High Society - Page 67

“It would be worth it for a better future,” I told him.

He shook his head. “Nothing would be worth you not existing, or even you not being you.”

I thought of all the memories that had surfaced recently, of the tactics Victor and Kael used to make us the strongest, the ones who would comply, the best soldiers in their armies and the most destructive weapons in their arsenal. Enoch thought going through that was worth finding me, but I feared the Eve who was shoved off the Compound’s roof wasn’t worth saving.

“I won’t know you in my time. I’ll be born, my mother will be killed, I’ll be taken into the Compound’s custody, and shoved into the Asset program. The reason I was placed there to begin with was because of something in my blood and DNA. Otherwise, I would’ve been forced into the military.”

Enoch furrowed his brow as he considered my words. “Why couldn’t you live outside? Why weren’t you free? Are all humans housed inside the Compound?”

“No, there are civilians outside because there’s not enough room for everyone inside. I assume they brought me in because I was a kid. I wouldn’t have survived the vampires on my own.”

I picked at a hedge leaf. Enoch reached up and took my hand in his. “I know a little about what happened to you. When you were sick with fever on my ship, I witnessed you reliving part of it and it made me want to tear the sky apart.”

“You could probably do that,” I laughed.

He shook his head, disgusted. “None of what you’ve experienced at their hands is funny. It’s astonishing to me that you can still find it within you to laugh.”

“It’s a defense mechanism,” I admitted. “Much like sarcasm, which I am fluent in, by the way.”

He shook his head, bemused.

For the first time all evening, the headache faded and my head felt light. My lips tingled, though not uncomfortably, which I attributed to the wine. I’d had almost an entire glass, but since it was the first time I’d drank alcohol before, it must have affected my motor skills.

“I don’t want to leave,” I declared, sloppily throwing my arms around his neck and breathing him in.

“I don’t want you to go.” The way he said the words tattooed them onto my heart.

“Maybe Titus can unlink us and I can stay here,” I suggested.

“Would you really consider it?” he asked, brows raised. His eyes searched mine for the answer I could tell he desperately wanted.

I kissed him. Of course I would consider it. What we needed was to quit doing what everyone else expected and do what we wanted for a change. I’d just make sure Titus was good to return on his own and then ask him to help me remove the tech.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and giggled. My head felt like fizzy water; bubbles surged and popped and rushed to the tips of my toes and fingers.

I couldn’t feel them. They’d gone to sleep.

My lips were numb, too. Really numb. I reached up to feel them and couldn’t raise my hand high enough.

“Are you well?” Enoch asked suddenly, holding me by the elbows.

“My head feels weird.” I could hear myself say the words, but they sounded muffled, like my ears were underwater when I said them.

“Eve?” He gathered me into his chest, which was good, because my legs wouldn’t hold me up anymore. He licked his lips, his eyes widening. “The taste… I thought it was…” Then Enoch, who berated Titus for saying anything unseemly in front of me, cursed. “You’ve been poisoned.”

“Poisoned?” I asked, giggling.

“We have to get you back to the house. I think it’s oleander.”

He picked me up and whirred so fast towards the house, I couldn’t even catch my breath to laugh. And then things weren’t funny at all. My sight became blurry and fuzzy around the edges, and my heart galloped so quickly, I was afraid it would explode.

“What happened? Why are her pupils like that?” Titus yelled.

I tried to ask, “What’s wrong with my eyes?” but I was sleepy and it came out all wrong.

Chapter Sixteen

Titus