Brink of Eternity (Guardians of Ascension #2.5)(4)
Author: Caris Roane

She turned, ready to slide into the booth, but there, waiting for them both, was the usual: her reddish Cosmo and his Glenlivet neat.

Memories rushed back to her and she weaved on her feet so that he caught her elbow. “Hey,” he whispered. “You okay?”

Damn and damn. Why did he have to prove his worth by having their drinks ready and waiting and why did she have to remember all the ways he’d made love to her as though time was just one big well-oiled, revolving door?

A shiver traveled straight through her and a wave of his scent, his gorgeous, sexy, toffee scent, flowed over her shoulder. A few of her learned expletives once more sped through her mind.

She swallowed hard, pulled her elbow out of his grasp and half scooted, half fell into the booth. She caught herself with hands on the strong red leather of the seat. She turned her near-topple into a quick glide and move to sit at the back of booth. Hopefully, he would keep his distance and sit adjacent to her. The last thing she wanted was his body next to hers.

She slid her Cosmo toward her, then took a drink. She should have sipped, but right now she could use a little added courage.

She took a deep breath.

Now to explain all the lies.

Chapter Two

For a moment, while holding Elise’s arm and keeping her steady, Gideon almost lost the real reason for the meeting. For at least five painful seconds, his left hand started drifting toward her waist and lower. He wanted his arms around her. He wanted to pull her up hard against him, he wanted her to feel the stiffness and length of his arousal, and he wanted his fangs in her neck. By the strawberry wave that hit him, damn, it wouldn’t take much to get her where he wanted her to be.

As he slid into the booth to sit at a right angle to her, his nostrils flared at how thick her scent was, how utterly seductive.

He picked up his tumbler, took a hefty swallow, and let the scotch pound some sense into him.

His shoulders hurt from restraining all his overpowering very male, very vampire instincts. He put the tumbler on the table and stared at it. He breathed. The night promised to give one long lesson in breathing.

“So what do you want to know, Gideon? We might as well have this out.”

He pressed into the back of the booth and closed his eyes. If he could calm down enough, yeah, he might be able to breathe and think, and then maybe he could answer her question.

Finally he said, “So exactly how much do you know about ascension, about ascending dimensions, about all of it? If I recall, you asked a lot of questions over the last two years, but you were clever. Not once did I suspect that at the end of each night Ididn’terase your memories.”

“I worked hard at it.”

“But why? Why not be up front with me?”

She stared at him, her dark brown eyes wide. Even though he hated all this deception, there was so much about her he liked. She took her work seriously and she lived a well-ordered life. Because of his military training, he was the same. But she had a wild side, too, that he appreciated, something he hadn’t expected, a real surprise. She wore her straight black hair parted in the middle, straight to her shoulders with a small upward curve at the ends. She had a kind spirit and treated all the Militia Warriors with great respect. He’d been proud to call herhis woman all the time they’d dated.

She wore a white button-down shirt, open at the throat, jeans, a black belt, and black shoes. She was damn beautiful, with full lips, a straight nose, and prominent cheeks. She wore only a touch of mascara, maybe lipgloss. He wanted to kiss her, but what else was new?

She looked wound up tight, probably because of the lies.

He created mist to cover the front of the booth, which dampened the sound of the music and kept the strobes from flashing into the space.

“All right, Elise, let’s have it. How much do you know? I want to hear as many details as come to mind.”

“All right.” She spoke of the world of ascension, about dimensional planets, same geography, different earths, that to reach the next world you had to demonstrate power at a Borderland, which in turn would initiate the rite of ascension that each human of Mortal Earth had to go through in order to reach the next dimension. After three days had passed, the mortal would take part in a brief ceremony, be given the gift of immortality as well as the gift of fangs for taking blood. In cruder terms, ascension was about becoming a vampire. In more exalted terms, it was about being born into a new world and a new life that involved a whole host of preternatural powers. She knew of the five major Borderlands in this part of the world: downtown Phoenix, New River, the north end of the White Tanks, the Superstitions, and Awatukee.

The Militia Warriors, known among the ranks as Thunder God Warriors, had their HQ in Apache Junction Two, near the Superstition Mountain range. The Apaches used to call the range Thunder God Mountain.

She talked for at least twenty minutes. He listened, huffed a sigh, listened some more, scowled. He couldn’t believe how much she knew about Second Earth. Great. Just great.

Finally, she said, “I know a lot more, but I think you get the gist.”

All he could think to say was, “Shit.” Then after a good long moment, “Oh, God.” He took another swig of scotch. “Why bother now? You didn’t even tell me when I broke up with you.”

She shook her head but she met his gaze straight on. “I’ll tell you flat out I was grateful when you called it quits. I confess you had me done up and done down. I couldn’t leave but I needed to, and not because you’re from another dimension. I … I’ve never seen myself in a long-term relationship with anyone. I’m not good at it. I prefer my solitary life, in part, I suppose because that’s what I’m used to.”

He remembered now. She’d talked about her life once, about the early death of her father and that the stress on her mother of trying to raise Elise alone just hadn’t added up to a lot of stability or a sense of being loved. Add to that the need Elise had to hide her powers, and yeah, she would have gone it alone.

She continued, “I hated that I showed up here every week, had sex with a vampire, gave my blood, but never had the smallest intention of really being with you long term. I felt like such a coward and a user. For that, I’m sorry. I had nothing to give and I still don’t. You need to know that up front, before everything else unfolds.”

Everything else? How much more could there be?

She stroked the stem of her martini glass. The movement distracted him. He nodded a couple of times then shifted his gaze back to her. “I’m no different. I thought I was using you as well.”