“You are safer here for now, love,” Reed says and he uses his sexy voice when he says it.
My eyes narrow because I’m onto his attempts to soothe me, I say, “I want to go, too. I can help, if there’s trouble.”
“No, you cannot, not right now, Evie,” Zephyr replies in a low tone, like he is talking to a child. “You are too emotional right now.”
“I can handle whatever comes, Zee, I promise. I’ll be fine, trust me.” I reply, not looking at him and continuing to pack my clothes into the bag.
“Evie, listen to me,” Zephyr insists as he moves nearer to me in order to make me look at him. “I can see that you believe that, but I can prove to you, right now, that you are unable to separate yourself from your emotions.”
“Zee, I’m fine—really. Let’s go,” I insist, crossing my arms in front of me in defiance.
“Brennus has Russell,” Zephyr says quietly.
Panic hits me and I struggle to take the next breath. My heart twists and pounds in my chest as my hands shoot out to grasp Zephyr’s forearm so I won’t fall down. Flashes of Russell’s smile, his face, the way he looks at me when I enter the room come to my mind in an instant. “How?” I breathe, searching his face. “We have to go now! I have to talk to Brennus—he will listen to me—”
“Shh…Evie, it’s okay. The Gancanagh don’t have Russell,” Zephyr says with a soft tone, putting his warm hand over mine to comfort me. “I said that to emphasize my point. Right now, you will do anything, agree to anything, in order to keep the ones you love safe. We can’t have that.”
“That was mean, Zee,” I accuse him with a grimace as my hand trembles underneath his. Reed hovers near me and I can tell by the look on his face that he wants to jump in and comfort me, but he is trying really hard to hold himself back from doing it.
“I am sorry you think so,” Zephyr replies with an even tone; his amazing blue eyes reflect his regret. “I have decided that I need to take a different approach with you from now on.”
“Oh yeah, have you decided on the scare-me-half-to-death approach?” I ask with a salty tone in my voice as I look at him.
“No. My approach will be to emphasize what is best for you. I will be your mentor and the first thing that you will learn is that we will protect you from now on, not the other way around,” Zephyr says. “The word is out about you, Evie, and it is trickling down like rain to even the lowest level of demons. Many will come for you and they will die. We are organized and well equipped to deal with them, but you must listen to us and believe that we have your best interests in mind.
“I already know that, Zee,” I reply rapidly. “But, you have to understand that I have your best interest in mind as well.”
Some of the sternness leaves his face then as he glances over at Reed and then he looks back to me again. “Evie, you are a Seraph and it is in your nature to guard and protect, but we are ancient warriors while you are still very young and have had little training. You have been born on the front line of a battle that you are still ill prepared to fight. I will train you so that, one day, you may fight at my side. I promise that I will teach you all that I know so you will become very powerful, like me.”
Hearing the sheer arrogance of his last words makes a small smile curl in the corners of my mouth. I move forward and put my arms around his waist, hugging him tight. “It’s hard for me to remember you’re scary old, Zee, because you look as young as me.”
“I am scary old and you will listen to me from now on,” Zephyr replies as he picks me up off of my feet and gives me a bone-crushing hug.
“I’ll hang on your every word if you let me come with you to get Brownie and Russell,” I whisper to him because it’s hard to talk when all of the air is being squeezed from me. “You can explain all of the strategy that you have planned to protect me.”
“Nice try,” Zephyr replies, setting me back on my feet, “but there is little chance that I will take you to the Ukraine with us. You are staying here with Reed. I am sure you will find something to do while we are gone.”
“How come Buns gets to go and I don’t?” I ask Zephyr as I pull away from him.
“Reed will have his hands full watching one wild card. He does not need another unpredictable female to pin down,” Zephyr replies.
“Are you sure that’s the reason, Zee, or is it that you can’t be away from Buns?” I ask, watching him close.
“Is it my fault that neither of you respects authority?” Zephyr counters gruffly, but I can see that he is worried about Buns and unwilling to let her out of his sight for too long. Since we have been here, it is rare to find one without the other. Zephyr guards Buns close. Several plots take shape in my mind as I consider ways to make Zephyr take me with him to get Russell.
Seeming to read my mind, Zephyr says, “Reed is staying here alone. What if he needs your help?”
“Zee!” I exhale as if he drenched me in icy water. He knows me well enough to know that I can’t seem to tear myself away from Reed for very long. I’m constantly monitoring him at all times. A part of my brain is always tracking him. Reed explained that it’s instinctual for Seraphim to protect what they consider theirs. I don’t think that I can stop doing it, even if I wanted to. I reach out involuntarily to Reed, hugging him to me. His arms immediately wrap around me, encompassing me in a feeling of security.
Zephyr grunts in satisfaction. He knows he has just outmaneuvered me and so do I. “We are leaving soon, Reed. I want to go over some things with you before we go.”
“I will meet you in your rooms in a minute,” Reed says to Zephyr over my shoulder, snuggling me closer to him. Zephyr nods and is gone in a fraction of a second.
“It’s going to be okay,” Reed whispers against my hair.
I’m quiet because I know better. My dreams have made it horrifyingly clear to me that something big is coming. It’s so big and terrifying that I have trouble remembering what I dream when I awake. My conscious mind keeps trying to blot it out, denying what the future holds in store for me. A word keeps filtering through my mind: kazic…kazic…mer. “Do you know the word ‘kazic?’” I ask Reed as my cheek leans against his shoulder.
Reed stiffens and replies, “It means ‘to destroy.’ Where did you hear that word?” he asks me quietly.
I ignore his question. “What does ‘mer’ mean?”
“It means, ‘the great,’” Reed responds instantly. “What is this about?”
“I don’t know,” I reply, giving him a smile as he pulls back to look at me. His eyes narrow, telling me he is not buying my attempt to cover the fact that his answers have freaked me out.
“Again, where did you hear those words?” Reed asks with persistence. He wants to interrogate me about it and I really don’t have many answers for him.
“I think I may have dreamt them,” I reply, resting my cheek back on his shoulder.
“What else did you dream?” Reed asks in a low tone, his hands running up and down my back gently.
“I can’t remember,” I say.
“Try,” Reed replies, brushing his lips against my hair.