Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless

incredulous. The traitor was hiding a smile.
    ‘What’s so funny?’ I asked.
    He shrugged. ‘Now all you have to do is separate Steph from Salvatore long enough to convince her not to stow away on our plane.’
    ‘Oh, crap.’
    ‘Actually, that might not be the case,’ Griffin said, capturing our attention again. Something told me there was another reason Griffin had decided we should have today’s powwow in private.



CHAPTER TEN
    ‘Wild, dark times are rumbling toward us …’
    Heinrich Heine
    ‘I don’t need a babysitter!’ Steph said. Again.
    She collapsed onto Onyx’s sofa bed. We’d commandeered the small flat for our conversation that was probably not so private given the volume level.
    ‘I know you don’t,’ I said. Again.
    Now I knew why Griffin had thought it would be better if I had this conversation with Steph in private. I was going to be sure to repay the favour at the first opportunity.
    ‘It’s bad enough that you’ve stuck me on the farming expedition with Dapper and Onyx, but now you’re going to take my boyfriend out of the action he has every right to be a part of so he can hold my hand! He’ll never forgive me, Vi.’ Her attack mode was starting to crumble as her eyes became teary. ‘You can’t do this to us. We’re only good if he doesn’t have to worry about me all the time.’
    I sighed. ‘We want to keep you safe. Is that so wrong? Please, Steph, we’re family. I’m not telling you what to do and neither is Griffin. But sometimes being in a family means putting your safety first, even if you think Salvatore might thinkof you differently. Because that’s what families do – survive for each other.’
    Steph quickly wiped away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks. ‘And what about you? Are you going to survive? Don’t think I don’t know what you did on that volcano.’
    Wow, I did not see that one coming.
    ‘Spence?’ I mumbled.
    She nodded. ‘Don’t blame him. He was all messed up afterwards and you were too busy dealing with your new arrival.’
    I felt terrible. I hadn’t been there for Spence or Steph since coming back from Greece, Evelyn’s return had been dictating everything.
    ‘You’re right,’ I confessed. ‘It was stupid. Phoenix has power over me and I don’t know what’s going to happen. The only thing I know for sure is that we have to stop them. But I can promise you this, I’ll fight with every last breath in my body to make it back to you, to my family.’
    Steph broke into full-on sobs, using her sleeve to wipe at her tears.
    ‘I hate being the weak link,’ she blubbed.
    The funny thing was, I thought she was one of the strongest people I knew. ‘Me too.’
    She jumped up and snatched a tissue from the bathroom, returning as she blew her nose. ‘This is all going to go to shit, isn’t it?’
    ‘Probably.’
    ‘At least I can’t die a virgin.’
    Just like that, tears turned to shared giggles.
    ‘Happy?’ I asked, hoping she’d spare me the details.
    ‘Very,’she replied. That she didn’t give me a play-by-play was enough to tell me she really was in love. She settled back on the sofa beside me. ‘What are you going to do about Phoenix?’
    A knot in my stomach tightened. It was almost impossible to make my mind up about him. He’d done so much wrong, inflicted so much evil. He’d hurt people I loved, stolen from me, left me bleeding – hell, he left me hanging in a volcano – but, I’d seen something in his eyes on that volcano. And, as much as I’d been trying to forget it, I’d seen it again in those final moments of my dream. Something that reminded me of the way he was before all of this had happened.
    But I couldn’t excuse his actions. Ultimately, nothing had stopped him from bringing pure evil into this world.
    ‘Phoenix has had his chance to change. He never will.’ It was difficult to admit to Steph what I realised then I’d known for some time.
    ‘You really think you can kill him?’
    I shrugged, thinking again of the dream. ‘He’s stronger than I am, but my abilities are growing all the time.’
    ‘I didn’t mean in strength, Vi. I mean can you kill him? Can you put aside the way you still feel for him?’
    I blinked. ‘What do you … What are you talking about?’ Unable to stay still, I jumped to my feet and started to pace.
    ‘You know exactly what I’m talking about. The two of you were together, however briefly. I mean, Vi, he’s the only guy you’ve ever–’
    I cut