Eversong (Midnight Playground) by Eden Bradley Page B

stopped him.”
    “I would have done far more than stop him had Mercy not pleaded for him,” he spat out. “Had you yourself not argued on his behalf.”
    Aleron moved closer, placed his hands on Ever’s shoulders. He wanted to shake him off, but this was Aleron, one of his dearest friends.
    “Ever, my friend, why are you so angry?”
    “How can she care for him? And Deo is with her on this. Oh, not that he cares as she does, but still, he would have us be gentle with that fiend. How is it possible that she… loves him? She tells me she loves me, as she loves Deo. Where does this Gaius fit into the equation? You know what it is for one of us to give our heart.”
    “Perhaps it’s more the bond of Turning than real love, Ever. And even if it is some final shred of love, in some stunted form, then perhaps the part of them that is able to do so—that almost human empathy and freshness—is the very part of them you love so deeply,” Aleron said quietly.
    Ever glanced away. “Yes,” he said, his tone soft, his body loosening.
    That was it, wasn’t it? He loved Mercy. And Deo. He loved the very things about them Aleron had spoken of. The rest didn’t matter. Perhaps one of the things he’d forgotten about love was how boundless it was.
    It didn’t matter that Mercy felt some lingering emotion for the treacherous vampire who had made her. Or, rather, it did. It spoke only of how much love she had to give. How devoid of bitterness this lovely and loving woman was. Which, as Aleron had said, was one reason he and Mercy and Deo had made such a bond. A bond never to be broken.
    “I must go and speak with them. Thank you, Aleron.”
    “It wasn’t me, old friend. It’s love.”
    Ever smiled at him. “Yes. I must go to them, my loves.”
     
     
    Mercy looked up as Ever strode into the room then knelt on the floor before her, took her hands in his, kissing them.
    “Did he hurt you, my love?”
    There was a small bit of rage in his face, still. And love. So much love.
    “No. I don’t think so. He scared me.”
    “I would have killed him myself. Torn him to pieces with my hands if it weren’t for you, Mercy.”
    She reached out to stroke his stone-hard cheek. “Thank you, Ever. What will they do with him?”
    “They have him in a room in the basement. He’s strong, but they have him.”
    “They will kill him,” she said quietly.
    “Yes.”
    “Ever…please tell me you won’t do it yourself.”
    A shadow crossed his features, but it was gone in moments. “I know you care for him still, Mercy. I don’t understand it.”
    She shook her head. “I can’t help it. He made me. Saved me from death.”
    “He was the one who nearly caused it!” Ever’s face grew tight with the effort to control his anger.
    Deo gripped her hand in his, but he remained silent.
    “He is a monster,” Ever went on, his voice rough. “A rogue. He lives outside our rules. Rules made to protect our kind from the mortal race. If he were allowed to roam, to make more vampires as carelessly as he did you, the humans would revolt against us. We cannot allow it to happen.”
    “I know that,” she said quietly. “I knew it before, and Deo has reminded me.”
    “But more than that, Mercy, is what he did to you.” He stood, his hands fisting at his sides. “ You . The first woman I’ve loved in centuries. I cannot stand it. I cannot stand to let him live, even in captivity.”
    “Ever, don’t be angry.”
    He turned from her, slammed his fist into a small table, crushing it as if it were made of paper. The sound echoed in her ears. Deo bolted to his feet.
    “Ever.” His voice was a low growl.
    Ever whipped his head around, glaring, his dark eyes like two piercing shards of midnight. But Deo did not back down.
    She felt the tension in the room like some palpable force. She stood.
    “Stop it! Stop it, both of you. This is crazy. Don’t let him do this to us. Don’t let him tear us apart. I can’t take it.” The tears were