Endeca (The Escapism Series) by Maria Dee

think it’s time we had a chat,” he said eloquently. Under different circumstances, I would have found his English accent delightful. I scanned the room once over for Edric but he was out of sight.
    “Where’s Edric?” I questioned, nervously.
    “He’s gone for a much needed retreat . I suggest you come with me,” he advised, while resting against the doorframe. His eyes were pitch black, encircled by a thin rim of orange. He stood a few inches taller than I, with dark brown hair and an ominous grin.
    I stood by the doorway, completely helpless; the marrow in my bones quaked with anticipation of something dreadful. My two worlds were at a crossroads as my friends drew near and Sebastian, an unknown threat, drew nearer.
    “I’m in no hurry. I could stay and meet your dear friends. Marla and Calliope, if I’m not mistaken?” he smirked.
    “Leave them out of this, please,” I begged him anxiously. I wished for nothing else but my friends’ safety.
    “Well then, invite me in already,” he suggested, callously.
    “Come in,” I mustered, regretfully so. Soon it’d be one big Endeca party up in my crib—so much for a safe haven.
    “What do you want?” Although he wasn’t in any rush, I was. He strolled through the living room, in search of something.
    “Have we no manners, Xenia?” he grinned, extending his hand. “I’m Sebastian. Nice to meet you.”
    I refused his gesture. I wouldn’t touch him with a five-foot pole knowing he was one of the eleven, an immorta of Endeca.
    “Very well. Down to business, shall we?” he paused briefly mulling over something before continuing, “I’d like it very much if you’d unite Endeca, and I’d like to find out how the E-SOM continues to track us.”
    If not for the sheer confusion that befell me, I would’ve sworn he insinuated that I was involved with the latter. In a flash, he took off upstairs, returning just as quickly, stirring the air around us. Immortality definitely had its perks, but I was glad my perks were the short-lived kind. The very idea that I could just as easily whisk by him, snag my locket and snap his neck like a twig was oddly comforting.
    He held up the locket— my locket. “Fond memories of the dome, have we?”
    “I don’t know what you mean,” I stammered. Slow deep breaths. Styx gnawed at my insides but I strained to contain her though it felt unpleasant.
    “Why did you keep this locket, Xenia?” he asked, aghast.
    “Because it helped me unite my first fragment,” I unveiled for the first time out loud. At the time, all I wanted to do was burn it, instead I stored it in my dresser drawer. For some God-awful reason, I couldn’t part with it.
    “ Right . Nicholas—your long lost friend from the dome. How… quaint ,” he said, feigning humanity.
    “What’s it to you?” Infuriated by his inquest into a part of my life that I had neatly tucked away, I couldn’t stop the images that flooded my conscious mind of a posttraumatic nature.
    “You see, the E-SOM knows about our current affairs. Now, how could that be?” he probed, tilting his head sideways.
    “That’s a loaded question. You should probably ask Orion, renowned spy for the E-SOM,” I scorned.
    “I’ve exhausted my sources. That leaves you.”
    “Well, it’s not me. Rest assured, I’d never side with the E-SOM.”
    “Don’t think we can,” he said, continuing, “And if Viola doesn’t rest, well, you’ve seen what she’s capable of.”
    “I guess I have no choice,” I whispered, deceitfully. Viola’s effect had worn off when Styx embodied my source, but Sebastian didn’t need to know that.
    “Your lack of cooperation leaves me no other choice, Xenia. I’m going to take a more practical approach. You either find out who is spying on us or join us. Choose one or I’ll have a chat with your best girlfriends,” he threatened, continuing, “Over brunch, perhaps. You decide.”
    I felt a surge of anger rising and a part of me wanted to do some