"he did what?" jericho asked, his arm falling limp at his side while holding a dirty wooden spoon.

"i want to say it was, at least, maybe half of his magic, maybe less, maybe more. i don't know, it's hard to tell. what i do know is that it was more magic than i have ever felt before, more than i've ever held. there was a lot of it, and as far as i could tell, lucan didn't even notice that amory was giving it to me." i almost laughed, remembering how full of electricity my veins felt after he was finished.

"that is amazing!" gabriel exclaimed, rising out of his chair and slapping me in the arm.

"that is really good news, eden!" jericho echoed gabriel's excitement.

"amory is still dead," i reminded them, surprised by their enthusiasm.

"yes, that is true, but now our quest doesn't feel quite so.... hopeless," gabriel answered with the same energy.

"well, come on guys, you didn't really think i was going to, what? you didn't think i was just taking you to romania so we could all die, did you?" i asked, horrified that they thought so little of my leadership skills, but a little flattered they were still willing to follow me there.

"i did," gabriel nodded his head quickly, "that's actually exactly what i thought."

"yep, me too," jericho patted me on the shoulder and walked back to the counter where he continued stirring his concoction on the stove.

"guys, i'm not completely unprepared for this..." i muttered defensively. "although, thanks for coming anyway?" i said more as a question than actual heart-felt gratitude.

"well, a good cause and all," jericho mumbled from his place at the stove.

"i mean, you did tell me i had a responsibility to mankind and that i would single handedly be the reason for the downfall of our race if i didn't join you," gabriel agreed with jericho and i burst into laughter. apparently i was on a mission with two kamikaze-jokesters. "well, then, eden, you are the only one on this blue planet that will be able to kill the king," gabriel turned serious.

"well, avalon, too, once we rescue him and i give him his magic back. we share everything, as far as magic goes, so he'll have access to amory's magic as well," i explained confidently.

"so, your brother gave you his magic before he was taken away and now he is being held captive without it?" gabriel asked, putting bits and pieces of conversations together.

jericho walked over to the table, carrying three soup bowls in hand. he set the bowls on the table; the aroma drifted up and around us, making my stomach growl ferociously and warm my spirit with feelings of gratitude. tonight we were safe, tonight we had a real, home cooked meal, and tonight we sat together, figuring out the future in allied camaraderie.

"yes," i mumbled through a mouthful of deliciously, hot food.

"but, why...?" gabriel asked, his spoon hovering over his food. "jericho didn't you say that you were brought to peru for a trade, lucan wanted to trade you for avalon's magic?"

jericho nodded, his mouth full of food.

"if lucan has amory's magic and in turn his immortality, why does he need avalon's?" gabriel continued his thought; i looked up at him, realizing this was a thought i should have been figuring out several days ago.

"for his son," jericho said simply and then took another bite. "he's dying."

gabriel was satisfied and began eating as well. i took another bite, but couldn't taste the food anymore. i made myself chew, i forced myself to swallow, but it was the last bite i could stomach. i lost my appetite and nearly my sanity.

the fierceness i felt to rescue avalon was there, and the intense need to give him back his magic would never leave me. however, the sudden and unexpected feeling to protect kiran blindsided me. i was paralyzed by a deep need to save him, to keep him from dying. the internal war between inevitable vengeance and a buried and what i had thought was a dead love fought violently inside of me and closed off my throat, staggered my breathing and tore apart my soul in inhumane ways.

kiran was dying and i was suddenly determined to save him.

chapter ten

"i'll clean up," i offered, noticing gabriel's drooping expression and being grateful for jericho's willingness to cook the meal in the first place. i was still in awe of how he could put all of those ingredients together and come out with something not only edible but delicious.

"thank you, eden," gabriel said solemnly and for a moment i wasn't sure if he was talking about the dishes or something more.

he stood up slowly, placing a firm hand on jericho's shoulder before leaving the kitchen into the darkness of the hallway.

"the bedrooms are upstairs, i will set linens out for you and towels in the bathroom," he called.

i stood up, my hands full of plates and walked to the sink searching out dish soap. jericho followed with more dishes in hand and the left overs we couldn't finish. he rummaged around silently for a few moments, finding something to store the food in.

"what's wrong?" he asked after the food was stored in the small refrigerator. he leaned against the counter, his hands supporting his weight on either side and waited patiently for my response.

i couldn't look at him. for a moment, i couldn't even talk. i worked at the dishes, scrubbing them clean and rinsing them carefully under the water. my hands started to shake, so i slowed down, focusing on the dishes, not wanting to break one.

"eden, what is it?" jericho asked. there was a sweetness to his voice, a careful concern that felt like security, that felt like.... home.

"it's just.... well, you know, it all feels like.... sometimes it feels like too much. like too much for one person to handle...." i admitted, shutting off the water and turning around to face him. i let my wet hands fall against my tan fitted, cargo pants, staining them with soapy water, but not able to find the will to care.

jericho looked at me, his hazel eyes marked with desperate concern. he opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again, walking over and pulling me into his arms instead. i sighed, letting myself melt into his chest and putting my arms around him as well.

"and it's more than amory and avalon and.... everyone else. it's that.... i don't know how to explain, it's too awful," i closed my eyes, wishing i could banish forever the feelings that reappeared uninvited. i wished i could crucify those unwanted emotions that crept their way silently and unnoticed back into my heart and made their home again inside that wretched, barely beating organ.

"you still have feelings for him?" jericho asked, but it wasn't a question, it felt like a resonating accusation.

"no, how could i?" i argued with myself. "but at the same time the thought that he could die, or that he is dying, makes me want to.... truthfully, i want to vomit."

i thought jericho would pull away from me, or slap me, or get angry with me or anything but laugh. but laugh he did, the silent kind of laughter that shakes one's body and brings a tear to one's eye. i looked up at him, confused by how entertained he was at my expense. his laughter subsided, but the amusement never left his twinkling eyes.

"eden, it's all right. what you felt for kiran was real, as hard as that may be to hear, it was real. it became even more real by the fact that you planned this future with him and when that was taken from you, you didn't even get a say, or have a choice. you were as much of a victim that night as i was, or avalon or even amory. even if you want to kill him, that doesn't mean you want him dead. feelings like that, they just don't disappear because you want them to. they're irrational to begin with, so telling them to go away usually makes them worse. believe me," jericho explained in such a way that i felt weight was lifted from my shoulders. i looked up at him, and he looked back at me, resting his forehead against mine for a brief moment before kissing it gently and releasing his embrace.

"but they will go away, won't they?" i asked in a small voice, leaning back against the counter.

"yes, i believe they will," he nodded confidently, smiling in a way that made his dimple come to life and his eyes shine with assurance. "besides, it's not fair that he should get to die of this unnamed disease. i want to be the one to kill him."

"i feel the same way," i echoed jericho's light tone, finding a smile to give back to him.

"there is something you should know though," he turned serious for a moment, the light in his eyes dimming and his smile fading away. he cleared his throat before continuing, "it was kiran's idea to send me with talbott. lucan originally wanted to send lilly; he thought she was less of a threat and the most compelling bargaining chip, but kiran insisted that i would be stronger leverage. kiran demanded that his father send me instead of lilly."

i stared at him with confusion, wanting to ask questions, but he held up his hand to stop me.

"talbott told me on the way over that kiran wanted you to be protected. he sent me to protect you. hell, it was even his idea for talbott to let me go no matter what you decided about avalon and the magic. he still loves you eden, he's still trying to protect you, even from his death bed," jericho finished quietly, as if he was making a case for kiran.

"why are you telling me this? why are sticking up for him?" i asked, horrified. my stomach started to churn violently again and i felt for sure, this time, i would be sick.

"i just want you to have all of the facts.... i just want you to know the whole story. eden, i want nothing more for you than to forget about him, i want you to move on and i want to be the reason you are able to move on." jericho took a step forward, his voice deep with sincerity and his eyes burning with intensity. i felt the blush rise to my cheeks at his honesty, but i couldn't turn away. i drank in his words, holding them tightly to my heart and letting the hope he shared fill me. "i love you, that has never changed. i am hoping that one day, not any day soon, i get that, but one day you will be able to love me in return. so i plan on doing everything in my power to help you move past kiran and onto.... different things. it's not fair though, if you don't know the entire story, so i'm starting with that; i'm starting with the truth. i will always give you the truth, and it will always be the whole truth." he smiled gently at me, almost mischievously.

"thank you. i appreciate the truth and i, and i want to move on too," i promised sincerely and then walked passed jericho intending to go to bed; i was suddenly very tired.

i turned around at the doorway though, feeling that i owed jericho the same honesty he gave to me, "and jericho," i started, he lifted his head and turned to me, "i am happy you are going to try to.... well, i'm just happy you're going to try. i smiled at him and then turned into the dark, empty hallway, stumbling around until i found the staircase.

i climbed the stairs thoughtfully, a soft smile never leaving my lips. there was life after kiran; there would be hope after the death of my first love. that's all kiran was to me, a first love, and at the very least, i could have one more. i could fall in love again, i could dream again. and after all of this was over.... i could live again.

----

the townhouse looked dark and empty. we stood outside the white brick house that connected seamlessly with identical dwellings flowing down the crowded paris street, and waited. jericho knocked three times on the aged, black door and so far, we neither saw, nor heard any movement inside the house.