Page 33 of Evermore

“So buy her some damn flowers and say you’re sorry.”

I huffed, shaking my head. “Your suggestion is to lie to her again? I’m not fucking sorry, and you know that. I can’t simply apologize and make this right. She knows almost everything now. Every lie, every manipulation. She hates me, Tuck. And she has every right to.”

Tuck’s hard expression softened slightly. “I’ve watched you chase this woman through countless lifetimes. You’ve moved worlds for her. You’ve been beaten, broken, and conquered. Maybe it’s time to let her go.”

“I can’t,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous. “She’s mine. She’s always been mine.”

“Is she though?” Tuck challenged, standing to lean over his desk. “Seems to me she’s made her choice pretty clear. And it ain’t you.”

I whirled around, my power crackling at my fingertips. For a moment, I considered unleashing it all on Tuck. Consequences be damned. But he was right, and that knowledge burned worse than any wound. He knew I’d never hurt him.

“What would you have me do? Stand by and watch as she builds a life without me? As she falls in love with someone else?”

He sighed, running a hand through his long, brown hair. “This obsession? It’s fucking destroying you. And her. It’s destroying everything. Maybe it’s time for a change. Once and for all.”

I turned to stare out the window, watching as the sun burned down the streets of Stirling. I couldn’t let her go. I’d ratherwatch, haunt her every dream and thought, than be without her. “No. I can’t do that.”

Tuck sighed, his voice fading as he moved toward the door. “Then what’s your plan, genius?”

“I’ll find a way to win her back.”

He rubbed his temples. “How exactly?”

“I don’t know yet. But I have plenty of experience with her to figure it out.”

“You’re a damn fool if you think she’s anything like her other lives. She’s not going to lay down. She’s going to fight back.” He stepped back, chuckling. “She’s fucking ruthless.”

“Do you need a minute with your thoughts about my wife, Tuck?”

“Comments like that are exactly why Ezarius has the upper hand. He doesn’t let his feelings cloud his judgment with her like you do.”

“Well, then maybe it’s time to change the rules of the game.”

He shook his head and opened the door, walking out. “Let’s revisit this conversation when you finally realize she’s not here to play with you.”

“It’s annoying when you act like you know everything.”

“It’s annoying when you expect anything different from me. Now I need you to focus. I’m telling you, they are up to something.”

“The gods are always up to something and where Bella’s concerned, that’s a guarantee.”

“You need to shut her down. Ban her.”

I matched his stride, and he fell slightly behind my right shoulder. As was proper, but completely unnecessary, and he knew it. “My power isn’t strong enough right now. She knows that.”

“Then send her to the Forgotten,” he whispered.

“If I threw every annoying god into the Forgotten, I’d be alone.”

“Might be good for you.”

We strode through the castle’s winding corridors. It was the same as every castle of every mortal king. Cold stone imprisonment. Over the years, the wives had thrown portraits on the walls and rugs on the floors to try to hide the damn gray, but it was never enough to warm the place.

As we approached the council chamber, the hushed whispers of nobles and courtiers grew louder. Two guards flanked the double doors, their armor gleaming as they stood at attention. With a nod from me, they pushed the heavy doors open, revealing the chamber beyond.

At least this room had stained-glass windows. A long, polished oak table dominated the center, its surface inlaid with intricate patterns of gold and silver. A gift from a god, no doubt, but I couldn’t be sure which one. Probably fucking Aeris, but that was only a guess. Around the table sat Aldus’s most trusted advisors, their silk robes and jeweled fingers a clear display of what they believed to be wealth and status. The Silk. The fuckers that’d all but abandoned this king when he’d gone missing sure sat nicely at his table.

Mixed in though, in scattered seats with far less wear on them, were members of the Fray. Likely members that’d been hand chosen by Tuck as he infiltrated the king’s council. Their eyes didn’t meet mine with as much disdain as the others, which was expected, though I was a notable member of the Silk in this fucking realm. I’d built that reputation memory by memory, before making my bargain with Paesha.