Dreams of Eden (Ace of Queens # 4)

CH.11 Sunshine

Chapter 11

Once Eden declared Ivan was gone, Mavi and Owen rushed out with Clare. They needed to find Caspian as soon as possible. For the first time, they had a sense of direction on where to look. Alec watched them leave as he sank into one of the empty chairs.

With just the two of them in the room, the air between the werewolf and the witch grew quiet as the door closed with a bang. Eden placed her chin on her knee and stared at the ground. Alec watched her silently, not knowing what to say or ask.

With Mavi and Owen gone, the scent of pomegranate and peaches intensified in the room. Alec found himself lean in a bit closer as his wolf sniffed the sweet air.

From the corner of her eyes, Eden watched Alec shift in his seat. She felt the tingles on her skin jump up as he leaned a little closer. When she lifted her head and looked over at him, Alec immediately moved back and cleared his throat.

"Do....do you see any of them now?" Alec asked looking around the room.

"No," Eden sighed.

"Have you always seen them?"

Eden nodded.

"That day, at the funeral...." Alec remembered how he had screamed at her for playing music.

Eden took a deep breath as she stared straight ahead, "Funerals are the worse.....they're attracted to death."

Alec's heart sank at how tired and defeated Eden's voice sounded. He wished he could go back and redo the whole day.

"Do they hurt you?" Alec asked as the thought started to anger him. He waited for Eden to answer as his eyes watched her look down at her forearms.

She slowly showed him her bandaged arms. Alec bit down on his jaw as he remembered the blood surfacing on her skin the night before. The long cuts down her pale skin as if someone or something had dug their nails into her.....

Once Eden showed him her arms, she pulled the neck of her sweater down and revealed the nail marks on her collarbones. Alec stilled as his eyes scanned her.

Next were the little healed scars on her back of Eden's neck. Followed by the others down her legs.

By the time the tour finished, Alec and Eden were standing inches apart. More than anything, he wanted to pull her into his arms and do whatever he could to keep her safe. The look in her eyes would no doubt give him nightmares for years to come. It was the look of someone who accepted whatever happened after a long losing battle. Some invisible corner in Alec's heart that suddenly took over began to beat with rage.

"How?" He asked, his voice a whisper.

Eden lifted her lashes and looked into his green eyes, "When I don't do what they want.....they...."

She didn't have to finish.

Alec's hands balled into fists as the muscles in his jaw tensed. Eden dropped her gaze and looked down at her cold fingers.

"You didn't trip that day in front of the bar, did you?" Alec asked after a pause.

Eden shook her head.

"My first night at dinner," Alec said. "When you had that cut on your forehead....."

"One of them....." Eden took a deep breath before she sighed. "They threw the vase at me."

Alec shut his eyes to keep his body from trembling with rage. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so angry.

Why had no one helped her all this time, he wondered. She's been shouldering this whole war all on her own.