Edyn (The Essence Project Book 1) Read online

I lived for that smile. It was everything. That one expression brightened my mood every time, and filled my heart with a warm and fuzzy feeling better than the whiskey.

  We were quiet walking home, too alert while examining every face we passed to say anything to one another. Luck was on our side and nobody spared us a passing glance though, and we made it home without any issues. When the door closed behind us, I hopped on one foot as I tried unsuccessfully to pull one of my boots off. I was lightheaded from the whiskey and the unbelievably eventful day.

  Ryker laughed. "What are you trying to accomplish there exactly?"

  "I’m trying," I grunted. "To get… my boots off…" I nearly fell over when the first one came loose.

  Reaching his strong arm out, Ryker caught me. "You’re pretty useless right now, aren’t you?"

  I smacked him with my other boot as soon as I pulled it off, and he laughed again. Before I could react any further, Ryker ducked down and threw me over his shoulder.

  "Hey!" I shrieked, pounding on his back with my fists.

  It just made him laugh more. I caught a brief flash in my mind of Stella telling me he’d done the same thing with her, and something cold tightened around my stomach. Trying to brush it off, I reassured myself that he was mine now, and whatever had happened between them was in the past.

  Ryker walked into the bedroom and dropped me ungracefully onto the bed. My arm hit the mattress and sent a wave of pain through me. It didn’t bother me though. Apparently I was becoming used to pain.

  "You need any help getting ready for bed?" he asked. "I know it’s still a little early, but I’m wiped."

  I smiled up at him as he pulled his shirt over his head. "I’m right there with you, love. I guess you can help me if you want to, I won’t argue." My body was heavy, and changing into my sleeping shorts and tank top was a chore. Ryker had to help me get my shirt off and the tank top on since my injured arm was somewhat useless at the moment. He didn’t seem to mind, though.

  When we both fell into bed, the weight of the day was temporarily lifted. He pulled me close and held me tight against him. I could feel the tension and worry in his body behind me.

  "What are you thinking about?" I asked.

  He sighed. "Just trying to figure out what to do. I don’t know how safe it is here now. I mean, people obviously know you’re with me. Most don’t know where I live, but enough do for it to be concerning."

  "Well, we’ll figure it out," I said. "But that can wait until tomorrow. I’m not going to be able to keep my eyes open much longer."

  "Me neither," he replied, his breath tickling my ear. It sent a shiver down my spine. "I love you." He kissed the back of my neck. "And I’ll always be here to protect you."

  "And you know I'll always do the same for you."

  * * *

  I was sitting in my bedroom upstairs in my mother’s house. The pictures from my nightstand drawer were spread all around me on my bed. My fingers were gently holding the picture of me and Ryker from so long ago. My heart ached, but I couldn’t place why, and I was filled with a sense of worry.

  Her quiet voice may as well have been screaming in the small bedroom. "You forgot about me," she said.

  I snapped my head up and Mariah, the girl from my vision in the park, was standing in front of my closet. "No," I stammered. "I didn’t."

  "You did!" Her voice was louder now, and she was wailing. "You’ve forgotten and forsaken me!"

  "No! I haven’t! I…"

  She cut me off. "He’s coming for me! He’s coming for you!"

  Just then, my bedroom door burst open and my mother was standing there, a twisted smile on her face, dressed uncharacteristically in black. Behind her were two Essence Project guards and Jophiel, in their uniforms. My mother had a gold "E" on her sleeve to mirror theirs.

  Her voice was dripping with hatred. "Here you go, boys. Get them out of here."

  The two soldiers and Jophiel entered the room. One soldier went directly for Mariah and hit her hard in the face with the butt of his rifle. She crumpled to the floor, and I could see the glint of silver handcuffs in his hand. The other soldier and Jophiel came at me. Flying off the bed, I tried to skirt around them, but it was no use.

  The soldier wrapped his arm around my throat and squeezed. "Still just as sexy as ever," he said.

  It was Samuel.

  Icy cold fear spread through me as darkness encroached on my vision. I tried to gasp for air, but his grip on my throat was too tight.

  His hot, sickly breath was on my neck. "My son has good taste. Speaking of," he added. "I wonder if he’s tasted you yet or left you for me."

  I couldn’t see and could feel myself spinning down, down, down. When the pressure on my throat released, the rush of oxygen was like a fiery slap in the face. As my vision returned, I realized we'd made it out of the house and were standing in the front yard. An Essence Project van was parked at the curb. Ahead of me, the other soldier was forcing Mariah into the back of the van. When he turned around, I finally saw his face. It was the man from the bus, the man from the woods that I had killed.

  My first kill.

  I wondered if he would be my last.

  Probably not at this rate.

  That couldn’t be right though, could it? Did he survive?

  "What about him?" A bubbly female voice came from my right.

  Turning my head, I saw Stella in full Project soldier garb, just like the others. In front of her, she was forcing Ryker to his knees. His hands were bound, and she held a gun to the back of his head. Blood was running down the side of his face from a gash in his temple, and his lip was busted open too.

  "Can I kill him Joph? Please? He broke my heart, and it’s only fair!" Stella was whining.

  My head was spinning, and I tried to run to Ryker, forgetting momentarily that Samuel was holding my wrists. He slammed me to the ground, and I felt my jaw cracking as it hit the sidewalk.

  "Sure, go ahead," Jophiel said. "We don’t need him."

  Samuel started laughing as I fought with every ounce of my being to break free to get to Ryker. I needed to get to Ryker.

  "Tap in!" Mariah screamed at me from the van.

  I turned my gaze to her for just a moment. "You can save him! Just tap into your Essence!"

  "You shouldn’t have played me, Ryker," Stella said. Her head was tilted to the side and she was touching her bottom lip, lost in thought for a moment. "Such a shame. You were so damn hot." She pulled back the hammer on the gun.

  "No!" I screamed.

  An incredible heat surged through me. I felt Samuel recoil and cry out as the handcuffs that were binding my wrists broke apart. I sprang to my feet and saw my own fear reflected in Ryker’s eyes.

  "I love you," he said. "Fiercely and forever. Until the end of Heaven itself."

  Bang.

  As his body slumped forward, I exploded. The world exploded. Everything was engulfed in fire, fire that was coming from every part of me. A scream as terrifying as anything ripped through my very core and tore me apart.

  Then there was darkness.

  Blackness.

  Silence.

  I was soaked in sweat, sitting up in our bed. My lungs were still burning as I tried to catch my breath, and I saw that my hands were glowing, shaking.

  Another damn nightmare.

  I turned to look at Ryker in the faint light emanating from my body, wondering how I hadn’t woken him. My answer came when I saw the empty space in bed beside me. On his pillow was a piece of paper.

  Slowly I picked it up, and the remaining glow from my hands was enough to let me read it.

  Edyn,

  Stella came and got me. There’s trouble in the Pits. People are organizing to try and find you. I went to take care of it. I didn’t want to wake you. You’re safe here for now. Stella or Zak might come by later if this takes too long, but everything will be fine. You are the most beautiful person inside and out that I have ever known. You are my everything, and I am thankful every day that
you are my girl. All I can do is smile when I think about growing old with you. I promise to always love you and cherish you for the rest of our lives, and until the end of Heaven itself. You are my one true love. I love you sweetheart.

  Ryker

  I held the note to my chest. Inside my stomach, the butterflies caused by his loving words battled it out with the butterflies of panic and worry. He was going back to the Pits. He was going to face a group of people. For me. What if… I couldn’t let him go alone. He was a Hell of a fighter, but alone against a group? He didn’t stand a chance. A part of me reasoned that there might not even be a fight, but the dread in my stomach stabbed at me, trying to escape.

  He could die.

  I couldn’t handle it. Hopping out of bed, I grabbed for a shirt and my jeans. I pulled them on in the near darkness, the glow from my body still trying to will it away.

  I didn’t care about being seen.

  I didn’t care about being caught.

  I didn’t care about being careful.

  All I cared about was Ryker.

  12

  I ’d never felt so strong in my whole life. I’d never felt so powerful. People were terrified of me as I made my way to the Pits. Some people even ran. My glow was anything but faint now. I had no idea how I managed to find my way to them, having only been once.

  Ryker.

  That was all there was.

  It didn’t seem to take nearly as long to get there as I thought it would. When I reached the last tunnel that opened up to the main area with the platform, a group of girls walking in my direction stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of me.

  "Move!" I growled.

  They both turned and took off screaming back into the Pits. A sizable crowd was gathered around the platform, and every head turned toward me at the screaming. I could see several figures on the platform. Three men, one I recognized as Jax, was standing on one side of the platform, and I could see they had been arguing with the figure across from them.

  Ryker.

  I’d know him anywhere. It seemed like they were doing everything they could to hold back the blows, fists clenched at their sides.

  They were all staring at me. Ryker’s eyes lit up when they met mine. I knew he wasn’t scared of me; he was scared for me. Being here was dangerous. All these people wanted to drag me kicking and screaming to Jophiel, and I had willingly walked right to them.

  Jax was the first to snap out of the shock of seeing me, and he dove at Ryker. They tumbled on the platform and the other two men rushed forward. Even though Ryker was underneath Jax, he was able to get a leg hooked around his neck. I could see the glint of a blade in the hand of one of the men charging at him, and I screamed. It made Ryker turn to look at me.

  "Knife!" I managed.

  I pointed, and he turned just in time to see the knife coming down on him. He tried to deflect it and rolled to the side, but it still sank into his shoulder, causing him to cry out.

  Ryker ripped the knife out of his shoulder and flung it straight into the eye socket of the man who had stabbed him. That man collapsed in a heap to the side as the other came running towards Ryker. Jax had broken free and was wrapping his arms around Ryker’s neck. More bodies started climbing the sides of the platform, all eager to get a piece of the legend.

  Throwing himself backwards, Ryker landed on top of Jax. It knocked the air out of Jax enough that Ryker could get out of his grip. He spun just as another body flung himself at him. Ryker snapped his neck as soon as he got close enough, one quick motion with his hands.

  Another body closing in on him, another knife. Ryker caught his arm and spun it back into the man’s chest.

  And another snapped neck.

  A broken arm.

  More knives.

  Body after body surged at him, and he took them all down. I could see from here though his movements were slowing. He was tiring. I couldn’t even scream, and I closed my eyes.

  Tap in, a familiar voice said in my head. You can save him! Just tap into your Essence!

  I could feel it rising inside of me. The ferocious heat was consuming me, burning through every part of me. It was uncontrollable, an animal clawing its way to the surface, and I couldn’t contain it.

  Tap in.

  I exhaled.

  Time stopped.

  Sound stopped.

  The chaos barely progressed, crawling ever

  so

  slowly.

  My eyes snapped open, and I released it. The sun exploded in the room. The light swallowed everything whole, and felt like fire swirling around me, but instead of burning me, it caressed me.

  It was me.

  After a moment, sound came slamming back like a thunderclap overhead. People were screaming as the light faded, running in all directions. I could see again. There were bodies casually strewn about the floor both on the platform and in front of it. They were scrambling to their feet, trying to escape my wrath. My eyes honed in on Ryker lying on his back on the platform, and I started running. Running for my life, my heart lying motionless ahead of me.

  What have I done?

  I thought with a sick feeling in my stomach.

  As I reached the platform, I saw a shimmering glow surrounding Ryker in all directions about ten feet from him. There were no bodies within it, but several lay still just outside it. Heads were twisted in unnatural angles, and the last few people in the room were at the tunnels now.

  I passed through the barrier and felt heat hit me, but it felt welcoming. Ryker was sitting up as I fell to my knees next to him. Ever so gently, I touched his face with my fingertips, willing myself to believe that he was okay.

  Ryker was not so gentle though, and he pulled me down on top of him and rolled to the side, holding me tightly, and protectively.

  "Holy shit," Jax whispered from a few feet away. I glanced up and saw him staring at me in wonder. "No wonder they want her."

  Ryker released me and got to his feet. He crossed the barrier, and it vanished the second he did, leaving the platform darker than before. His hand was tightening around Jax’s throat in the blink of an eye, his other hand clenched in a fist at his side. I could see Jax’s eyes bulging as his face turned red, and he sputtered for air, his feet dangling inches above the floor.

  It was my turn to look on in wonder.

  How was he so strong?

  How can he lift a fully grown man with one hand?

  "You," Ryker snarled. "Will not look at her. I should kill you right now."

  I placed a hand on his shoulder, illuminating the blood trickling down from the stab wound. "No," I said. "Let him go. I don’t want any more of this."

  "Edyn," he said through clenched teeth, glancing sideways at me, but he lowered Jax to the floor, loosening his grip ever so slightly. "He started all this. He was going to hand you over."

  "I know. Show him mercy, anyway. Maybe he’ll remember that the next time he wants to destroy someone."

  "Or maybe he’ll run straight to the Project and tip them off. We can’t risk it."

  I shook my head. "No more killing," I said quietly. "We can’t stay here now anyway. If he doesn’t do it, someone else will. Just let him go."

  Ryker exhaled and released his grip, and Jax fell to his knees clutching his throat.

  "What are you?" Jax choked out.

  "I’m human just like you," I said.

  "No," Ryker interjected. "You’re nothing like him. He has no humanity left." Then he took my hand and led me to the edge of the platform. He hopped down then reached up, placing both his hands around my waist. Lifting me as if I weighed nothing more than a doll, he set me down on the ground.

  "How can you do that?" I asked as he took my hand again and started walking.

  "Do what?"

  "It’s like everything is weightless to you."

  He shrugged. "I don’t know. Just strong, I guess. Are you alright?" He searched my face, and I could see my glow reflected in his eyes. It was fading, but still there.
>
  "I’m fine."

  "I didn’t want you here," he said.

  I paused, taken aback by his words.

  "No, no. I just mean, I wanted you at home where it was safe."

  Examining the blood still running from the hole in his shoulder, I said "Well it’s a damn good thing I came or you… you…" I couldn’t finish my sentence.

  "Nah," he said. "They can’t get me that easily. I've been through worse." His body was shaking though as he spoke.

  "There was no way you were going to get out of that alive," I whispered.

  "Maybe," he said quietly.

  I pulled my hand out of his. "Did you even stop to think that I’d be left all alone if you had died? What would’ve happened to me then? I still would’ve been captured, and you would’ve died for nothing." My voice was laced with hurt.

  "I couldn’t let them come after you like that."

  "We should’ve just fled in the first place like we’re going to now."

  "I…" His shoulders sagged. "I’m sorry," he said.

  "We have to think through this stuff together."

  He sighed. "I know. I’m just used to figuring out everything on my own."

  "Well," I added. "That is why God made Eve for Adam."

  Looking at me puzzled, he asked, "It is?"

  "Of course. He knew Adam couldn’t handle things and make decisions on his own. He was after all a man. He knew he had to create a woman to take care of everything because men are just so freaking stupid!" A smile played at the corner of my lips.

  "Ha, very funny," he said, then stopped walking. He turned me to face him. "God, you’re so beautiful. Especially when you glow. I don’t know what it is, but it just makes you so," he looked for the word, "alive. Powerful." He thought for a moment. "Are you tired now? We can lay low for a bit, but I don’t want to stay long."

  I shook my head. "Surprisingly no. I feel energized, actually."

  "Really?" His eyes searched mine. My glow, although dull, was still refracting off of all the deep blues in his eyes, making them look like two oceans.

  "Yeah. This time I was able to release it myself. I think maybe that has something to do with it. I feel like I’m starting to have more control over it now."