Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless

ear to ear. ‘I know, right! I’m waiting for the troll to come out and ask for a magic password.’
    I smiled at him. Griffin didn’t. He smacked Spence over the head instead.
    Dapper, ignoring our banter looked around the room solemnly. ‘My oath is now your oath. If any of you betray it, you would be betraying me, and my people would come withstrength and in numbers that would surprise you. They would slay you.’ He half smiled. ‘It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t warn you.’
    Dad gasped. The rest of us looked around, unsure, until Spence took a casual step towards the open wall.
    ‘Same old,’ he said.
    Lincoln put a hand on the small of my back, pushing me forward. ‘They’ll have to be comfortable with a first-come first-served situation,’ he – the normally so grave – said, as we moved into the secret room.
    Spence slapped a hand on Lincoln’s back as he pushed ahead. ‘Truer words were never spoken, mate.’
    Lincoln smiled at my expression and my heart melted. ‘You said you wanted a night of fun. Just holding up my end of the deal.’
    When I didn’t immediately smile back, as if sensing all of my fears for our tomorrows and my sadness about the things I – we – had to leave behind, he grabbed my hand.
    Honey and spice and all things dangerous are nice.



CHAPTER SEVEN
    ‘Fate is not satisfied with inflicting one calamity.’
    Publilius Syrus
    S alvatoreand Steph disappeared quickly for some ‘alone time’ after we left Dapper’s, then Zoe and Spence invited me to join them for ‘ice cream’ which – judging by the not-so-subtle winks – I strongly suspected was code for shenanigans.
    I opted to stay with Dad. He was basically trembling from the sheer volume of new knowledge. The kind of awareness never intended for humans.
    Outside Hades, he’d watched Steph casually walk away arm in arm with Salvatore and shook his head. ‘How does she take all of this so well?’ he’d asked. ‘Isn’t she afraid?’
    Among my many confessions to Dad I’d told him how Steph had been taken captive by Phoenix.
    ‘Sometimes I think Steph was destined for this world more than any of us. She might not be Grigori but she’s chosen to play her part. I’ve had to learn to accept that, Dad.’
    Dad looked at his feet, his shoulders slumping forwards. ‘Is that your way of telling me that’s what I have to do – accept your place in this … world of exiled angels?’
    Iput a hand on his arm briefly, wishing I was better at being consoling. ‘It would make things easier for you if you could.’
    When Evelyn and Griffin joined us, I couldn’t help but be irritated. I never had any time alone with Dad these days.
    As if reading my mind, Lincoln opened the back passenger door to his car. ‘Mr Eden, how about I give you and Violet a lift home? Griffin can take Evelyn in his car – I’m sure they have some things to discuss.’
    Dad looked between Evelyn and me and nodded, slipping into the back seat.
    I moved in beside Dad and if my eyes could have said thank you a million times to Lincoln, they did then.
    As we drove, Dad’s erratic breathing settled and he relaxed enough to talk.
    ‘I just can’t believe I never knew all these things. Evelyn has lived for over two hundred years .’ He shook his head. ‘How could I not have known?’
    I put my hand on top of his. ‘Dad, there was no way you could’ve. Judgement aside, there’s no denying she’s a master at her work.’ I bit my lip and moved my hand away awkwardly. ‘She’s a manipulator. The only thing we can possibly know for certain is that she chose to lie to you for the entire time she was with you.’
    ‘That doesn’t mean it was all lies,’ Dad said defensively.
    ‘No, it doesn’t,’ I conceded. ‘And I’m sure her feelings for you were real – it’s just … She puts her Grigori status above everything and everyone else. Us included.’
    ‘And you don’t?’
    I couldn’t help glancing at Lincoln in the front seat. His face was expressionless as he stared ahead, but his hands had that tell-talewhite-knuckled grip on the steering wheel that told me he was listening intently.
    I gnawed at the inside of my cheek and decided on the truth. ‘No. I don’t. There are things that are more important to me.’
    Dad slumped back into the seat, exhausted. ‘Will she ever age?’
    ‘Probably not in your lifetime.’ It was a grim reality, but he deserved to know.
    He sighed and I noticed the dark circles rimming