Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless

coming. I was given a choice: exist in a world, knowing my family would ultimately suffer in a reality ruled by exiled angels or give up my life and yes,’ she glanced at me, ‘commit my daughter to a fate where she would become what I am.’ She paused. ‘From what I’ve seen she is a respected warrior.’
    Irolled my eyes. ‘Compliments don’t mend bridges. And you forgot the part where in return you got to live happily ever after – until I plucked you out of heaven, that is!’
    ‘Violet!’ Dad said, abruptly.
    I closed my mouth.
    ‘Wait, what do you mean you “plucked her out of heaven”?’
    I pressed my lips together. There was so much to explain, it was hard to know where to start. ‘My angel maker told me she made a deal to give me up to them. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where she went after she died.’ I forced myself to remain indifferent. ‘Phoenix executed a sacrificial ceremony from an ancient scripture in Santorini and part of my blood ended up in the mix. He got his mother and somehow … I got mine.’
    We all sat in silence for a moment, digesting.
    ‘This is …’ Dad shook his head, but then blurted out, ‘What colour was my underwear on our wedding night?’
    Evelyn’s lips curled. ‘You weren’t wearing any.’
    I think I’m going to be sick.
    ‘When we drove out to our honeymoon cottage, what happened halfway there?’ he shot back.
    ‘You ran out of fuel and made me wait in the car for three hours while you walked to the gas station.’ Her smile widened.
    ‘What was the last thing you ever said to me?’
    Her smile faded. ‘I asked you to name our daughter Violet.’
    ‘The very last thing,’ Dad pushed.
    Evelyn bit her lip, looking for the first time vulnerable. ‘I love you … both.’
    Dad dropped from the couch onto his knees in front of her.
    ‘Was it all lies?’ Dad pleaded, not moving any closer.
    ‘No.’
    ‘Youdied …’ he said, a tear sliding down his face.
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘And now you’re back.’
    ‘Yes.’
    He swallowed and stood up, still trying to appear indifferent. ‘For how long?’
    ‘I don’t know.’ And then Evelyn’s eyes seemed to lose their focus and she slumped to the ground, unconscious.



CHAPTER TWO
    ‘I am not bound to please thee with my answers.’
    William Shakespeare
    T hingsweren’t going in my direction.
    After Evelyn first came to, she’d continued to pass out intermittently as we tried to answer Dad’s many questions.
    After the fourth time she blacked out, Dad had taken her into his room and ordered her to rest.
    That was three weeks ago.
    She was still there.
    I’d tried to explain everything to Dad, sat up with him, night after night, giving him various demonstrations of my power, but logic is a strong counter-agent to acceptance. Eventually I called in Griffin and Spence to help. Griffin had the ability to instil truth in a person as long as what he was saying was in fact true. After a few choice words, it became difficult for Dad to question him.
    Spence hammered everything home with a showing of his glamour abilities, morphing into a number of different personas and settling on simply putting his hand on my shoulder and cloaking us both with invisibility. I couldn’t help butnotice during his display that Spence’s power had grown significantly in the last few months.
    Finally, Dad knew the truth.
    His acceptance was closely followed by a demand to see Lincoln.

    They sat across from each other at the dining table, Dad staring at Lincoln in a new – unfriendly – manner.
    ‘I welcomed you into my home,’ Dad said, threateningly. ‘Let you spend time with my daughter, despite the age difference. I thought we had an understanding.’
    ‘Dad,’ I groaned from my perch on the kitchen bench, but it was useless.
    I’d expected Lincoln to be on edge or at least cautious. I was wrong.
    He stared right back at Dad, sporting his own steely glare. ‘With all due respect, Mr Eden, I’ve been here many times and seen you very few. For the first two years I knew Violet, we were just friends who worked out together. I never encouraged anything … more than friendship.’
    Sadly true.
    ‘When I first met her, she was trying to put her life back together after the attack, though I only learned about that recently. Her world had been thrown upside down by that bastard.’ His hands fisted on the table. ‘It’s no wonder she was desperate to find a way to get control of her life. I helped give