God.” Eva rubbed her eyes. Could this
day get any more bizarre? “I’m so sorry. That’s crazy.”
“Oh please, don’t apologize. It was great! I gave a mini-press
conference. I was very professional. They asked me about the Spiders and I
described the attack. No big deal.” She paused and Eva could hear her take a
deep breath. “Except, I need to know that you’re really okay. I know you checked in with me earlier, but tell me the truth. How are you
holding up?”
Eva debated what to tell her. Screw it, she decided. If
I can’t talk to my best friend, who can I talk to? “I don’t know, Lucy. He
said he brought me here because it was the safest place, but can I trust him?
It all happened so fast.”
“Girl, he’s a Sentry. Protection is what he does,” Lucy said,
surety in her voice. “And also, I saw the way he looked at you. He’s got it
bad. And isn’t Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome why you dragged
us back here in the first place?”
“You’re delusional. The only thing he’s got bad right now is an
attitude.” Eva snorted. “For a moment, after we ate lunch, I thought he was
going to kiss me, and then, boom. Nothing. He ran.”
She sighed.
Lucy was silent.
“Lucy? You there?” Eva was afraid to ask
what her friend was thinking.
“I think that you need to be careful. This isn’t some guy from
college, like Brad. He’s not just a random hookup. He’s a Sentry,” Lucy finally
said.
Eva thought about that. “Yeah. Well, I
think it’s been serious for four years now, for me. I thought it was just a
high school crush, but here I am. Still moping over him.”
“He’s, like, two hundred years old,” Lucy said, voice going light
again. “What’s that like?”
Eva laughed. “I hardly notice. He acts just as annoying as any
other guy, young or old.”
Lucy giggled. “Why am I not surprised? Well, at least you can ask
him what it was like before there were skyscrapers. That might be fun.”
“And indoor plumbing,” Eva added, snickering.
“And cars.”
“And toilet paper.”
Lucy shrieked. “ Ew !”
Eva laughed. “I’m hanging up now.”
“Make sure he has toilet paper, oh my God, can you imagine how
horrible that would be?” Lucy asked, then the line
went dead.
Eva shook her head, grinning as she slipped her phone back into
her pocket. Her fingers tangled in the broken chain that held Greyson’s ring,
so she drew it out, inspecting the break. Hmm, I might be able to repair
that, she thought, walking to the stairs. She headed down, veering away
from the bedroom and towards the bathroom. After rummaging through his drawers,
she found a pair of tweezers.
For a two-hundred year old man, he certainly doesn’t have much
stuff, she thought
as she worked on the necklace. The bedroom he’d showed her contained a giant
mattress on a beautiful wooden frame with sturdy head and foot boards, a few
dressers, and a wall of windows that looked out over the valley. He hadn’t said
so, but she knew it was his room. The bed smelled like him. She squeezed the
broken link back together and smiled, then slipped the chain over her head. She
hadn’t felt right without it around her neck.
Probably because I’ve worn it for
four years and never taken it off until today. She put away the tweezers and
wandered into his bedroom. The storm seemed to be dissipating, from what she
could see. She sat down on his bed and watched the clouds drift away. I hope
he doesn’t forget to bring my computer. She needed to get to work on that
website for Stronghold. The thought of Greyson’s brother Bruno angry with her
for missing a deadline made her shiver.
Chapter Six
“Yeah, what?” Greyson asked, jamming the
cellphone between his ear and shoulder. The willow cutting he’d given Eva years
ago had grown into a fair-sized tree, he noted absently, staring across her
living room.
“I traced the hacker,” Solomon said, sounding grim.
Greyson froze, hands in a box of Eva’s shirts.
day get any more bizarre? “I’m so sorry. That’s crazy.”
“Oh please, don’t apologize. It was great! I gave a mini-press
conference. I was very professional. They asked me about the Spiders and I
described the attack. No big deal.” She paused and Eva could hear her take a
deep breath. “Except, I need to know that you’re really okay. I know you checked in with me earlier, but tell me the truth. How are you
holding up?”
Eva debated what to tell her. Screw it, she decided. If
I can’t talk to my best friend, who can I talk to? “I don’t know, Lucy. He
said he brought me here because it was the safest place, but can I trust him?
It all happened so fast.”
“Girl, he’s a Sentry. Protection is what he does,” Lucy said,
surety in her voice. “And also, I saw the way he looked at you. He’s got it
bad. And isn’t Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome why you dragged
us back here in the first place?”
“You’re delusional. The only thing he’s got bad right now is an
attitude.” Eva snorted. “For a moment, after we ate lunch, I thought he was
going to kiss me, and then, boom. Nothing. He ran.”
She sighed.
Lucy was silent.
“Lucy? You there?” Eva was afraid to ask
what her friend was thinking.
“I think that you need to be careful. This isn’t some guy from
college, like Brad. He’s not just a random hookup. He’s a Sentry,” Lucy finally
said.
Eva thought about that. “Yeah. Well, I
think it’s been serious for four years now, for me. I thought it was just a
high school crush, but here I am. Still moping over him.”
“He’s, like, two hundred years old,” Lucy said, voice going light
again. “What’s that like?”
Eva laughed. “I hardly notice. He acts just as annoying as any
other guy, young or old.”
Lucy giggled. “Why am I not surprised? Well, at least you can ask
him what it was like before there were skyscrapers. That might be fun.”
“And indoor plumbing,” Eva added, snickering.
“And cars.”
“And toilet paper.”
Lucy shrieked. “ Ew !”
Eva laughed. “I’m hanging up now.”
“Make sure he has toilet paper, oh my God, can you imagine how
horrible that would be?” Lucy asked, then the line
went dead.
Eva shook her head, grinning as she slipped her phone back into
her pocket. Her fingers tangled in the broken chain that held Greyson’s ring,
so she drew it out, inspecting the break. Hmm, I might be able to repair
that, she thought, walking to the stairs. She headed down, veering away
from the bedroom and towards the bathroom. After rummaging through his drawers,
she found a pair of tweezers.
For a two-hundred year old man, he certainly doesn’t have much
stuff, she thought
as she worked on the necklace. The bedroom he’d showed her contained a giant
mattress on a beautiful wooden frame with sturdy head and foot boards, a few
dressers, and a wall of windows that looked out over the valley. He hadn’t said
so, but she knew it was his room. The bed smelled like him. She squeezed the
broken link back together and smiled, then slipped the chain over her head. She
hadn’t felt right without it around her neck.
Probably because I’ve worn it for
four years and never taken it off until today. She put away the tweezers and
wandered into his bedroom. The storm seemed to be dissipating, from what she
could see. She sat down on his bed and watched the clouds drift away. I hope
he doesn’t forget to bring my computer. She needed to get to work on that
website for Stronghold. The thought of Greyson’s brother Bruno angry with her
for missing a deadline made her shiver.
Chapter Six
“Yeah, what?” Greyson asked, jamming the
cellphone between his ear and shoulder. The willow cutting he’d given Eva years
ago had grown into a fair-sized tree, he noted absently, staring across her
living room.
“I traced the hacker,” Solomon said, sounding grim.
Greyson froze, hands in a box of Eva’s shirts.
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