Becoming Calder

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO


Calder



I had woken up to the feel of warm skin against my face, the smell of apple blossoms all around me. A dream, I thought, a beautiful dream. But it hadn't been. It had been real. I had wanted to stay wrapped in her warmth all day, her delicate scent lulling me into peaceful dreams. But I had to take care of her. There were things she needed.
So now Xander and I were walking the aisles of a store called "Target" that the hotel clerk had directed us to when we told her what we needed. "Our stuff was stolen," Xander had explained. "We need everything." And then he'd shaken his head and shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, What can you do? The state of the world is such a bummer.
"Good thing you're not just an accomplished thief, but an accomplished liar, too," I said as we walked out the door of the hotel.
"Don't forget nighthawk call expert." He winked. His face sobered. "I'm still pretty disappointed I never got to use that."
I laughed. I was still wearing a large bandage wrapped completely around the foot that had no shoe. Hopefully if people noticed, they just thought I had an injury, not that I was using it to replace a shoe.
We walked across the large parking lot of the store and both jumped back slightly when the double doors in front of us opened before we even touched them. "What the . . .?" Xander said under his breath as we both looked around and up at the top of the doorway. We walked through tentatively and entered the massive, brightly lit store.
We wandered the aisles. When I looked over at Xander, his mouth was open and his eyes were filled with awe. I was sure I had the same look on my face. There was so much of . . . everything. And it was all so . . . colorful. One part of the store had clothes and shoes, and another part had soaps and grooming products, and one huge section even had food, all packaged up with bright pictures on the boxes.
"Have you ever seen stuff like this?" I asked Xander.
"Yeah, some at the ranger station, but never this much." He looked around in wonder.
"Let's get what we need and get back," I said. "We probably look like we're aliens from another galaxy the way we're looking around."
"Yeah, that or on some sort of drugs."
I laughed.
We each picked out a pair of shoes and made sure they fit on our feet. When I put my foot inside the padded sneaker and walked a few steps on it, I groaned. "Wow, this is nice," I said, bouncing slightly.
Xander laughed. "You look like an idiot."
"Look who's talking," I said, taking the shoe off. "You're trying on slippers."
Xander looked down at the brown leather bootie on his foot. "These aren't slippers."
"Yes they are. It says so right on the tag."
Xander turned over the tag at his ankle and read it. He took the bootie off and hung it back up on the rack. "I knew that."
I laughed.
"Listen, we only have about a hundred fifteen dollars, so let's spend as little as possible."
I nodded, checking the price tags on the shoes we'd just gotten. "Hopefully we can replenish some cash with the jewelry."
"Yeah, but that's not a sure thing yet."
I nodded. "We probably have enough in change to eat until we can get a hold of Kristi."
"Yeah, I'm gonna try her later. She leaves the ranger station at eight o'clock. I guess she'll be home at about nine . . . hopefully."
"Do you even know how to use a phone?"
"I'll figure it out. Anyway, Eden will know how."
"Oh, right, she will. Speaking of Eden, what size shoe do you think she wears?"
"Small."
"I don't think shoes come in small."
"I don't know then. Just take half your size. That's probably hers."
I picked out a pair of sandals that didn't have a back strap. I thought they'd be forgiving of size, even if I was a little off.
We were okay on clothes for now, but Eden needed something. We wandered through the girl's clothes, confused.
"Can I help you with anything?"
I turned around and a girl with a red shirt on was standing behind me. I looked down and her Target nametag said, "Ashleigh." Her eyes widened and she blinked at me. I guessed I looked pretty bad. I hadn't shaved in two days now. I cleared my throat.
"Hi, Ashleigh, uh, yes, I need something for my girlfriend and I've never picked out girl clothes before."
She got a disappointed look on her face, and I glanced at Xander, wondering if I'd said something wrong.
"Of course. Well, is this for an occasion, or just something casual?"
"Something casual."
"Well, a sundress always works. What about one of these?" She held up a dress with bright blue and green flowers that looked like it would barely cover Eden's breasts.
"Uh, something more . . . covered?" I asked.
Ashleigh sighed. "She could put a sweater over it." She held up a very, very short sweater with short sleeves. I looked between the dress and the "sweater," not liking the idea of Eden wearing either one.
"Is that what girls wear?"
Ashleigh stared at me. "Well . . . yeah."
"Looks good. We'll take it," Xander said.
Ashleigh looked over at him. "What size is she?"
"Small."
She nodded and dug through the racks, pulling out another one of the same dress and same sweater. She handed them to me. I smiled.
"Thanks for your help."
"No problem. Thanks for shopping at Target." She smiled a fake looking smile and walked away.
We walked back over to the aisles where we'd seen soap and picked up toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a brush for Eden. The hotel had all the other stuff we needed, and we didn't want to waste any money unnecessarily.
Our last stop was the food department. We looked around, confused about what everything was. I wanted to pick things up and read about them, but we didn't have time right now and although it was supposedly the food department, half the stuff didn't resemble food at all. Finally, we settled on a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a bag of apples.
We returned to the front of the store where we had seen people paying for their items and followed along behind a mom with two kids sitting in her cart. We watched as she put everything on the counter and then the counter moved her things right to the clerk's hand.
"Whoa!" Xander said, his eyes widening as he looked at me. I just nodded, my eyes wide as well.
I looked up at the clerk who had her eyes narrowed on us as she ran each item over a machine that beeped loudly.
When it was our turn, we did the same and watched as the clerk bagged our items, our heads moving back and forth as each item was pulled forward.
"One hundred fourteen and thirty-six cents," the clerk said, her eyes narrowed on us. We were obviously doing something wrong again.
"I added it all up in my head and I thought it only came to a hundred five or so," Xander said out of the corner of his mouth.
"Tax," the clerk said, overhearing him.
"Oh," Xander said back. "Right. Tax. Yeah, I forgot about the tax."
"We've never been in a Target before," I explained. Xander sighed and shook his head.
The clerk stared at us. "You boys Amish or something?"
"Yup," Xander said, handing over our money. We'd just spent practically every cent of it.
The clerk nodded knowingly. "I thought so. I watch those shows." She took our money and put it in the drawer and scooped out some change.
"Oh, uh, that's good," Xander said, clearly confused.
I laughed. I couldn't help it.
"You'll do fine," she said, giving us a smile and handing Xander the change. "Good-looking boys like you, you just ask for help if you need it, m’kay?" She winked at us.
"Thanks," Xander said, staring back at her for a minute. "Oh hey, we're looking for a place to pawn jewelry. Can you tell us where to go?"
The clerk furrowed her brow. "Well, I can't say exactly, but if you walk about a quarter mile in that direction," she pointed her finger out the doors in front of us, "you'll run into a neighborhood that most likely has a dozen of those."
"Right. Okay, thanks."
Outside Target, we sat on a bench and unpackaged our shoes and put them on. They felt incredible. I could practically hear my blisters sighing in happiness.
We walked in the direction the clerk had pointed us and about ten minutes later, the buildings started looking more rundown, and groups of people stood on street corners, some laughing and others just seeming to mill around. Xander and I didn't talk. We were so busy looking around, taking everything in, trying to understand how the big society that we were now a part of, worked. I thought I had understood a lot of it from the people who talked about the lives they'd lived before Acadia, but being among it was a completely different experience.
"Look," Xander said, pointing his finger across the street. I turned my head to see a giant sign that said, "PAWN SHOP." I couldn't help laughing softly. "Well that's not easy to miss. Come on."
We crossed the street and entered the shop and went to the counter. A man came out from the back. "Can I help you?"
Xander took the piece of jewelry he'd brought out of his pocket and put it on the counter. "I want to sell this."
The man picked up the heavy chain and looked it over, squinting his eyes and rolling the small stick in his mouth. My heart picked up in speed. What if this didn't work? We'd have basically no cash left.
"You got ID?"
"No, all our stuff got stolen," Xander said.
The man studied him. "You need an ID to pawn something in my shop."
Xander blinked at him, opening his mouth and then closing it as he looked down at the chain in the man's hand.
"But I'll buy it from you, no ID required."
I wasn't too stupid to see we were about to be cheated. "How much?" I asked.
"Five hundred dollars."
Which meant it was probably worth four times that. "We'll take it," Xander said. I nodded. What other choice did we have? Plus, we had some more. Maybe Kristi would help us out next time and we'd get a fairer price.
The guy nodded and went to the back. When he came back out, he counted out five one hundred dollar bills and put them down on the counter. "Nice doing business with you boys," he said, looking to the side and belching.
I grimaced and pulled Xander's arm as he picked up the cash. He put it in his pocket and we walked to the door. I kept having the feeling someone was going to reach out and pull us back, so when we let the heavy door close behind us, I let my breath out in relief.
"Let's get back," I said, suddenly not liking the feel of this particular neighborhood. Xander seemed to feel the same way as he looked around nervously.
We walked back to the hotel, moving as quickly as possible.
Being in the city with cars racing by us, sudden noises I wasn't acquainted with, shouts of people I didn't know, eyes of strangers on me, caused a brief longing for Acadia and all I was familiar with. It was confusing since I'd wanted so badly to experience the outside world and now here I was doing that. But inside, I longed for the familiar, for the things and surroundings that made me feel confident and in control, for the way of life I understood.
Eden, I needed Eden, my comfort, my purpose, the other half of my heart. I picked up speed and Xander jogged to catch up with me, not asking any questions, seeming to understand why I was in such a hurry.

**********

Xander used the key to open the hotel room door and I practically pushed him aside to get through. "Eden?"
All the curtains were open, showing the night sky. The beds were made and everything looked like it'd been straightened. But where was Eden? "Eden?" I called again.
I dropped all the bags in my hands on the bed, my heart rate starting to increase.
"In here," she called, walking out of the bathroom. I breathed out, putting my hand over my chest.
I rushed toward her and picked her up in my arms and she laughed as I squeezed her tight.
"Success?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said, burying my nose in her fragrant neck. I drew in her scent, feeling at peace. "We got money and clothes and food."
Eden sucked in a breath. "Big success. Let me see. Oh, and I'm starving. Feed me."
I laughed and put her down, leaning back to open the bag with the food in it.
As I got all the food out, Eden went back in the bathroom. When she came out a few minutes later wearing the small sundress and sweater, I stopped what I was doing and simply stared. Her slim, but shapely legs were fully on view, and the fitted sundress showed her curves, her creamy cleavage on view at the top. I raised my eyes to look at her face and she was biting her lip, waiting for me to speak. "You look beautiful," I said. "Almost too beautiful. I'm going to have to get used to the way people dress out here."
Eden let out a breath and smiled, looking down at the bright fabric and raising her eyebrows. "Me, too."
I looked back at Xander and he was staring at Eden, too, a small smile on his face. "Whoa," he said. When he saw me looking at him, the smile vanished. "It's really . . . bright, that's all."
I looked back at Eden and she started laughing first, and I couldn't help but to join her.
We sat down on the bed and ate bread, broken off pieces of cheese, and apples. We told Eden about our "adventures" in the aisles of Target and the pawnshop.
As Eden and Xander laughed and chatted about something, I chewed my apple and watched them, a small smile on my face. Whatever happened from here on out, whatever struggles we had, I'd never forget this moment. For some reason, it felt important to take a mental picture that very second. I shook my head slightly, and focused back in on their conversation.
"I'm gonna try Kristi now," Xander said. "Eden, will you walk me through this phone thing?"
Eden and Xander went over to the phone on the bedside table while I cleaned up the food.
I looked back when I heard Xander say, "Kristi?"
Eden came over and wrapped her arms around me from behind and nuzzled her face into my back. I turned around and gathered her in my arms, kissing the top of her head as I listened to Xander give Kristi a brief breakdown on what had happened since yesterday. Had it only been yesterday? It seemed incomprehensible that life had changed so much in twenty-four hours.
"Yeah," Xander said, "okay . . . right. Half an hour? Okay, yeah."
I looked at him questioningly over Eden's head.
Xander hung up the phone and stood there for a second, looking at the wall. Finally, he turned toward us. "Kristi's going to pick us up in half an hour. She said the police were all over the ranger station today asking about Eden."
Cold dread ran down my spine.
"She said we're not safe here at a hotel, especially one of the first ones at the entrance to the city."
I nodded and Eden stood back. "Right. Okay," I said, starting to gather up our stuff. "Is it safe to go to Kristi's house?"
"Probably safer than here. She suggested we get out of town as quickly as possible."
"Out of town?" Eden asked stuffing things into the canvas bag we'd brought.
"Yeah. We can ask her when she picks us up."
"Can we get our money back for the room?" Eden asked.
Xander shook his head. "We have a thousand dollars now with Kristi's money. I don't think it's worth drawing attention to ourselves right now."
We were packed up in ten minutes and watched the clock for the next twenty. I paced while Xander and Eden sat on the bed watching me. The police were looking for Eden, which meant Hector had called them. I didn't know why I had doubted he'd call the authorities. True, Eden was a minor, for now, but she wouldn't be for long. And Hector had always seemed so adamant about keeping our community separate from the big community, operated by its own laws. The laws of the gods as spoken to him.
A few minutes later, we were stepping out onto the street. A small, red car pulled up to the curb and a pretty woman, with dark-blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail, was stepping out. She immediately went to Xander and gave him a hug.
"Kristi, this is Calder and Eden," Xander said, opening the back door so we could get in.
Kristi's eyes widened as she held out her hand to me. "Wow. Okay," she said, almost so I didn't hear. I frowned in confusion. Then she turned to Eden and shook her hand, smiling warmly at her.
We all got in the car, and Kristi turned around and instructed us on how to attach the seatbelt. I grabbed Eden's hand.
Kristi pulled the car back onto the road and I sat back, looking nervously out the window as the buildings flew by. My heart picked up in speed and I tightened my grip on Eden's hand. She squeezed it back and gave me a reassuring smile.
"So," Kristi said from the front seat, "you guys really did it. You made a break for it."
Xander chuckled from the front seat. "Yeah, we were kind of forced to."
Kristi looked over at him and furrowed her brow. "You did the right thing, Xander."
"Gods, I hope so," Xander muttered.
"God, singular," Kristi said, grinning at him.
"Right." He looked back over his shoulder at Eden and me. "I forgot to mention to you guys, in the big society, people pray to a god, singular. There aren't plural gods like in Acadia."
"Yes . . . I think I remember that," Eden said. Her eyes got big. "Which one is it?" she asked, sitting forward. I smiled over at her. I knew which one she was hoping for.
"Uh, just, you know, the creator of the universe," Kristi said, looking in her mirror at us and shrugging. "But there's also Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad . . . Allah. Different people, different religions and cultures pray to different gods, or prophets, or whatever. But only one . . . generally."
Eden sat back, a dissatisfied look on her face. I looked at her and grinned and squeezed her hand again. Gods, I loved her. God, I loved her.
"So," I said, "Xander mentioned that you thought we should leave town."
Kristi nodded her head. "If it were me, I would. The police came to the ranger station today, said you were an underage runaway, Eden, and they were looking for you. Obviously I didn't say anything about ever having seen any of you." She glanced at Xander. "But I'd get far away from here if I were you." She paused. "If you decide not to, I know some people who I'm sure would help you get a start here. But I encourage you to get far away."
"Where should we go?" Xander asked.
"Well, that's up to you guys. You don't know anyone at all?"
We all shook our heads. "No one except you," Xander said.
"Which, by the way," I said, "we can't thank you enough, Kristi. I don't know where we'd be if Xander hadn't met you, and without your help."
Kristi looked in her mirror at me and seemed to blush slightly. "Hey, if I were in your position, I'd hope someone would help me, too."
I nodded, not completely understanding her meaning.
"Speaking of help, we have some more jewelry we were hoping you could help us sell," Xander said.
"That's no problem," Kristi said. "I've sold gold before. It's easy. And there are plenty of reputable places."
"Yeah," Xander said, "I don't think the place we went to yesterday was very reputable."
Kristi looked at Xander a little confused and laughed softly. "You'll have to tell me about it." She pulled into a parking lot, turned off the car, and got out. We followed with our meager possessions.
We walked behind Kristi down a path and up a stairway and watched as she took out a key and opened a door that had "8C" on it in a chipped gold paint.
Kristi shut the door behind us and we all looked around at the apartment. In addition to the large pieces of furniture, there were boxes piled up against one wall.
"I know it's small," Kristi said, looking embarrassed. "And you guys know I'm moving in a couple weeks, so . . ."
I looked at Xander and we both started laughing.
"What?" Kristi asked.
I knew it was rude, but I couldn't get a hold of my laughter, and Xander apparently couldn't either as we both doubled over, clutching our stomachs. It was almost as if the stress of the last few days crumbled our self-control.
"Don't mind them," I heard Eden say. "It's just they both grew up in a whole cabin about an eighth of this size." I was still laughing, but I had to admit I was proud of her fraction usage in ordinary conversation. I had taught her that.
We both straightened up. "Sorry, sorry," I said, containing myself. "Kristi, to us, this is a palace, I swear. You have no idea."
Kristi grinned and laughed, too, rolling her eyes. "Okay, then, you're going to be really excited about this. Calder and Eden, you have a whole room to yourselves right through there. Xander, you get the couch."
"Story of my life," Xander said, throwing our stuff down on the large brown piece of furniture. I chuckled and pushed him slightly, which he took good-naturedly.
"So guys, I know it's still early," Kristi said, "but I'm going to turn in because I have class really early and tomorrow is my last day of work at the ranger station." She yawned. "But help yourselves to anything in my kitchen and we'll talk more tomorrow about your plan. The thing you're all going to need is IDs. But, we'll discuss that. Also, Xander, leave the rest of the jewelry on the coffee table there. I'll grab it in the morning and stop at a jewelry store on my way home from work."
I nodded. "Hey, thanks again, Kristi, for everything." I reached out to shake her hand, not knowing exactly what to do. She smiled and shook my hand, blushing slightly.
She smiled at Xander and Eden who thanked her, too, and we all said goodnight.
I took Eden by the hand and pulled her into the room that Kristi had pointed us to. There was nothing except a mattress sitting on a metal frame, made up with sheets and a blanket folded up at the end of the bed.
I took Eden's face in my hands and kissed her long and deep. I couldn't believe we were in a room together, and could simply enjoy each other so freely. The feeling was incredible.
"Your bed is my bed now," she whispered.
"Forever. From this day forward, we'll never sleep apart again."
There was peacefulness in Eden's smile. I loved seeing her smile like that. As I watched her, she covered her mouth to hide a yawn. "Sorry, I have no idea why I'm still so tired."
"Because you went through a really scary experience and then walked twenty miles practically barefoot." I raised one brow. "Let's get a really good night's sleep and then we'll get up early and figure things out."
Eden nodded, biting her lip. "Do you really think we should leave here right away?"
I considered it for a second, taking my bottom lip under my teeth. "Yeah, I think so."
"Your parents . . ." she said, looking up at me with those trusting, deep blue eyes.
My chest tightened and I breathed out. "Someday . . . maybe we'll go back . . . for now, I have a life to build for us. That's my focus, my only focus."
Eden nodded, still frowning slightly.
I leaned forward and kissed her lips gently again. "You go use the bathroom first."
"Okay."
Eden took her turn in the bathroom, using the products we'd bought, and then I took mine, using toothpaste for the very first time in my life. It was overly sweet and tasted odd to me, but after I'd brushed, I loved the slightly minty taste in my mouth.
When I got back to the room, Eden was already under the covers, half asleep. I stripped off my clothes and joined her, taking her in my arms, feeling her warmth envelop me, her sweet smell surround me. Our hands started roaming, but we must have been overly tired because the next thing I knew, the first dim light of dawn was streaming through the edges of the shades on the windows and I heard the faint sounds of birds chirping outside the glass.

**********

A little later in the morning, after getting some quick instructions from Kristi as she was on her way out the door, Xander and I left the apartment to see what we could do about getting a copy of our birth certificates for ID purposes, and to find out about bus tickets. I left Eden curled up in bed, her long hair spread over the pillow, her breathing smooth and even. We'd agreed the night before she'd stay in the safety of Kristi's apartment while Xander and I went out. It made me breathe easier. Plus, the only one being looked for was Eden. Both Xander and I were of legal age.
We stepped back through the apartment door at three thirty. "Eden?" I called, Xander shutting the door behind us.
"Right here," she called out quietly. I hadn't even seen her curled up in a chair on the opposite side of the couch, books scattered all around her.
A grin spread across my face, despite the fact I didn't have much good news to give to her. I'd missed her, and I'd allowed myself to miss her. I'd never willingly done that before, it'd never been safe to do that, but now. . . Now everything was different.
Eden started standing up, her face flushed and her eyes bright. She looked . . . feverish. I stopped. "Are you okay?"
She nodded and set down the book she had in her hands and walked over to me, grabbed my hand and started to walk toward our room. "Hi, Xander," she called, pulling me.
I looked back at Xander, confused and Xander shrugged, picking up a small black controller and pressing a button. "Television," he called behind me. "I watched some last night. You've gotta check this out."
"Okay, we'll be out in a few," I called, closing the door behind us. Eden turned toward me, lifting the bottom of my shirt. "Whoa, hi." I laughed, letting her pull my T-shirt up and over my head. She smiled up at me and then stood back, just staring at my chest.
"You have a beautiful body, Calder. It's . . . so manly, and," she ran her hands up my chest, "sexy." She leaned in and kissed my skin, dragging her tongue around one nipple.
I groaned, hardening. That was one thing about jeans—they didn't allow much . . . expansion. "Uh, Eden, this isn't unwelcome, but what exactly have you been doing for the last several hours?"
She leaned back and looked up at me. "I've been reading." She sighed, looking somewhere behind me. "Beautiful love stories about people destined to be together."
I raised an eyebrow. "People? What people?"
Eden brought her hands down my arms and then started unbuttoning my pants. All thoughts fled my brain. Who cared what she had been doing? If this was the result, I wanted her to do more of it.
She pulled my zipper down, dragged my pants down my hips, and let them fall to the floor. I kicked them aside and her eyes went to my straining erection, and her eyes seemed to grow even glassier as she reached out and stroked me once. I sucked in a breath.
"Lord Darkhaven and Lady Flowervale."
I had started leaning forward to kiss her and paused. "Dark what and Lady who?"
Eden laughed softly. "Lawrence and Elinor." She sighed, a dreamy look washing over her face. I was completely lost. She stroked me again and I groaned.
I leaned forward and took her face in my hands and kissed her lips. She immediately opened and our tongues met, the fresh taste of her bursting across my tongue, filling my mouth. She groaned and my entire body, my heart, my mind, they were focused on one thing and one thing only: Eden. She kissed me like she hadn't seen me for decades. She kissed me like I had just come home from war, unexpectedly alive and unharmed. Whatever I have to do to keep this girl kissing me like this every day of my life, that's what I'll do, my lust-fogged brain somehow pieced together.
I walked her backward to the bed and we both went down on it, my mouth coming off hers as she laughed. I grinned, too, and then began kissing the smooth, fragrant skin of her neck, inhaling apple blossoms and springtime.
"I love love," she moaned out. "I love you. I love being yours."
"I love you, too," I said, between kisses. "I love being yours."
Eden pushed me and I rolled over onto my back and she climbed on top of me, nestling my erection right against her core. My thoughts started to dim again.
She leaned down and kissed my neck and then reached a hand down and stroked her hand up and down my erection. "That feels so good," I moaned out. "Don't stop."
She stroked me for another minute and then leaned back a little and used her other hand to cup and fondle my balls. I sucked in a breath and my eyes opened. Eden's eyes met mine and widened, as a pink tinge rose in her cheeks. "Do you like that?" she asked.
My mouth opened but no sound came out. I simply nodded, doing whatever I needed to do so she didn't stop.
Eden's eyes were focused on me, and the dreamy smile only made me harder.
"Tell me about this book you read today," I said, my voice raspy. I was thinking that as soon as I had a job and was bringing in some money, I'd ration my food to buy her more of these books.
Eden stood up and quickly removed her clothes as I watched. I started to sit up so I could touch her, but she pushed me back down gently. "Lawrence, brave and noble lord, dark-haired and strong, just like you," she said, as she climbed on top of me and took me in her hand again. I fell back on the bed, my erection throbbing in her hand.
"Eden . . ." I groaned.
"I know," she said, "I want you, too. I've wanted you all day. I've been feverish with it, ever since Lord Darkhaven took Lady Elinor's maidenhead on the kitchen table of the servant's cottage."
"Maidenhead?" I groaned out.
Eden nodded. "Lady Elinor was hiding as a servant from the evil Duke of Wallington."
She sat up slightly and guided me to her opening. My vision grew blurry as I watched the tip of my penis enter her slowly. She stopped moving and I groaned, a sound of desperation and need.
Eden closed her eyes and lowered herself on me, the wet warmth of her squeezing me so tightly, I thought I could easily pass out from the pleasure. "Mmm," she murmured, and started moving slowly, her eyes still closed and her head tilted back.
"But he found her, anyway, and he captured her."
I tried to remember what we'd been talking about, who "he" was, but my thoughts were all blurry, my brain cells not firing properly.
Eden's nipples tightened and she moaned, and the sight of her, along with the feel of her wet friction, was almost torturous. I gripped her hips, but resisted guiding her. I wanted to see what she was going to do. I wanted to see her move in the way that pleasured her the most.
She came up and down on me a little faster and each time she came down, she let out a little gasp of pleasure. She reached her own hands up and touched her nipples and I had to close my eyes for a second not to climax right then and there. "Eden," I groaned, "I can't . . . you're—"
"What feels good to you?" she asked on a breath, her eyes fluttering closed, and her full lips parting. She was exquisite.
"It all feels good to me, Eden. At this point, anything you do feels good. Move the way you like."
"Just a second . . . oh, you feel good, too," she breathed. "Lady Elinor was right. This is very good." My vision blurred even further and I felt my own climax swirling through my abdomen. I held it back, gritting my teeth. Then, thank the gods, Eden started moving faster and crying out my name. She fell forward on top of me, gasping one final time as she moaned and pressed into me.
I flipped her over in one swift movement so she was on her back and I thrust into her hard and deep, my toes curling as the bliss spiked through my body. My own pleasure hit me, hard and intense, stars bursting before my eyes as I jerked and swelled inside her and pulled out just in time for my seed to spill on her stomach. I groaned into her neck, rolling my hips lazily, milking the last little bit of my climax. I couldn't wait for the day it would be safe to come inside of her. But for now, I couldn't risk that.
We lay there together, my head right under Eden's chin, turned to the side. "But valiant Lord Darkhaven rode his trusted steed over mountains and through valleys, through the blackest of nights to rescue Lady Flowervale. And even though there was a twist, and they found out that Lord Darkhaven wasn't actually a lord at all, but a penniless pauper without a title or a castle, or even a shilling to his name," Eden ran a hand through my hair as my head cleared and my breathing slowed, "Lady Elinor chose him anyway because he was her one true love."
I lifted my head and looked up at her, my eyes widened as tears came to her eyes, one escaping down her cheek. "‘Lawrence,’" she whispered, bringing her other hand to her chest, "‘whether a lord or a pauper, a prince or a guttersnipe, I worship you and no other. Until there is no breath in my body and my bones have turned to dust, you, my love, you and no other.’"
She let out a breath and beamed at me as more tears flowed down her cheeks. I was utterly at a loss of what to say to the beautiful girl under me who I loved fiercely and yet was completely confused by. Maybe there was a good reason Hector had banned fictional books so long ago.
"I know it's just a story," Eden said, swiping at her cheeks, "but it made me believe that things can turn out okay in the end. Even when everything looks to be a mess—and you're not sure how or why or where to turn—that with love, everything will be okay, that we'll be okay. It gave me hope."
I let out a breath and smiled at her. "Morning Glory," I murmured. "Where do you find your strength?"
"From you," she whispered, running one finger over my lips.
We rolled to the side, so that we were facing each other on the bed, and I ran my hand down her long hair, working out the tangles we'd created.
"Tell me about today," she said softly.
I let out a breath. "No luck today. There doesn't seem to be any record of our births. Kristi thought there might be since we were registered in school, but evidently, after our birth at Acadia, no birth certificates were obtained. We're not sure how it all works—we're trying to figure it out. But until we do we're not gonna be able to work anywhere that requires identification, so no restaurants or stores. Xander and I have some ideas though, so I don't want you to worry, all right?"
Eden smiled a gentle smile. "I'm not worried. I know things are going to be okay."
I winked at her. "Right, Lord Dark . . ."
"Haven," she continued. "Yes, Lord Darkhaven." She grinned. "I pictured him to look just like you, only his hair curled up over his collar, in a rakish fashion."
I laughed. "I don't know what a 'rakish fashion' is exactly, but if growing my hair gets me more of what we just did, then . . ."
Eden laughed. "I think it just might." She put her head back down on my chest and I felt her smiling against my skin. I almost jolted from the wave of protectiveness I felt as I brought my hand up to run through my hair. Sometimes my love for her was almost too much for me; it made me feel I was bleeding inside. My beautiful girl, I said in my head. I will protect your sweet and hopeful heart. I vow to shield you from any ugliness in this world, and always be your shelter in the storm.
"What should we do for dinner?" Eden asked.
"Are you hungry?"
She nodded. "I worked up an appetite."
I smiled again. I had liked how she worked up her appetite. "Then let's get you some food. Kristi should be home soon, too. Hopefully she was able to sell our gold." I paused. "I feel like a pirate every time I say that."
Eden laughed. "I think Kristi had a book with a pirate in it out there. That'll be next on my reading list."
I grinned. "I support that plan."
She laughed back. We remained lying there enjoying the feel of being in each other's arms, the quiet around us, the knowledge no one was going to try to separate us, and that we would sleep tonight and every night from here forward, just like this.

**********

An hour later, Eden, Xander and I had all showered. Xander was turning television stations, showing us how it worked. It was loud and bright and too much seemed to be going on for me to focus. "Turn it off," I said, grimacing and turning away.
"You don't like it?" he asked, incredulous, pressing buttons on the controller again.
"No."
The door opened and Kristi walked in, smiling happily at us. "Hey guys," she said, closing the door behind her. "Good news. I have cash for you. Over a thousand."
"Holy hell. You're kidding," Xander exclaimed, clicking the television off and standing up.
"Yup. Here you go." Kristi grinned, handing cash to Xander.
"Well, let's celebrate," Xander said. "Dinner is on us." His face went serious. "Wait, how much is dinner?"
Kristi laughed. "We'll go somewhere very affordable."
"Okay, and hey, we don't need your money now."
"Well, you're getting it anyway," Kristi said, winking. "I just wish I could give you more. Let me freshen up and we'll get going."
Xander, Eden and I grinned at each other. Things were falling into place. "What do you think, Lady Flowervale?"
Eden grinned. "I think we're gonna be just fine, Lord Darkhaven."
"Ready?" Kristi asked, coming out of her room.
"Yup," I said, taking Eden's hand in mine.
We walked down Kristi's stairs, chatting and laughing. When we turned the corner to the parking lot, a police car rolled slowly to a stop. A police officer stepped out of the passenger side to our right, his hand on the gun at his belt. I squeezed Eden's hand more tightly, adrenaline streaking through my system. "It's okay," I breathed, "just follow my lead. Maybe they'll help us."
I looked behind me. There was nothing except a solid, concrete wall.
Eden nodded, her eyes filled with terror.
That's when the officer driving the car stepped out and turned toward us.
It was Clive Richter.