High Society (The High Stakes Saga #3)

Enoch appeared out of nowhere. Instead of trying to push the burning door in, he jerked it off the hinges and walked into the flames like nothing in the world could harm him. Maybe nothing could.

“Eve!” he roared.

I was torn. I needed to grab more water, but I also needed to see that Eve was alive and would be okay.

Enoch disappeared within the inferno, heat warbling the air. But when he emerged, he brought Eve with him. The fire hadn’t harmed her. In fact, she seemed to have become part of it, walking from the inferno beside Enoch as if she was his equal.

* * *

Eve

Titus and I worked together to draw water from the well while a steady line of humans passed buckets into the house for the three Nephilim to put out the remaining fire. Finally, the fire in the upper two bedrooms was extinguished and everyone took a deep breath. The Nephilim ran circles around the plantation to make sure there were no marauding vampires on the land. They found nothing.

Titus and I waited in the garden out back, away from the other humans who knew me as Asa’s bride-to-be. I had an insatiable desire to see Enoch. I needed to hold him and hear his voice, but anyone who saw us would know I was his and he was mine.

Enoch came to me as soon as he could, worrying over me, clutching my arms to see if I was okay. “It’s really you,” he breathed against my temple, holding me tightly in his arms.

“How did you know I was here?”

“I didn’t. I saw the fire and ran inside to help. But when I saw Titus and caught your scent, I knew. I could smell Titus’ fear as he rammed his shoulder into the door. I… I’m not sure I’ve ever been so afraid in all my life. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t,” I tried to reassure him.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Asa interrupted. “Darling, have you told Enoch what’s become of his home?”

“You no longer have to continue this pretense,” Enoch remarked coldly.

“You do want to find the knave who stabbed Eve through the belly, do you not, brother? The would-be murderer is still out there, lurking. Unless you already know who he is?” Asa baited.

Enoch blurred forward, stopping a hair’s breadth from Asa. “Are you accusing me of hurting her?”

“Her clone,” Asa corrected. “And yes, I am.”

“We made a vow not to harm any of the three hunters,” Enoch volleyed.

“But that vow did not include any of their doubles, now did it? Therefore, it could have been you who ran her through.”

“Why do you even care?” I blurted. “It wasn’t like you loved her. You killed her and you showed no remorse after you did it.”

Asa stepped away from his brother so he could see me more clearly. Beside me, Titus was as taut as a bow string. “She was a nice distraction at times,” he replied with a smirk. “And she wanted my venom so badly, I wanted to keep her around until she told me why. She was also a wealth of information about the three of you, the so-called ‘first hunters’.”

“First of all, I wouldn’t trust much of the information she gave you about us. We never even knew the clones existed, and I doubt they know much relevant details about us at all. Secondly, about the distraction thing… gross. And thirdly, why are you pretending to worry about someone running me through? I don’t belong to you.”

“No,” he answered coldly. “My love is dead.”

His love. Not the woman he loved; not someone who meant the world to him. His capacity to feel love was dead. I wasn’t sure I believed that Enoch killed the woman Asa loved, or if Asa just wanted someone to blame for her death and his brother was a convenient target. I decided to ask Enoch about it when we were alone.

“Besides,” Asa added, “I vowed not to harm you three unless you first attacked me – I never promised not to harm the doubles.”

“Did Terah make the same vow?” Titus fumed. He stabbed his finger toward the house, adding, “Because if so, she just broke it.”

“Terah promised the same,” Enoch answered matter-of-factly.

Titus crossed his arms. “I would argue that she broke her vow inside the house just now.

I told her Eve was trapped and asked for her help, and she turned around and left.”

Asa laughed. “That does not mean Terah broke her vow. She didn’t harm Eve; she simply didn’t help her.”