29. Chapter 29
T he curved back road to the Elder’s homes circled him through the edge of the woodland and around to the last house on the street. Without hesitation, he pulled into the very small driveway that held a single black SUV. He put the kickstand down, took his helmet off, and made his way up to the Millers’ front door. Nervously his hands went to his jacket and he adjusted it from the ride over.
He needed to remain calm, cool, and collected. However, a distracting burning sensation across his shoulder blades where the new markings of wings resided. He didn’t need a mirror to see what the marking had taken the shape of, he had enough tattoos to catch the drift. The soreness reminded him of just how serious this whole situation between him and Eden had suddenly become and he had determined he wasn’t going to walk away now. The last thing he needed was his emotions getting in the way. One hand formed a ball as it lifted to the wooden door, three hard knocks later Wyatt waited and ran the plan through his head
Get in.
Get to Eden.
Get out.
The door slowly opened as Wyatt sucked in a breath. Part of him had hoped that he would see Eden in front of him with an excuse for her silence. Instead, he was met by Elder Eloise Miller who peered at him with momentary surprise. Quickly it was exchanged for the neutral look she usually wore down the halls. With one hand behind the door and a keen eye on the slightly taller man, she looked like she hadn’t slept in days. The smallest hint of whiskey emanated from her into the morning breeze.
“Wyatt, what a surprise to see you here... what is it you're after? I don't think you’re in my classes....”
“Uh yeah, I am really sorry to bother you this early Elder Miller. I was actually here to check on Eden.” His eyes moved just beyond her head and scanned as much of the room as he could see and started to strain his neck. “You see I haven't seen her in any of our classes we share, and she isn’t picking up her phone.”
“Eden went on a small road trip with her Uncle Alaric. They decided to go unplugged for a few days to clear their minds I suppose... Eden’s idea. I’ll have her call you when she’s back?” She took a step to the door frame and brought the door closed. She moved to stand so only a sliver of space between the frame and the door showed while she kept a hand behind it.
He knew when he played with fire, especially after Eden’s memory. Eloise had been proven to move to extremes fast however he wasn’t going to be the one burning. In fact, he would burn this whole place to the ground if it meant seeing Eden safe. I need to convince her to let me in. Head tilted to the side as his eyes darkened and met those of the woman in the doorframe.
“You see Elder Miller, today is her birthday correct? The fourteenth? So I am sorry if I cannot wrap my head around the fact that she would leave on a day like today. One can’t help but let the mind wander. I can’t help but think something has happened to her.”
“Of course, I know it’s her birthday but this is what she wanted. I’m sorry Wyatt, but it was a last-minute decision for them to head out, they left behind all technology.” She repeated herself, her voice mimicked the calm before the storm as she spat his name. A light tap sound behind the door filled the momentary silence.
He lifted his chin up but spoke again calmly but firmly. His words weren’t completely true since she had just started to open up to him, however, they would sting. “With all due respect Eloise, I know your daughter maybe even better than you do.”
“First, Mr. Steele. You may not be my student but you will address me as Elder Miller. Second, maybe you don’t know my daughter as well as you thought you did. Sometimes she needs a little space from everyone, that would include you.”
He paused for a moment and could feel his hands shake as his frustration turned to anger. Possible ways to get past Eloise and into the house flew through his mind again. He had already pissed the woman off and she was glaring daggers at him. She probably thinks I have something to do with whatever happened. She’s here. I know she’s here. There was only one option left.
“Oh, I know her quite well, Eloise.” This was it, the next words had to make her drop her guard for only a moment. “I know how her eyes flutter when she is talking about something she loves.”
Catch her attention.
Wyatt squared his shoulders and spoke again. “I know her love for plants because I have seen them myself. Specifically the bundle of lavender she had above her headboard.”
Break her guard enough to slip through.
His eyes burned as the tension built in the back of his throat, “I know what she likes to wear to bed.”
Breakthrough, get to Eden.
He took a few steps back and held his breath as the Elders’ face went cherry red. Every muscle in his body tensed as he readied to move.
“I know her, it seems to me that it is you that has no idea what your daughter has been up to, that maybe it is you that truly has no idea who Eden is. But you’re right Eloise, please forgive my assumptions. I’ll look forward to that call from Eden.”
Wyatt could feel the fire in Eloise’s eyes as he shifted his weight from side to side. The Elder seemed to struggle to hold in her anger, both eyebrows rose and her visible hand shook. Her gaze darkened but she seemed to be in the middle of her own internal battle.
“Excuse me?” She demanded as her voice shook.
He didn’t respond but fully turned his back to her. All he had to do was get her far enough away from the door. Three. The sound of her heels on the wooden porch grew louder as she stepped toward him and demanded an answer.
“Mister Steele!”
He took a few steps toward his motorcycle and still refused to answer as he stepped to the edge of the three steps. Two. The clicks stopped for a moment before the sound retreated toward the doorway again. Shit, new tactic. The door squeaked open as the angry Elder went back inside. One .
Wyatt abandoned his previous plan and rushed back toward the entrance. Before the Elder could close the door he slapped a hand on the wood and pushed the door all the way open, Eloise aside with it. With a loud thud, it swung and hit the wall as he darted into the house. Metal clanged to the floor which caused him to turn to see a knife slide under the table beside the door. He swallowed the lump in his throat and returned to the task at hand. He stood in the middle of the foyer and he scanned the house for any sign of Eden. Besides the sound of the angry woman, not a single sound could be heard to give him any clues.
“Eden!” His voice came out cracked and hoarse as he called for her and stepped forward to go down a long hall of paintings of mysterious people.
“Who do you think you are?!” She screamed from where she lay on the floor where she started to frantically search for the knife.
“Where is she you monsters?” His eyes landed on the stairs.
“Us? Monsters!” She hollered as the blade scratched along the wooden floor when she found it.
Wyatt rushed for the stairs but barely had a hand on the rail before Eloise reached him. A wave of pain emanated from his head as she grasped a handful of his hair and pulled him backward into her. Without a center of balance she easily pushed him down onto his knees, his back against her thigh and a cold steel blade along his neck.
“Now where do you think you’re going, demon?” Her voice came out shaken and thin, her mouth tight. She held him there and let the knife just press into his skin slightly, enough for him to feel the burn of the metal bite into his skin. “Don't you know running into someone's home is rude?”
He kept his gaze fixed on the stairs ahead. She’s there.. Get to Eden. Wyatt tilted his chin down and leaned into the blade in challenge. “Do it, Eloise. Draw more suspicion to yourself and your family.”
The blade suddenly slid out from under his chin. In a second, he felt the pressure on his back disappear only to be replaced by what felt like a foot shove him forward. The last thing he saw was the stairs in front of him rushing closer as the house blurred and faded into darkness.
There was nothing but darkness for what seemed like seconds as if he had merely blinked. The first thing he became aware of was the sound of objects as they were shuffled around followed by a soothing voice of Eden from what seemed right beside him. You shouldn’t have come. His eyes flew open in excitement as he looked around for those mesmerizing gem-like eyes. Instead, he found himself in a darkened basement. Wyatt reached his hands up to rub his sore head until the sound of metal and an unusual heaviness on his wrists made him stop. His eyes darted over to find chains nailed into the base of the wall and floor which held him to the spot with only a foot of space to move.
The sound of a metal cabinet as it locked to his right caught his attention. Wyatt glanced over and saw Eloise Miller at a metal table over in the corner by the stairs with various tools and weapons laid out. His eyes fell on each, his chest tightened as he realized what was actually going on here as the woman had already rolled up her sleeves. As she talked on the phone with someone in what he assumed was an earpiece while his gaze fell on a familiar tattoo that traced the underside of her wrist. A compass with an “s” and dots within the curves. He had seen it over a few decades ago in a scuffle with hunters as he passed through Texas.
“No, Bastien, your housemate decided he needed to take matters into his own hands… No, he’s not dead yet. Not unless I find out he had something to do with this. Go check on Eden and make sure he didn’t bring anyone else to find her then come down here.”
Wyatt watched as she started to pace, clearly lost in her thoughts. Eloise reached over, picked up a glass of whiskey on the rocks and quickly finished it off. He could see the stress written all over her face as she took out the ear piece and put her phone in a pocket on her weapons belt. The hunter pulled her glasses from her face momentarily and rubbed tired eyes and replaced them back on her face. She’s just as worried… What’s happened to make Eloise so scared for her?
For a second he had sympathy for her. They were both after the same thing, however, the chains around his wrists and images from his dream reminded him who she was. Who he just found out Eden was, though the memories had been enough to prove to him given the chance she wouldn’t stay. He shook his head slightly as he rejected the thought that she was a willing part of this family. She’s not just a shit mother, the whole thing is a cult.
“You are all Hunters.” His statement hung in the air as Eloise turned to him.
“Very good, I’m glad you finally figured that out now that you’re here. We are and now that we are all on the same page, I think it’s time you and I have a chat.”
With a sigh, the woman picked up a gun and knife from the table. A click reverberated along the walls and it was loaded. Wyatt watched her closely and followed her hand to a holster on her left hip. As she approached, her heels clicked with each purposeful step. Eloise stopped just out of reach of him and bent to his level where he could see the silent rage brew within her eyes as she peered over the top of her wire-rimmed glasses.
“Mr. Steele, you have made me do something I would have preferred not to. I don’t know what you and my daughter have going on but I assure you I will get to the bottom of it. Though I am sure that it’s an act, I can’t have questions being asked.” Her voice was calm, the same type of quiet before a battle broke out.
His eyes widened, narrowed and he smirked back at her. “You really don’t know her then. I know an act when I see them. I’ve seen those walls you helped her build crumble slowly.”
Before he could react her knife whisked right beside his ear. It hit the drywall behind him and stuck there. He didn’t dare look away from the Elder as she stood once again and started to stalk toward him. Suddenly the sound of the door to the top of the stairs as it opened and shut made Wyatt panic. As footsteps made their way down seconds later he reached beside his head and he yanked the knife from the wall. As Bastien came into sight he threw it toward the new arrival before he had seen his friend. The man only stopped for a second to watch itself lodge into the wall again as he stood beside Eloise with a regretful look on his face and he avoided his friend’s eyes.
“What the fuck, Wyatt?” Bastien gave him an incredulous look.
“Me? What the fuck yourself, Bas?” He asked as he shifted in his spot and filled the quiet with metal as it slid on the floor. “Look at me, you coward. You stand there, you face me like you have some real balls.”
“This isn’t the time you two.” Eloise stopped them both and peered at who he thought was his friend. For the first time he took notice of how similar the two looked. “How is Eden?”
Wyatt leaned forward as this was something he wanted to know the answer to as well. Bastien shook his head to Eloise and ran a hand through his hair as he walked over to the large metal cabinet. The demon’s stomach lurched as his thoughts ran wild with worry, until Bastien finally spoke again.
“Still asleep… The Mage left some potions to make sure she remained in good health until she wakes.”
“Good, tell him to remain close by for when she does. There’s no telling what happened and how she’ll be.”
The same frustration on Eloise’s face earlier filled Wyatt. They also had no idea what happened to her and now he was trapped a few floors from her where he was utterly useless. His eyebrows came together as the two hunters continued to talk among each other as if he was nothing more than a decoration within the room.
“Where were you that night, Bastien? You and Eden were at the bar but she was delivered to our doorstep.” She asked with frustration laced beneath her tone.
The man stopped for a moment but regained himself. “I was following someone suspicious outside.”
“So suspicious that you left Eden alone long enough for her to be incapacitated and brought here?!” Eloise’s voice boomed across the room.
“I know it’s my fault, it’s my job to keep her safe!”
“Yes it was, Barron… You better hope she wakes up soon, unharmed.” Eloise took a step toward him with venom in her voice.
“She will.”
“You know, I’ve kinda been around the block a few times. I might be able to help figure out what’s going on.”
Eloise’s head snapped back to face him and her face twisted to mimic his. “You are not going anywhere near her.”
“Don’t you think maybe it’s worth a shot?” Bastien countered.
“We have no idea who did this, for all we know he did and he’s here to finish the job! It’s not going to happen, brother.”
“Brother? That’s a pretty big age gap. I’m guessing Bastien was the oopsie?” Wyatt taunted them, unable to stop himself.
As he chuckled to himself Eloise turned on her heels and closed the distance in a matter of seconds. In quick succession, he saw her hand raise and felt a sting across his face. He was knocked sideways and saw stars. He looked up at her with an angry grimace, just in time to see the sickening darkness spread across Eloise’s face.
“Eloise.” Bastien stepped forward to intervene.
“No, if you can’t deal with this, leave. If he’s a threat to Eden, he’s a threat to this family.” She told him without a single glance away from Wyatt.
“I would never, I love her.” The words he had never said to her slipped out before he could stop them.
“Love her? You’re not capable of that.” She told him as she walked over to the metal table and picked up a few things before she tucked them away in her belt. “I don’t know why she has been spending so much time with a non-target but I assure you it is one-sided.”
“I’m not so sure about that, the way she looks at me says different.”
Wyatt attempted to use his new powers; he froze and suddenly found a block that prevented him from gripping the thread connected to his magic. His eyes widened as the danger of the situation became real. He was truly trapped. Most supernatural creatures who found themselves in The Salvamari chains wouldn’t find their way out alive.
His thoughts drifted to the families of Hunters he was aware of. Donovan, Belmore, Reyes, Holloway, Sullivan, Moore, and Miller. They hadn’t even bothered to hide their last name, bold. His heart sank as he remembered the dangerous reputation they had and were among the top families. Stories of their cruelty sent shivers down his spine each time he heard of them.
“Good, you know we are serious.” Eloise’s voice broke the quiet. “Now, tell me what did you do to Eden?”
Wyatt’s mouth formed into a thin line and he spoke in a low voice. “Nothing. I’m trying to figure it out the same as you. I just want her to be okay.”
“Lies. I know who you are, Steele. Your vanity is your downfall as you were easy enough to find information on… Tell me, Curse Bringer, why should I believe you had nothing to do with this given your binding to the Cade family?”
If he would have had a beating heart, it would have stopped then and there. The name of the old him he took so much pride in now felt like a ghost he couldn’t banish. She knows, fuck. He frowned at the Elder, confused by her last statement and shifted slightly.
“I am not bound to anyone except Lucifer.”
“You mean you don’t know? I’m surprised to see you and Lennox are so close. It took most of the last few months to figure it out. Between the books you’re featured in and the old grimoire of a witch that studied the curse with Lennox’s grandmother. It put the puzzle together quite quickly. Every one of them had a marking, correct? The alchemy symbol for Steel?”
“As far as I was told, Eden doesn’t have it. In any case, I still don’t have a reason to hurt her. I would do anything to keep her safe.”
“I. Don’t. Believe. You.” Eloise spat and turned away from him. Eloise continued a conversation with Bastien and the sound of a tea kettle calling from upstairs caught the attention of the two only momentarily.
“Look at me, damn it!” He growled.
They didn’t. Left to his thoughts, he went over everything he could remember of the curse when he created it. I was so drunk . He cursed himself for his past self for being so stupid in the first place. A knot formed in his throat as he remembered when he tacked on the symbol at the end to mark the line’s shoulder. At first he thought he had done it to make it easier to follow. Now, he realized he had bound himself to the victim as it was his personal sigil since his start as a curse creator. Lennox and Eden’s faces filled his mind. Though she had no mark she was still a Cade. If we are connected through this curse, are my feelings even real? Are hers? If they are even genuine.