Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless

his, and reached forwards, my hand shaking as my fingers skimmed his hair. His chest moved up and down and when my hand touched him, his breathing became faster, just like mine.
    ‘I can feel you,’ I whispered. ‘I know you’re back.’
    I inhaled his scent, letting everything about him surround me, his warmth building. Sun and honey. I breathed out, resting my head beside him. I slept a blissful, dreamless sleep.

    The next morningEvelyn was in the room, too, clearly waiting for me to wake up.
    I sat up and rubbed my eyes, moving away from Lincoln, who seemed to have moved closer during the night.
    ‘We heard what you did,’ she said.
    ‘Is Dad pissed?’ I asked.
    ‘Yep. But he’s also doing that thing he does when you do something he’s proud of.’
    I nodded, understanding. Dad had a signature proud-tobe-Dad smile that went with a particularly cocky walk.
    ‘It seems collecting Lincoln’s soul isn’t the only thing you’ve been up to,’ she added raising an eyebrow. ‘I had a visit last night. I’d almost forgotten how intimidating your angel maker is.’
    I shrugged. ‘He grows on you.’
    ‘Hmm,’ she said, moving to the edge of the bed and sitting opposite me. ‘He’s offered me a choice and since I’m fairly certain you opened up the opportunity for me, I wanted to ask you what you thought before I make a decision.’
    I leaned towards her, taking her hands in mine. ‘Mum, do you know what you want to do?’
    She froze. Her eyes welled.
    ‘What?’ I asked, worried.
    She shook her head. ‘It’s just … That’s the first time you’ve called me Mum.’
    I sighed. ‘It shouldn’t have taken me so long.’
    She pulled me into a hug. I tried to hug her back, I really did, but I just couldn’t.
    She eased back, studying me carefully. ‘If I do this, I won’t be Grigori any more. And we might have to move away.’
    I nodded. Therewere no surprises there. ‘If you know what you want, and if Dad wants it too, just do it. You don’t need my permission.’
    She smiled and nodded. ‘Okay.’ She glanced at Lincoln. ‘And what about you? What are we going to do with you, my girl?’
    I bit down on my lip. ‘Actually, I wanted to talk to you and Dad about that.’
    ‘Oh?’
    ‘Yeah. I’ve made a decision.’



CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
    ‘I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.’
    Friedrich Nietzsche
    F or the next two days I sat inthe chair, leaving Lincoln only to shower and make the occasional phone call. On the third day, Dapper came to see me, after I had asked him to drop by.
    I could feel that Lincoln was getting stronger. I knew he would wake up soon.
    I knew something else, too. Our souls were no longer joined. We were still soulmates – the familiar tug had returned instantly, combining with the coldness I imagined would now be with me forever – but the connection we’d made in the cabin … Gone.
    ‘Why do I suspect this is a business call?’ Dapper asked as he entered the room.
    I stood up and closed the door behind him. ‘Because it is.’
    He grunted. ‘And why do I have a feeling I know where this is leading?’
    ‘Because you probably do,’ I admitted.
    He sighed and leaned on the windowsill.
    ‘You said once that you owed me a favour.’
    ‘I remember.’
    ‘And you said not to talk toyou about it again until I was ready to collect.’
    ‘Mighta said something like that.’
    I nodded. ‘I’m ready to collect.’

    After Dapper left – unhappy but with our debt settled – I sat back down in my chair and waited. Sure enough, that afternoon, Lincoln started to become restless and at 4 p.m. I could tell he was ready to wake up.
    I stood over him, ran my fingers through his hair and leaned down.
    ‘I love you,’ I whispered.
    He made a sound that ran through my body and reminded me of all the things we had shared.
    I turned and left the room, going out to the living area, where everyone was waiting. They all looked up like expectant meerkats when they saw me. I half smiled.
    ‘He’s waking up.’
    Griffin jumped to his feet, the rest of the squad behind him. They smiled and laughed and ran into Lincoln’s room, leaving me alone.
    I loved Lincoln’s warehouse. In many ways it had become my home, too. I looked up to the enormous arched windows that were at either end. Afternoon sun flooded through them, drenching the space. It was beautiful.
    Walking over to the kitchen, I ran my hand along the