Chapter 21 – Liam and Eve
For a moment, I just stood there as I watched Gwion walk away. We had accomplished everything that we had set out to do: Michael and Shane were both free, and Gwion had just agreed to return with us! My body wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to do next. Myrnin brought me back to the present with a gentle tug on my arm. "Come," he steered me in the direction to where Michael and Shane had been standing.
As before, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. When Myrnin took a step forward, all of the bodies in the room seemed to gravitate away from him. I was rocked again by Liam's words describing him, "His cruelty is second only to Gwion." I wondered what conditions Myrnin must have lived under here, that could have stripped him of the traits I loved most – his undeniable fun and irresistible charm.
Oddly enough, it did not seem as though everyone's attention was restricted to Myrnin. Many of the onlookers stared at me openly. Some smiled, some glared but most of their expressions were cold and unreadable. I cringed tighter against Myrnin's body. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what they were thinking, if these people were the ones who had made Myrnin find it necessary to instill cold-blooded fear into them all.
As we broke through the crowd, my heart leapt when I saw Michael's crystal blue eyes dancing back at me, and then dropped to my feet when I took in Shane's expression of pure disgust.
Oh, shit! The realization of what he had witnessed rolled over me like freezing ice water, leaving a sick feeling in my stomach. My heart broke. I had desperately wanted to spare him more heart ache. Instead, there were so many things that had just occurred, which I knew, cut him to the bone. His pain bled through his eyes; it had clearly been excruciating for him to watch.
I opened my mouth searching for words which could never make up for the devastation I had just put him through – even though I did it for him too. He was free. I wondered if that made up for some tiny part of it.
Breaking through my reverie, Michael's strong arms coiled around me tightly. He spun as though I weighed less than a feather. I couldn't stop the short squeal of happiness that release from my lips, when I thought about his return to Eve. He murmured fervently in my ear, "Thank you," and released me.
No sooner had my feet touched the floor, did my roller-coaster-ride of emotions come crashing down again as Shane's eyes met mine – a stone cold expression glaring back at me. His fists were clenched; the muscles in his neck and jaw strained.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Don't!" he hissed savagely through clenched teeth. "Don't ever speak to me again."
I had forgotten that Myrnin was standing right next to me until I heard a fearsome growl rumble from his throat. He took a dangerous step toward Shane, clearly intending harm. My hand shot out to grab a fist-full of his shirt, which had zero effect on his momentum, until I pleaded quickly, "Please don't..." There was no need to finish my sentence; he knew what I was asking. Fury radiated out of him, but shockingly, he stopped and turned to stare at me. We spoke silently – me communicating what I needed; and he communicating what he felt was justified. After a long moment, he relaxed his shoulders and I knew his decision had been made. I exhaled sharply in relief.
The world around me came back into sharp focus and I realized that people were gaping at us; their mouths slightly open in shock –I assumed it must have been due to Myrnin's decision not to execute Shane on the spot. I shivered under their scrutiny, and nudged myself close to him. I was surprised when his chest vibrated. Myrnin pulled back slightly to run a hand between us and extracted a slim phone from his shirt pocket. He answered it, but said nothing; just listened and then nodded, replying to the mystery caller, "I will be right there." He leaned down to kiss my forehead, still holding the phone to his ear and whispered to me, "Stay with Michael. I will be right back."
"Where are you going?" I mouthed. He didn't answer; just turned and disappeared through the door.
Michael looked at me questioningly. I shook my head. I had no idea where Myrnin went, or who was on the other end of the phone. Suddenly Michael changed the subject, worry painting his features, "I need to call Eve. Do you have your phone? They took mine."
"No," I replied, and then stared in surprise when Myrnin reentered the room. He wasn't alone. Michael opened his mouth to say more, but the expression on my face must have convinced him to turn toward the door behind him instead.
"Eve!" Michael cried and disappeared from my vision, only to reappear twenty feet away, his muscular frame tightly wrapped around Eve's tiny body. Liam and Myrnin walked behind Eve, speaking quietly to each other. Myrnin's eyes were tight with calculation. I studied him. Something wasn't quite right in his expression. Whatever it was, it appeared Liam felt the same way, because he looked equally concerned.
I quickly closed the distance between us, eager to make sure Eve was okay. Michael pulled out of his embrace, sliding his hands to gently hold her obviously larger belly. His eyes were wide as he breathed, "I can hear his heart beat."
Eve glowed radiantly, responding, "Liam said the same thing."
"Liam?" Michael looked at her.
Eve nodded over her shoulder toward where Liam was standing with Myrnin. "He came to the hotel and picked me up."
"And you just went with the first vampire that walked by?" Michael teased.
Eve rolled her eyes, "No...Myrnin called me to tell me he was coming. He told me I could trust him."
Suddenly, Shane tapped Michael on the shoulder to get his attention. Michael stepped away to the side to talk with him. I took my opportunity and gathered Eve into a hug. "You can trust Liam," I assured her.
Eve looked at me funny and whispered, "Somehow... I am absolutely certain about that...I just know it. Don't you think that's weird? It's not like I'm Miss Trusting."
I wasn't exactly sure what she meant but added, "I think that's normal. I liked him right away too."
Eve shook her head. "It feels more tangible than that. When he first saw me, it was like he recognized me. I can't explain it. And immediately he knew I was pregnant because he stared intently at my belly, which you would think, would have weirded me out, but even his close inspection of my body didn't bother me. I don't know. I must just be overthinking things – you know, 'pregnancy brain' and all."
I stared at her, completely unsure what to say. My need to provide a response was cut short however, when Gwion abruptly appeared right next to us. I inhaled sharply, catching my breath, before introducing them, "Eve... This is Gwion."
"Interesting," she murmured, gazing steadily at him.
"Interesting?" he asked, amused by her response.
"The eyeliner... It's a nice touch," she acknowledged with a wry smile. I held my breath, waiting to see how Gwion would respond.
He appeared unaffected by her pointed remark about his beauty choice. If anything, his smile widened as he looked back and forth between Eve and me. "Are all women in Morganville as bold as the two of you?" I wasn't sure he was actually waiting for a response, because his attention turned intently to Eve's belly.
"Go ahead and say it. Apparently, everyone can hear the little guy's heartbeat except for me," Eve frowned a little.
"Little girl," Gwion corrected her softly.
I gasped; my skin flushed coolly with goosebumps at his words. Somehow I didn't doubt his assessment. Eve's mouth turned into a surprised little 'o' before she breathed, "How do you know that?"
"That would take me much more time to explain than we currently have," he smiled elusively as he turned to go. "Find me in a few hours in my office – alone," he instructed pointedly and turned to me. "Of course, little minx, you are welcome to join us. I suspect it was already your plan to spend your remaining hours perusing the books anyway." He left without another word.
Eve looked at me with raised eyebrows, "Little minx?"
I bristled, brushing past Gwion's over-attention of me and stated, "Yes...Apparently he has a thing for nicknames."
"Uh huh...you know you're going to have to tell me the complete story later," she demanded with her usual stubborn and determined expression that left me no other option but to give in to her.
I cringed and hissed softly, "Yes...but only because you are pregnant."
Eve grinned, "Whatever it takes."
Liam joined us and leaned down to speak softly to Eve, "I've got to go...will you be all right?"
Eve looked a little startled by his overt concern and murmured, "Um..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Michael reappeared and answered curtly for her, "Yes, she is fine."
Liam narrowed his eyes and retorted, "I'm quite certain she is capable of speaking for herself." He looked back at Eve still waiting for her response. Eve's eyes were huge at the unexpected confrontation. "Yes," she answered quickly, placing a firm palm against Michael's chest as his stance slunk lower and he inched forward slightly.
Liam spun and walked away without another word. Eve made eye contact with me, as if to confirm her earlier suspicions. After seeing how Liam reacted, I had to agree with her – something else was going on.
Myrnin returned, sliding up behind me, his hands resting gently on my waist. "We will leave in about four hours via Gwion's private jet. The plane is ready and we have flight clearance, but other preparations will take longer."
"So what do we do until then?" Michael asked.
"I'm going to go see Gwion - alone," Eve spoke resolutely.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Michael's frame shook slightly and his eyes took on a reddish tinge.
Eve didn't back down as she explained, "He knows things...about the baby. I don't know how, but he does. Michael, he knows it's a girl!"
"A girl?" Michael's eyes softened, before he spoke firmly again, "Eve, Gwion does not do anything for free."
Eve shook her head in frustration. "So I won't ask him to DO anything for me. But since only he seems to have a clue about my mutant spawn, I am not going to miss his invitation. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Besides, he said Claire was welcome to come with me."
Myrnin growled, "No."
"I bet he did," Michael replied jadedly.
Eve looked at me. "Wow – you really do need to tell me that story." I shook my head at her, trying to steer her attention away from any story that included Gwion and me.
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Myrnin and I were back at the cottage, while Shane, Michael and Eve had been escorted to a private suite to wait for our departure. The argument of whether Eve would go see Gwion wasn't resolved. It had just been delayed for the past two hours.
"You know she will find a way." I sat at the table with one knee tucked under my chin, while I looked at Myrnin's hardened expression. He didn't want to give into me, but I could tell he agreed with the soundness of my points. "She needs me with her. I'm stronger than either of us expected. I can help keep her safe and help get her the answers she needs."
Myrnin growled low in resigned frustration.
It had finally been allowed that Liam could accompany us. I would have preferred for Myrnin to be there, but I was hugely relieved that Eve and I would not be alone with Gwion.
..........
Gwion reclined in his chair behind the large ornate desk in his study. He looked up at me and smirked, "Still not sharing your feelings, little minx?"
I didn't respond, nor did I unblock my emotions.
"I see," he murmured, before admitting, "I am a touch surprised that Myrnin let you come alone."
"Myrnin trusts me. And I distinctly recall you telling me you were a man of your word. Or was that just another part of the illusion?" I asked, raising my chin slightly.
He looked briefly surprised that I had referred to details he shared during our challenge. He hesitated as if deciding whether to tell me the truth. "Yes... I am a man of my word, but sometimes truth has more than one definition."
His response sounded like a warning. A shiver traveled down my spine – the trickle of fear, neatly tucked away, with the rest of my emotions.
He stood and walked to the bottom step of one of the staircases. He glanced back, "Shall we get started?"
"We are not staying here?" I asked suspiciously.
The corners of his mouth rose to meet the gleam in his eyes. "You most certainly want, what I have to show you," he spoke confidently. "Come."