Perfect Storm Page 8

  Shit. A physical fight is one thing. Revealing things that might be sensitive is something else entirely. I’m usually pretty loose with my lips. This time that could be dangerous. I’m not sure what to do. Eli’s out investigating. I shouldn’t speak to Lawson without him.

  “I’m not the enemy. Tell me,” he says, reaching for a second glass.

  It’s weird to feel yourself talk without wanting to. I can do nothing as the words spill out. Holy fucking shit. The asshole forced his will on me to get me to talk. “Eden’s fourth was killed this morning in town.”

  “Her fourth?” He frowns at me.

  “She thinks that’s what he was going to be.” I curse under my breath. “It doesn’t really help me to trust you when you’re forcing me to speak like this, by the way.”

  He pours a second glass of Unicorn Fuzz. “And because we just arrived, you think this has something to do with me?”

  “You have to admit, it’s kind of coincidental.”

  “I can see how you might think that, but I have nothing against Eden. No reason to hurt her. We’re on the same side. I’m not seeking to destroy her.” He frowns. “I can’t sense any other Gods here.”

  “You can’t?”

  “Not that it means much. Whoever it is doesn’t need to be close to cause problems. They tend to use humans for their dirty work. Does she know of any who might wish her harm?”

  I shake my head. “She dealt with the only one who meant her harm.”

  “The woman she gave her fourth to?”

  I blink at him. Did he just say what I think he did? Her fourth was supposed to be Blake, wasn’t he? Does Lawson know something Eden doesn’t? Holy fucking shit. No. There’s no way in hell Logan can be her fourth. No way. He’s in love with someone else, for a start.

  “I’m confused,” Lawson mutters as he watches me. “We need to speak more about this once Sky is asleep.”

  He picks up the glasses of purple cocktail and takes them over to the couch. I grab a beer from the fridge. Lawson just picked my brain. I think it’s safe to go over there now. There’s nothing else he can get out of me. I’m going to have to wait until later to grill him about the bombshell he just dropped.

  It can’t be true.

  Oh, can’t it? I know how he felt about her. Strongly enough to kill. The more I think about it, the more likely it seems. My stomach is churning by the time my first beer is gone. I should have known this thing with Eden was too good to be true. Something was going to have to come along and ruin it.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Logan

  It’s not the killing blow that awakens my consciousness this time. It’s the cold wet feeling on my chest. I know that sensation, so I know what I’m lying in. Blood, copious amounts of it. I did something bad, and I don’t even know who I did it to this time.

  This is getting really fucking old.

  I haul myself up. The room is pitch-black and smells like death. My hands feel caked in something grimy. I crouch down and touch the damp ground. Dirt. I’m in a basement. There’s a surprise.

  I’d hope it wasn’t the basement I buried Catherine in, but honestly, what are the chances?

  “You fucking bitch.” I kick at the ground. I could kill her a thousand times over for what she did. If she’s screwing with me now, it’s only because I didn’t do a good enough job burying her the first time.

  I move around in the dark, feeling things on the ground. Little wet puddles the same consistency of the blood on my shirt. Rough material encasing limbs. A body. Whoever I killed.

  Doesn’t matter. Getting out of this place is the only thing that does.

  Wait. Why does that even matter?

  The thought makes me pause. It’s painfully true. I have no reason to look for an exit. Nothing to go back to cold hard reality for. Why even try?

  I sit down in the dirt next to the body and lean back against a wall or a box or whatever. I don’t give a shit anymore. Lie down and wait for death. Maybe I’ll see Diana again on the other side. The fight that was in me when I awoke has died. Now I just need to let death claim me too.

  It almost works. I’m calm, close to the point of serenity. A strange sense of peace settles over me. This is right. It’s what needs to happen. It’s how this story needs to end. I’ve killed without reason. I can’t be allowed to continue.

  Then I close my eyes, expecting to see a vision of my dark hearted woman with that smoky taste of black cherries on her pink lips. I don’t. I see a white-gold Goddess in ripped denim with clear blue eyes that pierce the depths of my soul. A heart that beat for me once, and could again.

  Pain twists through me at the memory of having her in my arms. The first woman I ever loved. If there was to be a last, I always thought it would be her. I open my eyes and there’s only darkness.

  Eden isn’t mine. It’s foolish to believe she ever could be. Seeing her has sparked something deep inside of me. Something I didn’t want to feel. I shouldn’t move. I deserve to die for all that I’ve done.

  Then it clicks. I didn’t see her because she’s mine. That isn’t why I can’t just lie here and wait for death. This isn’t about claiming her. Eden’s in danger as long as the witch in the ground has a hold on me. Catherine is a Goddess of Destruction. If she can destroy Eden, she will.

  That’s when the laughter begins inside my head. It’s Catherine’s evil, spiteful voice. She’s in there. I know that. It’s not the first time I’ve heard her voice since I buried her. It’s the third.

  “Who did you have me kill?”

  The whore needs four men at her side. Four lovers. She had two chances for a fourth. You killed them.

  Her words sink in slowly. Anger bleeds through me. “Eden is not a whore.”

  Hypocrite. You used those words on her yourself. Worse. You called her a slut. You were correct.

  I was wrong. Shame fills me as the memory of my meltdown burns through me. I’d been angry. I couldn’t understand what she was trying to tell me.

  It’s too late Logan. You loved another. And you killed her only other options. She will be destroyed. It has already begun.

  It has? No. That can’t be. There must be a chance. Wait. Why isn’t Catherine ordering me to dig her up? Seems like that would be the first thing she’d do. I wait for her taunting reply but it doesn’t come.

  She’s quiet and I wonder why.

  “You’ve been weakened,” I say out loud. Her hold on me has been strong. It doesn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t she have me dig her up?

  She isn’t talking any more. I wonder why that is. I get up, pushing back from the wall and feeling my skin crawl as my hands touch the leather of the casket she was buried inside. She’s already free.

  Yes, Logan. I’m out of that little box you put me in. Did you really think you could get rid of me that way?

  Fuck. I get up quickly and stumble around the room, until I find the stairs. I need to get the hell out of here and warn Eden. I check my pockets for my phone, and then remember I left it in the car. I don’t even have a weapon on me. The door is locked, but the wood creaks when I push it. I’ll break out easily enough.

  Do what you like, mortal. You can’t stop me now. You can’t help her.

  Get out of my goddamned head, bitch. I slam into the door, and it breaks open with a bang, the wood splintering. I know the way out but I don’t see Asher. He’s on his own now. Whatever the fuck he did, or whatever she did to him. I go back to the car and take a shaky breath as I sit down.

  Eden’s face is in my thoughts again when I close my eyes. I open them and know I can’t leave without Asher. It would hurt her, and that’s what Catherine is trying to do. I can’t let her win just because I don’t care for the guy.

  Wait. He’s like her, immortal. It shouldn’t matter if I find him and bring him back or not. He can’t stay dead if he’s killed.

  Catherine’s words about Eden’s fourth get to me. I know it’s important to bring Asher back with me. Not just because he can
help take that bitch Catherine down. Not even because Eden needs to know I don’t hate him. That I didn’t bring him out here to try and kill him again.

  She needs him. She needs all three of them. I might have ruined her chance at a fourth, but I can at least make sure it doesn’t destroy her.

  Fuck. I’ve got too much to make amends for. This is going to be too little, too late.

  Too bad. I get out of the car after I put my hands on my cell. It’ll help me find Asher, whether he’s dead or alive. I call him and start moving back toward the houses, calling his name at the same time and stopping to listen carefully every few steps. Damn it. This might take a while if he doesn’t answer his phone. I wouldn’t put it past him to be ignoring me. I did try to kill him a couple of times. But I doubt he’d try to hide from me when I’m his ride back to Rapture.

  Probably dead, then. I sigh deeply and keep going. He has to be around here somewhere.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Eden

  Skyler starts yawning after her second Unicorn Fuzz cocktail. She actually looks worn out. I raise an eyebrow at her and she shrugs as she puts the empty glass down on the coffee table.

  “I was up hella early to get here.” She puts her head on Lawson’s shoulder.

  “You look like you could use a cat nap.” I perk up a little. If she leaves the room I can speak to Lawson about our problem. Maybe he’ll know what to do.

  Lawson gets up and takes her hands in his. “Come on. I’ll carry you to bed.”

  “It’s rude. We have guests. I mean, we are guests...”

  She even sounds a little drunk. After two drinks? Okay, now I’m a little suspicious.

  “How strong did you make these?” I raise an eyebrow at Nick.

  He shrugs. “No stronger than usual. Maybe Sky’s becoming a lightweight.”

  She takes a swipe at him as Lawson lifts her up.

  “Screw you, Levine.”

  “You don’t have the balls to screw me, Sky.”

  She makes a muffled growl as Lawson laughs and carries her away.

  “That was weird, right?” I ask once they’re out of earshot.

  “Kind of, but she’s been through a lot.” He looks worried though and that turns my suspicious twinge into paranoia.

  “You think maybe something’s up with Lawson?” It’s the first place my mind goes and I feel instantly guilty about it. I know he’s one of the good guys, but I also know he’s a little unhinged.

  Nick sighs, and sinks back against the cushions. “Eli was suspicious that they arrived the same day Blake was killed.”

  “What?” I’m shocked until it sinks in. I’ve been so upset and trying to hide it that I didn’t connect the two. Until now. I shake my head. “It’s a coincidence. Lawson is a God of Love, Nick. He’s not one of the bad guys.” Even if he did kind of chop a bad guy into pieces and shoot another through the head once he was made human again. My stomach starts to churn and it’s not just the Unicorn Fuzz on a mostly empty stomach.

  “Maybe he wants to be with you?” Nick makes the suggestion lightly, and I can tell he doesn’t really believe it. He’s just trying to make sense of this.

  “Sky had a real reason for coming to see me. This isn’t connected.”

  “Talking about me?” Lawson’s voice carries across the room.

  That was fast. Sky must have passed out the second her head hit the pillow.

  I glance over as he walks back toward us. He’s wearing an easy going smile. Yeah, he doesn’t have anything to do with what happened to Blake. I know it in my heart.

  “Nothing bad,” I tell him. “We need your help to find out what’s going on.”

  “I know,” he tells me. “Why do you think I relaxed Sky into a coma?”

  “A coma?”

  He shrugs as he sits back down. “Just an expression. She’ll wake up in a few hours.”

  I feel better knowing why she was suddenly so out of it. “So can you help?”

  “Someone’s trying to destroy you.”

  “Again,” I remind him.

  “It’s strange. I didn’t sense another God or Goddess when I checked a little while ago, but I can feel one nearby now.” He sounds so casual about it.

  I start to freak. “You can sense our kind?”

  He nods. “It’s an important defensive mechanism we all have. It’s second nature now, but when I first started using it, I had to close my eyes and really concentrate.”

  “Why can’t Fred teach me this stuff?” I mutter as I close my eyes.

  “Fred?” Lawson sounds amused.

  “My guide.” My guys don’t know he’s Cupid, aside from Asher. I realise I don’t know why I lied to them and Lawson’s voice pops into my head. Yeah, Cupid can’t appear in front of mortals who know his true name.

  Well, that makes sense. I guess. “What now?”

  Lawson clears his throat. “Okay, so the light inside you is your source of power. It’s what you tap into for everything. So connect to it and ask if there are Gods around.”

  I take a slow breath and imagine calling my light to the surface, the same way I do unconsciously whenever I’ve used it on someone. I feel it rise within me. Suddenly it’s as if I’m sitting outside under the sun, basking in the warmth.

  “Are there other Gods around?” I say it out loud because I feel as if my voice would be drowned out inside my head and I want to be sure I’m following Lawson’s instructions exactly.

  I feel the tingling across my skin before Lawson’s face flashes through my head. Oh. That was kind of neat. “Just you, Lawson,” I say, still with my eyes closed.

  “Good. Now ask it about Goddesses.”

  “Are there other Goddesses around?” This time a chill washes through me, and I know instinctively that means a destructive force as opposed to a good one. Then the face of Diana’s mother flashes through my head. My eyes snap open. “Catherine Milner.”

  Of course Diana’s mother would have it out for me. I turned her daughter mortal.

  Asher said Logan sorted that problem out. Of course, Logan’s mortal. I should have realised sooner that it meant Catherine was still a problem. Then it hits me and it feels like the ground just pulled out from under me.

  “She killed Blake.” Because of me.

  “That’s on her shoulders, Eden, not yours.” Nick quickly interjects, as if he knows what I’m thinking. I suppose it must be written on my face because I feel sick to my stomach right now.

  “He was supposed to be my fourth.” My voice sounds how I feel: hollowed out.

  “Your fourth?” Lawson raises an eyebrow at me.

  I take a breath as I get to my feet. “How do we find her?”

  Lawson stands up. “She won’t be brazen enough to face you. Most individual Gods and Goddesses keep out of each other’s paths as much as possible, when they’re on opposite sides.”

  “Most?” I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter. She needs to be brought to her knees.” I’m going to kill her.

  “Eden, sit down.” Lawson touches my shoulders.

  I sink back into the couch. “What the fuck, Lawson?” I’m fuming that he’d use one of his God tricks on me.

  “You’re giving her exactly what she wants right now. Don’t let her break your spirit.”

  “That’s a bit rich coming from someone who cut an enemy into tiny bits...”

  “That’s precisely my point,” he says quietly. “I’m not whole, and I never will be. That’s on me. I won’t watch you make my mistakes.”

  Ugh. I can’t make myself move. “This is bullshit.”

  “My actions are out of love, Eden. That means you can’t break my hold.” He turns to Nick. “I shouldn’t be gone long. Look after her while I am. She won’t be able to move from her seat.”

  He leaves and I curse after him. Nick hugs me, resting his head on my shoulder.

  “He knows what he’s doing.”

  “I damn well hope so.” Lawson had better be cutting that witch into tiny bit
s. I’m not going to be happy with anything less.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Eli

  The kid is lying. We show up at his Grandmother’s address and she toddles off to make tea while he swallows hard and stares at us like a petrified animal we’ve cornered in her floral patterned living room. He might be in his early twenties, at a push, and he looks like a typical small town nice guy.

  “Take me through exactly what you saw.” I make sure to give him my hardest stare.

  He presses his lips together tightly before he starts to speak. “You know what? I’m really not sure. I was kind of a little bit—” He leans forward and whispers, “Stoned. You know?”

  I raise an eyebrow and he pales.

  “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “We’re not going to make a big deal about it,” I cut in before Ben can start reading him his rights for lying to a cop. “But we need to know why you said you saw what you did.”

  “Um, this guy asked me if I’d seen Eden around.”

  I glance at Ben. “He did?”

  The kid nods. “I was out by the park. Waiting for my girlfriend to finish work.”

  “And you thought you’d seen Eden?”

  He shakes his head. “No. I’ve just... I’ve seen her around. That was what I meant when he asked me about her, only my head was kind of muddled, you know? I got kind of confused.” He leans forward. “Can you please not tell my grandmother I was stoned?”

  “That’s the least of your worries, son,” Ben interjects.

  The kid pales. “Am I in trouble?”

  I rip the page with the kid’s statement out of his notepad. “This didn’t happen.”

  “You said you saw her with a knife...” Ben sounds pissed.

  The kid’s eyes widen and he shakes his head. “What? No. I didn’t see her, not today. And I don’t know what you’re talking about. A knife?”

  “Calm down,” I tell him, wishing Ben hadn’t just made this messier than it needed to be. “We know you didn’t see anything. We’re leaving now. Please thank your grandmother for us but we won’t be staying for tea.”