HEART OF THE CHOSEN (CASTE BOOK 1)

Chapter 34

Present-day, Amsterdam

Standing behind the window, staring empty and frozen at the street and its passers-by, my mind kept going over the events of the past few years. It has already been three months since Blake had come to get me out of my hole in the depths of the Ariège. Three months since I had left the stray dogs of Astien. Three months that I waited impatiently, and after two years of a forced exile, this moment when Magnus Burton Race would know the end of his reign over the castes.

Two years had passed at the old farm, of calm, of solitude, without conspiracies, without murders, without castes… a return to normal life. Johnny would have teased me about my dirty country look. Ethan hadn’t been shy about laughing at it at first, but he had quickly revised his judgment when he realized that he was going to have to get his hands dirty too. So ended those two long years when our relations with the outside world were limited to a cell phone that I turned on every six months and an old computer equipped with the Internet. Other than Sam, I hadn’t had contact with anyone from my old life, nor any caste, even though I was dying to hear from Eric, Thomas, and the others. Besides, it only increased over time. I knew Thomas had become a father, but nothing about Eric. A year ago, Sam had told me that he was persistent in his search for me and pestering him with questions, suspecting, correctly, that Sam knew more than anyone. It was during my last call, about six months ago, that Sam told me that he hadn’t heard from him anymore.

I still suffered from my torments, and the reasons for my flight remained engraved in my head and would be forever. After the terrible episode in London and Olivia’s death before my eyes, I had completely lost control. To be afraid of oneself was a frightening experience and a weakness whose irreparable consequences I feared. For a long time, I believed that my soul had been extricated from my body and a gaping hole had replaced it. Ethan hadn’t taken his eyes off me for the first few months, fearing, I supposed, a foolish move on my part. He had wanted to convince me that after all that I had been through, I was now strong enough to master my powers. And the long path of reconstruction was traced little by little through training.

In truth, those two years had been a necessary questioning after the tumult which had followed the discovery of my true nature and even if my brother had behaved in an exemplary way since then, I knew in my heart of hearts that he was like a dormant volcano, ready to explode if the opportunity presented itself. A little before the end of my exile, I already had in mind to find and face Magnus whatever it cost me. The desire to see my fellows and Mortain Castle grew stronger every day, and it was finally Blake who facilitated my decision.

I remembered the day when Blake had come to me with an incredible plan to bring his own brother to his knees. I had immediately agreed to help him because beyond the desire to see my fellow caste again, I owed my life to this man. My devotion to him, therefore, knew no bounds, and my thirst for revenge against Magnus hadn’t ceased. But despite the admiration I had for Blake at that moment, I couldn’t help but be furious with him. And for good reason, he had dismissed me from the attack in London. I couldn’t admit that my task here was just as important even if I just had to wait for the signal before taking action. But it was precisely the imminence of the offensive that made the wait unbearable, especially since I still had no idea of the final plan. Egeria and her gifts of clairvoyance must not compromise our plans by alerting Magnus. So the anguish gnawed at me day by day, and the more time passed, the crazier it drove me to stay locked up here alone worrying about my brother. Against all odds, he had let himself be persuaded to accompany Blake to London with a whole battalion of castes ready to do battle. I still couldn’t explain to myself how Blake had succeeded in getting Ethan to agree to leave me alone to accomplish my mission. For two years, my brother hadn’t left my side, and now after a private meeting of barely half an hour with Blake, he decided to fight his adoptive father and now had boundless admiration for my saviour. Had Blake considered that Ethan could fall back into the clutches of Magnus? Yes, he told me, and he was counting on that to trap his brother. Besides, he now believed that Ethan was strong enough in his convictions to remember his duty in due time. His presence was therefore essential to carrying out his projects; on the other hand, mine wasn’t desired. Blake feared this would complicate matters. My almost twin resemblance to Eleonore had a tendency to make Magnus crazier than he already was. He had already made me pay dearly for this resemblance. And now, after an exile tinged with resentment and vengeful thoughts towards him, I remained confined to waiting.

A text message on my highly secure mobile assured me that reinforcements were finally arriving. An hour later there was a knock on the door of my hotel room. My heart started pounding. After a look through the peephole, my lips curved into a wide smile. Salomon and the Van Durens stood behind the door, stamping their feet. I opened immediately and I had no time to greet them when they were already throwing themselves on me, surrounding me with their warm arms.

“Eve!” shouted Marcus Van Duren, “we missed you so much!”

“That much?” I wondered, surprised by such passion.

“More than that!” shouted Ishmael, hilarious, “a little longer and Mortain Castle would become a monastery! I’m bored to death!”

“It’s true that a female presence would be very beneficial to us,” adds Salomon, smiling.

“But there’s Estelle, she’s a woman!” I said.

“She’s a human!” exclaimed Joseph Van Duren, outraged.

“And it’s not you,” said a dark voice that wasn’t unknown to me.

And this voice, I would have recognized among a million. I hadn’t yet seen the individual in question, because the immense Van Duren cousins, who were Marcus, Ishmael and Joseph, prevented me from seeing him. I felt his presence through the shiver that ran up my spine. Thomas.

I threw myself into his arms, which coiled automatically around my shoulders. He showed his devastating smile and I felt myself melt on the spot. It had been so long since I had seen the man who had made me discover the joys of love, and the sorrows too… But I refused to think about it. It was so far away now and I wasn’t really the same, well almost, if you considered the growing agitation that was winning over my ex-boyfriend, whose embrace I had to, with regret, loosen. Turning around, I noticed that the Van Durens were not missing a beat and were having fun with the situation. Salomon seemed genuinely happy to see me. All smiles, I invited them to sit down over a cup of coffee.

Thomas remained standing in the middle of the room. He stared at me and his eyes never tired of watching me. His curious attention made me smile again. He hadn’t changed that much. His hair was slightly shorter, and all over the place, just like it used to be. A well-worked goatee structured the perfection of his face, which had become more assertive over time. Fine lines surrounded his husky eyes and his dimples, especially pronounced when he smiled, made him even sexier than he was when we first met. His beauty was so mesmerizing that it was hard not to look at him like an i***t.

“How is your son?” I asked, hoping he didn’t notice my confusion, “How old is he now?”

“Eighteen months and he’s a terror!”

“It’s a sign of good health!” said Salomon, “Your son is an angel, Thomas, and his presence is a source of oxygen for all of us.”

“Yeah, but he’s slowly wearing me down, that little monster.”

“What’s his name?”

“Guillaume, that was my father’s first name.”

“Guillaume Panchak, that’s pretty,” I say smiling. “Does he walk?”

“For two months, and he can’t stop running around now!”

During our animated conversation, the Van Durens eyed me strangely. I suddenly remembered that this wasn’t unusual coming from them. In Mortain, they constantly sought my presence and spent hours glancing at me, hoping for some sign of attention. The situation had always been clear between us, but I was no longer used to being the object of such consideration and I could clearly feel in my flesh the measure of their teasing mood. I watched them nonetheless, a smirk on my lips; seeing them all seated like this, I almost had the feeling that I had found a family again. I was well aware at that moment that I needed to be surrounded by them as surely as I needed air to breathe.

“How is Estelle?” I asked, curious to know everything about my now only human friend.

“Very well,” assured Salomon, “she got married two weeks ago to her boyfriend. She lives in the village and is perfectly happy, well… except when we approach the subject of Carmichael… Since his death, we must admit that nothing is the same at the castle. Estelle had known him since she was a baby, so it was very hard for her, especially since she still cherishes the hope that he’s alive.”

A cold wind suddenly crossed the room. They all fell silent, waiting for me to speak on this subject.

“I think so too,” I say finally.

“How can you know? Even the Van Durens don’t see him in their visions!”

“I can feel it, that’s all. And I hope to prove it to you when we storm this place.”

“You think he’s there?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s possible.”

“In any case,” declared Marcus, “if Carmichael and you come back to Mortain, at least we’ll have an end to boredom.”

“You forgot Ethan,” I said.

“Mmm… yes, Ethan.”

A long silence. My brother had never been liked by the other castes, and I could easily understand them if you consider the fact that he had killed several humans in atrocious conditions, tortured Thomas, thrown Salomon through a wall and Eric through a window, and that he had betrayed us all by joining Magnus after the invasion of Mortain. He inspired fear and everyone preferred to be on their guard with him, it was better that way. And even though my brother was probably a potential psychopath, he was still my only family.

I stood up and looked out the window again, observing where our long-awaited attack would later take place.

“What is the plan exactly?”

“We don’t know,” answered Salomon, “Blake sent us here and told us that someone would explain everything to us as soon as he arrived.”

“Who is this someone and when would he arrive?”

“Tomorrow. We don’t know anymore.”

“Blake is still wary of Egeria, isn’t he?”

“Oh, yes!” said Thomas. “He’s been planning this battle for so long that he wouldn’t like to have it scrapped at the last minute, and Egeria is on her way to Amsterdam, as it happens.”

“Then she’ll be there!” I blurted out abruptly, turning to him.

“Um, yes.”

I tried to contain myself, but this news hit me like a bomb. I was certainly not going to wreak my revenge on Magnus Burton Race any time soon, that was certain, if only from a geographical point of view. But at least I was going to have the pleasure of confronting Egeria, the horrible white-haired woman who had suggested to Magnus the idea of unleashing his perverted castes on me. Fierce anger shot through my skull, but I smouldered it silently and saved what was left of my hatred for when I was going to face this old witch.

I let my guests settle into the suite. Blake had planned everything, but Thomas preferred to sleep on the sofa in the living room rather than too close to the strange Van Duren cousins, who had never inspired him with much sympathy. In the evening, they decided to go for a walk in the Red Light District of Amsterdam, the oldest district of this colourful city. Their unhealthy curiosity hardly surprised me and I suggested to them to go out the back of the hotel so as not to be spotted. Salomon decided to spend his evening in one of the famous coffee shops and smoke all the new herbs in town. Accustomed to my loneliness, I didn’t envy their frivolities, and in any case, I had to stay confined to the hotel in order to avoid running into the Dutch police. Inspector Clovis Carrere had still not stopped his search to find me since my disappearance from high school.

“You know you haven’t changed!” Thomas said, pulling me from my morbid reflections. “It’s like we parted yesterday. If not for that sad glow in your eyes…”

“That sad glow? No, I’m not sad, I’m impatient!”

“That we start the assault on this place?”

“Oh, yes.”

A silence crossed the room. He sat down on the couch and stared at me for a long moment.

“What did you do during these two years?”

“I holed up in the mountains.”

“A girl from London in the countryside! “Did it do you any good?”

“Let’s say I needed it,” I replied.

“Do you know that you could have given some news? It would have made me happy. I missed you.”

His last sentence, said with such assurance, ignited me like a torch. My cheeks took on the red colour of the curtains and a spasm crossed my lower abdomen.

“You’re still so beautiful,” he adds, smiling.

“You haven’t changed too much either,” I replied, amused. “But, those days are over, aren’t they?”

“Maybe not for me.”

This time, I was beginning to feel embarrassed by the turn our conversation was taking. Thomas’ intense gaze was hard to sustain, and I looked a little stupid, standing still in the middle of the living room.

“What if we don’t talk about all this anymore?” I suggested, averting my gaze a little.

A new silence weighed. I decided to go to my room and wish him good night. Two seconds later, Thomas decided to empty his mind.

“When I think it all started the day you met me!” he said suddenly. “And then it was just a series of ordeals for you: the murders, the caste attacks, what I did... Not to mention your captivity and finally Olivia…”

I froze and then turned to him. My livid face made him react immediately.

“Excuse me, Eve, I said that without thinking, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“I know,” I whispered, seeing his sorry look. “Nothing is your fault. All of this was to happen from the day I developed my caste powers.”

“Your presence disturbs me a little, you know.”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

“Have you heard from Sam?” he asked, much to my relief.

“Not for a few months. And you, do you have any news about Eric?”

“Same, he hasn’t called me for more than six months and I have absolutely no idea where he is. When Blake found you, I tried to reach him again, but his number is out of service. He’ll contact me sooner or later, I’m sure.”

Now that I had seen my companions from Mortain again, I missed Eric even more. Without him, it wasn’t quite the same, but at least he didn’t complicate the situation. Thinking about it, I began to dread being in his presence again. Since the arrival of Thomas and the others, I felt my overdeveloped pheromones let go as if they had been compressed for centuries. Thomas looked tense and I knew exactly why. I tried not to think about it, but just his company reawakened long-buried instincts. That said, it was not unpleasant either to feel desirable if you consider that I had been living as a hermit for a while. After all, this power of attraction was part of me, what could I do about it?

Thomas immediately sensed my change of mood and gave me a teasing look. The eternal question crossed my mind: could it be that such a handsome man could have fallen in love with a girl like me or was it just my bewitching gift that dictated the course of his emotions? I had always leaned towards the latter solution, of course. Without this power, I was banal, ordinary. Well, maybe not so bad anyway!

“Have you heard from Naomi?” I asked, politely, while even mentioning the first name of this woman made me sick to my stomach.

“Not for a year and I have no idea where she might be.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be. It’s because of her that we are no longer together.”

“Maybe…”

“Maybe! If she and Carmichael hadn’t used all their drugs on me, it would never have happened…”

“And today, you wouldn’t have your son,” I cut him off in order to open his eyes to his reality.

“That’s true,” he conceded, “but… I miss you, Eve.”

“I miss you too, but I know now that I’m not made for you.”

“And how do you know?” said Thomas, disconcerted by my frankness.

“Your feelings are veiled because of my powers, from that moment on, the dice are loaded. You can’t do anything about it, and that goes for others too.”

“Except Carmichael, right?”

“Quite the opposite. He is by far the one who can feel them most clearly. But he understands me, he’s like me.”

“He’s not good for you, Eve!”

“I never said he was.”

“And know that I loved you like crazy and that it had nothing to do with your damn power! Carmichael ruined any possibility of a chance between us. Basically, I hope he died in London, that bastard! Good night!”

This time, Thomas was furious. I remained speechless because it was the first time that I saw him getting angry with so much authority. I found myself smiling nervously when he left the room, slamming the door. He had gone into the bathroom and I heard the water running, a sign that he was going to take a shower. I smile even more when I think of our first time, which had just started under the hot waters at my home in London. These memories awakened in me an effervescence that I hadn’t tasted for ages. Two years since I had touched a man, I thought. I wanted to get up and join him, besides, I was already up. For a moment, I saw myself throwing myself on him to have him all to myself. But eventually, I sat back down and thought about London… Magnus Burton Race. It had become essential to do battle with this man and all those who had participated in what I had suffered there. I could only hope to live my life the day I finally get revenge and reparation for Olivia’s death. I went to bed without a last word for Thomas.