Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless

down on the bench, leaning in. ‘I didn’t want to leave you and your dad. I felt every second of the time I was not with you and James. But I’d do it all again. Youcan hate me all you want – I would if I were you – but I look at you and I see … I might have taken your family from you, but I gave you one, too. You’re Grigori – they are your family, and you’re a warrior.’
    I looked away from her piercing eyes. I couldn’t let her in. I just couldn’t. I’d gone my whole life without a mother.
    What does she want from me?
    ‘Now I have a question for you,’ she said, satisfied she’d silenced me.
    ‘What?’ I managed, still digesting everything.
    ‘You and Lincoln – are you more than partners? Griffin refuses to discuss it. I need to know.’
    I took a sip of coffee. She raised her eyebrows.
    ‘Yes. No. It’s complicated,’ I answered.
    She nodded. ‘Griffin told me about Rudyard and Nyla. They were friends of mine.’ Her tone dropped and I was struck by her genuine sadness. She seemed so cold most of the time but this wasn’t – they’d obviously truly been her friends.
    ‘They were my friends, too,’ I said. When she didn’t respond, I added, ‘Phoenix did it. Phoenix was the reason Rudyard died.’
    Evelyn’s eyes became fierce. ‘A demonstration?’
    I nodded, guilt weighing heavily on my chest.
    ‘You and Lincoln are soulmates.’
    It wasn’t a question but I nodded anyway.
    ‘Oh, you bastards,’ she mumbled.
    I raised my eyebrows in question.
    She shook her head. ‘The angels did it on purpose. They knew you’d choose for love.’
    This was news to me. ‘How? I mean … How? ’
    Shewas still shaking her head. ‘Because I told them your choice would come from your heart.’ She pinned me with her gaze. ‘And James? He hasn’t been around much?’
    I shrugged uncomfortably. ‘He works a lot.’
    ‘Nice try. How many family holidays have you been on?’
    I thought back to our one weekend away that had ended in carnage. ‘Not many.’
    ‘And clearly neither of you cook,’ she concluded, adding, when she saw my expression, ‘your oven still has stickers on it. And …’ her look softened and intensified at the same moment. ‘I’ve heard enough to know someone hurt you a couple of years back.’
    I looked down, bracing myself for the inevitable questions.
    As if she’d read my mind, or perhaps my rigid body language, she sighed. ‘I’m not going to ask. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to kill the bastard for you.’
    I blinked back tears.
    We were both silent for a while. Neither one of us knew where to go from here, but I guessed it was my turn to say something.
    ‘Your angel maker told me you made a deal. I thought it was to get into Heaven or something like that. It wasn’t though, was it?’
    She smiled weakly. ‘Not exactly. My deal was to come back if Lilith did.’
    ‘And for that you went to Hell?’
    She sipped her coffee. ‘It was the only way to be sure I would return at the same time as her. These things can be quite complicated. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I knew the price and I made my choice without regret. That doesn’tmean I don’t wish I could’ve been there for you. For everything.’
    I looked down and shook my head quickly. ‘Did it hurt? I mean, in Hell?’
    I could almost feel the room grow cold.
    ‘Violet, promise me you won’t ever ask me that question again and I’ll promise you, I won’t ever tell.’
    Part of me wanted to insist she tell me. But the other part of me understood the warning in her voice. I was certain hearing the truth would break us both. So I just nodded.
    I glanced at my watch, thinking of Lincoln.
    I should’ve gone with him.
    ‘She’ll come for us, you know,’ Evelyn said, matter-of-factly.
    ‘Lilith? I don’t think so. She just cares about destruction. Phoenix knows no good will come of continuing to fight with us. He’ll make her leave us alone.’ But even I didn’t believe my words.
    Evelyn fastened another fire-blue stare on me. ‘What Phoenix wanted stopped being relevant the moment Lilith returned. She’s the alpha of exiles and considers no one, not even him. And at the top of her kill-list will be me, and my daughter.’
    I heard myself laughing as if I was listening from far away. I was finally losing it.
    ‘Well, that won’t be hard, then. If she doesn’t care about Phoenix, then all she has to do is kill him and she’ll kill me too.’
    Before I had time to