“Yes and no, to both questions.” His answer had sent a chill through my body. He sat down next to me and sighed, running his hands through his hair. It hung loosely around his eyes, and I was taken aback by my sudden desire to push it back. I didn’t though. I stayed with my hands to myself, even if it killed me to do so.
“What do you know of Lachlan? His… family?”
“I didn’t even know that he had sons and I don’t know if my father did either.” I remembered the panicked look in my father’s eyes, the rage that built under his cool persona when Orion had made the announcement. No, my father hadn’t known. As twisted as it was, if he did then he would have ordered for them to be sentenced to death as well. He would have ensured that Lachlan’s line had ended with him and there was no chance of his blood tainting the realm.
Matthew took a breath. “He has two sons, the eldest of which was to be his protégé.” He rolled his eyes. “The youngest had a tendency to vie for his father’s attention, but Lachlan only needed one son to become his heir and to take over, so the second was merely there as a spare. The second brother hated being second more than anything, so it caused a… rift between the two brothers.” He hesitated before continuing. I willed my body to stay silent, not daring to interrupt when he was giving information so freely.
“When Lachlan launched The Great War, things had begun to… change. His eldest son saw that through all the diplomacy he had been taught, the morals instilled; his father seemed to lack all of it. Lachlan was cold and merciless, as you know. Because of that, his heir no longer had any desire to remain loyal to his father if that was how he dreamed of ruling the world, so he left.” He fidgeted nervously with his hands. His words were grave, but there was almost a hopeful tone to them. I had a feeling that I was one of the few people that had seen this side to Matthew. There was an urge to reach out to him, to trace his features with my fingertips, but I kept my hands to myself. “His heir escaped and ended up assimilating into another kingdom to take up the fight against his father.”
The way he spoke with his hands brought the story to life. “Of course, Lachlan was furious when he realized his son had left him, but… he had his spare. His younger son was so desperate to prove himself that he would go to any lengths,” he paused, disgusted. “Desperation like that changes someone into something else–something unrecognizable.”
This time, I didn’t stop myself. I reached out and took his hand in my own. Both of us were surprised as we looked up at each other. His eyes bled into something else, pleading, but he pushed through. There was more to Matthew than I had originally thought. His vulnerability could be a trap though, and I couldn’t trust it.
But maybe you should…I thought about it for a split second, before shaking it away. But I kept our hands locked together. It was comforting in an uncomfortable world.
He looked away from me, sucking in a breath before he continued. “Anyway… Lachlan’s youngest son transformed into his new heir and he’s the one who’s currently in charge. As for Lachlan, he’s both alive and dead. That is the bit of the mystery I’m still trying to figure out. There are whispers in the darkness of him still being alive somehow, but as you said… Orion killed him. So… I think there is dark witchcraft at play.”
My face must have given me away. I didn’t even have a chance to ask him what he meant before he read my expression and answered for me. “No one is truly immortal, Eva. As Fae, we live extraordinarily long lives and we have fast healing, but wecandie. When one plays in witchcraft, there are ways to… increase the odds of immortality. Dark practitioners can call on the shadows and using sacrifices and binding spells to prolong one’s life, or hide it completely, which is what I think might have happened to Lachlan. Soul transport is possible if you have enough dark magic, and gods above… Lachlan had more than enough to spare.”
“You’ve seen it, haven’t you?” I asked him. My breath caught in my throat. He nodded solemnly. This was so much worse than any of us could have thought. That Lachlan could be alive was bad enough, but if he had dark practitioners on his side? We were doomed.
My father used to tell me stories of dark practitioners and their witchcraft. I had always thought of them to be more warnings than anything else. They worshiped evil incarnate, which would obviously cause fear and panic to spread throughout the realm. Many kings had ordered for them to stop practicing, and if they refused… They were hunted down and executed. Apparently, it was possible that some were still out there, lurking in the shadows.
I couldn’t ignore the sense of familiarity that had settled over Matthew and me as we had talked. I told myself it meant nothing, but I couldn’t avoid that damn nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. Conversation never even felt this easy with Damien and I had known him my whole life. This connection with Matthew was something I didn’t understand. I wondered if he felt it too but I was too afraid to ask him. I didn’t want to be turned down or rejected–not that it would be rejection, per se, but… I felt like it would feel like one if I dared to open my mouth about our situation.
The sky grew darker, clouds rolling in over the sparkling sky. We must have been out here for longer than either of us had realized. There was a slight chill in the air which sent a chill through my body. I gravitated closer to Matthew’s body on instinct. There was a chill from the stone bench beneath us that contradicted with the warmth radiating off of his body. It almost felt sinful to be so close to him, our bodies touching.
“Have dinner with me, Eva,” his eyes locked on mine. “Don’t go hiding in your room just yet.”
It would be easy to say no. I could tell him he didn’t complete his bargain of telling me why he had taken me, not really. That would be a way to get out of dinner. Bargains were tricky and fickle things, though. They needed to be worded exactly to prevent loopholes from being found, and the fault would land on me for not structuring it properly. I had been naïve when I struck it up with him, but any information was better than none.
I went against my better judgment. Those damn butterflies fluttering in my stomach spurred me forward recklessly. Would I regret this? Probably. Was it going to stop me? Absolutely not. “You won’t get rid of me that easily,” I told him as I rose from the bench. He took my hand gently in his and rested it in the crook of his elbow, leading us back toward his house.
“Thank the gods for that,” he muttered. He said it so quietly, I almost didn’t hear it. I think that was his intention, but I couldn’t fight the smile that instantly spread across my face.
18
MATTHEW
“My word, that had to have been one of the most delicious meals that I’ve ever tasted!” Eva exclaimed, chuckling as she folded the napkin over her plate and leaned back into the chair. I had never seen her so relaxed; it was breathtakingly beautiful. “Who should I give the compliments to?”
I feigned shock, lifting my hand over my heart. “Darling, you wound me! I was the creator of tonight’s masterpiece.” I smiled back at her when she gave me a mocking look.
I had always loved to cook; it was a sort of hobby of mine. I was taught by our head chef when I was only a child. He noted how I would creep into the kitchen in the early mornings to watch them prepare our breakfast. One day, he grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and pulled me over to him. He told me that if I was going to be in his kitchen, then I would make myself useful. I’ll never forget that day, and hell… I still remember all of my kitchen adventures. They’re among the few wonderful memories I have from my childhood.
I was always pushed to be the best. Hell, I was pushed to be better than the best. My father was tough on me, which is why I don’t have a relationship with him. He was a ruthless fae that gave our kind a bad name. I can hardly remember my mother, but what I remember was that she was kind and nurturing. She loved me more than I probably deserved, but that’s what mothers were supposed to do, right? She was lost during The Great War, a casualty, but she had been pulled away from us early on by my father. He stated that if she consistently coddled us, then we would never learn to be strong on our own. Like I said, the guy was a dick.
Her playful laugh pulled me back to the present day, and it reminded me of how different we were. While she had seen genuine horrors in her past, she grew up loved and happy versus being a pawn in a game of power like I was. She had fond memories to look back on. Ones that were sure to include her parents and her friends. Damien, without a doubt. The thought of his name made my skin crawl. If she only knew what I knew, maybe that would change everything. But it wasn’t my place to insert myself where I didn’t belong, and this was something that she needed to figure out for herself. Besides, if I meddled between them, it would undoubtedly look suspicious, and she just started looking at me like I wasn’t the worst man in the realm. I would not fuck that up again, at least not intentionally.
“You’re full of surprises, Matthew. I would never have guessed that this was your creation. You’ll have to remind me to ask you to cook more often,” she smiled sweetly, innocent almost. The sound of my name on her lips makes me want so much more. She doesn’t say it nearly enough for my liking. My cock twitched when she did it. I had frequent conversations with myself, trying to convince my brain that she wasn’t mine, but dammit, I wanted her to be. It was a primal instinct. Maybe that was the real reason that I took her, because I haven’t been able to get her out of my head since that damn ball. The way she smelled sweetly of lavender and vanilla, the blush that would creep across her skin, the luscious way her lips pursed when she was thinking, and how I wanted nothing more than to have them wrapped around my cock.Fuck Matt, get a grip on yourself.
“No begging required. Just ask and it’ll be yours.” That beautiful blush I was just fantasizing about crept across her cheeks. Obviously, she caught onto my double meaning, which sent a rush of pleasure surging through my veins. I’d never lost myself so completely and so quickly over a woman, but she wasn’t like any of the others. I knew that was cliché, but heavens above, she was phenomenal.
“In that case…” she started, and for a moment, just a moment, I allowed myself to hope that she’d ask to be mine, even for a night. Doubt crept into my head.She wants nothing to do with you.
Oh, but what if she did? How lovely would that be?
She hesitated, looking at me from under her long lashes. “Why did you take me? You told me you would tell me, and I appreciate what you divulged, but I need to know why you’re keeping me here. My family must be going crazy. Damien…” His name faltered on her lips as she tumbled out her explanation. It completely infuriated me, even though I know it shouldn’t. I was aware of what he was to her. I’d smelt him on her skin since I met her. I wanted to eradicate him from her body, from her mind, and from her soul. I wanted my name to be the only one she utters from now until the end of our days.
