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13
BRAXTON
A storm instantly erupted within Evie’s eyes with the mention of Star’s name, swirling and beating against the walls she had erected, until she slightly began to tremble.
“Star is back?” she whispered in a small and vulnerable tone, almost childlike, but burdened with a hurt so deep that I felt it crushing my chest.
The visceral reaction contrasted harshly with her usually poised and “in control” demeanor, causing both Kingston and I to take a step closer to her.
“No.” The warning was harsh as she lifted a single hand, stepping back from both of us as though she didn’t need our pity. Her voice was all grown up again, firm, and commanding, yet the hurt that had awakened continued to rage inside her eyes. “Is she back?”
“Yes,” I answered, exchanging a glance with the chief. “She is in the Dragon lairs.”
With a single nod, Evie straightened and turned around, walking towards the window that overlooked her Hidden Kingdom and the honeycombs above it. She held her hands before her as she glanced up, but her regal posture didn’t conceal the trembling of her hands as well as she intended.
Clearing his throat, Kingston called my attention to him.
“It has been a very trying day for all of us. I’m going to rest before we must escort the princess to dinner, so she can address our people. I’ll find you later.” He stepped closer to me, placing a hand on my shoulder supportively and holding my gaze for a few seconds.
It was a simple gesture. Yet, when he patted my cheek in an almost paternal way, its true meaning filtered through me, warming my chest.
“Yes, Chief.” I bowed my head to him, grateful that he was giving me the opportunity to talk to her alone and console her. It was far more than that. He accepted me at Evie’s side, as her partner, trusting me to take care of her from now on like he previously had.
His lips began to tilt into a small smile, but he immediately erased it, scowling at me before leaving.
Sighing, I turned to find Evie lost in her thoughts, still standing by the window while she tried to battle the tempest inside her. Silently, I walked to her side, placing a hand on the small of her back.
My touch reminded her she wasn’t alone, and she instantly tensed.
“It’s just me…” I whispered into her ear, placing a kiss on her temple. “You can tell me anything, be your most vulnerable, absolute true self with me because I will never judge you. And I will never take advantage of that.”
Her muscles relaxed a little with my words, and she glanced at me over her shoulder, the love she felt for me filtering through the ache in her eyes. “I know…”
She became silent for several minutes, her chest tensing while she battled the feelings trying to take over her.
“Evie, please talk to me… I want to help you.”
Nothing.
I gently turned her to face me, thankful that she let me, though she didn’t look at me. When I took her hands in mine, they were cold and trembling with the nerves rushing through her.
“I want to understand,” I pleaded, placing another kiss on her temple, and knowing that whatever had happened between them was significant enough to have this kind of effect on her… “She is in pain too, you know?” I offered, thinking of the memories Star had shared with me and the hurt they incited in her.
Evie’s gaze flew to mine, the words stirring something inside it—regret and shame.
“She is?”
“Yes, I felt it myself… Who is she?” I asked, thinking that perhaps she would let me in.
With a ragged breath that cost her more than it should, she pulled her hands from mine and walked past me to the center of the room.
“Evie,” I began to speak, walking to her side. “Just let me—"
“She is Luna’s daughter.”
Her words stopped me in my tracks. “Vyper and Draco’s sister?”
Confused, I saw her stop and turn around, her hands held before her once more. I didn’t want her so far away; I wanted her in my arms. Still, I understood that sometimes we needed to distance ourselves to even attempt to speak about what hurt us the most, so I forced myself to give her the space she needed.
