Everdark

Seth turned his head.

“No dropping,” he whispered. “I got Phin and Mrs. Dupré. You take Luc.”

“And now they know our master plan,” I hissed. “Clear your mind, Bro. They freaking cheat.”

All the Duprés on the beach laughed, and in the next breath, Phin and Luc lunged.

Seth leapt; I crouched. After that, I could keep track only of what I did and hoped my brother could handle himself. Luc got too close; I relieved him of three lower body blades before he realized it. I heard the whir of another rubber blade through the air and I turned, gauged the weight and distance of the sound, then raised my hand and caught the blade Elise had thrown by the hilt. Three more followed, rapid-fire, and with a speed that amazed even me, I caught each one and flung it into the sand before the next one reached me. Luc lunged again. I leapt over him, grabbed the blade sheathed at his shoulder, and landed in the sand behind him. A dull pain in my thigh made me drop. Luc had thrown the one remaining blade at his hip at me. Prick. I winced, and he grinned. Good thing I healed fast these days. Whatever bruise appeared would be gone within an hour. And because of my mixed Arcos blood, my own wasn’t quite as potent as it was before. In other words, the Duprés didn’t continuously want to latch on to a major artery as much as before. Lucky me. I turned to watch my brother.

Seth jumped over Phin and had both his shouldered blades flung into the sand. Phin already had the rest of his blades removed. Seth landed, swept Phin’s shins with blinding speed, and had those blades out of their sheaths, too. I blinked, and by the time my eyes focused again on my brother, he was circling Elise. The intense look of concentration, determination, and intimidation on his face was more than shocking. Seth was a guy raised to respect not only his elders, but all women. Presently, he looked as though he wanted to take down little Elise Dupré in her pressed white Bermudas and pink toenails.

By now, the crowd gathered at the surf had come closer, and the boys who had once been almost-newlings cheered and whistled as Seth and Elise circled each other. Jack and Tuba, Zetty, Estelle and Preacher, as well as Eli, Gilles, and Josie, drew close. Elise still had two blades—one on her hip, the other on her shoulder. With wicked speed, she whipped the hip blade at my brother. He crouched, reached up, and grabbed it, in midair. The boys hollered.

In the next instant, Elise threw the last blade, and this time, Seth wasn’t as lucky. It nailed his shoulder, and I winced as he did. Then, so fast, swear to God, he lunged at Elise, grabbed the blade before it landed on the ground, and hit her full force, taking her to the sand and flat onto her back. He had the blade in his hand, the tip at her throat.

Wow. Freaking, wow.

The Lord of the Flies boys cheered, and I glanced at Eli. He gave an approving nod. I couldn’t see his eyes—they were covered by his shades—but I’d be willing to bet they shined with pride for my brother.

“Hey, punk,” Luc said, pulling my thoughts back. “Get your ass off my mother.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Dupré,” Seth said, jumping off Elise and extending a hand to help her up. She took it, and his cheeks turned red.

“Well done, sweetheart,” she said, brushing off her sandy backside. She put a hand on his bare shoulder. “You sincerely impress me.”

Phin propped an elbow on top of my shoulder and leaned close. “Your brother has serious gifts,” he said. “Not many can best my mother.”

I smiled. “It’s his extreme Southern mannerisms that make him so deceiving. I bet Elise wouldn’t allow it to happen again.”

Phin grinned. “You’re probably right.” He glanced down at my thigh. “How’s the leg?”

I followed his gaze to the place where Luc’s blade had hit my thigh. I shrugged it off. “Barely hurts at all.” The red splotch had started to turn purple. It wouldn’t last long.

Had I been there, I’d never have allowed that blade, rubber or not, to reach your beautiful body.

I jerked my head around. So profound was Victorian’s voice, it’d sounded as though he was standing right beside me. He, of course, wasn’t. I’d known from his last message that he’d be back. I pushed my thoughts, and his voice, out of my head—for now, anyway. My eyes cast around the gathering. No one looked concerned. No one but I heard the voice inside my head. I wondered why Eli couldn’t. He and the other Duprés could read my thoughts. How was it they couldn’t hear Victorian?

Because, love. It is I injecting your mind with my thoughts. They’re mine alone, meant only for you. See the power I possess?

“Go for a walk with me?” Eli said, suddenly behind me, his arms snaking around my waist. He pulled me close. “I’m a little tired of sharing you with the whole Dupré family.”

“Some would call that stingy,” Phin said.

Eli led me away. “I’ve been called worse.”

I glanced over my shoulder as we walked, shrugging off Victorian’s voice in my head. My vision caught my brother. Seth waved. “See ya, Ri.” I smiled back. “Later, Bro.” I’d been a little clingy with him, once I’d awakened this last time. The impact of what could have truly happened to Seth hit me hard, and I was petrified that I’d lose him. Estelle had been the one to tell me to back off a bit, and with only a little resistance, I had. God, I just loved him so much. The pain and fear I’d gone through when the Arcos brothers had taken him almost did me in. I’d worried until I was sick from it. Damn, I couldn’t help it. He was my brother. But I’d chillaxed a bit since, and I trusted him. I mean, Jesus. He could fight like something out of a movie. It was amazing to watch.

“Are you going to make me interact with you through your thoughts,” Eli said, his mouth brushing my ear, “or what?”

I stared at him.

“Supper in thirty minutes, da both of you,” Estelle called after us. I glanced over my shoulder at her and the setting sun gleamed off her flawless dark skin. “I mean dat, girl.” She grinned.

“Yes, ma’am,” I answered, and threw her a smile. “We’ll be back.”

“Hmm, you’d better. Naughty child,” she answered, then turned and headed up the beach with the rest.

“Do you know what I can do to you in thirty minutes?” Eli whispered against the skin of my throat as we walked. His hands caressed the bare skin of my exposed stomach, grazed my belly button, slipped below the waist of my board shorts, then skimmed upward and gently tugged at the string tie holding my bikini top together. His lips moved down my neck and over my shoulder, and I shivered.

“All talk and no action, Dupré?” Completely turned on and burning at his touch, I egged him on, bending my head to the side as Eli’s mouth moved against my skin. I grabbed his ass. “God, do you seriously need thirty minutes—”

So fast, my head spun, Eli whipped me around to face him. The waning afternoon sun behind him, he looked down at me, a small shift in breeze rustling his tousled hair. Blue eyes, dark with desire, stared so hard at me, I thought he would devour me, right there. “Trust me,” he said, his voice low. “I want to.” He slipped his hands over my waist, my buttocks, and pulled me against him. He was already hard, and he throbbed against me, the seam of my board shorts grazing just the right spot. I gasped. “Come.” He grabbed my hand and pulled.

“Oh, don’t worry,” I promised, allowing Eli to drag me fast up the beach, putting distance between us and the others. “I will.”

There really was nowhere else for us to go but the water; the small barrier island was void of most maritime forest, and what little of it there was housed Preacher and Estelle, and the rest of the camp. That left either the wide-open beach, or the water.

Eli read my thoughts; he pulled me into the warm surf, let my hand loose, and dove under. I did the same, and we both broke the surface. Eli glided to me, gathered me, and lifted my hips, pulling me onto his lap. Beneath the water, his fingers kneaded my lower back, and I draped my arms around his neck. For several seconds, we simply stared, the rising tide lapping at our skin, and he studied me with such intensity, I nearly looked away.

“Don’t,” he said, grasping my jaw to make sure my gaze remained on his. “Look at me, Riley.”

I did, and my heart skipped a beat. It was almost a painful act to accomplish, fully looking upon him. Eli’s beauty was so great; it literally stunned me every time my eyes raked over his features and his body. With his hair wet and sideswept, and water glistening off his lean frame, my breath involuntarily hitched.

“Yeah,” he said so softly, I barely heard him. “That’s what you do to me, too.” He tucked a loose wet strand of hair behind my ear. “I can’t get you off my mind. Ever. You’re all I think about.”