by C. R. Jane
Focusing on my need to get to Damon's, I abruptly turn around and start jogging back out to the street where my car is waiting, the sounds of the club getting fainter the further I get away.
"I'll be right there," I tell him, clicking off before he can get another word out. I'm desperate to find Eva. I feel like a junkie who hasn't gotten his last fix. I jump in the car and gun it, going far faster than any speed limit. My ability to persuade will definitely come in handy if a cop tries to stop me.
Despite the traffic, I make it in thirty minutes. The elevator seems to take forever, and I wish for the millionth time that I had wings like Damon to get me where I need to go. It would be much faster. I burst through the doors as soon as they open and see Damon and Lexi screaming at each other.
"Wow, guys, what's going on? I thought Lexi knew where Eva is?" I ask. Damon's always been a little high strung, but he usually doesn't threaten girls.
"This witch, or should I say bitch, is withholding information about Eva and I've had enough," he says. His face is turning purple with how angry he is, and I wonder how long they've been fighting. I notice that the apartment is in disarray, with a large piece of the wall in the living room punched in with debris everywhere.
"I've told you a million times, I can't tell you everything asshole! I'm not physically able to, it's part of the spell!"
"Well at least tell us who has her," roars Damon.
She opens her mouth to answer. But whatever she wants to say is cut off before it can make an appearance and she starts making a little gagging noise. How interesting. It looks like she's under some kind of binding spell to keep her from giving out certain information. I guess I will have to add how to undo binding spells to my ever-growing list of things I'm trying to uncover about the mystery that is Eva's disappearance.
I give an exasperated sigh, we might not be able to get Lexi to tell us everything but maybe a little finesse will get us at least a little information. I give Damon a reproving stare and motion him out of the way.
I watch Lexi as she begins to pace back and forth, muttering to herself under her breath. I clear my throat. "You were saying…" I tell her, letting the frustration seep into my voice.
"I think he has her," she says tentatively. This gets my attention.
"Who is 'he'?" I ask.
She looks at me annoyed.
"I know you can't give us his name, but surely you can tell us something about how he knows Eva," I tell her calmly, letting a little bit of my persuasive abilities leak through my voice to settle her down. It must work, because the angry lines across her forehead soften. What replaces the anger on her face is a look of utter uncomfortableness. I start to get nervous butterflies in my stomach, knowing that I'm not going to like her answer.
"Her husband," she answers tentatively, taking a few steps away from Damon and myself. I trip over air at her words and fall on my ass. That was literally the last thing I thought would be coming out of her mouth.
I look over at Damon. He looks like he is about to finish what he started and destroy the rest of the apartment, along with Lexi. He takes a menacing step towards her and I hurriedly stand up and grab his arm before he does something drastic like rip off her head, getting rid of the only information we have on Eva's whereabouts.
I clear my throat before I speak carefully. "Eva's married?" I ask, my voice a weird mix of emotions.
I can't tell whether I'm just angry or have suffered a mortal wound and am now dying. Has everything Eva told us been a lie? Had she really been escaping a bad marriage? For some reason the news that she has a husband feels like an old wound that has been reopened. The pain feels deep like I had managed to scab it over.
Damon lets out a groan that sounds like I'm feeling, more hurt, than anger. Lexi is still looking at us like we are wild animals that are about to attack.
"She was married to someone else in her first life with you," she says very carefully.
"First life?" I ask, feeling dazed.
Obviously, this is all news that Damon has already heard as he growls in frustration and yanks away his arm from the grasp I still had it in.
"Not to ruin the dramatic effect you have going that is forcing us to get everything out of you only after begging, but I think you're forgetting that we're still waiting for you to tell us where Eva is. I could care less about her husband. I'll wretch her from his cold, dead corpse if I have to. She obviously didn't want to be with him and husband or not, she's mine now."
I give a little noise of disapproval and he looks over at me and rolls his eyes.
"I guess she's a little bit of his as well," he says reluctantly.
Lexi nods, and seems to gather herself. She walks over to stand in front of me and I frown at her, not knowing what she's going to do.
"Beckham, I need you to remember," she whispers, placing her hands on my temple, and mumbling a few words I don't recognize under her breath.
I feel warm all over for a moment before my brain starts seizing, like I'm having what I imagine a stroke feels like. I fall to my knees and begin to yell in agony, but still she holds on to me. I can faintly hear Damon yelling in the background until there's a loud bang, I assume from her magically throwing him against a wall.
A litany of images begin to float through my head.
I'm a boy playing with sticks with friends in a stone courtyard when I look up and see the most gorgeous girl in front of me. She's dressed perfectly with gold hair tied back in a white ribbon and sparkly slippers that look like they've just been shined. I look at my own shoes covered in mud and immediately feel self-conscious. I'm not good enough to be in this angel's presence. She waves in my direction and I look around, sure that she must have waved to someone else behind me since I've never met her before. There's no one there however. The boys around me have stopped and are staring at her with awe as well. She begins to walk over towards our group, her eyes staring straight at me still. I gasp when I see the mud splashing on her perfect outfit from the rain we had earlier. The maid that is accompanying her gives a little tut of disapproval but doesn't make a move to chase after the girl. She splashes through the mud towards me and holds out a hand.
"I'm Eva," she says, holding out a now mud-covered hand.
I tentatively hold out my hand to grasp the hand of who I now recognize as The Golden Princess. I've only ever seen her from a distance, but I've grown up hearing stories about her beauty. They haven't been a lie. I may be young, but I feel like I'm in the presence of a goddess. My hand shakes as we touch, and I feel something lock into place inside of me, like there's a vital piece of my heart that I've been missing that has finally been returned to me. Is this feeling what I think it is? Is she my fated mate? I begin to shake ever more, the implications of this perfect creature being mine almost more than I can comprehend. I can tell that she's younger than me, but I'll wait however long it takes, do whatever she needs or wants, until she's ready. I will be hers forever.
…
We're playing the game we always play where she pretends to run away from me and I "catch" her. We have played it since we were small children and it hasn't lost the luster of our youth. She weaves through the trees in front of me, her golden hair trailing behind her. I could catch her easily but I know she likes the feeling that she's winning, so I stay behind her, keeping her just in sight. I see a break in the trees ahead and I slow down knowing that the lake will halt her flight. I stop right before I step out onto the lakefront, watching her admire the view. It's hard for me to see it I'm so focused on the perfect form in front of me. She's only gotten more and more stunning as she's gotten older, and it's been agony to wait for her to grow up. I've seen every age of being, both male and female, pursue her and it's been all I can do not to make my move. My father knows that she's my fated mate, but he hasn't alerted the King or Queen
yet. If Eva herself hasn't recognized it yet, then it's not the right time. I sneak up behind her and gather her in my arms, twirling her around as she laughs. There's something different in her eyes, something more that I haven't seen before. I feel frozen, like I'm drowning in her gaze. Somehow, I know that this is it, the time to show her how I feel. I lean towards her and savor the first pass of my lips over hers. I groan with delight and the fire that's been building all of these years turns into a raging inferno inside of me. My lips crash down on hers. I feel like I've reached heaven. Mine.
…
We're in a giant ballroom, filled with beautiful people, laughter, and otherworldly music. I'm sipping a cold beverage that reminds me of apple cider when the room hushes. I look to one of the entrances where I see everyone else looking, and my breath is immediately taken away. Eva's walking in, her golden hair is in intricate waves on her head. She's wearing a red silk dress that follows her every curve as she seems to float into the room. No one can look away from her, but she only has eyes for me. She walks towards me, a smile already on her face as if the very sight of me fills her with happiness. There's no way she can love me as much as I love her, but I like to pretend in these moments that she does. The second I have her in my arms it's as if I've found home. I twirl her around the room. She throws her head back laughing and I fall a little bit more in love with her. I whisper in her ear about how beautiful she looks, and she melts in my arms.
…
I'm walking through the Queen's garden looking for Eva. It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen thanks to the Queen's power, but it pales in comparison to her daughter. I see her standing in front of a rosebush and I think about sneaking up on her, but I can't help but wrap my arms around her when she gets in reach. She relaxes into my arms like she knows me just by my touch. She turns around in my arms, a smile already on her lips. She wraps her arms around me and I can't help but devour her mouth. She's the sweetest taste I've ever come across, I can't ever get enough. There's a pit in my stomach during the kiss however. My Father has been in a strange mood and I secretly worry every time that he goes to meet with the King for unexpected meetings that it has something to do with Eva. Eva's news that there is an unknown emissary arriving soon does nothing to quash the growing uneasiness I've felt today. I pull her closer, staring at her gorgeous face and wishing I could just take her away somewhere, that it could be just her and I. I just need to keep telling myself that everything will be alright.
…
She's slipping out of my grasp. Everyday something inside of her gets farther and farther away from me. I know it's because of him. He spends his days watching her, lusting after her, obsessing over her. I know how he's feeling since she inspires a most likely unhealthy obsession in myself as well. The difference between him and I however is that Eva belongs to me already. We have been promised together by powers higher than ourselves, something he will never have no matter what political machinations he puts into play. I just want to help her, to be there for her with everything she is going through with the Queen's unexpected illness and the responsibilities that will soon be on Eva's shoulders. For some reason she thinks that she has to do it all alone. I push her to give me comfort that we will be alright, when I should be comforting her. I can't help but cave in to the feeling of dread that grows everyday as both the land and Eva's mother get sicker and sicker. When will the sickness spread to our relationship? If she is pushing me away now, how much more will it take for her to take steps to completely sever our bond? I can't let that happen.
…
Eva and I are in the small cottage I purchased for when she needed to get away from life for a bit. I'm sprawled out on the bed, lust licking at me as I watch Eva undress at the foot of the bed. Inch by inch of her perfect, golden skin reveals itself as her white nightgown slips from her shoulders. Her round, ripe breasts call out to me, and I can't even remember my own name I'm so overcome with how perfect my beautiful angel is. She crawls towards me and I fear I'm going to cum in my pants before she even touches me. I can't believe that this is actually happening. I've longed for this moment for so long. All of the problems that await us outside of these walls disappear as she traces her tongue up my abs towards my mouth. I'm always going to love this girl. Forever and always.
…
I received a message that the Queen wanted to see me. Is this what my relationship has been reduced to? Scrolls from strangers letting me know when she has time for me. Bitter would be the word that best describes how I feel about Eva's distance from me the last few months, especially after that weekend in the cottage. We haven't made love once since that morning and I feel like I'm actually dying a slow and miserable death from having a taste of her body and then having it ripped away from me. I take a deep breath as I walk through the palace gates, resolving to fight for us no matter how rough it gets. There's no other option for me.
She wants to meet in the library of all places, definitely sending me the message that this is going to be more of a business meeting than anything else. I follow a guard to the library even though I know this palace like the back of my hand from the many times I've snuck in to see Eva over the years. She's standing in front of one of the large windows, gazing out at her lands I assume, when I finally make it to the library. This has always been one of her favorite rooms. Eva loves losing herself in books. I can admit there has been many a time when I've been more jealous of the heroes from her books than I have been of the real-life men that are always after her attention. I whisper out her name to her and I know she hears me because she stiffens up. Which worries me. Obviously. I hear her inhale and then she turns to face me. What first strikes me is her eyes. Eva's eyes have always been the pathway to her soul. Right now, they look dead, something that I didn't even see when she found out that her mother had passed. A shiver goes down my spine. Her face is unreadable. There's neither happiness nor sorrow laced across her features. Eva is a lot of things, but one thing she is not is apathetic. Yet apathetic is all I see.
"Thank you for coming," she tells me rigidly. "I wanted to tell you in person that I'm to be married soon."
I'm frozen in place, unable to take a step forward or back even though I want to run from the room, run from the words coming out of her mouth. I feel like I'm having some sort of out of body experience as she explains that HE has proposed, and she has said yes. I start to hyperventilate, looking around the room wildly as if it's suddenly going to disappear from view and I'll just wake up to find out that this has all been a nightmare.
"Why are you doing this?" is all I can choke out in response to what she has said.
A little emotion leaks briefly on her face before she hides it again.
"It is my duty as Queen. I haven't been able to find any other way to save us," she tells me unwaveringly.
My legs have finally figured out how to move again and I find myself on my knees, my head buried in her stomach, begging her to choose me. I feel her slide to her knees in front of me and I meet her gaze, seeing the agony I'm feeling reflected in her eyes now as well. I'm sobbing now as she tells me she will always love me. Somehow, it's worse knowing that she's choosing to marry someone else despite the fact that her feelings for me haven't changed. She walks away from me, stroking my hair softly before she leaves the room without looking back. I expect to die at any moment, surely if anyone could die of a broken heart, this would be such a moment. What has she done?
There are tears streaming down my face as I come back to the present. I'm sobbing and both Lexi and Damon are staring at me with wide eyes. I know for a fact that Damon has never seen a tear drop from my eye, so I'm sure the fact that I'm currently on the ground curled up in a little ball is throwing him for a loop.
"S
o you've got your memories back I assume?" Lexi asks softly.
I can't do anything but nod. I feel like I've been mortally wounded and left for dead. Frame after frame of a life that was ripped away from me continues to course through my mind. I can remember my father and mother now. I know where I've come from. Finding those things out would be a big thing for anyone, but the memories that are most prominent in my mind are those featuring Eva. And there are so many of them. Over and over again her face spins through my mind. At least I know now why I've always had this sense of familiarity with her, like she was someone important to me. It's because Eva has been the central figure, the most significant thing in my life for almost as long as forever. Her absence feels infinitely worse now, the history between us adding so much more depth to my current relationship with her which has still been in its fledgling stages. It suddenly becomes vital to my existence that she be found and returned to my side. The loss of my fated mate feels like my very heart has been ripped away.
I finally wipe the tears from my face and stand up, brushing myself off as I attempt to collect myself and get ready for the task at hand.
"Yes, I remember," I tell Lexi. "Now tell me how to get my fated mate back."
Chapter 3
Mason
I can't sing love songs. Not since I found out that she was gone. I thought she was ignoring me when she didn't answer a few calls. When two whole days passed and neither she, Damon, or Beckham were answering any of my messages, I flew all the way back from London to New York to find out what was wrong. A part of me wishes for the feeling I had when I thought she was ignoring me rather than the loneliness I feel now knowing she is gone.
Eva's the only person I've ever met that made me feel like I was home. I constantly had the feeling that I had known her before, which I know is impossible and most likely wishful thinking, but it was amazing to have that sense of belonging.
