The plane landed with gut-wrenching screech and I sent out a silent thank you for arriving in one piece. The trip had been uneventful as I’d been wrapped up deep in thought for the past few hours. It was almost like I’d been alone in my mind trying to fathom what might possible happen later tonight.
But I wasn’t alone after all. Troy woke up long enough to insist that a couple of protectors travel with me. Since there were only two of them without arms in slings or broken bodies, he picked Caleb and another young merman, Gregory. Both of them remained silent the entire time we flew, almost as if we’d all been contemplating the same scenarios over and over.
I didn’t trust Lucian for one moment. I knew he’d try something tonight but it wasn’t doing my nerves any good to continue to imagine everything that could possibly go wrong.
The jet pulled up to the small hanger and the pilots opened the door for us. Graham wasn’t waiting there, and I actually felt a tad disappointed. However, there was a driver who introduced himself as Randy, and he ushered us to a Jeep in the parking lot. We drove through the small, quaint town of Red Lodge and up into the mountain pass. Almost an hour later, we arrived at the lodge that someone at the Council had decided was a safe place to stay.
There wasn’t one large building; instead, I counted ten different individual cabins nestled amongst the acreage. We had two cabins, obviously meant for Kain and me, but since he wasn’t here, the three of us decided on the larger one with two bedrooms. No one from the Council was here yet, so I tried to get some rest. It had been over twenty-four hours since I last slept and with everything that had happened, my body and my brain needed a break.
I didn’t hear it at first, but when the knocking on my door turned into pounding, I realized someone had been trying to wake me up. I rolled over to see that I’d slept for nearly six hours. Jumping out of bed in a state of shock, I ran to the door to see why they let me sleep so late.
“Caleb,” I said as I jerked open the door and saw his fist raised for another knock. “What’s going on? Why didn’t you wake me up?”
He looked down at me with a slight apologetic smile on his face. “You needed to rest and nothing was happening before.”
“Oh. Okay.” I shifted uncomfortably. My jeans and sweater twisted around my body because I hadn’t even bothered to change. I was sure my hair looked a mess and what little makeup I’d worn was now gone. “So why are you pounding on my door?”
He smiled again and tilted his head toward the little kitchen and living room area. “Master Forrester is here to see you.”
My heart fluttered a bit before I remembered I was kind of angry with Graham. He was hiding something and I needed to figure out what this secret was before we met with Lucian tonight. “Okay, I’ll be right there.”
I rushed into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Splashing water on my face and hair, I tried to make myself somewhat presentable. After all, I was a clan leader and Graham was a Council member.
Five minutes later, I opened the door to see that our cabin was empty. Movement from the front window caught my attention and I noticed Graham pacing in the yard. Caleb had decided to wait on the porch, apparently watching over him. I slipped into my shoes and made my way outside.
The two men had not been speaking to each other and when I nodded to Caleb, he didn’t move. “It’s okay,” I assured him. “Graham and I just need to talk about a few things before tonight.”
Caleb looked around the property nervously; eyes darting from cabin to cabin and then to the forest surrounding the perimeter. “Where are the other members?”
“What?” I asked.
“The rest of the Council?”
Graham groaned. “I already told you, bloke that they’re on their way.” Graham looked at me and smiled slightly. “There was an emergency meeting about the attack at your house last night.”
I nodded my head in understanding, but Caleb kept pushing. “I don’t like it. Something doesn’t feel right.”
Although I was inclined to agree with him, Graham didn’t seem to pose that much of a threat. After all, he’d saved my life once already. I doubted he would do anything to purposely harm me now. “It’s all right Caleb.” When he looked at me again, I added, “I promise.”
I stepped off the porch and joined Graham’s side. “We need to talk.”
“Yes, we do,” he replied and then spoke to Caleb. “I’ll bring her back before the meeting.”
“You better,” Caleb grumbled while sending out a warning with his eyes.
We turned and walked away from the cabin toward the edge of the woods. “Where are we going?”
“Let’s just take a walk, okay?” I stopped in my tracks. Something about his tone sent shivers through my spine.
“What’s going on?”
He reached out to me and wrapped his arm around my lower back, effectively pulling me alongside of him. “I just don’t want an audience.” He jerked his head back at my cabin where Caleb and Gregory watched our retreat like two hawks. I still didn’t feel completely comfortable, but I knew Graham wouldn’t hurt me.
We stomped through patches of snow and wet ground and made our way down a path cleared for hikers. “Where’s the rest of the Council?” I asked in an accusatory tone.
He whipped his head to me and stopped walking. “I told you. They’re coming later. Don’t you believe me?”
“I’d like to,” I whispered.
“But?” he prodded.
“But you seem to be hiding something, so I’m a little suspicious right now.”
He turned his back to me and ran his hands through his short but messy hair. Something made a sound deep in the woods. Whether it a stick breaking or a limb falling, it caused both of us to jump. “Let’s go a little further,” Graham said and grabbed my hand to lead me along the path.
We walked quickly and quietly through the woods and not once did Graham stop touching me. My silence seemed to be bothering him, so I didn’t say a word. He’d break eventually.
We came across a small meadow flanked by boulders and pine trees. The ground made sucking noises under our feet where the permafrost had melted during the day. The cool, crisp air smelled like winter and the slight breeze rustled in the branches.
Graham dropped my hand and began to pace at the far end of the meadow. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for him to talk. Although we didn’t know each other very well, I could still tell I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
Finally, he stopped walking and turned to face me. The pain in his eyes nearly made me break, but he needed to come clean on his own. He smiled.
“I wish I would’ve met you sooner.”
Okay. Not really the introduction I was expecting. “What?” I asked.
He sighed and moved closer to me. I heard my heart speed up as he reached down and picked up my hand in his. “I need to tell you some things and you’re not going to like them.” I swallowed. “But please just hear me out, okay?”
“Okay.” I really didn’t have a good feeling about this.
“Remember how I told you my parents sent me to Adele?” I nodded, recalling our conversation at Jeremiah’s. “Well, somehow Lucian found out about me and offered to train me.”
“You mean use you?”
He winced. “Perhaps. Adele wouldn’t let him visit with me and instead shipped me off to Jeremiah. He’d just been shunned, but she still considered him a better mentor than Lucian.” Not surprisingly, I agreed. “But when I left Jeremiah’s,” Graham continued, “Lucian contacted me.”
I felt a ball of dread begin to form in my stomach. The hair on my arms stood in anticipation. “Weren’t you already a part of the Council?”
“Not yet.” He stepped away from me and started to pace again. It made me nervous. “He got to me before I was appointed. I don’t think Adele ever knew.”
“What do you mean he got to you?”
Graham looked at me with his dark eyes and handsome face and shook his head. I suddenly felt like I was about to be introduced to a whole new person. “Eviana, the man really knows what he’s talking about. His ideas are…,” he flipped his hands in the air looking for the right word.
“Ludicrous?” I suggested.
“Brilliant.”
I nearly collapsed to the ground. “Graham, no,” I whispered. Please, not him.
“I don’t necessarily agree with all of his methods, but he is right about The Legacy. We are stronger and more powerful than humans and the shifters. It’s the natural order of things. Why should we let those who are weak dictate what we do?”
“The Council?”
“Yes, the Council. And the clan leaders and all of the rest who are beneath us.”
“Us?”
This time he ran up to me and pulled both of my hands into his chest. His eyes filled with excitement and visions of grandeur, while all of my faith in him slowly began to disintegrate inside of me like a wasted dream. “You are one of us. You’re so much more powerful than you realize. That is one of the reasons Lucian wants you to be by his side.”
“I don’t want this power if it means hurting people, Graham.” I pulled away from his grasp. “That’s all Lucian does. He’s a thug and he abuses his power to get what he wants. I’m nothing like him.”
That seemed to shake Graham out of his Lucian admiration trance. His face paled and he let out a deep breath. “I know.” He sounded disappointed. “That’s why I needed to talk to you before the others get here.”
“Can you please just spit it out?” I was scared which made me angry. Graham was someone I’d trusted only to find out that he’s in support of what Lucian’s been doing. My stomach suddenly ached as a dark thought rose to the surface. “Oh, no. It was you, wasn’t it?”
He looked confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The cruise ship,” I choked out. Graham had helped the sprites kill all of those humans, an entire mermaid clan, and my friend. His silence was all the answer I needed. I covered my mouth for fear that the bile rising in my throat would find its way out. Turning back toward the cabins, I tried to run away.
“Shit,” Graham muttered and he grabbed me from behind quicker than I expected.
I turned and began punching him in the chest. “Let go of me you…you murderer! How could you do that?” I fought as hard as I could, but he wasn’t letting go. “You’re disgusting! What…what’s wrong with you?”
I stumbled over a rock and fell to the ground. My knees screamed at me in pain but I didn’t care. It was taking all of my concentration not to throw up right now.
“Eviana, listen to me!” My head suddenly began to hurt and the nausea increased in intensity. I remembered feeling this way before and that sent my blood into a boiling rage.
“Are you trying to control me?” Kain and I felt something similar just before Lucian turned the selkies on us last night. And now Graham wanted to take over my mind. I slapped him in the face as hard as I could and the headache instantly disappeared. “Don’t you ever try to do that to me again!”
He had the decency to look ashamed, but that was before the grin appeared on his face. “He said you were strong, but I had no idea.”
I was tired of this conversation. Pushing to my feet, I tried to leave but Graham still had a hold of my hand. I glared down at him. “Let go of me,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I can’t. Not yet,” he replied softly.
“Why? Do you have more secrets to share?” I spat.
“I need to warn you.”
“Ha,” I huffed. “A little late for that, aren’t we?” I tried to yank my arm away but he held on with an iron grip. “Let go of me!”
“Will you hear me out?” I didn’t answer. “Eviana! I need you to listen to me just a few more minutes.”
He seemed sincere, but then again, everything I thought I knew about Graham Forrester was a lie. “Does the Council know?”
“Know what?”
I snorted. “That you’re a double agent working for the enemy and infiltrating their lines?”
He actually had the nerve to laugh and that sent me over the edge. I kicked him as hard as I could in the chest that knocked him back and freed my arm. He rolled over his shoulders and gracefully pushed to his feet. Rubbing the spot right between his ribs, he winced. “You didn’t need to do that, tart.”
“Don’t…”
“I would’ve answered your question.” He took a step toward me and I quickly moved away.
“Don’t touch me again,” I demanded. He raised his hands in surrender.
“I won’t. And the answer to your question is no.”
“Huh?”
“No, the Council doesn’t know about the relationship I have with Lucian.” He put his hands in his pockets and his demeanor suddenly went from arrogant spy to concerned big brother. “And they don’t know about your relationship with Lucian either.”
“My relationship? With Lucian?” I shook my head and crossed my arms. “You mean the one where he continually tries to kill me and every member of my family? I think everyone knows about that relationship.”
“They weren’t all family,” Graham said quietly.
“No, they were also my friends like the one you killed when you capsized that cruise ship!” My rage could no longer be contained. “You will pay for that!”
An uneasy smile appeared on Graham’s face. “I think I already am.”
“Agh! You are so frustrating!” I turned toward the woods and the path that would take me back to the world I knew. “I’m leaving!”
“Eviana! You can’t meet with Lucian tonight.”
That stopped me in my tracks. His voice increased an octave he seemed genuinely serious in his request.
I looked at him. “What do you know?”
“Despite his intentions, I know he can’t be trusted.”
“Sounds just like someone else,” I scoffed.
Graham continued without acknowledging my snarky comment. “He wants you to fight on his side, Eviana, and he’s willing to do anything to make that happen.”
“Why does he even care about me?” I questioned for the hundredth time. “What is so unique about me that he won’t just leave me alone?” I didn’t know if Graham had the answers I wanted but I was so tired of this. I was an eighteen-year-old clan leader without any substantial qualities an evil dictator would be interested in.
“You’re more like him than you know,” Graham replied solemnly and that stopped me cold.
“What are you talking about?”
He shook his head and moved a step closer to me. “It’s not my place.” His left arm reached out for me but I pushed it away and backed up closer to the trees. Pain crossed his face and he hung his head. “You just have to convince the Council not to meet with him tonight. He’s planning something and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“A little late for that don’t you think?”
“Eviana…” he reached for me again and I slapped his hand away.
“Stop touching me!” I yelled. “You’re insane, do you know that? First you tell me what a hero Lucian is and now you’re warning me to stay away from him?” I took several steps backward so I was almost out of the meadow. “You really need to make up your mind and pick a side!”
“Eviana!” I turned to run back through the woods but instead smacked into something solid and warm. My nose pinched in pain and I tried to push against the barrier in front of me. But the thing grabbed my hands and jerked them out to my side. I looked up at the man holding on to me and gasped. Lucian’s blues eyes stared down through my soul and the look on his face made me tremble.
“Ah, Master Forrester. Thank you for delivering my daughter to me.”
