Page 144 of Caelum

Her beautiful eyes widened as she glanced over at me, her gaze drifting down over my wetsuit-clad form. I found myself smiling as she blushed, as usual, then she darted her attention back to the tree. “Hey Reed.”

Her tone wasn't exactly welcoming, but I took no offense. She wasn't easy around any of us anymore. Not since she'd revealed several pertinent facts to us.

From the revelation that she was mated to more than one of us, as well as the news she'd done something to make Dre shift ahead of schedule and that she had access somehow to our feelings, she'd been quiet. But what had made her more reserved than before were the new marks she bore on her palms.

Quiet or not, she was ever curious, ever willing to learn, and I sensed that burning need was at play now—something had pricked her attention.

When I stared up at the squat tree, I saw it.

A parrot. As I squinted at it, remembered the classes from my first year here, I recognized it as a Senegal parrot from its fluffy gray head that morphed into a neon green throat and breastplate before caving into neonyellow. Its bright green plumage gleamed in the hot sun. It made a few caws and then nestled under its green-gray wing in a way that was truly animal. It didn't give a damn that it had an audience, and that caw was a bird equivalent of ’fuck off.’ A thought that had me smirking in amusement.

“It’s a parrot,” I told her, unsure if she knew that.

Her knowledge banks were beyond peculiar. She knew words I didn't, yet the most random thing was new to her. That didn't make her an idiot, just inexperienced. Life hadn't been easy on Eve, and I had a feeling it wasn't about to get any easier either.

Not only was she in danger now, but she also had no real safe place. A thought that saddened me on her behalf.

It could be said that through our connection to her, we didn't have a haven either anymore. Caelum wasn't our safe place because of her, but at least we’d known the peace of the Academy for a long while. Eve hadn't had that, and she never would.

I tried to reassure myself that we would become that for her, that we would protect her against anything and anyone. But she didn't know that yet. She was understandably uncertain, and I wished I could change that for her. It didn't matter that my Hell Hound was unhappy with the change of status quo. It didn't matter that the uncertainty was making it freak out.

All that mattered was her.

My Chosen.

“I thought it was,” she mused. Her smile was small as she shot it my way. “I happened to see it from the window in the gym. I couldn't ignore the color. I've never seen anything like it.”

“You don't often see them here, to be honest. You were lucky.” I reached out and hesitantly pressed my hand to her shoulder. When she didn't flinch, I took that as a good sign and squeezed her arm carefully. “Are you okay?”

“You all ask me that so often,” she said after a long pause of thinking about it. Like I’d asked her about the reason for life on Earth.

My eyes softened. “That’s because we care.”

“I’m fortunate you do.” She turned her gaze back to the bird. “Especially when none of you had a choice in the matter.” Her mouth tightened. “First Stefan, then you, Frazer, and Dre. Now Nestor.” She shook her head. “I’m bad news, Reed. Trouble, just like Dre said.”

TEN

EREN

As I stared out the window of the common room and onto the yard, I kept an eye on Eve, who’d just been approached by Reed. They were talking about something that had him tensing up and her looking so unbearably sad I wanted to scream.

It felt like she’d been sad ever since we had returned from Aboh, and considering we’d experienced one mess after another since our return, I couldn’t exactly blame her.

Things were tough right now, and it didn’t seem as though they were going to let up anytime soon.

Our keeping her under the radar had just gotten a whole hell of a lot harder. She was going through foundation faster than a fashion model on the runway would as she used it liberally to cover her hands, and wearing gloves in eighty-degree weather just looked bizarre.

With Nestor still in bed recuperating, if shit hit the fan, we couldn’t exactly get off the island with ease.

That claustrophobic sensation, which had me feeling like I was choking, wasn’t something I was experiencing alone; I just knew it would be harder on me than most.

Dark spaces and I didn’t exactly get on well, after all.

Almost in response to the thought, I could feel the tiny muscles in my face freeze as my mind unwillingly took me back to that day. It was a long time ago now, but it might as well have been yesterday.

I forced myself not to remember the scent of my sweat, piss, and shit as Iroasted alive in the rubble of my family home deep in Istanbul. I tried not to remember my mother’s screams before they faded into whimpers before she faded out of this world and into the next.

Clenching my jaw, I watched as Reed cupped Eve’s shoulder, but was surprised when she let him haul her into his embrace. The guy had evidently been surfing, but Eve didn’t seem to mind that he was clammy from the sea. He curved his arm around her and squeezed, his face intent as he spoke to her while Eve remained silent.

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