Garden of Thorns

  One by one, I move down the line, injecting the cure into each and every one of them. Next I move on to the men on the floor that I shot with the toxin.

  For a little bit, the room is deafening with their cries of pain. But slowly, each of them suddenly grows quiet, finally slipping into unconsciousness.

  “They’ll be out for twenty-four hours,” I say, setting all the now empty vials on a table by the door. “I suggest you be very convincing when they wake up, to get them not to say anything about what’s happened. All of it.”

  “I do consider myself to be a persuasive man,” Michael says, studying the men who are now all sleeping.

  “Please let them all go,” I say, nodding to Kai, Duncan, Aleah, and Robert, who still have their hands chained together.

  He laughs, shaking his head again, and steps forward.

  “I don’t trust you,” Aleah says as she’s un-cuffed. “Just so you know.”

  “Sounds like you’re a smart woman,” Michael says, winking at her as he undoes Robert, before moving on to Kai. “But I did say I’d help, and I consider myself to be a man of my word.”

  “We’re trying to build numbers,” I jump in, taking the open opportunity to convince him that what we’re doing is worthwhile.

  Michael settles down into his chair once more, all casual and relaxed, like he isn’t surrounded by bodies.

  “The House of Allaway isn’t doing its job, but that doesn’t mean we have to let our region go to hell,” Aleah says, standing in front of the couch with her arms folded over her chest. “We patrol the region, talking sense into those who will listen, putting down those who are just problems.”

  “You’re the King’s unknown mafia,” Michael says with a smile. “I like it.”

  Each of us is staring at him with similar looks of disbelief. I’m wondering if he is completely insane. We’ve just ripped everything he’s built out from under his feet, and he just seems to be enjoying the turn of events.

  Aleah closes her eyes for a second, shaking her head. “Okay. Uh,” she claps her hands in front of her. “What we need is members. Others to help us patrol. Take care of problems.”

  Michael looks over at me. “Was this your plan, blondie?”

  Suddenly I realize just how much pressure Alivia was under the past few years. This is all about saying just the right thing at the right time, getting people to do what needs to be done.

  It’s up to me to convince this one man. She had an entire House to win over all on her own.

  “Yes,” I tell him.

  “Oh, I’m in then,” he says, tilting his head to one side, smiling that manic smile.

  A quiet curse comes from the door.

  “About time you showed up,” Aleah says.

  I turn, my heart picking up speed before my eyes even find his.

  Lexington stares back at me, his knees bent, his hands curled into fists, looking ready for anything.

  My heart races in my chest. My skin comes electric, static pulling every cell in me to life.

  The way he’s looking at me, something has changed in it.

  “Get a room,” Aleah growls. I tear my eyes away from Lexington, turning to see her roll her eyes.

  Michael chuckles, entertained once more by this turn of events.

  “How are we supposed to know if we can trust you?” Aleah asks, folding her arms over her chest.

  “Because I know you need more than just my kind,” Michael says, and a hint of bitterness creeps into his voice. “You need more Born, and I’m gonna’ tell you where you can find two of ‘em that I’m pretty sure will join you in a heartbeat.”

  The lot of us look at one another, still not believing the evolution this little trip has gone through.

  From hostages, to room full of bodies, and a man pledging to help us grow the House of Martials.

  “You’ll take us to them right now,” Aleah says, taking a step toward him. “And if they don’t join us, I’ll kill you.”

  “Oh, honey,” Michael says, smiling at her. “You could try.”

  We walk outside, Aleah carrying a stake just two inches from Michael’s back, but he carries his flail. “They live in Raynham, about halfway between here and Boston.”

  “Sounds good,” Aleah says, shoving him forward. “Where’s your vehicle? We need to get moving so you can get back here before tomorrow night when all your friends wake up.”

  The two of them head to a truck parked off to the side of the warehouse.

  “I’ll go with Lexington,” I say when Duncan turns concerned eyes on me. And I can’t help but give a side look to Kai.

  He gives me this little thin-lipped look but nods. “It’s okay, I’ll go back with these guys.” He takes a step back toward the stolen SUV, not looking back as he walks away.

  Duncan gives me a knowing look, but doesn’t say anything as he and Robert head to the vehicle.

  I watch Lexington’s face as I follow him back to his car. He opens the door for me, and I slide in, not liking the stiff line of his lips, the way his jaw is clenched. He climbs into the drivers seat and starts the engine.

  “How’d you find us?” I ask, unsure of what kind of mood he’s in.

  That’s a first.

  “Phones can do amazing things these days,” he says as he pulls out onto the road behind Aleah and Michael. “I tracked you to about twenty feet of your location.”

  “Oh,” I say, looking down at my hands. I realize then that there’s a spray of blood across them and dirt smeared up to my wrists.

  I reach up, feeling the dirt on my face as well from when the Bitten shoved me down.

  “You okay?” he asks in a tight voice.

  I look over at him, so wary of how to proceed. “I’m fine. They didn’t hurt me.”

  He lets out a little short breath through his nostrils and gives a curt nod.

  “Lexington, I—”

  “I’m not mad at you,” he says, holding a hand up. “We’ll…we’ll talk about this later.”

  I look at him again, my brows furrowing. I’m so confused right now. In the past month and a half that we’ve been with each other, he’s never once been mad. And despite him saying he’s not, he sure seems it.

  Everything about his mood is rocked right now.

  Instead of digging, I sit in my seat in silence, and turn to watch the pitch-black night pass by outside.

  An hour later, we roll to a stop outside a singlewide trailer in the middle of nowhere. Michael and Aleah climb out, holding a hand up for the rest of us to stay where we are. The two of them walk inside after knocking and a woman opens the door.

  The silence is so awkward as Lexington and I just sit in the dark car, waiting for a signal. I’m too aware of the stiffness of his shoulders. The way he keeps rubbing his left hand over his mouth. The way his right is curled into a fist, resting on his leg.

  I’m dying to know what’s on his mind.

  But I think I’m too scared to find out.

  Twenty minutes roll by. Duncan climbs out of the car, leaning against it, folding his arms over his chest.

  “Can you hear what’s going on?” I ask, not looking at Lexington.

  “No,” he says. His voice is tight. “They’ve got music playing, pretty loud. They don’t want us hearing whatever they’re talking about.”

  That makes me nervous, but Aleah did say she was going to use her own methods when it came to the cause.

  Thirty minutes pass. I faintly see movement through the windows, but it’s too dark for my eyes to pick up on much.

  Finally, just short of an hour after we pulled up, the front door opens again. I see Aleah and Michael come out, barely able to pick their faces out. And next follows two more figures, each carrying a large bag over their shoulder.

  They walk up to Lexington’s car, features coming into view as they come closer.

  Two women follow Aleah, both looking to be close to thirty.

  “We’re good,” Aleah says, casting us a smug smile. “We?
??ll head back to the House and then the two of you can be on your way to wherever it is you hide out.”

  Lexington just gives her a nod and watches as they walk away. One of the women goes to Michael’s car, the other goes to Duncan’s.

  “That puts us up to six members, if we count you, eight if we count Kai and Michael,” I say as we pull back on to the road. “It’s a start.”

  “It’s a start,” he says, staring straight ahead and out the window.

  Thirty minutes later we roll into Cambridge and stop in front of the House. Lexington and I walk inside and the two women introduce themselves. There’s Julie, she’s actually very friendly and bubbly, with wavy red hair and a ton of freckles that make for a beautiful woman. And then Eva, who reminds me a lot of Aleah, with her dark, somewhat disheveled clothes, and long dark hair that looks like she doesn’t care too much how it looks. She doesn’t say much, just wanders around the house, analyzing everything.

  We aren’t given an explanation as to why they’ve decided to join us. And I’m honestly too drained and too physically and emotionally tired to get into it all.

  “I’ve got this,” Aleah says as she and Duncan walk us back to the front door. Kai already took off without saying much. “I’ll get them filled in, figure stuff out. Get her home.” Aleah studies me, and to my surprise, a tiny smile crooks on her face. “But watch yourself, there’s more to this one than meets the eye.”

  It’s a white flag, a compliment of truce.

  I’ve earned her respect today, and I have a feeling it’s going to change a lot between us.

  “Thanks,” Lexington says, and waves as we walk out the door.

  Once more, he holds the door to the car open for me, but the awkwardness grows as he climbs in. Without a word, we make our way through the streets. We cross the bridge.

  Just five blocks from home, snow begins falling from the sky.

  We park in front of the house and climb out. I look up as we walk up to the front door, seeing the fat flakes drift through the dark night.

  I close my eyes, my feet stopping. Just standing there for a moment.

  My life is never, ever going to be normal. No matter how far away I live from Silent Bend. No matter how hard I try to stay out of the affairs of the vampires.

  I’m not one of them. I never will be.

  But I’m ever a part of their world.

  “Elle?”

  I open my eyes and find Lexington watching me from the front door. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, I finish the trip.

  Shrugging my coat off and hanging it in the closet, I flip the gas fireplace on. And try as hard as I can to look anywhere but at him, my eyes lock on him as he too takes his coat off.

  He stands there, in jeans and boots and a dark blue v-neck t-shirt, his hands on his hips, his lips thin and his expression grim. He stares at the floor.

  “You remember that time, before the Battle of the Bitten,” he says, his voice rough. “When everything was so crazy and they had us surrounded. And Markov was pretty mangled and got his leg broken and he was so roughed up?”

  I nod, my throat thick.

  “Yeah,” I say.

  “And you remember the way his eyes flashed red and he looked at you,” Lexington says, shaking his head.

  “He wanted my blood,” I say.

  “And I hauled you out of there and we sat in your room for the rest of the night.” He shifts from one foot to the other, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “I just kept waiting for him to haul up those stairs and bust down your door. I half thought I was going to have to kill him that night so he wouldn’t drain you.”

  My brows furrow. I remember the night well, but I have no idea why he’s bringing this up now.

  “We didn’t say much that night, but I think it kind of made an impact,” he says, sniffing, and he still won’t look at me. He paces a few steps back and forth. “See, it was the first time I really made a choice to help someone in Liv’s house. Not just because Cyrus told me I needed to be loyal or he’d kill me. It didn’t have to be me that stood guard over you, could have been Cameron or Christian or Lillian.”

  My heart starts beating faster. I want him to hurry and get to the point, because I’m getting more confused by the minute.

  “And that changed something for me, made me realize that I didn’t just have to bear everything after the trade,” he continues. “I could choose to make this new situation be a good thing.” He shakes his head back and forth. “But that night, I think my image, my impression of you locked in on that one act. The girl I chose to help, the fragile one that needed my help and I chose to take it.”

  He turns his back to me, bracing his hands on the wall, sagging his head between his arms. “When Ian asked me to come here and keep an eye on you, I was back at that night, choosing to help that same fragile girl. I’m just one in a House that is pushing thirty. And I was needed.”

  He brings his head up and he shakes it. His breathing is deep, rough.

  “But after the past few weeks, after tonight…” He’s suddenly very still, standing with his back to me. I want to see his face, to read him. “Elle. You don’t need me. You don’t need anyone. Your brother may think you’re helpless, but he’s never really seen the true Elle Ward.”

  Something swells in my chest at his words.

  Truth.

  My entire life everyone has underestimated me. Tried to protect and shelter me.

  I always knew I could take care of myself. But I let them think what they needed to about me.

  But here, Lexington has just stripped it all away.

  “I know one hundred percent you’ll be just fine without me here, Elle,” he says as he lets his hands fall away from the wall. His arms sag at his side, his shoulders slumped.

  A swarm of garden butterflies unleash in my stomach.

  “But I want you here.”

  Lexington is very still for a moment. Frozen by my words.

  Slowly, he stands up straight. Slowly he turns to look at me as my own truth finally breaks free from my lips.

  His eyes connect with mine, so very bright, dancing in the light of the Christmas tree.

  “You’re right,” I say, taking one step forward. “I don’t need you here. And no, I’m not that same sixteen year old girl.” I take another step forward as he faces me. My heart is racing. I swear it’s never beat like this before. “And to most people, I might stay stuck as that little girl until I’m gray and wrinkled, but I’m not her.”

  I stop, standing in the middle of the room. My chest rises and falls, yet it feels like there isn’t near enough oxygen in the room.

  “I don’t need you here, Lexington,” I say softly. “But I want you here. And that’s a first.”

  He crosses the room in three long strides. His hands slide into my hair, pulling my face to his. And with hunger and truth, I press my lips to his.

  My choice.

  My decision.

  For once.

  Finally.

  Of what I need. Of what I want.

  His lips are firm under mine, his mouth inviting me in. My hands rest on his hips. My entire body gravitates to his, pulling us closer, leaving no space between us for conflict or hesitation.

  The weeks of smiles and laughs, the early morning walks and jokes over pizza. The plotting and unsure moves.

  They’ve all easily led us here.

  I think I always knew this was where it was going to lead.

  I just didn’t know how to get here.

  “I want to be with you, Elle Ward,” Lexington breathes out into my lips. “In whatever this new life is, fighting whatever battles we have to fight. I want to be with you. My fearless woman.”

  I sigh into his mouth and his hands slide down my back, onto my hips, which I press into his, unable to get quite close enough. My back suddenly bumps into a wall and Lexington’s kisses trail from my mouth, to my cheek, to my jawline.

  My head falls back, my eyes rolling as electric sp
arks replace my blood. My hands slide down Lexington’s arms, feeling every rise and fall, every definition of every muscle there.

  “I want you here,” I repeat again. I melt down through the core of the earth as he presses his kisses straight up my throat. I open my eyes, meeting his glowing red ones. But I only pull his face back to mine.

  The sharp tips of his fangs graze my tongue as I kiss him. Inhuman strength occupies his hands as he grips my shirt and pulls me closer.

  It shouldn’t be shocking that I would eventually fall for a vampire someday.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Lexington breathes as his kisses slow. He laces his fingers into my hair, studying my face as he pulls away. I stare into his eyes, short of breath, watching as very, very slowly his eyes fade. The red giving way back to their formerly human blue.

  “I’m in love with you,” I confess.

  I thought I’d be scared when I finally made that confession someday, if the day ever actually came.

  But I’m not.

  “I thought that I shouldn’t,” he says, tracing his finger down my cheek, along my jaw. “But everything about you makes me. I love you, Elle.”

  I press my lips to his again. Just letting them be still, letting mine rest against his. Breathing this air between us in and out, sharing the same oxygen.

  The grandfather clock dings softly, the time turning over to four in the morning.

  “Stay with me tonight?” I ask him quietly. Comfort and ease settle into my system. Something warm and soft. Knowing we’re right where we belong.

  “No place I’d rather be.” His lips brush mine when he speaks, offering promises.

  He takes a step away, his hand sliding down into mine. He takes another toward the stairs, pulling me along behind him. He holds my eyes the entire time, as if he’s still searching to be sure I want him here.

  He hesitates in the hallway between our two bedrooms.

  I push the door to my room open, and pull him in behind me.

  For the first time ever, I pull a man into my bed with me. Lying on top of the blankets, he extends an arm and I curl myself into his side.