“Why did North have to bring that thing along?” She rounded on him. “I thought you neededmeto find the Stone, not the scroll. Tell him to take it away.”
She pivoted for her walk-a-thon again. He grabbed her arms, holding her still. “We didn’t bring the scroll. It’s at Exilum.”
“Well, you brought something. One of you did.”
The iridescent spray of water falling into the fountain beckoned her. Eve pushed away from him and walked straight into the man-made rain. Cool and soothing, it flowed over her heated body to wash away the sweat and sloshed into her sneakers, drenching her sore feet. She sighed in pleasure.
But the humming grew louder. She stared up at the statue of Christopher Columbus then walked around it and stopped in front of the angel on the lower base. A sudden buzz whined through her, coalescing. The circle of water she stood in started to spin—or was that her?
“Eve!” Reynner’s yell came from a great distance. A sudden burst of power—a light erupted from somewhere deep inside her and sent her flying backward into the shallow water.
A loud noise. Something shattered. Debris rained over her as she fell, her head hitting the mosaic tiles in the fountain. Dark spots danced in front of her vision. Pain rippled in her skull as the water and darkness cascaded over her…
***
With inhuman speed, Reynner appeared at Eve’s side, the water from the burst pipe drenching him. What the hell happened? One minute he’d been watching her, and the next, she was flying backwards as a powerful light exploded from her.
He kneeled beside her and scanned for injuries. North and Aerén appeared beside him as he examined the back of her head with his hands. But there was no bump or any other damages.
Dripping wet, Reynner carried her out of the fountain, circled the smattering of curious onlookers, and sat on the low wall, cradling her on his lap. He inhaled a sharp breath at the scorching pain inside his chest. And tightened his psychic shields so it had no chance of seeping through their mating bond and hurting Eve.
North and Aerén flanked him, their clothes equally soaked. They scanned the place, keeping inquisitive humans away and clearing their minds of Eve glowing like a lightbulb. And maintained vigilant guard while the crowds gathered to stare at the ruined fountain.
“I haven't found any reason for this,” North murmured, eyes narrowing.
“No,” Aerén agreed, looking equally concerned. “Or any unexplained Others here.”
Reynner carefully touched Eve’s mind with his. Now that her shields weren’t up, he saw images…mostly of him, but he saw the past, too. A different time…her parents in a vehicle, a white, oval rock hurtling toward them. A burst of light. Splintering glass as the windshield shattered…
Dread grabbed him in a chokehold.Fuck, no!
TheStonehad caused the accident?
Oh, shit, this was so fucking bad.
More worrying, the artifact was no longer whole, but in fragments. And Eve, he realized in shock, was part of that equation.
Feeling like he’d been run over by a tanker, he rasped, “There is no Stone—Eve is the source.”
“What in Urias’s name are you talking about?” Aerén snapped in irritation. “We’ve been hunting for that relic for centuries, and now you say there’s nothing.”
“What do you mean she’s the source?” North asked, his attention sliding back to Eve.
His attention fixed on his mate who lay so still in his arms; Reynner brushed her damp hair away from her face. “Eve is the one. I should have known, suspected, since she possesses magic in her blood.”
“Reyn, for Urias’s sake, just spit it out,” Aerén barked.
In a daze, he explained, “After Eve made contact with the scroll, she had to come back to this precise place where the crash occurred for the Stone’spower to resurrect.” Then he told them about what he’d seen in her memories, about the accident that had killed Eve’s parents, the Stone crashing into their vehicle—the reason for the tragedy. “It seems residue of the magic attached itself to the monument, which would explain why Eve reacted the way she did. The power recognized her and probably linked to her.”
“Hell’s shit,” Aerén muttered. “Once Eve knows, we’re so screwed.”
Reynner pressed a troubled kiss to her brow. “Not a word to her,” he warned. “I have to be the one to tell her—to explain.”
How did he inform his mate his world was responsible for the pain she’d suffered, for the loss of her parents?
A hand stroking his face brought him back. He found her watching him with those beautiful dark green eyes. Relief flowed through him and he pushed his worries aside for now. Smiled. “Eve.”
“Why are you all wet?” She brushed the water dripping from his hair onto his face.
