Authors: Linda Lamberson
“
Oh, please don’t tell anyone.”
She giggled.
“We’re trying to keep it quiet for now.”
“
Holy smokes! You and Teddy. That’s awesome!”
“
Yes, it is, isn’t it?”
Agnes looked and sounded like a little girl who’d just been kissed by her first crush.
“
Well, I’m really happy for you, Agnes. Everyone should have the chance to find love—even up here.”
I hugged her again.
“So,” she continued aloud in a more reserved tone of voice, composing herself by patting her hair. “You were wanting to speak with Peter?”
“Yes,” I replied. “Do you have any idea where he might be?” I had a feeling if Peter were in his portal, the answer to my question would be “no,” but I didn’t want to let on that I knew about portals in the first place. Plus, I wasn’t positive Agnes was one of the trusted few who knew about the Peter’s safe haven.
“Maybe you should try the English garden. You know he has a penchant for that spot.”
“And if he’s not there?”
“If Peter doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be,” Agnes said guardedly. Yup, she knew about the portal—I was sure of it.
“All right, then I guess I’m off to the garden. In case I don’t find him there, would you let him know I was looking for him the next time you cross paths?”
“Certainly.”
“
And be sure to tell that big lug of yours that I say ‘hi,’”
I added telepathically.
“I will.” The smile that appeared on her face said it all—Agnes was happy, and I was happy for her.
I found Peter sitting on a bench in the garden near the lilac bushes. He was engrossed in a book.
“Hi, Peter,” I said softly, not wanting to startle him.
He looked up at me and smiled—the warm, friendly smile I was used to seeing. “Well, hello. What brings you here, Eve?”
“I wanted to talk to you, actually.”
“Is that so. Well, come sit down. Tell me what’s on your mind—please.” Peter closed the book he was reading and set it on the bench next to him, patting the other side of the bench for me.
“Okay.” I walked over and sat down. “So, should I assume you’ve been keeping tabs on me, or do I need to start from where you and I left off the last time we talked?”
“If by that you mean am I aware Mr. Harrison survived the first full moon he could have been converted, then, yes, I suppose I have been ‘keeping tabs’ on you. Another job well done by the way.” He nodded approvingly.
“I can’t take the credit for this one. It was definitely a
group
effort.”
“I would not be so dismissive of your
contributions
if I were you.”
“My ‘contributions,’ huh?” I could tell he knew something. I just didn’t know if he was planning on revealing what he knew. “So you
have
been keeping a close eye on me lately.”
“Well, I’m not sure how that would have been possible since you’ve been off the grid for the past week.”
“I guess we did fall ‘off the grid’ for a bit,” I agreed.
“
Care to tell me about the portal you and Mr. Harrison claimed as your hideout?”
Peter asked telepathically. From the way he was looking at me, I knew he was through playing games. He wanted answers, and I had a feeling it was the only way I’d get a few in return.
“
It was a good hiding place,”
I replied.
“
They usually are. When did Dylan find it?”
he asked without even blinking an eye. I, on the other hand, had to fight to keep my jaw from dropping on the ground.
“
How did you—”
“
Please, Eve, do not insult my intelligence. I had a good idea what was going on when Mr. Harrison kept disappearing prior to your reassignment. You were up here, so I knew you weren’t portal hopping with him. I knew Dylan was infatuated with Mr. Harrison’s Watcher. And, according to his old mentor, Abe, Dylan made a habit of routinely disappearing for days on end, so it didn’t take long for me to put two and two together.”
I just sat there, not knowing whether I should confirm what Peter suspected was true or try to play dumb. I didn’t want Dylan to get into trouble for helping me.
“
Don’t worry. Dylan’s secret is safe.”
Knowing I had to tread lightly, I carefully gathered my thoughts, shielding them in the process.
“
What does that mean?”
“
It means it does not do any of us any good for me to educate the others about portals in general, much less Dylan’s knack for finding them.”
I nodded.
“
So, now that I know Dylan’s role in all of this, is it safe to assume his girlfriend, the Watcher, lent a helping hand in Quinn’s survival as well?”
I could practically feel Peter trying to break through my mental barrier to find the answers he was seeking.
“
And then there is you,”
he went on to say.
“Much to my dismay, you met with my dear old friend, Tartuf, which could only mean he put you in touch with the two hooligans he occasionally hires.”
He paused for a moment and looked at me, but I didn’t say a word.
“
So, how are Jaegar and Chase these days?”
he continued in the wake of my silence.
Clearing my throat, I replied aloud, “G—good.”
“
And I also assume Jaegar and Chase struck a bargain with you, telling you they could get Mr. Harrison’s contaminated blood back in exchange for something of equal value to them,”
Peter continued telepathically.
I couldn’t believe he knew all of this and had never confronted me before.
“
They did get his blood back.”
Peter looked genuinely surprised.
“Are you sure it was his?”
“
They tested it in front of me.”
He nodded slightly as if to consider what I’d just revealed.
“And how much did they charge for their retrieval services?”
He glanced pointedly at the inside of my arms.
Crap, I bet he knew exactly what it’d cost me.
“Plenty.”
“
I warned you about dealing with the likes of them.”
He shook his head in disapproval.
“
That, you did.”
Peter examined me more closely, narrowing his eyes and cocking his head. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it.
“Quinn and I bonded as true soul mates. Our souls fused,” I offered.
“I thought I noticed something slightly different about your aura. Well,” he said, sighing, “I suppose I should congratulate you.”
“Thanks … I guess,” I replied awkwardly, realizing he’d yet to actually congratulate me. I looked into his eyes and saw them flicker with sadness, anger, and envy. Peter still had feelings for me—feelings he knew I’d never reciprocate.
“
Did you know Tartuf has books on demons?”
I asked telepathically, redirecting the conversation in an effort to break the tension looming between us.
“
Of course. He has the most extensive collection of literature on creatures of the Underworld. I go to his office from time to time to do some research.”
“
So, you know about his office?”
“
Of course. Most of us do.”
“
Did you ever see or read anything about the Servants?”
I asked, trying to determine whether Peter was aware of Tartuf’s Journal.
“Yes,” Peter replied.
“And?”
“
And it was the same Journal Tartuf showed you.”
“
You—you know about the Journal?”
I asked in shock.
“
Yes.”
“
You never said anything about it to me before.”
“
As it was not mine, it was not really my place to disclose its existence.”
“
But why didn’t you say anything once you realized Tartuf had shown the Journal to me? I mean, with him gone and all, it might’ve been nice to talk about it with a familiar face.”
“
It didn’t occur to me. Besides, we’re not the only ones who know about the Journal, Eve. Many Shepherds have compiled centuries of our history and experience into that Journal over time, so its existence is not a great secret. I suppose I figured Tara might’ve mentioned it to you seeing as she replaced me as your mentor and arranged for your meeting with Tartuf.”
“
Yeah, well, she didn’t.”
I paused for a moment, my nerves tightening as I wondered whether I should take the next leap of faith. I inhaled deeply and decided to take the plunge.
“
I also wasn’t aware that it was such a hot commodity,”
I continued, preparing myself for the lecture of a lifetime.
“
What makes you say that?”
“
Because it was stolen from inside a portal just over a week ago.”
“
So, you took the Journal from Tartuf’s office and then someone took if from you?”
It was not a question so much as a mild accusation.
I nodded.
“Hmm, that is truly unfortunate,” Peter said more calmly than I’d anticipated.
“Tell me, does Tartuf know?”
I shook my head.
“
Well, I would hate to be the bearer of that news,”
he tried to joke.
“
Believe me, I’m not looking forward to it.”
I shuddered involuntarily at the thought.
“
So, what happened? How did it end up in a portal?”
I explained the entire story to Peter, who sat there and listened patiently to my every telepathic word.
“
Do you have any idea who would take it?”
I asked.
“I mean, who else would know about the Journal and portals, much less the portal we’d been using?”
“
Good question. Somehow, we all manage to have our secrets, don’t we?”
He nudged my shoulder with his own.
“Teleportation with a human always leaves a unique heat signature, so you likely left some breadcrumbs for others to follow unless you hopped around a bit first to confuse anyone or anything that might be tracking you.”
“
I never knew about the heat signatures.”
I sighed heavily, shaking my head.
“And, to tell you the truth, we were never all that careful when we traveled to and from the portal with Quinn—but we are now. We learned our lesson after the break-in occurred. Believe me, we will not be leaving anymore breadcrumbs behind.”
“
New portal?”
“
Yeah, thanks to Dylan.”
“He possesses quite a gift,” Peter marveled aloud. “I must have Teddy talk to him about it,” he mumbled aloud, unaware he’d just revealed Teddy’s knowledge about portals to me, which basically reaffirmed my suspicions that Agnes knew about them as well.
“
Tell me, did you have a chance to read the Journal before it was taken?”
Peter asked.
“
Not entirely. I only got through some of the history on the Servants and the actual ritual itself.”
“I see.” He said the words in a way that made me wonder if I’d missed reading a crucial part of the Journal.
“Did I miss anything important?”
“One could argue that everything contained in those pages is important. But at least you now realize what you’re up against in trying to defend Mr. Harrison.” He exhaled loudly. “It’s not for the faint of heart.”
“Well, thankfully, I no longer have one,” I mused, smirking crookedly.
Peter offered me a halfhearted grin in return. “Eve, my only wish is for you to be safe and happy.”
“Thank you. That’s all I want for you too.” I placed my hand on top of his. “So, are you? Happy, I mean?”
Peter sat there for a moment, considering my question. “In the grand scheme of things, yes, I suppose I’m happy. I’ve been working on an important project for some time now, one I am not at liberty to discuss, but it’s finally coming to a head and its potential impact could be quite significant for all of us—that makes me happy.”
“That’s great,” I said enthusiastically.
“Yes, it’s quite something.” He grinned in satisfaction. “It feels good to be sitting here together like this, doesn’t it? Kind of like old times.”
“It does,” I conceded.
“Eve, I am truly sorry for anything I might’ve done to jeopardize our friendship in your eyes.”
“Spilled milk. Apology accepted.” I couldn’t explain it, but so much of the tension between us I’d been clutching with iron fists seemed to have faded away during our conversation. It was like my mind was telling me to let go of the past. I wanted to learn to trust Peter again. I wanted to believe he was good. I wanted to give him another chance.
“So, are we okay?” he asked hesitantly.
“We’re okay.” I smiled.
“Good.” He squeezed my hand.
I looked at my watch. I’d already been gone for an entire day on Earth—no telling how many sun cycles had passed in the new portal. “I wish I could stay longer, but time’s a wasting.”
“I should be getting back to what I was doing as well.”
He stood up and offered me his hand, which I turned into a hug once we were both on our feet.
“Don’t be such a stranger,” I said.
“Not to worry, I won’t.”
When I arrived at La Casa, Quinn was in the kitchen, making himself a sandwich. Dylan and Minerva were out by the pool.
“Have you been in the Archives this whole time?” Quinn asked.
“Yes, but remember when you say ‘whole time,’ it was only about an hour for me.” I leaned on the counter, exhausted. All the teleporting drained my strength.
“You okay?” Quinn asked, concerned. “You look tired.” He walked over to me.
“I’ve felt better.”
“Me too.” He leaned over and kissed me. Immediately, I felt a little rejuvenated, and we both smiled.
I sighed. “Much better.”
“Well, I feel better just knowing you’re back here safe and sound.” He kissed me again. Another surge of strength passed through me—through us. It was like taking a huge breath of fresh air after holding your breath under water for too long.