Page 42

Evander

I fight a smile as I watch her face and the pure ecstasy etched upon it when I push her over the edge.

And I want to do more. I want to have every inch of me inside of her, not just my hands and tongue.

Forcing myself to show restraint is harder in this moment than it has ever been before.

But I know how the magic can drain her and how it’s only a matter of minutes before exhaustion starts to take over.

She needs to have some strength, some energy left for traveling tomorrow.

I can wait because I want to see her reactions, to have her fully present when I take her for the first time.

I want to watch her writhing beneath me for hours while I make her come again and again.

Because there will be more. That, I will make sure of.

I’m going to taste everything, touch everything.

I’m going to make sure we live, just as I promised her tonight.

There is no giving up on her, no turning back now.

Climbing into the bed, I wrap my arms around her.

I hold her tight and drag her body flush against me despite the fact that my cock presses into her, still rigid with want.

She curls back into my body, and I bury my head in her hair, breathing in the lavender that remains on her.

Bria’s body is relaxed now, and I feel her settle even more as she leans into me.

Realizing her lower half is still exposed to the cold, I yank the blankets up over her.

That tunic is doing her no good at this point either.

It is torn nearly in half and I smile, remembering that I contributed to most of that.

And that she hadn’t minded in the least.

She likely doesn’t need protection from the chill.

Heat is still running through her, making her skin warm to the touch.

I, however, am beginning to get cold. Goosebumps are breaking out across my bare arms, so I bend down to kiss her cheek before rising to cross the room and close the open windows beside her.

Pushing the doors shut, I lock the latches in place across the wooden frames and turn.

My heart stops beating. I’m sure of it. She is so striking, her hair a radiant cascade along my pillows.

Her eyes are closed and there is a gentle smile pressed into her lips.

Thinking that what we just did—that I have anything to do with that smile—makes me happier than I ever thought possible.

I stay there for a moment, taking in the image of her lying in my bed.

How long I’d waited for this, hoping against all odds that it might happen and here she is.

I lean back against the frame of the window, crossing my arms over my chest as I watch her.

I never want this to end. I want to spend the rest of my nights this same way.

Glancing down, I notice the amulet hanging around my neck. The symbol of her fate. The symbol of her demise. It strikes fear into my heart, and I reach up to undo the clasp, gathering it in the palm of my hand and shoving it deep in my pocket. I can’t bear to look at it any longer.

She opens her eyes a fraction, just enough to see me standing across from where she’s lying. Her cobalt eyes are now soft and warm as she gazes up at me, almost glowing. And right then, I know for sure what this is.

I love her.

I have always loved her. I loved her then, and now, and all of the time in between. I had let the boundaries of our stations keep me from her when we were younger, and the threat of her fate keep me from her as we grew older. But not anymore. Not ever again.

She stretches out her arm, extending long fingers and wiggling them toward me. I push off the ledge and reach my hand back to her, intertwining my fingers with hers.

“Ev,” she says, her voice breathy and sexy as hell. When I look down, she closes her eyes again.“Come back,” she whispers, pulling me back toward her.

“Happy to oblige,” I reply, my lips pulling into a smirk as I crawl over her, lingering above her and taking in the sight for a moment before slipping back behind her.

My body curls back around her petite frame, letting my fingers find the hem of her tunic and settling my hand on the soft skin of her stomach.

I kiss her neck before laying my head on the pillow beside her.

She makes a small noise and wriggles into me, pushing herself right up against me with the movement and making my cock twitch in response.

I have to fight to steady myself and not allow the urge to pull me under. She needs to rest. We both do.

I fall fast asleep, my body wrapped around her as we breathe in unison.

I’m not sure how long I’ve been asleep when Bria is ripped from beside me.She lurches from the bed and falls to the ground in a heap. Startled, I clamber over the mattress and landon the floor next to her, my knees slamming into the hard wood.

“Shit!” A stream of curses flies from my mouth when I realize what’s happening to her.

She’s having a vision again, there is no doubt in my mind. Her head is thrown back and I watch as her eyes roll until I can see only white. Her body is still, and I’m not sure if I should pick her up or not. Helpless, I stare as it takes over her body, unable to make it stop. Useless.

I grasp her face in my hands, urging her to look at me.

Within moments, her eyes slam back and she gasps, trying to catch her breath before screaming out for her sister, the noise tearing from her throat.

I slap a hand over her mouth, stifling her cries from the rest of the inn, not wanting anyone running in here when she’s in this state.

“Shhh, I’m so sorry,” I tell her, over and over, trying to calm her down. I pull her to my body, ensconcing her in my arms as she shudders and an aching sob breaks free. Bria clings to me, clenching my arms as her hot tears streak down my chest.

We stay that way for some time, allowing the sobs to quiet, allowing her body time to settle and come down from the magnitude of the vision.

I whisper to her as we sit on the cold, floor, running my hands up and down her back, soothing her.

I urge her to breathe, to stay with me, to come back to her body. Back to me.

When she pulls her head away from me and looks up, there are blue flames dancing in her eyes, red rimming her lids, and drops of tears decorating her fine lashes.

I press a kiss to her forehead, holding her tightly.

I don’t want to let go but that look has me questioning whether she’s slipping away. Something isn’t right.

“I have to go.”

The words are spoken so softly I barely hear them. But there is a firmness behind them. It isn’t a question.

“What? Go where?”

She reaches a hand to my face, smoothing her fingers over the stubble to cup my cheek. She looks sad, broken, and I swear I would do anything to wipe that look from her face, to put those broken pieces back together.

“Bria. You’re not going anywhere. We leave for the Woods tomorrow,” I remind her.

She keeps her hand on my face, her voice quiet even now that the sobbing has subsided. “Something is wrong,” she begins. “I’m not going to the Woods yet, I’m going to get Nimai.”

Dread floods my senses. We’ve had no word from the southern camp that anything is wrong with Nimai.

I knew the visions had been of her sister, but assumed it was just another magical connection like we spoke of earlier, that it’s been increasing because Nimai’s birthday draws near.

I say as much to her, but she’s insistent.

“No. This is different. She is in pain, horrible, all-consuming pain. Coming into your magic is not like that, it doesn’t hurt. And she’s scared. I can feel it when I see her,” she explains, her gaze and hand never leaving my face. “She’s not safe.”

I shake my head, not willing to believe it even if I can tell she thinks there’s truly something wrong.

She believes what she saw and felt in that vision.

“That’s impossible, Bria. She’s in the southern camp.

She must be fine. Reinhardt or your mother would have told us if something happened, if she was hurt at all. ”

“She’s not in the southern camp, Ev.” My heart clenches as she says my name.“She’s in the capital, the dungeons.”

My eyes widen. Nimai cannot be in the dungeons.

“No.” I take a deep breath in. “No, she can’t be. How-how can you be sure?”

“I saw the dirt floors, saw the barred door...and I saw him .” She swallows. She’s holding back telling me, but I already know the him she’s talking about.

“No,” I repeat. There is no possible way Nimai has been captured and we are unaware. Not by them. Not by him. I refuse to entertain the thought, physically shaking my head over and over again.

“Your father has her. She’s with the king and Aamon in the capital.” Bria drops her hand from my face and moves herself away. I grasp her hand as she stands, clinging to her fingers. “And I’m going to get her back.” Her voice is fierce, a determination in it I’ve never heard from her.

“You can’t!” I’m moving now, jumping to my feet to stop her.

I seize her other arm, holding her, gripping my fingers too tightly.

My eyes plead for her to understand. I try to calm my voice before speaking again.

“Bria, they are evil men. Barbaric. What they do to people with magic, it’s—you cannot go there.

” I watch her face, trying to see if she is registering the gravity of my words.

“We can tell Helara and Quinn and I can go. We can go tell her right now, and she can send soldiers to back us up. I can go, Bria. I can get her back.”

Bria’s head drops to her chest. “You can’t. None of you can.” She won’t look at me and it’s killing me inside. “Helara can’t defeat him, she can’t infiltrate the castle. It has to be me.”

I tug her toward me before grabbing her face in my hands and tipping her head back.

“Bria, look at me!” I demand and she caves, tears streaming down her cheeks and trickling onto my fingers.

“You will die. They will do horrific things to you. They will use you and kill you. I can’t let you go to Easthallow. ” My voice is cracking as I beg her.

She reaches to grasp my wrists with her fingers, holding my hands in her own. “I know, Ev.”

My heart aches as she brings her face to mine, rising on to the tops of her toes to kiss me gently. I have the slightest sense of relief before she drags her mouth to my ear but everything stops when she whispers, “I’m so sorry.”

She quickly wrenches her body from me, taking a step away as disbelief spreads across my face. Shadows swirl and undulate around her, a fine black mist thickening and turning menacing.

“Bria!” I cry out, reaching for her again. Tears sluice past her lids and down her face as she backs further away. “Bria, no!” I try to move toward her, but the shadows circle me, pushing me back toward the bed. Caging me in.

They sweep in, coiling around my legs and arms. Tight binds form around my ankles and wrists. I fight against them, but the shadows latch around the posts of the bed.

Shackled. She’s fucking chaining me. I yank my arms to no avail, the shadows continuing to swirl like sinister vines along my body, curling further up to my shoulders and locking me in place.

Her eyes are red and raw from the tears, and I can barely see her through the ominous mist.

“I’m sorry, Ev,” she whispers again as she grabs her boots and the cloak that had fallen to the ground, turns on her heel, and rushes out of the room.

Thrashing at the chains binding me, I scream her name, but the black vines sweep up, covering my mouth and muffling the sound before it can leave my throat. The tight grip of the shadows bites into my skin, leaving a warm trickle of blood seeping from my wrists.

She’s gone.