“It would serve you well to remain still,” she said through a few breathless pants.
His eyes snagged on the mark around her throat. The mark where his forearm almost ended her life. He moved, but the ivy pressed heavier upon his chest, pinning him in place, wrapping around his ankles and arms.
“I tried to be kind.” The look in her eye was feral and mad. “But it seems as though I underestimated your competency.”
“Or haveyouoverestimated your hiding place?” The weight of the ivy pained his chest and legs. “Keep using that magick of yours, Enchantress. The other hunters will be here in no time.”
Her nostrils flared, her face still red with anger. But Evren was always one for details. That’s what had made him such a successful hunter and before that, a captain. So, when the single tear fell from the Enchantress’ eye, he didn’t miss it. She turned away, likely to conceal her moment of weakness. And for whatever reason, his mind twisted with confusion as his stomach sank with guilt.
Six
Idiot.Tallulah couldn’t believe she cried in front of this hunter. She’d meant to appear strong, just as her mother would have expected her. Just as the other Enchantresses in Valebridge had been. But Tallulah never felt strong. She felt quiet and soft. All the things that the world disapproved of. All the things that would now get her killed, get her caught.
Of course, it was a terrible idea to trust him. Of course, it was reckless to leave the ivy less tethered around him. Why did she care for his comfort at all? If she were her mother, she would’ve ended his life in the snow.
But she wasn’t.
Evren groaned from behind her, still pinned to the ground with the heavy plants. She wiped her eyes before turning to face him again.
“I’m going to let you up.” She took a tentative step. Her throat sore from where he’d choked her, but she pushed past the pain. She needed to be strong.
Be strong. Be strong. Be strong.
“Once I remove the ivy, I will offer you two options.”
Evren said nothing as Tallulah’s fingers moved, the ivy stirring. His green eyes were bright against the deep red in his hair, his freckles prominent against his pale skin.
“Your first option.” Tallulah lifted her hands and moved half of the ivy back to the wall. “Is to walk backward to the workbench and wait for me.”
Evren remained silent, but he took a deep breath as the ivy around his body lessened. Relief smoothing the line between his brows.
“And my second option?” he asked, meeting her eyes. He didn’t look well. Sweat had broken out across his forehead, his body trembling, but perhaps it was from the magick. Or from the weight of the ivy.
“Your second option,” Tallulah said, pausing her hands to take a deep breath. “Your second option is to leave.”
Evren’s brows jumped to his hairline. His ruggedly handsome face softened as he weighed his options.
She moved her hands again. The rest of the ivy lifted, and now he was free. Free to leave. Free to take her to Valebridge and collect his coin. Free to kill her.
“Why would you let me go?” He took his time to sit up, but not any further than that. She stood above him, squaring her shoulders to make herself appear taller.
Be strong.
“Because I am making a choice,” she said, annoyed. “I don’t want to hurt you. But I also don’t want you to hurt me. Take this as a truce. I’ll spare your life right here and now, if you spare mine.”
His gaze narrowed, sending a chill down Tallulah’s spine.
Surely, this was a mistake. Spineless, childish, dreamer of a woman.
Slowly, he rose, his frame towering above hers. She inclined her head, keeping her hands ready in case he jumped toward her again. The shackles gleamed in the daylight, the sight of them making her stomach turn.
“You would let me go, knowing what I am,” he whispered. Confusion and anger battled across his features.
“Yes,” Tallulah replied, “but will you letmego knowing whatIam.” Her stomach was in knots as she waited. Her hands were nervous, but she kept them steady. She didn’t want to hurt this man. She didn’t want to hurt anyone. She just wanted to be leftalone.
* * *
Evren couldn’t believewhat this woman, this Enchantress, suggested. Would she really let him go after what he’d done to her? What he plans to do to the other Enchantresses he finds?
