45.

I stretched my arms and lifted my head off of the cold glass window. I yawned wide and shook my head, making the crick in my neck disappear. Looking out at the Austrian country side flying by, I smiled. Europe had captured my heart; if only I hadn’t been on the run to save my life.

Avalon seemed in deep thought as he too stared out of the train window in silence. Field, farm, field, farm, lake, field, farm, mountain…. Austria was breathtaking. Of course I said the same thing about Romania, and then again about the rustic beauty of Hungary. Austria was a different kind of beauty however. The clean and contemporary buildings and more modern farms made it clear that this was a different side of Europe.

I pulled my ivory cardigan closer around my waist; the train air was frigid and although I was grateful for the new set of clothes Amory picked out for me, they were obviously picked for convenience and practicality, and not necessarily style. A pair of baggy, brown work pants clearly meant for a man, a plaid red colored shirt and an ivory cardigan felt like the nicest clothes anyone had ever given me after what my cruise wear had been through. I also had had to retire my Nebraska sweatshirt; but I promised myself I would buy another one paying tribute to the Huskers when I returned home.

I wiped my fingers beneath my eyes, self-consciously. I remembered what I looked like when I was finally able to assess the damage in a Hungarian train station bathroom. I did the best I could to rinse out and wash my hair in the small sink; I at least had gotten it out of the hair tie and into a neat bun on the nape of my neck. It wasn’t pretty, but at least I didn’t look crazy anymore.

My face, arms and legs were covered in dirt and grime and I would definitely need a long, hot shower to feel completely clean, but I was much improved, although my legs needed a good shave.

My face took the longest to scrub clean; besides the dirt, I had had to deal with a mess of makeup plastered to my face. Never again would I travel wearing non-waterproof mascara and black eyeliner. By the time I exited the small bathroom, my face was bright red and swollen from all of the scrubbing.

I sent a burst of magic through my body, heating my blood and awakening my senses. Avalon naturally felt the surge himself and sat up a little straighter. I smiled at him, hoping to draw him into conversation, but he stared past me in a dreamlike state. He was so worried about the outcome of the mission he could barely function. And even though he carried an international phone and glanced at it every other second, we hadn’t heard from anyone since we left Romania.

Avalon was skilled at international travel and clearly used to being followed. He had taken every precaution necessary to ensure we were alone. After ditching the Dacia on the Romania/Hungary border, he set it on fire, making sure any physical evidence we left behind would be destroyed. We then took a bus through most of Hungary, changing only once we were close to the Austrian border. Since Austria we had changed trains as often as we could while still moving in the general direction of Switzerland.

I couldn’t help but enjoy the trip however. Riding a European train was like truly riding in style. The glory of the Austrian Alps was like nothing I had ever experienced before; and I would gladly ride a train through them until I had every mountain memorized.

The game plan was to fly home from Zurich; who knew how many trains that meant before we were in the heart of Switzerland. Only Avalon was concerned about our timing though. I was too swept away with Europe to be in any hurry to leave.

Avalon’s phone buzzed gently and suddenly he sat up completely alert. I noticed the tension in his body and felt his anxiety as he opened the cell phone and answered quietly.

“Hello?” he asked quietly, discretely.

“Oh, thank God,” I saw his body visibly relax and felt the apprehension turn to quiet joy. “Is the package in the mail?” he asked, using code. I couldn’t help but laugh; he was like the obvious cliché for a 1950’s spy. Next thing you know, we would be on our way to Russia to stop the Kremlin.

“What?” he asked, suddenly exasperated. “You can’t be serious! I’m not doing that. No way. I might as well send her to the London palace with instructions on how to find the rest of us. No way….” whatever he was so upset about, he had dropped all pretense of code. “No way….” he repeated over and over to whatever the other line was saying.

“Where?” he asked eventually, with a softer but more frustrated tone. The hostility in his voice was unmistakable. “How do we know it’s not a trap?” he listened a little longer, his magic growing stronger and stronger every second. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the humans could feel it for themselves. “What happens if you’re wrong?” Avalon listened longer, but did not seem appeased.

“If I do this, I want some type of insurance; some type of trade off…. We would have gotten her out of there even if he didn’t do anything. That doesn’t make him a hero; it just makes him look like an idiot!” Avalon stopped talking to get an earful from whoever was on the other line. I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, totally engrossed in Avalon’s side of the conversation.

“Fine…. I said fine. I guess we’ll see you in Geneva,” Avalon snapped the phone shut and glared at me. I was almost too afraid to ask what that had been about.

“Geneva?” I asked tentatively.

“I guess so,” he mumbled.

“Switzerland?” I tried again.

Avalon nodded affirmatively.

“What happened to Zurich?” I finally asked bravely.

“We’ve been ordered,” Avalon paused and cleared his throat irritably, “asked.... if we would oblige the Crowned Prince by joining him in Geneva,” he couldn’t even look at me, but turned to glare out the window.

“It’s not a trap Avalon,” I said quickly but quietly; my stomach filled with butterflies.

“I do not want to talk about it,” Avalon responded grumpily and I knew better than to push it.

----

A black sedan pulled up in front of the train station and Avalon took the initiative to approach. I followed behind, shouldering my backpack once again. A man exited the driver’s side to open the back door for us. Avalon stuck his head menacingly into the back seat before entering the car fully. I smiled apologetically to the driver and climbed in behind Avalon.

Avalon sat with arms folded and his back turned to me. I knew he was mad, but I also didn’t think I really deserved the silent treatment for the last eight hours. I elbowed him roughly in the kidneys before the driver had returned to his seat, but he didn’t respond.

I was irritated with Avalon, but soon my bad feelings turned to adoration as we drove silently through Geneva at night. The streets were lit in the soft glow of streetlamps and from the bright windows of buildings built before America was even a recognized country.

Our ride took us past Lake Geneva, glistening in the moonlight. A large fountain sprayed a cascade of water from the middle of the lake, and the Alps sat as a backdrop to the perfect postcard picture. The streets were narrow, with historical buildings rising to either side. I marveled at their intricate architecture, and embellished building fronts.

When the car finally came to a stop in front of a charming palace, I was somehow not surprised. After witnessing the grand architecture and style of the Citadel, I was finally able to wrap my head around the words monarchy and crowned prince. I hadn’t really been expecting quite this grandeur however.

“Is this one of their palaces?” I whispered, hoping Avalon would answer.

“This is a hotel,” Avalon responded irritably. I blushed, feeling very ignorant. “Ok, it used to be one of their palaces; now it’s just a hotel,” After feeling my embarrassment, Avalon conceded the truth.

The palace turned hotel was exquisite. I was dumbstruck by the beauty and elegance of what was formerly Kiran’s families’ home. I followed Avalon out of the car and stayed timidly behind him. I glanced down at my ill-fitting, makeshift outfit and felt embarrassingly under-dressed.

As we entered the foyer of the grand hotel my mouth dropped open in awe. We were surrounded by marble pillars that reached from expansive marbled floor to vaulted marble ceiling. Intricately, upholstered furniture with golden thread filled the entrance hall. The only evidence that this was not a palace but indeed a hotel was the circulation desk with uniformed employees standing behind it.

My nerves were on edge thanks to Avalon; although he appeared relaxed and calm, his magic was surging at high alert. Because of our connection my senses were heightened with his and our magic circulated in unison. He bypassed the hotel clerks and headed straight up a wide, winding, ivory staircase.

After walking up several flights of stairs, Avalon led me into a long hallway. The hairs on the back of my neck rose suddenly when I felt the strong presence of other Immortals. Avalon slowed his pace and I noticed him clench and unclench his fists regularly.

We walked the hallway slowly and I didn’t complain. I was not sure what to expect but Avalon was so uncomfortable and tense that I regretted him coming. I felt like it was my fault and therefore also felt guilty and blameworthy; but then remembered we were ordered to come here and I was even ordered specifically not to make any more decisions. I sent this thought poignantly to Avalon; he returned it with a dirty look.

At the end of the hallway Avalon paused and took a big breath. He raised his fist to knock on the cream colored door but paused again as if he couldn’t make himself do it.

“I don’t know what’s behind this door Eden,” Avalon whispered fiercely to me and I was surprised by the apprehension in his voice. “We could be walking into a trap…. Eden,” He paused again and I waited nervously, expecting some type of brotherly declaration, instead Avalon continued, “Eden, let me have Kiran; I’ll enjoy killing him much more than you will.”

Before I could think of any response Avalon knocked forcefully on the door. He gave me another nervous sideways glance and shoved his hands deep into his pockets to appear casual. I wished he felt as calm as he was working so hard to look; his nervous energy was making me edgy.

Talbott opened the door and for some reason that surprised me. He was dressed casually and his hair was a little messier than at school. When he opened the door he was laughing and involved in a conversation. Avalon stared at him suspiciously, until he gestured with his hand for us to enter.

I was more than a little surprised to find Amory in the extravagant room. He was sitting on a plush, periwinkle sofa, holding a snifter full of a golden brown liquid. He was the one involved in conversation with Talbott, and it appeared they were having a very animated but pleasant conversation.

Avalon grunted grumpily before taking a seat close to Amory. Although he relaxed his magic a little, he was still in a sour mood. Avalon reclined in his seat and slammed his feet cross-legged onto the gold, inlaid, glass coffee table. His movement made a terrible crashing sound although he managed not to shatter the fragile antique.

The attention of everyone in the room was now on Avalon who smiled smugly in reply. Amory relaxed on the sofa and put an arm around Avalon in a very paternal way. I stood in the middle of the room not entirely sure what to do.

“I’m glad you’re safe, Eden,” Talbott said out of the blue. I was not the only one surprised by his statement.

“Thank you,” I replied humbly.

“Eden?” Kiran appeared out of the bedroom and said my name almost reverently.

I turned to face him and was struck ferociously with emotion. He stood in the doorway, hair tussled and eyes piercing. His hands fidgeted nervously, but his gaze never left mine and never softened in intensity.

Moments ago I hadn’t known whether to sit or stand, but once I saw the look of pure desire cross Kiran’s face I knew there was only one place I wanted to be. I closed the distance between us in seconds, sprinting across the expansive suite and leaping into his arms.

He caught me instinctively and found my mouth immediately. My legs wrapped around his waist and my hands held his face firmly to mine; our magic mingled together in a perfect symphony of all consuming power.

At this most passionate moment there was no one else besides Kiran and nothing else existed besides our love. I was thrilled to find his feelings as intense as mine. My thoughts, my consciousness, my very blood filled with a desire bigger than me, bigger than I could even hope to understand.

I could have lived in that moment forever, but like all good things it had to come to an end. After several throat clears from our audience and then a pillow to the back of my head thanks to Avalon, I relinquished my hold on Kiran. He set me down gently and then kissed me one more time sweetly on the lips.

“Ok, that’s enough…. seriously,” Avalon interrupted in an irritated voice. “The rest of us are trying to exist here; we don’t need your crazy magic suffocating us.”

I turned around embarrassed, heat flooded my cheeks. Avalon could not look more disgusted and Amory and Talbott couldn’t even look in our general direction. Kiran intertwined his fingers through mine and pulled me closer to him protectively.

“Excuse us, gentlemen,” Kiran addressed the room politely; his crisp, English accent perfectly enunciating every consonant.