Memory of an Immortal Heart (Immortal Hearts) by Kita Bell Page B

me?”
    He
winced. “When she spoke, she didn’t give you any clues?”
    “She
just…wanted my blood. I think I was the only Kaspian there…I thought the man
from cell 113 was one too, but I was wrong. She wanted my blood and she
liked…knives. She liked it when people…” Eva looked away from him, out the dark
window. Her face was haunted, and she had a death grip on the plastic drink cup
before she jerkily put it in the cup holder. “She likes making people afraid.”
    A
surprised respect moved through Brand. Whatever else Eva was, she was strong.
She was a survivor.
    “I
won’t let her get to you, Eva,” he promised quietly.
    She
shook her head, not looking away from her reflection in the dark window. “I’m
not from your Gens. You don’t have to help me. All I’ve brought you is danger.”
She hesitated. “I don’t know why you even bothered to search me out at the
park. Thank you. But I don’t understand why.”
    Brand
glanced away from the road and at Eva, considering his words. He didn’t think
Eva was prepared to hear the answer to that question any more than he was to
tell her. He cleared his throat and told – if not the truth
– then a truth. “I wouldn’t have left anybody behind in your
situation.” They paused at a stoplight.
    “My
Gens would have,” Eva sighed, turning to look at him again, a painful honesty
in her silver gaze. “They wouldn’t have even thought twice about it. Well, my
sister’s not like that. But almost everyone else is.” Which made Brand wonder
if Eva’s Gens had done that to her before – left her behind; he gripped
the steering wheel.
    “Brand?”
she asked curiously, yawning as she snuggled down into the seat, “Why are we in
Ohio? Did you have to…make a stop or something…before going to North Carolina?
Like you did with that box you left off for Joshua?”
    Fuck . She
was so damned trusting.
    He
didn’t look away from the road when he said, “Yes.”
    Damn,
he hated lying to her.
    “How
many hours before North Carolina? I’ll pay you back for gas mileage, I swear.
And…if Rohe is after me, you and Joshua should stay away. You could get into
trouble too.”
    “Don’t
worry about that, Eva,” he murmured. “Just let me worry about that.”
    It
wasn’t until after Eva curled up under his leather coat and fell asleep that
Brand parked the car in a dark alley in the warehouse district and looked at
his sleeping passenger.
    The dim
light from the bar a block away streaked her abraded cheek, painting it soft
gold. He reached and brushed the strands of hair off her face, then leaned back
in his own seat and sighed.
    Generally,
he was an honest man. He admitted that he wasn’t overly forthcoming with his
own secrets or the Gens’ business. But tonight he had told more lies to his
amati than he was comfortable with.
    Hell,
he wasn’t really comfortable lying to Eva at all. Sooner or later all of it was
going to blow up in his face.
    As long
as later came in a place and situation that he could control. At the
moment, Brand was far from his home, far from his Gens, and on the road with a
woman who was likely to run the first chance he got to tell her the truth
– not to mention they all had to avoid a handful of Sakai.
    Hell,
so much for a routine drive back to Stronghold.
    Brand
felt the headache coming on and leaned back into the seat, temporarily closing
his eyes.
    He’d
made another enemy tonight. Perhaps even drawn the unwanted attention toward
Stronghold that his family had avoided for years. Because, Brand was certain,
Corin King didn’t lack for resources.
    Hell. A Strategoi . There were only four of them in the world, and they were the
best of the best. No one dared claim the title who hadn’t earned it.
    And by
aiding Eva, Brand had placed his own family in the path of one. Joshua was out
in the ice and snow somewhere, evading Sakai. Back at Stronghold, Seth was
running illegal hacks on the names Brand had sent. It seemed, Brand