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Maybe it’s best if they don’t know.
“How’d you worm your way into their confidences? I saw all the statues…must have been built fast. You got a skeleton key to this place?”
She bites her lip. “Actually…kind of. This is my home, Luka.”
The news hits me like a ton of bricks. As far as I’m aware, Gunnar and Oberon don’t know about this; no one does. “How did you…”
“I told Vance before I left,” she says. “I knew Oberon wouldn’t let me go, but we had to get Gunnar, so I hid it all from him. And now…now I’m home again. The statues aren’t of me; they’re of my mother, the first May Queen.”
I frown. “Was it always like this?”
“New Eden?” she shakes her head. “No. It used to be called the Garden…and it was a sanctuary. After the world twisted into this feral place, my grandmother carved out peace from chaos. It was safe, self-sufficient, a haven for those who survived the Great Mutation without losing their humanity.”
“Sounds like paradise lost.” My observation is dry, matter-of-fact.
“Exactly.” Her lips press into a thin line. “ACB agents wormed their way in. They preyed on my father’s ambition, his weakness. He believed their lies, that he was more fit to lead than his own mother. Power corrupted him, turned a sanctuary into a stepping stone for his own glory.”
“He still around?”
She lets out a short, mirthless chuckle and meets my eyes straight on. “Sure is. He was the cult’s first prophet—Jasper. And right now, he’s the only thing standing between me and the Rossis.”
“Your old man? That’s your ace?”
“More like a forgotten joker.” She turns away again, gripping the railing tight enough that her knuckles bleach white. “He toppled my grandmother, took control, claimed he was chosen. When things went south, we ran.”
“The beach…” I start, trailing off as I remember her backstory. Before she got her memory back, she would always describe a crash, almost drowning.
She nods. “We took a boat down the coast, trying to get to an omega commune in Mexico,” she goes on. “My mother died on the dock right here in New Eden. Grandmother drowned, along with everyone else we escaped with.”
“And your dad forgave you?”
She shrugs. “Blood ties run deep; they don’t forget your name when it’s etched into the foundation. And…I didn’t want to believe it for a long time, but I think he’s getting me confused with my mother. He’s not quite right in the head.”
I take a step toward her, unable to stop myself from reaching out to grasp her arm. She sucks in a shaky breath at the contact, and it sends me reeling with memories of last night. “If that’s true, we need to get you out of here now.”
“I can take care of myself,” she says, but she doesn’t pull away.
“I know you can,” I reply. “And I won’t…I can’t force you to leave. I know that. Just know that you can use me, Aisling, if you need to.”
She turns to face me fully, covering my hand with hers. “I know, Luka. Thank you.”
We both go quiet, the wind whistling along the cliffside. I don’t know what else to say to her—especially now that I know this rescue mission is going to be a hell of a lot harder and longer than I thought.
“Well…I should get going,” she says. “I’ll be missed if I take more than a breath out here. My father trusts me, but Lianna keeps me on a tight leash.”
“She’s here?”
Aisling nods. “The High Priestess—so watch out for her. She’s dangerous, Luka.”
“I will,” I say. “Promise.”
As she steps away, my hold on her tightens slightly so she doesn’t leave. She gasps at the slight touch, and sparks ricochet between us. Even if we aren’t going to do anything about it…fuck, the temptation is there. There’s a rare kind of honesty between us, raw and unfiltered.
I wonder if she makes everyone feel this way or if this connection is real.
“Hey, about last night at the ceremony,” I murmur. “I’m sorry for making a mess of you.”
Her laughter dances through the air, light and unexpected. She shakes her head, a wry smile curving her lips. “Don’t worry about it, Luka. It was a fun mess to make.”
