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Damn it, I needed to get out of there before he reached us.
Sneaking into the scarves’ kiosk next to us, I went out the back, and made my way into the castle. I walked up to the seventh floor, slowly entering Evie’s room, to find her standing by the window. Her gaze focused on the festivities below us.
“Evie…” I called, unsure of whether or not she’d want to see me. The moment my voice reached her, she spun around, and the emotions capturing her face cut through me.
“Braxton.” Worry, relief, regret, and love, all danced within the single word and she rushed toward me.
Meeting her halfway, I pulled her into my chest, and the air returned to my lungs when I finally held her in my arms. “I’m sorry.” I whispered, kissing her cheek.
“I’m sorry too.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “I shouldn’t have said what I—”
“Don’t.” I shook my head. “What you said was harsh, and I won’t deny it hurt me. But it was also true, and I needed to hear it.” My fingers gently caressed the curve of her cheek, noticing her eyes briefly close at my touch. “I can’t go through life letting things happen to me, and just react to them. If I want to be a man I’ll be proud of, be the man you need me to be, then I have to take control of my life and live purposely. Our people deserve that.”
Her eyes glistened with my words and she pulled me down by the neck to kiss me. The soul returned to my body as our lips danced together, my hands gripping her back and waist.
“I love you,” I whispered against her lips, stealing another kiss.
“I love you too, and don’t youeverdo that to me again!”
“Ouch,” the complaint left me when she smacked my chest, hard. Sometimes I swore she was stronger than the warriors.
“Do you have any idea of what you have put me through in the last two days?” She pinched me with her nails, and I didn’t know which one was worse, the smack or that. “I haven’t slept. I have barely eaten, fearing the worst would happen today. You can’t even imagine what it felt like having to stand there, and watch you fight Lachlan to the death. Half of me wanted to die if something happened to you. The other wanted to smack you both and send you to your rooms without dinner, like children!”
“Maybe you should have sent us to our rooms,” I mumbled. “I’m so sorry, baby.” I nuzzled her nose briefly, stealing another kiss. “I promise that is all behind me… though I can’t speak for him.”
Nodding, she lowered her attention to my stomach and lifted my shirt to check my injury, finding only smooth skin. “What happened to you, Braxton? You had—”
“Scales… I know.” With a heavy sigh, I pressed my forehead to hers. “I have no idea how, or why, but I think—I think the more Dragons I connect to, the more my powers flourish, or evolve somehow.”
Understanding grazed her expression, but it was soon replaced by concern. “What did Lachlan say to you before he left?”
“That he knows I am hiding something. He says I reek of lies and vowed he wouldn’t rest until he uncovered my secret. He thinks I’m deceiving you too.”
Evie’s features marred with worry and frustration. “His actions may be wrong, but he means well. If he thinks you are lying to me, he will do what he can to uncover what your secret is, just so he can protect me.”
Pulling away from me, Evie turned to the window briefly, but when her gaze returned to me, the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. “Braxton, there is something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” she confessed and held my hands, pulling me towards the bed. She motioned for me to sit down, taking her place beside me, but her eyes became pained.
“What is it?” I intertwined our fingers, squeezing her hand to let her know it would be okay.
“It is something I’ve kept from you all this time, and I’m so sorry to have done so. It was not our of malice, but out of love. I was trying to protect you—”
“It’s about my dad isn’t it?” I asked. I had sensed something wasn’t quite right with his story for a few days now, but I wasn’t sure what it was.
She swallowed. “Yes. At first, I didn’t tell you because I saw what an amazing father he was to you, and I didn’t want to steal that, I couldn’t…”
“You couldn’t, what?”
“Brax!” Asher’s frantic hiss made me jump from the bed, and I somehow ended up on the other end of the room.
My startled eyes went to him. “Holy hell, what?”
“Kingston is coming,” he urged with a pointed look, motioning me to get the hell out of Evie’s room. “Sorry, Princess.”
Glancing at Evie to let her know we would finish the conversation later, I rushed out of her chambers with him. When we reached the stairs, we found the chief walking Willow up to her room. She clung to his arm, eyes half closed, and her cheek resting on his bulky bicep like it was the best pillow in the world. Sober or not, she was in heaven.
His steps halted when he saw us there. “What are you doing on the seventh floor?” he growled.
“Ooh, he’s mad,” Willow taunted, cringing exaggeratedly. She was totally wasted.
