Page 210 of Caelum

I wasn’t alone.

That fact had never resonated more, and I’d never been more grateful for it.

TWO

DRE

After Samuel’s intense study of Eve’s new ‘ink,’ we processed this newest oddity about the woman who’d crash-landed into our lives and traveled the rest of the way to the yacht in silence.

It should have been impossible, getting seven guys to stay quiet for as long as we did, but Eve had reaped another miracle.

I swore she couldn’t get much weirder if she tried.

Not only had these tats appeared out of nowhere, now they were glowing? It was like something fromStranger Things, and even that would have been more normal thanthis.

We remained silent as we prepared to climb from the dinghy to the larger vessel. When Reed hauled Eve into his arms to help her onto the yacht because she was still shaky, I couldn’t deny that even though she was a freak, I wanted her in my arms. The need to cling to her wasn’t something I was used to. I didn’t cling to women. Didn’t need to or want to. But Eve? Even though everything about her rubbed me the wrong way, I wanted to hold her and not let go.

We’d almost died tonight—she’d said it herself.

We’d almost died, and she hadn’t Claimed me. Sure, she’d Chosen me, but the Claiming? That was still a missing piece, and I felt the loss deep in my being. I wasn’t sure what it meant, wasn’t sure why the need to hold her was there when, up until now, I’d have preferred to be anywhere but in the same room with her, but it was an intrinsic ache I knew wasn’t about to leave the building.

Not that we were on solid ground anymore. The yacht might have made a Russian oligarch get a hard-on, but it definitely wasn’t onterra firma.

Jesus, how much money did these pricks have if they could afford something like this? Whether they owned it or rented it, it had to cost a small fucking fortune.

We’d always disliked Frazer, Reed, and Samuel’s Pack. Mostly because we’d always thought they were pricks who’d grown up with silver spoons wedged firmly between their ass cheeks, so it figured that we weren’t wrong on that score. Still, I had to admit that having them on our side felt good.

Eve was too random, too loaded with anomalies for the four of us in my Pack to handle. Joining forces with the strongest guys in Caelum, after my Pack’s, was just an extra comfort. And it really helped that they had a very deep checking account.

The decking beneath my feet was solid wood, and it gleamed as though the sun didn’t burnish it every damn moment of the day. I didn’t know the words for describing a boat, but we climbed on board at the back and were guided by a waiting member of the crew to the pointy end at the front. As we moved down the side of the vessel, it was like an outer hallway that allowed us to peek in through the windows.

We saw a gleaming kitchen that, though small, appeared industrial and like some hotshot meals were prepared there. As we made it down the corridor, we came to a lounge area that was both half in and half outside. One wall was opened up to the sea itself, but there was shit in there that could get wet if it rained. A furry rug, and armchairs and shit. Even the rich got rained on, but apparently, they didn’t give a fuck if their crap was ruined.

On the deck, there was expensive modern furniture that was made for lounging and chilling out during the long days at sea. From leather chaises with gleaming chrome frames that invited you to sunbathe on, to squashy outdoor sofas that were made for sleeping as the sun set. A hot tub was on one side of the deck—because with all this water around the yacht, you needed somethinghot—and there was a dining table, complete with ten chairs, to one side that was loaded down with food.

Having been stuck in a cave all fucking day, with Stefan’s stash not filling a hole in our bellies—because even though he was a hoarder, that SOB couldn’t hoard enough food for seven men who ate as much as we did—I was goddamn starving.

We were all on the same page now. Well, maybe everyone except for Eve who still looked green around the gills. I wasn’t sure if that was down to being drugged, her experience when she’d crossed the portal, traveling on aspeedboat,orcoming onto the yacht. I had a feeling she was going to get seasick, mostly because I figured she’d never been out at sea before now, and who didn’t feel queasy when you were at one with the ocean’s rhythm? Of course, this expensive yacht wasn’t being tossed around. Still, to Eve’s sensitive equilibrium, I figured we might as well have been on the set ofA Perfect Storm.

Better that than theTitanic.

Because, yeah, that really would have cemented our luck.

On the table, the sandwiches were loaded with fillings and tasted so fucking fine that no one spoke a word as we dove into the food. It went unspoken that we’d take a moment to just eat, to get our strength back before diving headfirst into the cluster of shit heading our way.

And with food this good? Getting my strength back had never tasted so fine.

There were snacks like nuts and chips with dip, as well as fresh and dried fruit to munch on. Eve didn’t eat as much as us, but she dipped the pita chips into some hummus and managed to take a few bites of watermelon. I was glad she also had some Greek yogurt with honey because I figured it meant she wasn’t too queasy and was trying to line her stomach.

When we’d finished the feast, our respite was over, and the second Eren took the last bite of his sandwich, Samuel stated, “There’s not a single word I recognize on her markings. Not a single one.”

Five words that felt like a jab to the throat.

Stefan scowled. “And you know every language known to man?”

Samuel shook his head. “Of course not, but I have a knack for languages. Computer or otherwise.”

“Ever heard of Malbolge?” Frazer questioned as he reached for his bottle of beer.

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