Delusions of Loyalty (The Braykith Series Book 2)

by Jennifer R. Kenny

  Glais sighed, running his hand back through his hair. He said nothing as he moved to sit by her on the log but not too close. Glais considered her statement. “Perhaps.” He silenced her objection with a look. “We cannot be certain Evangeline that Darius had nothing to do with your kidnapping.” It seemed like an appropriate word to use for what had just happened, and yet Glais struggled with it. A kidnapping seemed tame when compared to the events he had witnessed.

  “Darius would never.” Evangeline objected.

  “And before today, would you have ever thought your father was capable of it?” Glais asked.

  Evangeline frowned, looking into the fire and feeling Glais watching her. “No.” she finally answered. “But Darius is sweet.” She could not explain to Glais the treatment she had endured while with her father, the neglect he showed her for years and the conversation before her wedding. There had been so much in her life that Evangeline felt she could not share with others, and the threats her father spoke were simply one of many secrets. It was the same reason she could not tell Glais why she was so confident of her brother’s innocence.

  Glais looked back at the flames. “If Darius is innocent, then we shall find a way to free him from your father’s influence.”

  Evangeline smiled immediately. “Thank you Glais.”

  “But Evangeline, you must understand first that this may take time, and there will be no patience for your impulsive decisions.” Glais watched her shoulders sink into submission, but he would not apologise for telling her a simple truth. “From now on, we must be delicate when dealing with your father.” He paused, seeming to struggle with his words, but he said nothing to Evangeline. He never felt sure on how much he could share with Evangeline and it was a continued struggle between them. In truth, Glais admitted quietly to himself, he was still not sure if he had done the right thing in letting Barret live.

  One look toward Evangeline and Glais knew that killing the man would have broken any kind of trust that may have come to pass between them during the night. He might have been willing to risk that would it mean her safety. Evangeline was considering the flames, the area glowing with the firelight and casting its colour on her hair. She looked oddly like her mother. Glais sighed and turned to look into the flames himself. There was little sense in revising what could have been. It was done now.

  They watched the fire together, Glais concentrating hard on the dancing of the flames instead of the steady beat of her heart. Evangeline kept looked down at her hands, distracted by the gold and onyx ring Glais had given her. Even while she watched it now, it seemed to absorb the light from the fire, drinking it down. She swallowed hard, trying not to think of what magical properties this ring might have. Surely it was all just a trick of the light.

  The wind continued, and even with his coat wrapped around her shoulders for protection Evangeline was still cold. She shifted towards Glais, a subtle movement along the log. When he did not react to it, Evangeline moved even closer. Tentatively, Evangeline rested her head on his shoulder. Glais looked down on the crown of her head and after a breath to settle the craving for her blood, Glais shifted to put his arm around her.

  Evangeline closed her eyes, lowering her head a little and a smile teased the corner of her lips. She cuddled in closer to his body, seeking heat from his chilled skin. Evangeline frowned at the temperature he was, but it did not make her move away. Curious instead she reached for his hand. Fingertips slid over the back of his hand as it hung limply over her shoulder. Glais seemed frozen, but Evangeline did not mind for once. He had shown her before how far he could shut down from outside distractions.

  Her fingers trailed the length of his fingers, over the knuckles and callouses that had grown over time. She could imagine him, fir the first time since coming to Braykith, as the man from her fantasy’s. A warrior, strong with a sword and with his heart who would defend her when no one would. Glais may be the Prince due to inherit the Kingdom of Braykith, but he was more than that to her. Her fingers slid between his fingers, and Evangeline gasped as his fingers flexed to trap her hand against his.

  She looked up suddenly and coming face to face Glais she felt that tug again, the want to have his lips against hers. Evangeline’s lips parted, and for a breathless moment, she waited for Glais to give her a kiss.

  Suddenly Glais rose from the tree branch with such force the whole thing bounced under her, and Evangeline’s hands went either side to steady herself.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, trying to follow Glais’ gaze and see what he saw but the fire only made the darkness thicker. Her hands flexed and dug a little deeper into her seat, but there was nothing within easy reach that could be used as a weapon should they be attacked. It was far too easy for Evangeline to imagine men dressed in yellow and carrying rusty armour to emerge from the tree line. The hairs on her arms rose at the notion that seemed evitable now and her heart beat picking up as she squinted against the fire.

  It took her a moment to realise that Glais was not looking out into the trees for imagined attackers but instead was pacing by the fire, his own hands clenched with such force that whites showed on his knuckles.

  “Glais, what is wrong?” Evangeline asked, rising slowly from the tree branch. As he continued to ignore her, Evangeline pressed her lips together and started looking for an escape. The single step she took towards the horse had Glais turn suddenly towards her. She froze under the predatory eyes that greeted her.

  “Do not move,” Glais said, although his lips did not seem to part to make the words possible. He swore softly under his breath. Putting both of his hands up, palms out in an attempt to calm her or perhaps himself, Glais took a small step backward. “Just give me a moment, please.”

  Evangeline nodded, a subtle movement of her head was all she dared herself to make.

  Glais wanted to pounce her. He could feel the tension in his legs even as he fought against the action. The tightening of his muscles and the tilt of his body was automatic and something that he did not notice until it was almost too late.

  Glais had to force himself to look away from her, and only when he had lost Evangeline from his sights did he start to feel like he was back in his own skin and under control. “Evangeline, your heart beat is so fast.”

  Evangeline’s eyes went wide. The tone of his voice could not be helped, but it seemed he was salivating or aroused. Perhaps both and Evangeline pulled the jacket swiftly around her.

  Glais closed his eyes, licking his lips and remembering how good her frantic heartbeat had tasted in his mouth. Glais shook his head, dispelling all thoughts from his mind. He stayed like that for as long as it took until finally, after a long strained moment, he felt that it was safe enough to look at her again.

  Evangeline had not moved from the spot, and Glais hated himself for not being a better man for her. She did not deserve this kind of treatment, and Glais seemed destined to ruin every precious moment they might ever have with the curse. Her eyes were alive and her feet poised for a hasty attempt to escape. Glais knew that Evangeline was ready to run and he could not blame her for it in the slightest. He hoped she wouldn’t. A chase through the woods would only call the blood lust harder, and Glais was almost sure that he would lose control if she initiated it. He knew better than to try and touch her and even considered not saying a word when her question broke the silence.

  “When was your last…” Evangeline could not bring herself still to ask Glais more questions about his condition. She was afraid that perhaps he would lose control again and this time, he will not find the strength in himself to stop.

  He knew how much she struggled with the correct terminology, but he was relieved to not hear her blame him for further attacks, which was her often used word to describe his feeding habits. Glais did not know what this meant for them long term, but he did not ask. He did not want to get hopeful, but a fluttering was in his stomach.

  “Before we left for Crimah.” Glais was honest in his answer. Evangeline knew th
at Glais had brought people just for the very purpose of a meal, but they did not discuss it. “I did not have the opportunity to do so while we were in Crimah.” He tried to explain his situation carefully, but he knew it was a futile attempt. Regardless of the delivery, mentioning the intricate workings of the curse always made things worse.

  He could not tell Evangeline that the adrenaline of finding her being held captive by her father had taken its toll on Glais. Baret had been a good opponent, and while Glais had not been seriously injured the events of the night before, that morning and finally the fight and retreat meant that he was hungrier than usual. It was not the worst thirst he had ever experienced in his lifetime, but he knew that even the smallest signs of lost control would be apocalyptic to Evangeline’s eyes. The stress was a bigger trigger than he wanted to admit.

  “It has been quite the eventful twenty-four hours.” He tried to gently remind her, but he knew the look on her face. She had already made decisions about his reactions, and it did not matter what he said, or how he dared to explain it Evangeline had shifted from fear to disgust in the moments it had taken for Glais to regain his composure.

  Her eyes were narrowed on him, and her lips were firmly pressed together as if she feared even breathing the same air as him. Evangeline would blame no other than Glais for this current situation and Glais was resigned to his fate. He had stopped trying to argue his innocence with her months ago when it became evident there was no reasoning with her. It seemed obvious that whenever they found a moment of peace and dare he say comfort with each other, the curse would tear them apart and build walls stronger than ever before.

  “You will not be taking me.” Evangeline declared, and Glais held back the barking laugh that threatened.

  As if the idea had never occurred to him. As if Glais had not been fighting every instinct to force her to donate to him. Glais stood firm and let these thoughts wash over him but never gave any indication of them to Evangeline. “I would never ask such a thing.” He tried to console her fears with a casual and frivolous dismissal.

  “You never did ask the first time either.” Evangeline was quick to point out his flaws with such casual venom that Glais was never quite sure how to respond to her. And so he didn’t. He took to sitting on the forest floor, picking up a nearby stick and writing in the dirt as his body drew in the warmth of the fire.

  Evangeline watched him, still standing and keeping his coat closed around her as if the fabric could offer some protection against his hidden desires. He thought he was protecting her from his thoughts, but Evangeline could guess well enough what he had been struggling against. Glais sighed softly, hunching further into himself and doing his best to physically block her out as his stick stabbed nonsense words into the ground. His hair had fallen forward and was using it to keep his face hidden from her.

  She did not apologise or consider joining him in the dirt. Evangeline did, however, reclaim the fallen tree trunk as a seat. She sat down with a straight back, and her eyes glued to Glais’ back. There was a tension in Evangeline’s limbs that she could not expel, no matter how Evangeline tried to relax. She drew in a deep breath, but she held it deep in her chest and struggled to release the breath back into the world. She had made a mistake of forgetting for a moment that Glais was a monster. That beyond his handsome face was a beast that meant to consume her. Her death would be at Glais’ hand, of this Evangeline was certain.

  “Glais?” Evangeline asked over the crackling of the fire. He grunted in response, barely even looking up at her. She licked her lips, feeling guilty for the question she was about to ask, but knew she would ask it anyway. “Glais, what would happen should you kill yourself?”

  Glais did nothing, and Evangeline would never dare repeat the question. She was still shocked that she had said such a thing out loud although it had not been the first time she had considered the possibility. She continued to sit in the fire’s glow, studying him and always prepared to run for Indris should he show the slightest hint of violence towards her.

  He did not move for the longest time, and Evangeline felt sure that he had frozen in place by some powerful magic or his own stubborn will when he suddenly started digging into the ground again. “The curse will infect Baxter.” He answered.

  “How can you be certain?” Evangeline asked.

  Glais sighed, putting the stick down and finally looked at her. He pulled one leg up, hugging his knee towards himself as he twisted to look at her directly before he spoke. “Once, a young man tried. My ancestor, going back some time, decided when he was barely a man that this curse was not worth living with. He saw the strain it put on his family. He could not live with the reality of the bloodline knowing that death would come for those who loved them should they speak of it. The constant fear of being discovered ate away at him. For centuries, the Braykith Kingdom had dealt with this curse, and one boy decided that he would end it.”

  Glais knew that Evangeline did not understand the emotions that came with the retelling of the story. She thought the boy to be noble. He could tell in the way she sat listening intently to his speech. Glais felt nothing but sorrow, for he himself had considered a similar fate, not long after his first time with Wick. Death seemed like the logical step in ending this curse. Glais planned it all to detail but was discovered by his father.

  Quintus had told him this same story, in longer details that Evangeline would not understand. Evangeline would not care to know the hardship of the land, the demands on the King to control his Kingdom, the whispers of fornication with demons had long been established even all those years ago. Glais cut out those details that convinced him that it was his fate to carry this curse and Baxter would never need to learn of its burden.

  “It did not work,” Glais said, looking out into the trees that circled them. “He waited for the first full moon to appear, a whole month since he came of age, and then he thrust a dagger into his own heart. He died instantly. Or so the stories say.”

  “And what happened then?” Evangeline whispered.

  “The curse was thrust into his younger brother. His hair turned dark, and his eyes bled to the colour of the cursed line instantly. All who saw him knew that he was cursed to live on the blood of others. And with none of the training it turned dangerous before it could be contained.” Glais went back to digging in the dirt, thinking of the torment Wick had endured at his own hands. He was confident that Evangeline was thinking of the same instance.

  Evangeline was only thinking of the story a little more. While sad, it certainly seemed to be for the greater good to end this curse in family genocide. A chill raced over her arms that even the fire could not keep her warm against her dark thoughts. “And the younger brother?” she asked Glais. “If I were to kill Baxter?”

  Glais rose and crossed the clearing in three steps, stalling only long enough to kick dirt over their fire. Evangeline rose, but she could not flee. Glais had her wrist firmly circled with his own hand before she could even think of the action. “Are you admitting to plans of assassinating Braykith Royalties?” Glais asked her.

  “No,” Evangeline answered immediately. “No, I was just curious.” She pulled away from him, but Glais kept her wrist and jolted her forward suddenly to prevent her from finding her balance.

  Glais leaned in close. Using her fear as a weapon, he knew that he did not need to do anything else to scare her. “Keep your curiosities to yourself. You know the evil tricks this curse will depend on to stay alive. It has already claimed Teagan and Viviana for its victims when it could not kill you. Evangeline, do not tempt it to seek far worse crimes.” Glais suddenly released her and walked past her to Indris who was watching them calmly.

  For a moment, it seemed that Glais would ride off without her. Evangeline paused when he waited for her. She refused to move, and so irritated Glais threw a hand out for her to take to help her mount the horse. Evangeline looked around, knowing there were no other options available to her and yet it seemed madness to sit so close to
him after the events that had just happened.

  Sensing her hesitation, Glais could only roll his eyes in response. “If I meant to kill you, I have had more opportunities to do iso than ever before. And more cause.” He added.

  Evangeline supposed that was true. Joining him, she let Glais help her onto Indris’ back. She tried to remove his jacket to return it when he stopped her.

  “Keep it. I don’t think we will be resting again until we reach Braykith.” Glais kicked into the animals’ sides, and Indris returned to the natural trails of the forest.

  Evangeline stayed silent, and for the first time Glais wished that Evangeline could be anywhere but nestled against him.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Never before had Evangeline been so aware of Glais. She wasn’t sure which was worse, being trapped against him as he held the horse's reins tightly, or the fact that she noticed how slowly his grip was changing regardless of the landscape. Indris was a well-trained animal, and the use of gear was more for show than control. Glais was trusting her to get them through the forest safely, but that only made Evangeline more aware of the subtle changes of the man behind her.

  She forced herself to look away, ignoring Glais when his hands tensed for no good reason that she could see. From the corner of her eyes, Evangeline saw his knuckles turn white from the strain, and she counted the seconds until he relaxed them. Evangeline bit her lip, took a breath and tried to see anything else. It was the trees that took her concerns. The straight pointed trees of Braykith were returning through the splattering of other plants. It made it easier for Indris to forge her own path while avoiding the main roads.

  The lands of Braykith were becoming more evident to Evangeline, but she could not imagine them arriving soon enough.

  She ran her tongue over her lips, casting her eyes down into the dusty caramel colour of the horse’s mane as it flowed back against the speed Glais was maintaining. She wanted to turn, to see if it was a man or beast who ran Indris wild through the forest but Evangeline was afraid of what she would come face to face with. Besides the gradual shift between his grip, Glais seemed frozen at her back.