The Deviant Curse (The Braykith Series Book 1)

by Jennifer R. Kenny

  “I apologise for the earlier disturbance.” With a pillow suffocating her apology Evangeline could not be sure he heard her. The bed gave way to his added weight, and she imagined Glais poised on the edge of the frame with a firm gaze and tired opinion on her childish and unknowing ways. What she did not expect was to feel the mattress catch his weight as he settled beside her, close like he wanted to be there. She fooled herself into thinking that he needed to comfort her. Barely opening her eyes, lifting the pillow only just enough to see him Evangeline found him looking at her and felt that breathless swoon take hold almost too quickly.

  “Do not look at me, Evangeline.” Glais instructed her.

  “I thought that was my line.” But she followed his orders and settled deeper into the mattress. Silence strung between them but she did not dare break it. She had no clue about what he wanted, and if he did indeed plan to take her up on her offer for sex, Evangeline was not sure on how she felt about that either.

  Glais did not know what had brought him to Evangeline. Perhaps the confrontation had been building for so long that he was tired of the constant bickering. He tired of the lies, and the chase of hiding women from Evangeline. She believed he flaunted it, but really the girls that Evangeline did know was barely the beginning of a very intricate pyramid of connections that kept his satisfied most days. She had done no real harm to him, and instead, Glais should be proud that Evangeline had called him out for his bad behaviour instead of sitting by allowing it happen. True, it was not the role of a wife, however Glais did appreciate this new sway which had started today and haunted them both. Evangeline wished to be his equal. She desired his respect, but it would take more than demands to gain his confidence.

  “What is your biggest fear?” Glais asked gently.

  That was not the question Evangeline had imagined passing from his lips but she dared not ignore him. “Tonight, or for my lifetime?” She smiled to his chuckle, glad to hear it happen. He had been so cold. She could barely remember that he was not made of stone but was a man of flesh and blood. The first night and escorting her to her rooms seemed so long ago, and almost like a dream. She had seen so many faces on Glais that she was fooled into thinking what was true.

  “I fear not being good enough for you.” Somehow she felt safe at this moment. Evangeline dared to tell the truth from the safety of under her pillow. It was childish and they both knew it. Yet the mere covering of her face made it bearable for her to say the things she had been thinking for months. “I fear what it means for my family and my people if I fail. I am afraid what it would mean for us if we were not to marry.” Evangeline dared not sneak a peek at Glais as she made her final confessions. She did not need her eyes to know that her words had affected him. Like before the world betrayed him.

  She had not said what he had expected and Evangeline had given him a moment of pause to digest it. She had his attention, but perhaps not in the way she wanted it. Glais had made it clear since her arrival that he did not wish to know her, and yet she continued to insist on inserting herself into his life and routines. Decisions were being made that neither could take back once the lines were crossed. Evangeline seemed to have managed a powerful stride forward while Glais still danced with the impossibilities which were getting harder to believe.

  Cool air hit her face as the pillow was swept away; the back of his hand trailing up and over her hair to follow the arch of the decorative jewels that were now a tangled mess. Evangeline was embarrassed to be seen this way but she did not move to fix herself. If she moved, would she break this moment so completely they would never find it again? Evangeline believed so. She was so uncertain about what this meant that she was terrified. Her heart raced, her face flushed as Glais looked down on her. She couldn’t be certain he even meant to be laying so intimately against her.

  “Do you fear a monster?”

  She was shaking her head before he could finish the word. “You are no monster.” Glais laughed again but there was no joy in the sound now and she felt herself draw away from him again, reminded of his chambers with the self-righteous serving girl Luella. Attempting to rise from the bed, Evangeline opened her eyes although she was unaware of ever closing them and confronted him again. “You are no monster.”

  “You know not what you say.” Glais sounded tired as he pulled away from her, but like before her bravery was forcing her to act a fool and she followed him until they stood toe to toe. “Evangeline, if you value your life you would flee this place and all of me. You ask for things you do not understand and I will hurt you.”

  Times like this she found that old anger bubble within. “You hide behind your tongue.” She grabbed up the heavy skirts of the gown and pulled them away with her steps so they would not drag along the floor and threaten to slow her down. “You have done what you desired. Whatever motive brought you here, it is done” her words did not hold the same power his did. Her dismissal was completely ignored.

  “I have done no such thing.” Evangeline gasped as Glais suddenly appeared too close. She could have sworn that she had walked away from him, and yet effortlessly his hands were on her hips, tugging her close and taking up the space around her so fully she felt claustrophobic. Struggling was useless, his reflexes were too fast and precise for Evangeline to battle her way from his grasp.

  It was like sparring with a long held friend. He knew all of her moves and as she placed a hand on his wrists, his pulled them back and came to land more firmly on her body, more intimate than before. Any step that would be the beginning of a chase was stopped before she could fully form it and Glais held her back against him. Evangeline worked up a sweat trying to rid herself of Glais’ hands and yet she seemed so unsuccessful it seemed comical.

  “Am I hurting you?” Glais asked and Evangeline nodded, head bowed as his fingers are crushed into her skin. The bruises would stain for days but he did not relent. “Do you still want me?” Nothing. She could not do anything while he waited; only crying out when his fingers pressed into her body again and nails bit deeper into her skin. “Do you still want me?” he demanded

  “Yes,” She said in a sudden rush that shocked even herself. “I will always offer myself to you.” Wine made her head swim with the realisation of what she was saying. Glais must have some odd sexual fetish that forced him away from her and only into the arms of those he felt he could trust with the secret. It was all that made sense to her right now as Evangeline recognised that they were dancing the same argument as before. Glais had forced the tempo to a pace that kept her tripping in vain to keep up with him, and he didn’t seem to care that she was stumbling even as he held her. Evangeline’s heartbeat deafened her, blurred her vision, and as her knees gave way she fell into the dark breathless realm of his eyes.

  There was nothing that could prepare her for what was to come next. Evangeline could not register his movements and the sudden rush. Pain flowered in the darkness, her own hurried breathing mixed with a moan that was not only coming from his mouth but echoed the strangled noise that escaped her. His body was on hers, his hands crushed her skin, her life drifted in his arms and she was powerless. His name teased her tongue but she was not sure if it was in protest or encouragement as she called for him. The power to make him stop was long gone. She could not bring the words out into the world as finally she reached the pinnacle that Evangeline was not aware that she had been racing towards. She reached that peak and tumbled over it into nothing, her eyes fluttering closed.

  -----------------------

  Evangeline woke alone and tender, although not in the places she imagined she would be tender after sex. Her memories were blurred and only resembled a patchwork mess. The pieces seemed to drift further apart the more she tried to force them together. The sensation was similar to drinking too much wine or perhaps she had not slept for days. Images flashed but if she dared to reach for them, she could not give them focus. Instead, they ran from her and disappeared back into the impenetrable fog of her mind.

  W
ater and bread were presented on a dish by the bed but she could not eat. Evangeline did not want to know who delivered the food, embarrassed to be seen in such a state by even those closest to her. Rising from the bed hurt and Evangeline quickly wanted to abandon the idea but she also needed to see the final damage done against her by Glais. Her garments were ruined, the fabrics crushed with what seemed to be telling scenes of passion.

  She got an awful taste in her mouth at the thought of passion and what had happened. Evangeline swallowed hard but her mouth was dry and the taste remained itching at the back of her throat. She tried to piece together her memory, desperately searching for a better word to describe what had transpired between them. Passion was not what Glais had done, and she had been forced to participate, but Evangeline continued to fail to think of another reaction beside the violation that had clawed under the skin and now lived there.

  Evangeline had to concentrate just to move, and there was no chance of moving and thinking. She made the choice to be a witness. Looking down at her feet, Evangeline willed them to move and after a moment of meditation, she could make her feet obey. Crossing the room to stop by the mirror she could only see a stranger looking back at her.

  The girl in the reflection was pale. Not only lacking a healthy glow but sickly. Her skin appeared almost grey when compared to the bright blush of dried blood that stained the side of her throat and lead down her collar. As she reached for memories to fill in the blanks, still Evangeline was greeted with only shadows. Far too slowly the realisation that the blood was her own and the wound of two puncture marks still sat fresh in her throat came to her. Myth and reality danced, coming together and pushing away but never truly separating. Campfire stories and midnight whispers became a chant of a single word that repeated over and over in her mind as fingers reopened the wounds that Glais had made.

  Glais. He had done this. He had promised pain, scoffed at her innocence and he had been right with both. Her pain was flushed from her; confusion became a new clarity, but none of it could really make any sense either. Evangeline rejected the evidence that stared at her so damningly from the mirror. It was not sex Glais had taken from her, but her blood. The rumours of the Braykith demons were true in a way she had never actually suspected.

  Evangeline got changed, dressing for perhaps the first time in her life. The actions were automatic and she barely even bothered to pause to decide on what to wear. It didn’t matter what covered her body as long something did. With this motivation seeming more important than anything else her hand reached out and closed around the skirts of the nearest dress. She climbed into it and secured the buttons closed as best she could. It stayed in place, and that was all she cared about.

  She had no plan. Evangeline was just going through the motions without a fear of what may come to pass. That would require Evangeline to have feelings. She was nothing more than a shell, barely conscious enough to even recognise that about herself at this moment. Her motivation moved from getting out of the dress to destroying it. That would be simple, the fireplace burning brightly nearby. She gathered up the fabric and didn’t seem to give pause before throwing it into the flames.

  The gems that adorned the bodice and sleeves gleamed and caught the light but Evangeline could not see it. She did not even think of perhaps saving the precious stones. Her emotional range did not venture that far. She watched as the dress started to catch the light. Shivering although she didn’t feel cold, Evangeline’s arm went around herself as if that would keep her from falling apart. She was in shock, still recovering from Glais and his attack. He had taken much of her blood and her body was frantic in recovering that as well as fuelling her mental state.

  The thought made her stomach turn, threatened for her to lose whatever was left but somehow she managed to keep it down. Yes, Glais had taken her blood. It was as if the sun was finally coming to life and pushing back the fog that clouded her mind. Her virtue remained untouched, Glais seemingly not at all concerned about sex but rather the blood that ran through her veins. Evangeline felt violated. Glais seemed not at all concerned with how she felt about such things; Evangeline believed that about him. He had taken without any concessions for her feelings.

  She could remember Glais coming to find her, that she had been hiding under her pillow and he had been speaking about demons. “No, monsters.” She corrected herself as she continued staring into the flames which grew taller as the dress gave them life. Her voice was barely above a whisper and the crackle of the flames drowned her out but it didn’t matter. There was no one here to hear her. “He asked if I was afraid of monsters.” She reminded herself. She felt the need to speak out loud. When she kept internalising the events, Evangeline felt like she was running in circles and thoughts would fall apart before she could grasp them.

  Her hand went impulsively to her neck again. The blood was dry, no longer sticky to the touch but flaky in parts. Evangeline knew she should clean it but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her fingers ran over the two raised points, a location of the penetration of something. Her stomach threatened again and this time, she lost the fight. Vomiting into the fireplace, she watched the flames shake but they didn’t go out.

  This was not what she had been prepared for. Braykith had a reputation of a demonic army at its disposal and yet there had been no signs of that until now. Her father’s partnership with Quintus had said nothing about her living with, no marry, a man who lived on the blood of others. She swayed on her feet as she was forced to relive the moment he took her, a vulgar display of power that had nothing to do with sex. Struggling to breathe, Evangeline pushed herself away from the fireplace bricks and took off.

  Ripping the door open she bounded down the halls. Light headed Evangeline walloped the opposite wall, but she did not stop as momentum threw her back down the hallway. Evangeline needed to go home, her real home back at Crimah. Her father could find her a new husband because marriage to Glais would surely be a death sentence although a slow one. No treaty could be worth his daughters’ life. Evangeline clung to that as she made her way through the castle and towards the door. She needed out, she needed to flee. Braykith was a tomb.

  She felt dirt under her toes, the first slap of reality for her directionless plan hit her. Evangeline paused, looking out over what was a usually lush and green landscape. It all appeared to be dying, the greens fading into yellows and in spots black. The flowers which had been in full bloom regardless of the chill in the air dropped from their stems and the ground was littered with lost petals. She scarcely could believe this had happened so quickly, and Evangeline realised that she was witnessing only a hint of what this place had looked like before she came here.

  The dead grass started by the castle, the grass closest to the building was gone, sucked back into the ground as if it had never been. From there the effects moved out until it was clear that there was a gradual change. Was she doing this? It stood to reason that it was connected to her since it had been obvious that the grass had been summoned by her arrival. Evangeline was upset but this seemed so drastic that it could not be simply because of what Glais had done. The significant loss of blood and the injustice she felt would surely be felt by the ground. It was the extremes she was judging.

  She had Dryad blood and Evangeline had been warned that nature would respond to her emotions and simply being in a location brought life. Evangeline wanted to weep to see the exact opposite was also true. Turning in slow circles, Evangeline looked to see how far the reach was, and even as she stood in place she could see it was growing. Would it reach the fields where the food was grown? Could she destroy a city simply by this unexpected effect of her powers? Before she could really try to remove the panic and really think, she heard a rush of footfalls behind her on the stones.

  “Evangeline,” Glais called out to her, standing in the central entrance doorway. She spun on the spot to look back at him but Evangeline did not stay still for long. The guard that had been stationed outside of her room had al
erted him to her act to flee. Glais had guards stationed all over the castle and warned to keep an eye out for her. In her haste, Evangeline had missed them, but thankfully they didn’t miss her. Finding her was easy.

  Glais started down the stairs towards her, Kyleigh appearing just behind her son. She knew all that had happened between them. She was sympathetic to Evangeline and her fear, and yet she could not allow her to leave. Kyleigh did not blame Evangeline for her reaction against him right now, and she hoped that her presence would be calming and not agitate her further. She watched as Glais caught Evangeline quickly and the Queen prayed to Xado for the strength to make this work.

  Evangeline yelped and fought against him but quickly realised it was useless. He had her trapped and she was just too weak to find freedom. Instead, she found herself staring at his mouth and hoping for a glance at his teeth. She needed to know how much was a myth and what was true. What had pierced her neck so delicately and allowed him to drink her blood?

  “Evangeline, come inside.” Glais could force her but he wanted her to make the choice on her own. After attacking her last night, he did want her to feel safe when she as with him. It would take time for her to trust him again.

  “You bit me.” Evangeline said it, and even though she knew that it was true somehow it sounded like she was delirious. To accuse Glais of such a thing seemed so false that Evangeline could barely believe it had happened. Kyleigh was slowly approaching them both, but Evangeline went to the Queen for support. “Glais bit me.”

  “You need to come inside Evangeline. We can all discuss it then.” Kyleigh gestured back to the castle, but Evangeline suddenly realised this was a carefully guarded secret by the family. It made sense to her but Evangeline was still shocked to learn it.

  Evangeline’s eyes were wide with understanding. “You knew?” Kyleigh nodded, awkwardly looking down at the ground. She wasn’t ashamed of her actions but disappointed that it needed to be exposed like this. “Do my parents know?” Evangeline demanded. The stabs of betrayal happened before Kyleigh could even answer her.