Edyn (The Essence Project Book 1) Page 9

  "Edyn." Hands grabbed hold of me. "Edyn!" They were shaking me. I thrashed wildly trying to escape. "Hey! Babe, please! Wake up! Snap out of it!" Ryker’s voice was right above me.

  I turned towards his voice, and light began creeping back into my vision. He was blurry, and he had pulled me into his lap. As he came into focus, I saw every feature on his face was creased with worry. I reached up and brushed his cheek with my fingertips. He released a sigh, and pulled me to his chest in an embrace.

  "Are you alright? What happened? You scared me half to death," he said.

  I struggled to sit up, still woozy from the episode. "I don’t know. It was really weird. One minute I was on the swing, and then I looked over there," I said and pointed to where I had seen the girl, and filled him in on everything I'd seen. "She told me we needed to save them."

  "Them? Who’s them?"

  I shook my head. "I don’t know, she didn’t say. All she said was ‘Save us. Find the Tomb.’ She said you and me."

  Ryker tensed for a moment. "She said that? Find the Tomb?"

  "Yes, do you know what that is?"

  He hesitated a moment, choosing his words. "I’ve heard of it. Supposedly it’s a place where Quintessents are taken. It’s not far from the Pits, but I’ve never been up there. It’s like the black market hub for souls. People go there to buy or trade souls."

  "Why do they call it the Tomb?" I asked.

  He sighed. "Once you’re captured and taken there, you don’t come back."

  "Oh," was all I could manage, and I felt dizzy.

  He could sense it. "Let’s get you home. You should rest." He stood up and offered me his hand.

  Sighing, I took it. "I’m sick of resting. That’s why we came out here. I needed to get out of the apartment." He pulled me to my feet, and I noticed a dull ache in my ribs. "That’s weird."

  "What?" he asked.

  I twisted my torso gingerly, but there was little pain. "My ribs aren’t really hurting now. They’re just a little achey. I could’ve sworn they were broken."

  He shrugged. "Maybe they’re just bruised."

  Shaking my head, "I know they were broken. Even if they were just bruised, why would they feel so much better all of a sudden?"

  "I don’t know."

  My head still felt a little fuzzy, but I was too busy wondering about my ribs to pay much attention to it. It was so odd. I’ve always healed fast, but this just didn’t seem normal, even for me.

  "Come on, we’d better get going," he said and put his arm around my shoulders, and we started walking.

  It was about a twenty minute walk from the park to the nearest abandoned MARTA station where we could descend back down to the Circle. This station was the old Midtown Station that was just south of the art district. It wasn’t far from the Arts Center Station which was the edge of the safe territory. The two subway lines that branched north of the Arts Center Station to the more dangerous sectors of the Seventh Circle were the north ends of the red and gold lines. Our apartment, I learned, was on the eastern branch of the blue line not far from the Georgia State Station. Once we reached the Midtown Station and descended back into the tunnels, it would take us about forty-five minutes to get home.

  There were buses that ran all over Atlanta that would get us around much faster, but since Jophiel was searching for me, Ryker thought it would be safest to stay underground as much as possible. Even though Ryker’s friend had heard that Jophiel was much farther south, we both agreed it was an unnecessary risk.

  I was still puzzling over my miraculously improved ribs when we were about a block from the Midtown Station. Ryker didn’t let go of my hand as we made our way along. We talked a little on the way back, trying to figure out what the vision meant. He was hesitant at first when I told him we needed to try and find them, whoever "they" were, but reluctantly agreed. Ryker had a heart for protecting people so it didn’t take too much convincing. I supposed he was just worried about something happening to me again, so he told me he was going to work with me once I was fully healed and teach me some defensive moves.

  "You know, I did pretty well against Samuel," I said.

  He nodded solemnly. "True, but he’s also not in top form. I would hate for you to face someone closer to our age that’s better prepared. I’ll do my best to always be there to protect you, but I still want you to have the ability to protect yourself in case something happens to me."

  "Let’s not talk about that," I said.

  "About what?"

  "About something happening to you. That’s not an image I want in my head."

  He stopped walking and put his hand on my cheek. "I don’t want to think about it either, but it’s a very real possibility. It’s dangerous down here, and with Jophiel looking for you, who knows what will happen?"

  I closed my eyes and leaned against his palm. "I know it is. I just don’t want to have to think about it right now."

  A vehicle was approaching from the south end of the street. I heard its engine humming the same time Ryker did, and every muscle in his body turned to stone. My eyes shot open, but before I could turn my head, he pulled me close in an embrace.

  "Do not turn your head and look. Just act like they’re not even there and they should leave us alone."

  Fear made my voice tremble. "But who...?"

  "It’s an Essence Project van. They were supposed to be a lot farther from here. Just act normal."

  My eyes widened. "Well you’re pretty tense for ‘normal’. Think they’ll notice?"

  He looked down at me. "How can I not be a little tense in a situation like this? I can’t exactly relax."

  Without thinking I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth to mine. Desperation took control of my body, and I pressed against him as hard as I could. We could hear the van slowing as it got closer, and I sucked in a breath.

  Pulling back just enough to speak, I said, "Grab my ass."

  "What?" he asked, completely shocked.

  "Make it convincing. Make it look like we’re just two crazy kids in love that can’t get enough of each other, and they’ll probably keep going. Now, grab it."

  His right hand roughly groped at me as he started kissing me again, and without thinking, I pulled my leg up just below his hip. My whole body was on fire. He didn’t miss a beat as he ran his hand up and down my thigh. A small moan escaped my lips, and it seemed to ignite something in him. Spinning me around, he let go of my leg and pushed me back against the wall of the abandoned store we were next to. His mouth found mine, and he pulled me close, both hands now on my butt. He lifted me against the wall and wrapped my legs around his waist. My hands were running over his neck, his back, his shoulders. I wanted to feel every part of him.

  His muscles were no longer tense, which had been my original plan, but momentarily that seemed unimportant. One hand still holding me up, he slid his other hand beneath my shirt. I could feel the hot August air kiss my stomach as the fabric slid up my body.

  A van door slammed shut just fifteen feet from us, and I moved my head, making it look like I wanted Ryker to kiss my neck. He did just that as if we weren’t trying to save ourselves from being captured. Looking past him at the man that had gotten out of the van, I recognized him from my house. He was the man that had searched my room, a handgun in a holster at his waist, a glittering "E" on his sleeve.

  "Hey," he yelled.

  "Keep going," I hissed at Ryker. I closed my eyes again so the man wouldn’t see them. "Now," I said breathlessly as Ryker stiffened again but kept up the act. It was hard to think through this. "Now, really isn’t a good time." My gaze was fixed on the man but quickly returned to Ryker..

  "I just need to show you a picture. We’re looking for someone."

  Ryker turned his head to the side feigning exasperation. "Look man, we haven’t seen whoever it is you’re looking for, alright? Do you mind? Don’t blow my chances here," he said with a laugh and started kissing my neck again. He was very convincing. I could feel his
hunger every time his lips met my skin.

  Another voice called out from the van. "Come on, let’s just go. You wouldn’t want someone interrupting you."

  I opened my eyes again to see the man thinking it over. Ryker found a spot right under my ear that sent electricity rippling through my whole body, and a smile forced its way across my lips, my back arching in pleasure.

  "Come on!" insisted the other soldier.

  "Alright, alright," he said and got back into the van.

  I could hear their raucous laughter as they pulled away from the curb. As I watched them drive away for a moment, Ryker found that spot on my neck again, and I shivered.

  "Hey," I said, my voice shaking and breathless. "They’re gone."

  "Mm," he responded, still kissing along my collar bone.

  "Ryker—,"

  "Mm," he responded again, not stopping, his hand still caressing my skin beneath my shirt.

  Every nerve ending in my body was exploding, but I unwrapped my legs from him.

  He groaned and pulled away. "What the Hell possessed you to try that?" His eyes were ablaze.

  "You said you couldn’t relax, and I knew if you were tense that would be a dead giveaway. I knew the only way to relax you fast was that."

  He put his hand against the wall next to my head and supported his weight. "Yes, but did you think about what that would do to me when we’re still a forty-five minute walk from home?"

  "No, I just—" I started, but his lips slammed into mine again. The power in his kiss took my breath away, and I let out another moan. Like before, it had energized him, and I just wanted to get lost in the moment. His hands found the skin under my shirt with urgency now, and instinctively I pressed my hips against him. I didn’t think my body could contain these sensations anymore, and I broke my mouth away.

  "Hey, we can’t do this," I hesitated, "here."

  He pounded his fist against the wall. "I know. I’m sorry. I just can’t control myself with you. You’re just so," he broke off and kissed my neck, "damn," he kissed closer to the spot under my ear, "sexy." I shuddered when he found it, and laughed. He did too, a low seductive growl.

  "Alright, alright, stop it or we’ll never get home," I said and lightly pushed him away.

  The aching desire in his eyes threatened to consume me, so I took a step away. "Let’s get going."

  He sighed and took my hand, bringing it to his lips. "Okay."

  I was lightheaded as we continued walking to the nearest MARTA station.

  "I thought the Project soldiers were supposed to be looking for me further south?" I asked.

  "That's what my sources told me. I'm going to have a talk with them about that," he replied.

  I thought for a moment. "What if they find me?"

  "I won’t let that happen. We'll figure it out."

  Silently, I nodded, and my body started trembling.

  Ryker noticed and gave my hand a squeeze. "Are you alright? Shit, that didn’t make you remember what happened with my— with Samuel back there did it?"

  We kept walking, and I scrunched up my face. "What? Oh. It hadn’t crossed my mind actually. How odd is that?"

  "Must’ve been because you were desperate and just trying to avoid us getting caught. You weren’t really thinking of it any differently." Disappointment edged his voice.

  "Actually, it was really freaking hard to do that because I couldn’t focus. I could feel you all over me, and I didn’t want you to stop." I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and saw a smile playing on his lips. "What?"

  He shook his head, still smiling. "Nothing! I was just thinking when we get home, maybe we could pick up where we left off," he paused, his voice turning serious. "If you want to, that is."

  I thought about it for a moment. This was all completely new territory for me. I’d never had a serious boyfriend before, let alone had sex with anyone.

  But oh, do I want to.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about Ryker’s hands on me, his lips finding that spot on my neck. It was crazy at my age, to have never been with anyone serious before or to still be a virgin, but anytime I went out with a guy there was just nothing there, no chemistry, no spark. Not like I felt with Ryker. He made me feel alive, and I wanted nothing more than to be with him through every waking moment.

  "We’ll just have to see," I said.

  He glanced at me as we walked through the station doors. "It’s totally up to you. I’m not going to pressure you into anything."

  "I know you won’t. It’s just something I don’t know if I’m ready for. We’ve been together for no time at all, and I know that we’re not splitting up, there’s no way, but I’ve just," I didn’t know how to put it. "I haven’t…" I trailed off.

  He stopped walking and stared into my eyes. "You’ve never been with someone before, have you?"

  I dropped my gaze, embarrassed.

  What was he thinking?

  Ryker gently lifted my chin. "Hey, don’t be ashamed of that. That’s the way it’s supposed to be really. Most people have just forgotten what it’s meant to be." He looked down for a moment before meeting my eyes again. "Myself included. Now, I want you to promise me that you’ll really think about it. I don’t want you to just fall into bed with me for my sake or anything. I’m not taking that away from you."

  I cocked an eyebrow. "What, you don’t want me now?"

  "Oh no no, that’s not it at all! Believe me, I want you. All of you. I just don’t want it to be meaningless for you." A shadow crossed over his face. "My God. Samuel almost took that from you. I really am going to kill him."

  I jerked his arm. "Stop it. Don’t worry about him anymore. I just want to move on from all of that." I started walking again. "And it wouldn’t be meaningless with you, just so you know." Turning my head, I saw his face. Something hopeful danced in his eyes.

  "It wouldn’t be for me either, but I just don’t want you to rush into anything."

  "I won’t, I promise," I said.

  "Good," he replied. "I love you, you know that?"

  My whole body tingled, and I felt a warm sensation spreading through me. "Really?" I looked into his eyes as we walked.

  "With every part of me," he said. "I always have, it just took me a long time to realize it."

  My head was spinning.

  "Oh," he muttered.

  "What’s wrong?" I asked.

  "Well normally when one person says,‘I love you’, the other person says something other than ‘really’."

  It was my turn to mutter "Oh." I smiled. "In that case I love you, too."

  "You don’t have to just say that to make me happy." I heard disappointment waver in his voice.

  "I’m not," I said. "You just caught me off guard is all. I do love you; this is all just a lot for me. Not in a bad way or anything," I added when he slowed a step. "It’s just… a lot. But I wouldn’t change any of it. I’ve never loved somebody before, so I’m just trying to get used to it all."

  We walked hand in hand down the tunnel headed south back to his— our— apartment. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

  Ryker was saying something, but I didn’t catch it. I felt like I was—

  "Glowing," he said.

  "Huh?" I looked at him with my brow scrunched up, and saw he wore a worried expression on his face.

  "I said, you’re glowing."

  "Well you just told me you love me," I said.

  He shook his head and stopped walking. "No, you’re actually glowing. Look at your hands."

  I looked at my palms and in the center of each one was a faint white light. Each fingertip contained the same faint radiance. It was subtle, and I don’t know if we would have seen it if we’d been in the sunlight. "What the…"

  "It’s your whole body," he said. "Your hands, your hair, and, my God—". There was fear in his eyes as he recoiled.

  "What?" I demanded.

  "Your mouth, your eyes," he said.

  "What’s wrong with them?" My voice was
shaking.

  "It looks like you swallowed a light bulb. And your eyes, they’re solid, full of white light."

  I stared down at my hands trying to make sense of what was happening. Nothing felt different, other than that my whole body felt warm. I thought that had been from hearing Ryker say he loved me, but perhaps not.

  "I don’t understand," I cried. "What the Hell is happening to me?"

  Ryker just stared at me, lost for words.

  I felt deep within me a stirring sense of danger, and the overwhelming need to protect Ryker from something. Raucous laughter floated up the tunnel.

  "Shit," he muttered. "We can’t let anyone see you like this. Come on," he grabbed my hand and started running down the tunnel. We ran as fast as we could manage in the dim light. Whatever was glowing in me didn’t provide any help. Tripping over something I couldn’t see, I went flying. As I skittered along the old subway tracks, I felt the side of my cheek get scraped open. Ryker was there instantly, helping me to my feet, and he sucked in a breath.

  "What now?" I demanded.

  "Your cheek, where you hurt it. You’re not bleeding blood."

  My mouth dropped. "Not bleeding blood? What the Hell do you mean I'm not bleeding blood?" I reached up and touched my face. When I looked at my fingers, they were wet with a glowing liquid that reminded me of the stuff inside glowsticks, only white. Whatever fear I had been feeling turned to sheer panic.

  "Ryker!"

  He just grabbed my hand again. "Come on. We’ll figure it out, whatever it is, but not here, not now."

  Behind us we heard voices again, and we both turned.

  "No," he said. "Don’t let them see your eyes. Hide your hands."

  I looked away, slamming my hands in my pockets.

  Ryker took a step in front of me to block me from their view as they approached.

  "Well, well, well, if it isn’t the infamous Ryker Evans," said a male voice.

  "No, it couldn’t be," said another.

  "He’s right," said a third.

  "You know," the first voice said," you shouldn’t wander around down here with your reputation. You never know who you might run into."