Chapter Nine – Evaine

When she woke it was late. It took her a few minutes to realize where she was. Blaming Helena’s sleeping draft for her fuzzy head, she rolled over and sat up slowly. A wave of nausea hit her; she needed food.

Eva dragged herself out of bed, noting that the chair in the corner was empty of her protector. In his place were her clothes, all neatly washed and folded. The man would make a great house-husband. Eva smiled. Jack would make a great husband, period. If she were in the market for one.

Which she wasn’t. At least, not one that came with so much baggage.

Dressing quickly, she padded out of the bedroom in her socks. She could have put her boots on, but socked feet were quieter. Yeah, somewhere deep in her head, her sixth sense was pulling her strings once more, suggesting that if Jack didn’t hear her coming, she might be able to eavesdrop on any conversation he might be having about her and the Dragon’s Tear.

That conversation was being held in the kitchen. Three men’s voices, and a woman’s. Helena was here. Great, she was probably trying to talk Jack out of helping her.

“Hey, Eva, you’re up.” Jack met her at the door, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“You heard me?” she asked.

“Yes. But I sensed you first.” He grinned. “I could find you in the forest with my eyes closed.”

Eva frowned. “What did you do, put a tracking chip in my neck?”

“No. It’s another part of the mate bond.” He grinned. “There’s no escaping me.”

“Don’t test me, buddy.” She stood in the doorway, avoiding Helena’s stare.

“There’s coffee in the pot. Toaster is there. Or there’s some oatmeal in the pan.” He leaned in and whispered, “It’s OK, Kurt made it.”

She hid her smile, hoping Liam hadn’t heard his brother. Eva risked a look his way, but Liam was too busy eating. When her gaze slipped around the table to rest on Kurt, he gave her a wink and said, “There is syrup or blueberries. Whatever you prefer on your porridge.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had porridge before,” she said, and then added, “So the fairy tales are true. Bears do eat porridge for breakfast.”

Helena laughed, and then said, “I like this girl. Might be a Night Hunter, but she has a sense of humor. And goddess knows you need it around these three.” She looked at the brothers fondly.

Helena was older than Eva had thought. Last night she had been too tired to take much notice, and had assumed the witch was the same age as Jack, which would have put her in the mid-twenties. However, the woman sitting at the kitchen table, eating and talking with Kurt, was older, maybe mid-thirties. It was hard to tell since her face wasn’t so much old, as aged, as if she carried a great responsibility. There were laughter lines too, around her eyes, which crinkled as Kurt nudged her, telling her the punchline to a joke about a druid and a pear tree.

When Helena spoke, her voice was melodious, warm and inviting, tempting even. With her piercing blue eyes, and blonde hair that was almost white rather than gold, she was a temptress. No man would stand a chance if this woman wanted him.

Eva’s eyes flicked to Jack, and a stab of jealousy hit her. Had Jack, the man who called himself her mate, slept with this woman? She dragged her eyes away from Helena and made for the coffee pot, only to see Jack had been studying her as intently as Eva had been studying Helena.

Eva could not help the heat that crept into her cheeks, but if Jack noticed, he didn’t comment; instead, he reached for a clean mug and offered it to her. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Much better. I should thank Helena again for the sleeping draft.” Eva poured her coffee and stood sipping it, looking out of the window at the forest outside. “Have you decided what you are going to do?”

“What we are going to do,” Jack corrected.

She glanced at him, noting how rugged he looked. He must have showered: his hair was clean and brushed back from his face, the rough stubble still shaded his chin, and she longed to reach up and rub her fingertips along it, but she resisted. Eva could not let her attraction to him cloud her judgment. She intended to get the Dragon’s Tear and trade it for her mom, no matter what Jack and his brothers planned. If she had to go against them, she would.

“So what are we going to do?” Eva asked, catching his green eyes with hers and holding them. If he was going to lie, she wanted to know.

Jack didn’t try to break away as he spoke, and she allowed her trust in him germinate and take root. She wanted to trust him, needed to trust someone. The tiredness that haunted her retracted and she breathed easier. Trusting in yourself alone was exhausting, it stifled her. Eva wanted to rest her head on his broad chest and feel safe. Just having him close gave her strength. She was lying to herself if she thought Jack was the only one to feel the mating bond between them. If she looked deep inside her soul, she could see the link, a tangible thread she could reach out and touch. If she pulled on it, he would come to her. He would always come to her.

“Let’s sit.” He took down two bowls and ladled porridge into them. Then he sprinkled blueberries on top. “I have a sweet tooth.”

“Me too,” she said, and took the bowl from him.

“We have something in common, at last,” he said lightly.

“If you two are done flirting, we need to get moving,” Helena said. “Would you get me another cup of coffee, sweetheart?”

Liam got up and refilled her cup, and then began to clear the table. “Helena is right, we should move soon.”

“Move where?” Eva asked, taking a mouthful of porridge and finding she liked it.

“We are going to find Lucas, then ask him to replicate the Dragon’s Tear. Then we find out where it is, swap them, and go and get your mom,” Kurt said.

Helena watched Eva over the rim of her cup. “We are risking a lot for a Night Hunter.”

“I’m not a Night Hunter, I told you. I don’t know what that is.”

“Don’t you?” Helena asked.

“Eva already told you she was not raised by her parents. How could she know?” Jack asked defensively.

“Because the Night Hunters are linked by more than blood,” Helena said. “They have a bond, the same as your mate bond. Only this one stretches back through all of their ancestors. Blood protects blood.”

The porridge got caught in her throat as she tried to swallow it, and she coughed, guiltily. No one noticed, besides Helena. However, the witch did not press the point; she simply looked satisfied, and went back to sipping her coffee.

“Once we deal with whoever took Eva’s mom, then we deal with everything else. Until then, we work together, if we can get Lucas on our side.” Jack eyeballed them each in turn, and no one argued.

“Lucas might be a problem,” Helena said. “He has grand designs. He wishes to lead the Council one day. He will not want a black mark against his name.”

“No, he won’t. But the chance to make Gareth look a fool might just be enough of an incentive from him to join us,” Liam said.

“Then let’s go and find out,” Jack said, as he scraped his bowl clean with his spoon. Eva gulped her food down and then downed her coffee in one gulp, wanting to be on her way. The longer this took, the longer her mom was left in the hands of Crosshead, and the longer she had to wait to find out who she truly was.

Night Hunter. A hunter of things that lived in the darkness. There had to be more to it than that.

They left together, all piling into the Land Rover. Kurt drove, and Helena sat up front with him, while Jack, Eva, and Liam sat in the back. It was a bumpy drive, and her porridge and coffee swilled around in her stomach. What she wouldn’t give for a nice cooked breakfast of bacon, sausage, and eggs.

Luckily, the journey only lasted five minutes. Her relief at not puking her breakfast all over the Land Rover was short lived; she’d left the sword back at the house. Her mind itched for them to go back and get it, and a sense of mistrust grew in her head, like a shadow, threatening and dark. Eva convinced herself that was her sixth sense talking, and ignored it. She trusted them.

“Right, let me do the talking,” Kurt said, and then looked at Eva. “I’m not sure it was a good idea for you to come.”

“Yes, it was. We are not going to lie to Lucas. He needs to know exactly what he is getting himself into. This is no prank on Gareth, this is risking the wrath of the Council. And one day, that Council might have Lucas at its head. If that happens, I want Lucas to be on our side, not out for revenge because we lied to him.” Jack made sure they all understood. “Good.”

Kurt mounted the steps of a small house, which was nondescript, standing in a street full of other nondescript houses. Eva didn’t know why, perhaps it was after hearing about the power of druids, but she had expected something—grander. She held back behind the others, who gathered beside Kurt as he knocked on the door.

A middle-aged, nondescript woman appeared. “Hi, Kurt.” She looked past him, glancing at the others. “You’ve come in force. I hope there isn’t a problem.”

She sounded guilty, which automatically told Eva there was a problem. This Lucas was doing something he didn’t want the Council to know about. And this woman, who Eva would guess to be his mom, was all for keeping it that way, and defending her son if she needed to. Secrets, they all had them.

“No problem, Mrs. DeVine,” Kurt soothed, and Eva had to press her lips together so as not to smile at the name. Damn, this Lucas must get ripped for a name like that. It was the kind of name you got away with if your parents were rich, or a member of the aristocracy, or even a movie star, but living in a place like this? That was some serious therapy waiting in the wings.

“I see.” Another nervous glance. “If you wait there, I’ll go get him.”

“We could come in,” Jack pushed, and earned himself a nudge from Kurt.

“No, I’m … washing the floors. I’ll send him right out.”

Kurt smiled. “Thanks. We’ll wait.”

She went inside, and Jack turned to look at the others and raised his eyebrows. At least her bear shifter had picked up on the DeVine guilt. Eva could not wait to meet Lucas, and see exactly who it was she was going to put her trust in. One thing she had learned along the way was that people with secrets would sooner sell you out, if it meant they got amnesty for their own crimes.

“What do you want?” Lucas appeared at the door and came outside, closing it behind him. “I’m working. You know I have exams.”

“Druid exams?” Liam asked.

“No, bar exams. I’m studying to be a lawyer.” He shook his head. Then he spotted Eva. “Who the hell is she?” He elbowed Kurt out of the way, and only Jack’s arm shooting out to restrain Lucas stopped him from bulldozing his way through the others to get to Eva. Impressive courage, since he looked willowy in stature, and no match for the big, bulking bear shifters.

“She’s my mate,” Jack said, a warning in his voice. “You know what that means?”

“Of course,” Lucas said. “But you are going to have to give me more than that, or else you will get off my property and take her with you.”

“Lucas. For one, this is not your property, it belongs to the Council,” Helena said. “And two, unless you want me to inform the Council that you are doing spells above your pay grade, you will at least do us the courtesy of listening to what we need.”

“You are trying to blackmail me?” Lucas looked fit to explode. “I thought we were friends.” Lucas looked at Kurt, his arrogance faltering.

“We are.” Kurt stepped up and patted Lucas on the shoulder. “Helena, I told you to let me do the talking.”

“Do the talking? What is this?” Lucas asked, his temper red-hot.

“We need your help. And if you don’t give it, that is fine, we will not be reporting you to the Council for whatever it is you may or may not be doing.” He shot a warning look at Helena when she opened her mouth to speak. “I’m going to be blunt, you are the only one who can help us.”

“That means whatever you want, the Council isn’t going to like.” He looked at Eva again. “She’s the Night Hunter.”

“Yes.”

“And you are helping her, because she is Jack’s mate?” Lucas asked, swiveling his attention across to Jack.

“That’s about it. I’d be deeply indebted to you,” Jack said.

“Would you?” Lucas asked shrewdly.

“Yes,” Jack said reluctantly.

“Well, I can guess if this has to do with the Night Hunter, it also involves the Dragon’s Tear.”

“Correct again,” Jack said.

“You want me to steal it?”

“Not exactly. We were hoping to attempt to do a swap. You said the druids and alchemists of long ago made fakes.”

Lucas’s eyes lit up. “You want me to make a fake one?”

“Gareth had one. He swapped it with the real one. Which means he either made one, or someone else did.”

“Or the Council had one lying around,” Lucas suggested.

“I don’t care how we get one, but we want a fake too. Then we swap it with the real one, so the Council never knows.”

“The Council doesn’t have the real one yet, they were suddenly called away yesterday afternoon. The Supreme Council wanted a meeting. Some people might think it was a coincidence the ward got set off while they were out of town,” Lucas mused. “Which means, Gareth’s daddy dearest is not due back until tomorrow. And since he wants to impress his father so much, he hasn’t handed it over to one of the other Council members.”

“How do you know?” Helena asked.

“Let’s just say a little bird told me,” Lucas said, with a smirk.

“Does this mean you’ll do it?” Kurt asked.

“Yes. But only because I want to see that moron’s face when he hands over a fake Dragon’s Tear to his daddy.”

“Good enough for me,” Jack said.

Eva watched the interaction between them all, and wondered if she would ever fit in here. Jack might want her as his mate, but would she ever be a person they asked favors of, or trusted with their secrets?

You are not one of them, the voice told her firmly. You will never fit in here, because you will never live here. Once this is done, your mother will tell you how to find your own kind.

And what if that is not what I want? Eva asked.

No answer came, not with words at least, but Eva had the overwhelming feeling that her sixth sense would take over if it was forced to. And Eva had no idea how she would stop it.