by Rachel Jonas
“Don’t,” I managed to sputter.
Not too long ago, I’d given her a speech, one rule she could never break. She was to never put herself in danger for anyone, including me. But she’d never been one to follow directions and the evidence was trudging toward me, cloaked in brilliant blue flames.
Her eyes, whited out by the sheer heat bursting within them, were set on me. However, her expression was blank, vacant. Where fear and a sense of self-preservation should’ve halted her in her tracks, she walked straight into trouble.
Because of me.
Marin was the first she approached. With one quick reach, her throat was in Evangeline’s hand, and within seconds, her feet left the ground. I’d all but forgotten about her injury and, from the looks of things, so had she. I found it hard to believe she could’ve healed that quickly, but the proof was in the power behind the blow she delivered to Lilith’s chest with her elbow when she tried to intervene on her sister’s behalf. Her cloaked body appeared weightless as it soared through the air. The impact formed a Lilith-shaped crater in the cinderblocks as a crack spread to the ceiling.
Evangeline turned her attention toward Marin’s terrified eyes once again. With that vacancy still present behind her gaze, I watched as the love of my life, a forgotten queen, suddenly seemed to remember who she was. Seemed to remember what she was once capable of.
Before I could blink, she reached for the back of Marin’s head with the hand not holding her in the air, and the next sound to fill the room was that of a head being turned backwards on its shoulders. Marin’s lifeless body slumped to the cement and Evangeline stepped over it with zero regard, as if stepping over a bag of trash.
Lilith stretched a hand toward Evangeline when she charged toward her. The look of shock on Lilith’s face was hard to miss when whatever spell she tried to cast failed. These witches were powerful, formidable. And yet, they proved no match for Evangeline in this ruthless state.
“No, no, no!” Lilith cried out as one flame-cloaked hand stretched toward her. With a quick touch to the ends of her hair, she went up in flames as her screams rose to the ceiling.
I’d watched Evangeline struggle to throw a punch for weeks. Months. But now, in a matter of seconds, she’d mastered how to control her flames’ intensity—leaving one un-singed, consuming another in fire.
My strength was returning, and as I pulled myself up to lean against the closest wall, I watched her—poised, fearless. And that’s when I realized her dragon had taken over. It was possible the distress signal that left me was so dire it strengthened her, kind of like a supernatural adrenaline rush.
But I had to wrangle her in.
It was only now that I could think clearly enough to make my way inside her head. She had to be stopped. Two of the three sisters had already met their end and I couldn’t let her take out the third—as badly as I would have liked to see that happen. However, my reasons were bigger than revenge.
As it is written, one witch’s spell can never be undone by another. Or, in this case, three witches. Meaning, if Evangeline couldn’t stop, if she took Scarlet’s life … there would be no one left to undo the spell that stole all memory of her from her parents.
Scarlet stepped back when Evangeline’s gaze settled on her. I staggered toward them. I had to bring Evangeline to her senses before it was too late.
Before she did something that couldn’t be undone.
“Evangeline, don’t. The spell,” I reminded her through our thoughts. But there was no response.
Lifting a hand, Scarlet tried to use magic to spare her life just like Lilith had done. And, like Lilith, it didn’t take.
There was no place left to go. Scarlet’s back met the bricked wall and terror filled her eyes. If I had to guess, she regretted underestimating Evangeline. Most did. They made the mistake of thinking her slight build and innocent eyes were all there was to her.
Only Elise and I knew better.
From his cage, rapid breaths filled and left Nick’s lungs. I couldn’t help but to wonder if he now saw the err of his ways. If he now realized he didn’t know Evangeline as well as he thought he did. And once she figured out all this was because of him … things between them would never be the same.
I shifted my attention to Scarlet when she begged for her life once again, just as Evangeline pinned her frail, childlike body to the unforgiving wall. Using only the sole of her bare foot, she held Scarlet there as waves of fear rolled off her body. In that moment, there was nothing sweet and innocent about Evangeline. No. In that moment, she was rabid—wild, feral, feeding off the terror she evoked from her prey.
Scarlet fought to get free, using every ounce of strength within her to escape, but it was all in vain. The cracking of ribs echoed when Evangeline pressed her heel deep. I dragged myself closer, feeling desperation creeping up my spine every step of the way. She wasn’t responding when I tried reasoning with her, so the only way was to subdue her.
Assuming I could, considering the state I was in.
“Don’t,” I panted, but my voice was too weak to be heard over Scarlet’s cries.
I stared on, helpless as Evangeline placed both hands at either side of Scarlet’s jaw. My heart raced double-time, hoping that by some small miracle I’d be able to stop her, but then … it became clear.
I failed.
Scarlet’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and the distinct sound of bone separating from bone filled the air. And then, in one final, earth-shifting act … Scarlet’s head was pulled free from her body.
The world stopped moving. For me. For Evangeline. Even if she didn’t realize it yet.
With her back to me, I watched as her shoulders heaved with the last remnants of fury that flowed through her veins, unsure which aspect of herself was in control. It wasn’t until her breathing seemed to slow and her flames began to dim that I knew. Her arms dropped to her sides and the head of the witch who nearly ended my life fell to the ground.
Evangeline didn’t move an inch.
I figured she was in shock, suddenly realizing what she’d done, what this meant for her. Suddenly realizing what she’d just given up to save me.
Her parents … they’d never remember.
Anger filled me to the brim when my eyes darted toward Nick, when I took in that bewildered look on his face. This ill-plotted plan of his had backfired in every way imaginable, and without knowing it, he’d just cost Evangeline everything.
I made it to her just as she collapsed, managing to get my arms around her before she hit the ground. Keeping her against my chest I felt her wildly beating heart.
“I didn’t … I didn’t mean to,” she stammered, dazed as slick blood clung to her hands. “I don’t know what happened, I felt you and I just … ran.”
Her eyes drifted shut and when she opened them again, awareness suddenly filled them. She glanced around, taking in the state of this place, and I knew the exact moment the pieces came together.
“What did I … Liam,” she panted when fear set in.
She fought to scramble to her feet, but I held on tight, keeping her with me as reality hit.
Hard.
“Oh, God!” The words ripped from her throat and ricocheted off the walls. It was primal, desperate.
Heartbreaking.
I squeezed her when she began to fall apart right before my eyes. Tears flowed and likely would for hours to come as she came to terms with the repercussions. And, as she dealt with the aftermath of her actions, my gaze fell on Nick again.
Speechless, unaware of the extent of the damage he’d just caused, he stared back. Whoever thought he was worth keeping around would be in for the shock of their lives. Protecting Evangeline, the rightful heir to the lycan throne, was supposed to be priority number one. And that protection wasn’t exclusive to her physical wellbeing. We needed her functioning with a clear head and heart as well.
But now, despite all our effort to get her through an already trying phase, the work had been undon
e.
There was no way to tell how long it would take her to recover from this, but the moment the full story was revealed and she discovered the part Nick played in today’s event … I was sure their once strong bond would be severed forever.
—Chapter Twenty-Eight—
Evie
Despair … it consumed me.
Inside.
Out.
Right down to my soul.
Something was very wrong with me. How could I singlehandedly ruin my own life? My dragon took over and I was fully aware, conscious of my every decision, but … couldn’t stop. In that moment, everything I did seemed perfectly rational. In that moment, all that mattered was saving Liam.
I’d taken three lives just a little over an hour ago. All without a second thought, all without considering they might be redeemable. At the feel of that familiar tug in the center of my chest, I ran straight into danger because he needed me and …
… that’s what love makes you do.
And I loved him so much it hurt.
But there was a cost.
So much slipped through my fingers. Still in shock, I took a seat on Liam’s bed, staring at the wall, letting it all sink in. I couldn’t go back to my room. There, I’d have to face Beth and questions when she inevitably realized something was wrong. Not to mention, before showering, I was covered in blood from head to toe. All I wanted was this—quiet and Liam.
A warm hand caressed my back through the dark towel I’d been given. He brought me a change of clothes, too, but I hadn’t had the presence of mind to get dressed yet. His fingers moved to my shoulders, massaging, pressing gently into my skin where water dripped from my damp hair. His heat soothed me. Deep breath after deep breath, I struggled to accept what I’d done, but … it simply wouldn’t take.
“What’s wrong with me? I couldn’t stop.” Hot tears streaked my face and I ached with regret from head to toe.
“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you,” Liam breathed.
I believed he believed that, but I knew better. My parents getting their memory of me back was dependent on those particular witches making good on their promise. A promise that couldn’t be kept now that they were dead.
My head lowered.
“I lost control,” I reasoned, recalling a conversation I had with Dallas on the first day of combat training. He warned me that the rumored rage wasn’t myth. That had to be what came over me.
“What am I supposed to do from here?” The question left my mouth, but I didn’t expect an answer. Really, I think I just needed to ask it out loud. Needed to acknowledge there was no answer and I felt lost.
From here, there was nothing.
“I don’t even understand what happened. Why were they here? Did the Sovereign send them? Or Baz? Did he set us up?”
Silence followed my questions and I turned to glance into Liam’s eyes. There, on his face, a solemn expression I didn’t quite expect. Granted, he was sad with me, for me, but it was more than that.
“What aren’t you saying?”
Again, he looked everywhere but at me. Both his hands still braced my shoulders, but they weren’t moving.
I turned a bit, facing him. “Was I right? About Baz setting us up?”
My mind reeled, wondering if him sending his witches meant he didn’t keep his word. Wondering if it meant something had happened to my parents. Seeing me start to panic, Liam spoke.
“No … it wasn’t him.”
My head tilted with a question. “But it was a set up?”
He took his time, but eventually nodded. I racked my brain trying to understand. Who in our circle would do such a thing? Who couldn’t be trusted? With how raw and exposed my emotions were, I wanted to kill them. While Scarlet and her sisters’ blood was on my hands, it was also on this other person’s.
“It wasn’t meant for you?” was the next part of Liam’s statement. I felt my brow tense with a frown before he added, “It was meant for me.”
I studied his face and hazel eyes finally locked with mine. And then, a name fell from his lips.
“Nick.”
The room seemed to twist and move as things shifted in and out of focus. Blood rushed to my head and I felt faint.
“What? I … I don’t understand? Why would he—”
“Because they conned him into thinking they could cure him,” Liam explained. “Because he’s incessantly juvenile and naïve. Because all it would’ve cost him was my life,” he rambled before his gaze slipped to the ground. “Or at least, that’s all he thought it would cost.”
My hands ached with a familiar sensation before the centers of my palms began to burn. I clenched them into tight fists as the same flare of rage that filled me earlier threatened to return. I couldn’t let that happen again. Last time, blood was shed. This time, I couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t be Nick’s.
“He was willing to kill you,” I muttered, mostly to myself. “Knowing it’d hurt me. Knowing I don’t have much …”
My sentence trailed off and a thought came to mind. Something I’d never thought toward Nick once since meeting him.
He was selfish.
His hatred toward Liam was enough to cancel out any ounce of respect and concern he ever had for me. It was clear and the evidence was splattered on the floor and walls outside his cell. No, he hadn’t directly inflicted pain on me, but he cost me my parents today, and nearly cost me Liam as well.
Regardless of how things turned out between us, I would never intentionally hurt him.
Ever.
But he didn’t have the same regard for me.
My heart glazed over with ice and I knew I’d never see him the same. Once, he’d been my bright spot, the one who kept me centered … but now, as I lifted my eyes to another, I knew my heart was sold, and had been since the first time I collided with him on the street.
“I’m so sorry,” Liam breathed, lost as he searched for a way to make this better. “All I ever wanted was to protect you.”
I looked him over, the disappointment behind his eyes. He felt so much, so deeply it spilled over onto me. I took his face in my hands and he met my gaze.
Once I had his attention, I tried to ease his mind. “This isn’t on you.”
He heard me, but I needed him to believe it. His focus since the moment our paths crossed again was to look after me. At times, I didn’t understand it, didn’t appreciate it, but I got it now. As everything else fell away, I got it.
My constant hadn’t moved.
Yes, today was terrible, one of the worst I’d ever lived through, but it could have been so much worse. I could have suffered a greater loss. Studying Liam’s features, I tried to imagine what would have happened if Scarlet and her sisters had succeeded.
If Nick had succeeded.
If they’d taken Liam away from me.
He blinked as we got lost in each other, his hazel irises spinning my insides into a cyclone. As if I hadn’t already fallen far enough, I fell even further. I needed the hurt to be kissed away and Liam surrendered his lips exactly the way I hoped he would. I was dead on the inside, broken, and desperate to be alive again.
My hands slipped down his arms to his wrists and, at the feel of the leather bracelets resting there—one in its rightful place, the other belonging to me—I was reminded of just how entangled our lives once were. Yes, I was his friend, the one he regarded as his queen. But I was more than that …
… we were mated.
The memory of it had been stolen, but my heart, my dragon, couldn’t seem to forget. She clung to him.
When my fingers lifted the hem of his shirt, my lips went cold when he abandoned them.
Hoarse, breathless, he asked, “What’re you doing?”
I didn’t back down. I’d never given myself to another, had never felt like the time or the guy was right, but here with him, there was clarity. This wasn’t my emotions running away from me or an action I decided to take in a haze of grief. He was what I wanted.
More was what I wanted.
I sought his lips again, but he was still hesitant, fully aware of my intentions, fully aware of how far I wanted this to go. Warm air moved across my lips when he breathed only inches from them.
I inhaled him and shared what was on my heart. Holding his face, I made it plain.
“Liam … most men struggle to steal a woman’s heart once in a lifetime,” I explained. “But somehow, you’ve done the impossible.” I smiled and moved my fingers across the shadow of hair shrouding his jaw. “…You made me fall twice.”
And tonight, I wanted him to remind me what it meant to fully be his. For the first time ever, with him, with anyone, there would be no limits.
I reached to release my towel, untying it from my chest, but just before letting it fall, my hands were covered by his.
“Don’t,” he breathed, clearly warring within himself when he spoke.
My brow tensed, not understanding why he’d stop me. I knew he loved me, knew he felt the pull, the tension.
“Not like this,” he clarified. “Believe me … I want you, but … not like this,” he said once more.
Confused, I secured the ends of my towel across my chest again, trying to understand. His attention had been focused intently on my figure as I came close to exposing myself. Only now did his eyes come back to mine.
“I think you’re beautiful and I love you,” he stated, telling me things I already knew. “But when we … reconnect … I don’t want your head or your heart in a million different places.”
My hands warmed when he took them. My gaze lowered as every feeling and emotion I tried to drown in him resurfaced.
“You’re allowed to grieve,” he stated, and I looked to him again, seeing the kindness and restraint of a real man when I did.
He could’ve let me have my way with him. Right there, right then. Could’ve taken advantage of my brokenness and the fact that I was at my lowest and most vulnerable right now.
But he didn’t.
Because he’s good, and honest, and honorable—a few of the many things I loved about him.
His palm moved to my cheek and I leaned into it, already feeling grateful that he stopped me. It wasn’t that it wouldn’t have been right with him. It was simply that, when it happened, I didn’t want the moment to be overshadowed by sadness like it would’ve been tonight.
