Vital Found (The Evelyn Maynard Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  “He saved her life.” Ethan’s voice held a hint of teasing. “Our relationship is solid, bro. She can hug whoever she wants.”

  “Don’t mean to be disrespectful.” The man I was still wrapped around spoke to me, not my boyfriend. I released him and leaned back. “It’s how I thought of you when I pulled you out of the water. You were soaked, shivering, and felt so light and fragile—like a drowned kitten.”

  “You’re the one who pulled me out of the water?” I knew Alec had pulled me into the helicopter and stayed with me for the ride after.

  He nodded, smiling again. I remembered the feel of his arms holding me firmly as my body lifted into the air, and another surge of thankfulness came over me. I placed a gentle, chaste kiss on his cheek.

  Behind me Ethan let loose a full-bellied, mirthful laugh. I chanced a glance at Alec, and he was staring daggers at us. I hadn’t intended to piss him off, but I put it down to a happy bonus.

  I raised my eyebrows pointedly at him, hoping he would get the hint to get his shit together. Then I stepped around the man who had braved the freezing waters of the Pacific Ocean for me and quickly hugged the other two members of Alec’s team, delivering my sincere thanks.

  By the time I was done doling out hugs, Alec had managed to calm himself and was once again watching everything with a passive expression.

  “I’m Kyo,” the recipient of my kiss introduced himself, “and that’s Marcus and Jamie.”

  “Eve. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “So you’re with Kid now. Gotta say, I’m surprised. And I’d love to know how you ended up in Bradford in the arms of Alec’s cousin. When he went AWOL to stay with you in the hospital, we thought you might be his Vital. He was a little obsessive about it.”

  “Yeah, and that was a frightening thought for anyone who doesn’t like excruciating pain,” Jamie, the redhead who was nearly as tall as Alec, piped in, and they all chuckled. Alec just frowned more.

  “You know we’re just teasing, Ace,” Marcus added, using a nickname I hadn’t heard before. “You’re terrifying even without a Vital.” Marcus was bald with a dark complexion and the same height as Kyo. His full lips curved into a smile.

  “Playtime is over. We’re on duty. Time to get to our post.” Alec’s calm, even voice didn’t give anything away, but it had a visible effect on his team. They all straightened a little, their shoulders pulled back, their expressions more serious.

  “Yeah, and we really need to get to biology,” Dot added. “And I’m Dot. Not that anyone cares.”

  “Oh, I care.” Kyo flashed her a wide grin, dropping his serious soldier face for just a second.

  “Mmhmm,” Dot grumbled, turning to walk toward our lecture, but I caught the little smile before she fully turned away, and I caught the way Kyo’s eyes lingered on her ass.

  “Nice to meet you all. Bye,” I called over my shoulder, jogging to catch up to her.

  Four

  The first week of classes had been hectic with everyone trying to settle into a new routine. I was way ahead on the reading, so by the time the weekend arrived, I wasn’t stressed about schoolwork, but I was a little apprehensive about our next session with Kane.

  Ethan picked me up from my res hall, and we walked to his house slowly, holding hands in companionable silence as the sun came and went behind fat clouds. The air had an edge of chill to it; fall was on its way.

  At the gates to the property, one of the ground staff flagged us down, wanting to chat with Ethan specifically—because he treated them all like family rather than an army of servants paid very well to attend to his every need.

  I gave Ethan’s hand a squeeze and kept going up the tree-lined drive to the main house. Dot would be there, and I hadn’t seen her in days. Other than that biology class on Wednesday, our schedules didn’t overlap.

  Lost in my worries for the little black-haired demon, I let myself in through the front door as usual but pulled up short, an embarrassing squeak escaping my lips.

  Wandering out of Tyler’s office, half-distracted by a stack of papers in his hand, was Lucian Zacarias. He was dressed casually in tan pants and a collared T-shirt and, for a second, looked as startled to see me barge into his house as I was to see him. He was never home.

  A smile quickly replaced the surprise on his face, and for the first time I saw a hint of Ethan there. The resemblance to his other nephew, Alec, was evident in the strong jaw and intelligent, calculating eyes, but I could see only Ethan when he smiled.

  “I’m so sorry, Mr. Zacarias. I should have knocked.”

  He chuckled, turning to face me fully and dropping the hand with the papers to his side. “Nonsense. My nephews have all told you to treat this as your own home. And please, Evelyn, call me Lucian. Or Loulou, if you prefer.”

  His eyes sparkled a little, clearly amused at some joke that had gone over my head.

  “I’m sorry. What?”

  “Loulou. It’s what you used to call me when you were little.”

  “Oh . . .” I wasn’t sure what to say to that. A strange kind of nostalgia for something I couldn’t even remember swept over me, reminding me once again I wasn’t a newcomer here. These people had known me since I was born.

  As I mulled that over, Lucian watched me with kind eyes. Right then, he reminded me most of Tyler. I knew they weren’t related, but it hadn’t escaped my attention that he’d referred to them all as his nephews; they were obviously all close to Uncle Lucian.

  “I think I’ll stick with Lucian, if that’s OK.”

  He smiled and nodded in approval, but before he could make another move, I blurted out another question. “Did you know my mother? I mean, I know you knew her . . . you all knew her, but . . . did you know her well? Do you remember her?”

  “Yes. I knew her well.” The sadness in his eyes was so similar to mine whenever I thought of her that it was simultaneously disconcerting and comforting.

  A weight I hadn’t realized I was holding lifted slightly. I wasn’t the only one who remembered her. Keeping her memory alive was no longer my solitary burden to bear.

  My mother had rarely spoken about her life before it was just the two of us, running all over the world under a cloak of anonymity, and here was a person who had known her well, who seemed open to talking about it. With a firm nod, I opened my mouth to ask Lucian more, but then Ethan burst through the door.

  “Hey, Uncle Luce!” he boomed, grabbing me by the hand and dragging me toward the stairs.

  “Hey, Kid. Try to get some studying done as well. Don’t just slack off all day.”

  “Yeah, yeah!” he called back, already halfway up the stairs.

  I looked back toward the first person I’d met who knew my mother before she was a mother, but the spot where he’d been standing was empty.

  As Ethan and I barreled into Josh’s room, I was distracted by the music coming from the high-quality speakers and the sight of my other boyfriend sprawled on the couch, so absorbed in a book he didn’t even look up. He was in sweats and a Misfits T-shirt, listening to Muse and reading Orwell’s 1984.

  I dropped Ethan’s hand and leaned over the couch, pressing my face to the back of his book. Then I slowly peeked over the top of it. On cue, the corner of his lip twitched.

  “Do you have any idea how distracting that is?” His green eyes danced with amusement as they finally looked into mine.

  “Yes. That’s why I’m doing it.” I tried to keep a straight face but laughed.

  With an over-the-top sigh, Josh dropped the book onto the coffee table just in time for Ethan to come up behind me and surprise us both. In one swift move, he swept my feet out from under me and flipped my legs over the back of the couch, making me land hard on top of Josh.

  I screamed, but it ended in hysterical laughter.

  “Oof!” Josh had the air knocked out of him, but he wrapped his arms around me. “Kid! A little warning!”

  “Hey, is it because of your uncle that everyone calls you Kid?” I asked. My ba
ck was to Josh’s front, and I made myself comfortable.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” The big guy shrugged, planting himself on the couch at our feet.

  “He used to hate it when he was little.” Josh chuckled, his breath tickling my neck.

  “I’m the youngest, and after . . .” He still couldn’t bring himself to say the words. “When we all started living with him, it would always be ‘take the kid with you,’ ‘make sure the kid eats,’ ‘has the kid done his homework?’ Tyler and Alec looked out for me and Josh, but Josh was always mature for his age, and it left me feeling like I wanted to be older all the time. Constantly being referred to as ‘kid’ definitely grated.”

  “But it stuck,” Josh added.

  “It stuck. I got used to it. I don’t even notice it anymore. But I do notice that you don’t call me that. You only ever say Ethan now, if it’s not one of our nicknames.” He smiled, flashing me his dimples.

  He was giving me an out from a potentially heavy conversation, but I had a feeling he needed some reassurance. “After that night when I ran here like a crazy person because you’d overused your ability”—the smile left Ethan’s face, and Josh held me a little tighter—“I just couldn’t think of you as Kid anymore. It felt too casual. There is nothing casual about what you are to me, Ethan.”

  The smile slowly crept back, but it wasn’t a playful one. He leaned forward, keeping himself suspended above us, and kissed me, unbothered by the fact that I was still in Josh’s arms. The kiss was sweet and ended quickly, but it made me melt.

  Ethan joked and laughed all the time, but he had a real vulnerable side that needed to be nurtured. Sometimes the big booming laugh and inappropriate jokes were just a cover for the scared little kid inside. And if he could be my protector, I could be his support.

  Dot arrived just minutes before Kane, and we sweated and grunted through a heavy sparring session. After recovering, we spent the next few hours studying and practicing Light transfer. Dot floated in and out of Josh’s room for a while, joining our study and conversations, but she ended up keeping mostly to herself in her usual room at the mansion. She was having a down day, her usual vibrant personality dulled by worry for her brother and Vital. I wanted to go be with her, but Josh stopped me, suggesting she needed some time to herself.

  At lunch we wandered down to the kitchen, and Ethan made pizza—with handmade crust and Italian prosciutto and mozzarella. The incredible aroma brought Tyler, Alec, and Lucian out of the study. The men all sat around the big dining table stuffing their faces, and conversation turned to the search for Charlie and the other missing Vitals.

  I finished my pizza but couldn’t stop thinking about Dot, all alone in her room, so I put a few pieces on a plate and went back upstairs.

  No movement or music was coming from her room, but the door was open. Thinking she might be taking a nap, I approached quietly, avoiding the creaky floorboard in the hall.

  I stopped just outside her door, and my brows furrowed. Dot was kneeling in front of the bed, her butt resting on her heels and her hands on top of the mattress. For a moment I thought she might be praying, and I nearly backed away to give her privacy.

  But something about the posture didn’t fit that explanation, and a tiny movement in front of Dot’s head caught my attention. Lying on her belly inches in front of Dot’s face was Squiggles. The gray ferret seemed to be staring as intently at Dot as Dot was at her, both their heads resting on their folded hands/paws.

  My usually feisty friend was trying to communicate with her ferret.

  My heart sank. Dot was really struggling today. I hadn’t, until that moment, realized how far-reaching the effects of losing her Vital were. She’d lost not only her brother but her access to the Light and, with it, the ability to communicate with animals that had been such a massive part of her since childhood.

  Dot sighed deeply. Squiggles lifted her head and reached a tiny paw out, resting it gently on her human friend’s cheek, her beady little eyes darting all over Dot’s face.

  “I know,” Dot ground out between gritted teeth, her voice almost too quiet for me to hear. “I’m trying. I’m trying so hard.” A soft sob escaped her and pushed me into action.

  I walked into the room, setting the plate with the pizza on the bedside table and kneeling next to my friend.

  She looked up at me with wet eyes. I pulled her into a tight hug, and she let her tears flow freely while I rocked us back and forth.

  After a few minutes her crying calmed down, and she pulled away, leaning her side against the bed. “I’m losing Squiggles, Eve. Within a few weeks of him being gone, I started to lose the ability to connect to any animal within range remotely. But I’ve had Squiggles for years, and our bond is strong, so I could always reach her if I needed her. But in the last few days . . . I’m losing her too. I can only hear her clearly if we’re touching.”

  “Oh, Dot . . .” I didn’t know what to say. I’d never had an ability or a brother. I didn’t know what it was like to lose either one, but I knew pain when I saw it.

  “I’ve had this since I was, like, five, you know. With sibling Bonds, sometimes the abilities and the Light access manifest sooner, so it was just, like, a normal part of our childhood. Now all of a sudden I’m finding out how little I’m capable of without him, and it’s like losing a limb.”

  My heart was breaking clean in half for her.

  We both got lost in our own thoughts for a few minutes, staring into space. Hearing Dot talk about how much Charlie’s Light made a difference to her abilities got me thinking about my own Bond and the nature of the Light in general. My mind randomly remembered some of the tutoring sessions I’d had with Tyler, specifically the very first one—before either of us knew he was mine.

  I sat up straighter, an idea forming in my mind.

  “Dot.” I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

  “Hmm?” She looked up, distracted.

  “I want to try something.”

  “What?”

  “The Bond is instinctual, right? And the Light flows easily between Bonded Vitals and Variants.”

  “Right . . .” She frowned at me. This was common knowledge.

  “But it’s possible for a Vital to transfer Light to any Variant—not just the ones in their Bond.”

  “Not as easy or natural but, yeah, entirely possible.” The frown lifted as she caught on to what I was suggesting.

  I gave her a little smile.

  “You would do that for me?” She sounded unsure, but a little hope had brightened her red-rimmed eyes.

  I’d never transferred Light to anyone outside my Bond, but I couldn’t think of a person more deserving or more in need than the one sitting in front of me. If I could do anything to ease the pain Dot had been living with for months, then of course I was going to try.

  “I’m just sorry I didn’t think of it earlier.”

  “Eve . . .” She looked so touched by the mere suggestion that it was already worth it.

  “I don’t know if I can do it,” I added quickly, “but I’m willing to try. If you are.”

  “Fuck yes! Let’s do this.” Her enthusiasm was infectious.

  “OK.” I took a deep breath and sat up straighter, crossing my legs. Dot mirrored my pose and waited patiently.

  I shook my hands out, not really sure why—it just seemed like a good preparatory action—and took another deep breath. I was getting a little nervous. What if I couldn’t do it and she was disappointed? What if it hurt?

  “OK, um . . .” I tentatively reached out in Dot’s direction, then pulled my hand back. “Shit! I don’t know how to do this.”

  Instead of looking crestfallen, Dot chuckled. “Just relax, Eve. Pretend I’m Josh or something.”

  I snorted. “I don’t think you want me pretending you’re Josh. Unless you want to make out with me, I’d better pretend you’re Tyler.”

  We both laughed at that, which eased some of my nerves.

  “Wait. Don’t you want to make
out with Tyler?” Dot looked a little puzzled. “I thought the Light pushed you to have the same level of intimacy with all your Variants. Isn’t that a thing in non-sibling Bonds—if you’re getting it on with one of them, you’re getting it on with all of them?”

  “According to all my research, yeah. But you try telling Tyler that—I’m not the one that doesn’t want to make out. And other stuff.” I couldn’t believe I’d said that much out loud, but Dot didn’t make me feel any more awkward about it. That’s why I loved her.

  “According to your research? What about the practical application, Eve? You have the perfect test subjects!”

  “Yes, I know. And by all observable accounts, the Light is indeed pushing me to strengthen the Bond with all my Variants. Like I said—I’m pretty sure he’s the one who’s not interested.”

  “Interesting. I wonder why he’s holding back.”

  “Maybe I’m just not his type.”

  “Pfft,” she scoffed. “Please. You’re his Vital—trust me, you’re his type. There must be another reason. Got to admire his willpower though. Can’t be easy. What about Alec, then? You said the Light was pushing you to all of them . . .”

  “Stop distracting me. I’m trying to do something important here.” I couldn’t deny I was attracted to Alec, but he’d been such a colossal jerk to me I couldn’t wrap my mind around my attraction. Plus, this conversation was sure to lead to Studygate, and I was definitely not talking about that.

  Talk of Tyler, however, had reminded me once again of our first Light transfer and the way he’d held his hands out for me to take. It seemed to flow the easiest through my hands. Without letting Dot get another comment in, I held my hands out to her with more confidence, palms up.

  She took a deep breath and placed her hands in mine.

  I closed my eyes.

  Using some of my mindfulness techniques, I located the barrier I’d carefully built up over time and lowered it a fraction, allowing the Light access. With the Light flow open, I drew a small amount into myself and then carefully restored the barrier. I didn’t want to take in too much and have to run to Tyler if I couldn’t expel it into Dot. It was like testing any new substance—you spot test in a discreet area first to see if it leaves a mark.