Healing Eden by Rhenna Morgan Page A

waved her hand and lit two candles stationed at the corner of his desk with a mental nudge. “You’ll ruin your eyes in that light.”
    Eryx grumbled and pushed from the desk. “There’s too much to look at and not enough time. I’ve got two days , three tops , before Angus starts pushing for answers. Stalling with rebellion concerns can only last so long.”
    “So where’s Lexi?” She settled in one of two crimson wingbacks in front of his desk, and feigned a lightness she didn’t feel. “I thought she was looking too.”
    “She’s teamed with Graylin in the library. I’m hitting dad’s personal stuff here.” He lifted his chin toward the still open doors. “How’s Brenna?”
    Her stomach roiled. “Still out.”
    “Did I miss something?”
    Galena shook her head. She’d combed every inch of Brenna’s body and knew full well Eryx had nearly matched her own healing abilities in caring for the girl, which was saying something. “I think her mind’s locked down.”
    “Trauma from the injury?”
    “Trauma from before.” She’d witnessed the atrocities in full color with crystal clear audio in the girl’s memory. Speaking the details aloud seemed a travesty. “Maxis raped her Eryx. Not once, but over and over. I can’t tell from her memories how old she was when it started, but her life’s been histus. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to wake up either.”
    A prominent tic kicked at the back of Eryx’s jaw and his hands fisted on top of his desk. He shook his head and huffed out a sarcastic laugh. “And Reese thinks he can save him. Maxis is a sadistic bastard. He deserves anything but decency.”
    There wasn’t much she could add to that. From all she’d seen, Maxis was a vile creature, void of conscience. But he was Reese’s brother, too. A man whose mother had loved him and suffered for leaving him behind to save her other son. Was Reese right? Could the truth change Maxis? Did the worst creatures deserve such a chance after a lifetime of wrongs?
    “Have you talked to Ramsay?” She’d been hesitant to broach the subject, too afraid of Eryx’s answer . Not that there seemed to be a decent outcome for Reese.
    Eryx strode to a built-in cabinet spanning the rear wall. The candles and firelight gave the mahogany wood more depth than in daylight. “He and Ludan had leads to follow. They’re on their way now.” He poured a hefty dram of strasse, and tossed back more than half in one gulp.
    She didn’t know how the men tolerated the stuff. It sported enough kick the fermented Myren berries and wood cask scent carried from fifteen feet away. “So, what are you going to do?”
    He stared into the burgundy liquid and his thumb dragged along the tumbler’s crystal edges. “What would you do?”
    She blinked, then did it another ten or so times. Eryx might ask her opinion on remedies or healing, but Ramsay was the go-to guy on strategy. Her instincts quavered. It could be an honest question. It could also be well-hidden bait. “I think it’s a good shot at finding Ian.”
    Eryx’s thumb stopped moving.
    She should leave it at that. Not say another word. “But I don’t want to see him die.”
    Eryx tilted his chin in a way that accented his frown. “Why? He’s a traitor. You saw what Maxis did to Brenna, and Reese was his right hand.”
    “And you heard the situation. Would you have done anything different in his circumstance? Can you say without a doubt you’d have owned such a relationship? It doesn’t seem right to judge Reese over something he had no control over.” Just like she had no control over how she felt about Reese. She’d have staggered a step or two at the realization had she not already been seated.
    “No one’s judging him for his birth.” Eryx took his seat and the leather let out a muffled groan. “They’re judging him for his lies and the choices he made.”
    “Choices who made?”
    Galena surged upright at the sound of Ramsay’s voice, and found Ludan