Waking Eden (The Eden Series Book 3) Read Free

off.”
    Jagger smirked and stalked toward a casual seating area clearing out near the bar. “Eryx say how things went at council today?”
    Oh, he’d shared all right. Though the first thirty minutes of the download included nasty kicks and jabs at Ramsay’s head while they sparred to unleash tension. Damn good thing Eryx was the malran for their race and Ramsay was just the heir. He’d just as soon fight an army solo than sit through the political tedium and bullshit kingly duties Eryx endured. “Came here to let go, not rehash the state of the nation.”
    Jagger sprawled in a big black leather club chair. “Just makin’ conversation, boss.”
    Ramsay settled on Jagger’s left in a black leather love seat with a perfect angle on the dance floor. He flagged down a waitress, a pretty little thing with short dark hair and a saucy gait. Right about now his blood could use some thinning in the way of good Scotch. “Got Balvenie?”
    Her smile jumped a notch higher. Probably calculating how big their tab would be by night’s end. “Thirty year’s the best we’ve got. Crazy expensive though.”
    Figures. He could use a few drams of his brother’s Fifty. “Thirty’ll work.”
    She laid a coaster on the table in front of him and pinned Jagger with an expectant look.
    “A stout.” Jag barely made eye contact, his gaze a steady shuttle across the crowd. “Whatever you’ve got, but make it a big one.”
    A second coaster skated to the table’s edge and the waitress cocked her hip, brushing Ramsay’s knee in the process. “You need anything else?”
    Sass and confidence. A killer combination in a woman. Not to mention she knew her Scotch and made it her business to shoot for the high end. A perfect first foray for the night.
    And yet, he still wasn’t into her. He smiled and looked away, a subtle no thank you without a single word spoken. Fucking chaos messing with his mojo. He wanted his world back.
    The waitress sauntered off and Jagger ogled her ass.
    Kind of weird running with Jagger. They were close, sure. All of the elite warriors were, but not like Ramsay was with Eryx and Ludan. Guys’ night out with Eryx was out of the question. Too much sucking face with his new baineann back at the castle.
    Ludan was an even worse option, lately. As somo, or bodyguard, to Eryx, his usual gruff demeanor was kind of expected. But in the last month, the burly warrior had gone from brusque to flat out dickhead.
    Maybe that’s why his game was off tonight. Too big of a change in wingmen.
    “For a guy who’s out to get laid, you look like your head’s still back in your brother’s library.” Jagger blasted a devious smile at a passing gaggle of girls who looked too young to be in the place. “Find anything else on the prophecy yet?”
    An even worse topic. Ever since that Spiritu showed and promised more prophecy developments, he’d been antsy as hell. Didn’t help that the prediction was as vague as a politician on the campaign trail.
    When a Shantos male takes a mate bearing the mark of a sword wound with ivy, so shall dawn a new era in Eden.
    And damned if his brother hadn’t taken a mate who’d given him that exact mark. “Thought we weren’t talking shop.”
    “Just thinkin’ if you wouldn’t chase it so hard, you wouldn’t end up in a foul mood and need to get away in the first place.”
    “Better than sitting around waiting for something else to yank the rug out from underneath us. Lexi planting that mark on Eryx was one thing. Finding out there’s more than Myrens and humans…” Ramsay shook his head and sipped his Scotch.
    Spiritu. The alleged inspiration in everyone’s thoughts. The whole concept of someone influencing anything between his ears cranked his pissed off level a little too high. “Kind of makes you wonder how much of our lives are our own and how much is our meddling fairy Godparent. If they’re all about inspiration, where the hell are they now? I don’t see any roadmaps