s her. She recoiled slightly but allowed the woman to touch her forearm. People are so touchy when they are drunk.
“Hey sorry! Are you good Eden?” Lennox asked and frowned with concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I think the question is, are you?”
“Yeah yeah I’m fine- WAIT!”
Her hands gently grabbed Eden’s arm, the silver marking seemed to catch the woman’s attention. Her eyes widened after a quick look, the two locked gazes for a second with nearly identical eyes. She had to fight every urge to yank her arm away from the demon’s grip, but somehow managed to stay still.
“Eden, when did you become a devotee?”
“Recently,” She admitted.
There was a moment of quiet between the two as Lennox let go of her arm. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t expect it. We just talked a few weeks ago, I’m guessing he came to you since then?”
“Actually he-”
Cut off by someone beside her she peered to her right to find Wyatt there. Her heart skipped a beat as the light of hope glowed brighter just in his presence. To her surprise she found herself with the desire to open up a little more to him, the thought caused the hair on her arm to stand on end. Maybe it was the multiple shots in less than five minutes, but she found a smile on her face.
“May I?” He looked back at her and held his arm open to her, his eyes fixed on her reactions carefully. She nodded and leaned into him and felt his arm encircle her shoulder. His sober eyes bore into hers and a smile grew on his lips as evidently he could see how drunk she was.
“I’m glad to see you’re still here, My Little Viper… And apparently still partying?”
“Well I am here, might as well keep going,” Eden told him as a smile drifted to his face.
“Nox, mind if I steal Eden away for the night?”
“Of course not, have fun you two.” Lennox nodded to the pair with a soft smile and started to turn away.
“Tell Aron we snuck away to the town over, I’ll call him when we are coming back so he doesn’t try to set us on fire,” Wyatt called after her.
“Wait, Wyatt, You two can’t leave the grounds! We are in lockdown.” She stopped and spun back around.
“Hunters won’t follow us off campus. That is if Eden is willing to take a little adventure with me?”
Confused, Eden looked up at him after and felt her stomach twist a little at the mention of hunters. We are leaving campus? Where does he think we are going at one am? However much she wanted to go home, it was a great idea to get away from campus with him, if Octavius was found before they got back, she had the alibi of three of the most trusted within the school. Lennox had her arms folded over her chest and Wyatt looked at her with puppy dog eyes.
“That sounds fun if Lennox doesn’t tell on us?” She raised her eyebrow and smirked at the irony and a way to piss off the demon.
“I know if I try to stop you, you’re going to do it anyway. If you two get caught you better not bring Aron and I into it.”
“Deal, come on Viper. I’ve got something to show you. His arm slid down to her hand and lightly pulled her through the crowd and into the night.
Wyatt led her by the hand to a small building by the front gates of the school with a bright smile plastered on his face. He’s like a kid on Christmas. Deep down she knew they had to talk about what he said less than two hours ago. However, she wasn’t going to be the one to start that conversation so she waited for him to bring it up. Initially, she thought he would be the moment they were alone, but he seemed to patiently wait for either the right moment or for her to, she couldn’t decide. They walked quietly, excitement lingered in the air as they approached the garage.
The building looked much newer than the rest of the school with dark panels and multiple colored tan and brown bricks along the bottom. It was also long enough to hold about ten vehicles plus some odds and ends. Familiar with the place, she peered a few doors down to where Eloise’s car was stored away. Before the door opened, Wyatt turned on his heel to face her and gently pulled her closer. Butterflies came alive inside of her as his eyes met hers again.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let any hunters get you.” He winked.
Eden laughed a little at the irony, “The only person I’m worried about getting me is Eloise.”
“She thinks you’re at Omega and according to Lennox, you are.” His tone shifted into velvet as he drew her closer until they were only inches apart.
There was another moment of silence as she ran her nail over her fingertips. His words in the entranceway crossed her mind again and caused her to question if this was something they needed to talk about before they left.
“Wyatt, about earlier…” She started before his hand squeezed hers.
“Not here, we can talk when we get there. Just enjoy yourself a little longer, there’s no rush, Little Viper.” He brushed a hair away from her face as the looming winter wind blew. “You have two more chances to back out, are you ready for an adventure?”
“I don’t know… Is there any way this could end in death?” She asked, and quickly dropped the topic as he dropped her hand and turned toward the door.
“Well, that depends on your opinion of our mode of transportation.”
As much as she hated to admit it, she found herself completely wrapped up in the moment of being with him. Now that she knew where she stood within herself, Bastein’s advice was easier to implement. It was time to see if she could find happiness in another way of life. The door rolled up to reveal a blue Triumph Scrambler parked by the door.
Her eyes widened and she walked past him, over to the motorcycle. “I’ve seen this here, I always wondered whose it was.”
“Well lucky you, you found him. Guess you don’t need that last chance to back out?” He came up behind her.
“Lucky for you my family has had a few at various times, so no I don’t.”
“You realize you’re trusting me with your life, right?” He asked as his eyebrow raised for a change.
“Are you not a good driver?” She questioned.
“I am, I just-”
“Well then, let’s go.” She motioned to the bike without issue.
With a mischievous smirk on her face, she swung her leg over the seat. Now she was thankful for the jackets and jeans she was wearing as she pulled her hair up and out of her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wyatt with his hands on his hips and he shook his head. He let out a deep chuckle as he walked over to the bench and picked up two black helmets. He extended one out to her as she tied her hair off.
“You’re drunk, absolutely not. I’m driving.” Wyatt said as he slid it over her head and lifted the visor so she could see.
“I wasn’t- Well. I may have forgotten.” She laughed a little at herself and moved back.
“Exactly.” He put on his own helmet.
He swung his leg carefully over as he sat in front of her and started the engine which roared to life. Eden wrapped her arms around his torso and pushed the visor down and held tight to him as he pulled away quickly so they wouldn’t be caught.
In the town over sat a late-night diner and an illuminated sign reading Lucky Lucy’s Diner. With the motorcycle parked out front, Wyatt and Eden sat in a booth across from each other. Each had their own chocolate milkshake and a basket of fries sat between them.
“There’s no way you haven’t heard of fries and milkshakes!” Eden laughed as he watched her speechless.
“I haven’t actually, I’ve spent most of my time around other demons.” He reached out and picked up a fry to try it for himself. His eyes lit up as he went in for more.
“You know when you said adventure, I didn’t exactly picture milkshakes.”
“Adventure doesn’t have to be life or death. It could just be a good time, which it always is when you’re around.”
Eden felt heat creep into her cheeks. “You’re right, I’m glad you thought of it.”
She was now mostly sober as they talked casually about the party. Wyatt told her all about him, Aron and Lennox who seemed rather close as they danced. He went on about how he planned to ask what was going on between them in the morning. They sat there, for how long she couldn’t have told anyone. They laughed together and occasionally Eden cracked a joke here or there about Eloise.
As their laughs died down, Wyatt’s face softened and he held his hand out to her from across the table. A knot formed in her throat as she knew the time had come to discuss what had happened in the entrance hall of Kappa. Eden took his extended hand and saw his eyes held seriousness that leaked into his voice as he spoke.
“Eden, I know it’s probably too soon, but I need you to tell me what happened between you and Nick. When I talk with Aron in the morning I need to know how it all went down, I think you were the more sober one in the situation.”
She drew in another long breath and recoiled a little as the memories entered her mind’s eye. She kept her face even, there were bigger things on her mind. “It was all so fast, honestly, I was grabbing Bastien’s coat. He came up behind me and started hitting on me. He got a little too close and I was about to kick his ass for it.”
She motioned to the coat she still wore and attempted to keep herself casual. However, she noticed his expression hardened as she explained what happened and avoided his gaze for a second. Quickly she gave the summary of events, and glanced up at Wyatt. His face was now darker than she had ever seen before. He wore his emotions on his sleeve in front of her which made it easy to see if his words matched with his true intentions. In this case, he meant what he said.
“I have to be honest, I wanted to. I would tear anyone apart if a single hair was touched on your head without your approval.”
Normally those words sent an instinctual chill down her spine, however, it didn’t. Instead, it was eerily comforting to know he had her back maybe more than Bastien. She felt safe as she looked at their hands, his thumb gently drew circles there. Tension lingered in the air as he waited for her to speak again.
“I don’t regret meeting you.” Eden told him, continuing the conversation by the front door of Kappa. Unable to hold it back any longer they spilled out.
“You don’t?” Wyatt asked his anger from before shifting as she spoke. “Are you sure you’re ready to talk about this?”
“Wyatt, you made me question myself more than anyone I know. Yet somehow when you’re in the room, all the questions stop. For the first time in a long time I feel like I don’t have to look over my shoulder around someone other than Bastien. You knocked down walls and I have no idea how you accomplished it. There’s so much I want to tell you, but I can’t. You have wormed your way into my life. Now you’ve made me care about you and I’m scared.”
“Why are you scared?” His voice dipped and a frown appeared.
“Because… For once in my life, I can’t picture a day without someone. For once I’m terrified of the things I would do to keep you safe. Allowing myself to care about someone… I’ve never done that before.”
Eden felt her face heat up as her stomach danced. Her eyes drifted back to his face to see his reaction. His eyes were alight with excitement, that giddy stupid smile she had come to appreciate seemed plastered to his lips.
“Eden Miller, am I your first boyfriend?” He asked teasingly.
“And if you are?”
“Then I will be your last, I don’t plan on letting you go my Little Viper”