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After Eva first woke up, it took her a few days to convince Darius to allow her to walk around Castle Brannack on her own. Then, it took a fewmoredays to convince him to feed on her again. Thankfully, he was quick to cave in and let her win that argument. It probably had a lot to do with how hungry he had already become.
Eva woke up to a second chance at life a week ago. Every minute of that second chance was incredible and continued to be so. She had her mother to thank for that.
Eva stood in front of an aged willow tree. Behind her, she could hear the sound of instruments playing as Castle Brannack’s newest party raged on.
Today was a day of celebration. Darius, Karina, and Eva were officially welcomed into the Payne Clan, and they were welcomed with open arms. Eva knew that Sebastian Payne invited the three of them to join the Payne Clan for reasons that ran deeper than simply helping three friends on the run. Sebastian also believed they would one day be a great help to the clan should a war among unnatural beings arise. The Payne Clan had struggled for centuries and only recently started getting back on their feet. They needed all the help they could get.
And the three of them were more than eager to help.
Gedeon left before the invitation was extended. In fact, he left some time before Eva woke up. Karina was much more upset about losing her friend than Darius was, considering Darius was the one who sent him away. Still, Eva could see sadness flicker across his eyes whenever anyone mentioned his longtime friend. He missed Gedeon, no doubt. But he would not be swayed in his decision on the matter. It was set in stone. “You fuck with those I love, you fuck with me. Gedeon has no place in our life,” Darius would say.
Rumor had it that Gedeon returned to Artem’s fortress and began working on rehabilitating everyone who had been subjected to Artem’s rule. When the rumor passed onto Darius he had said, “I have no doubt in Gedeon’s capability to lead those lost souls.” Somewhere, Darius continued to care for his friend. Unfortunately, the topic was too sour for the time being.
A warm breeze ripped a petal off one of the flowers in Eva’s hands and sent wisps of hair flying in front of her face, distorting her eyesight.
She brushed the strands of hair out of her face and looked down at the grave she had created for her mother. Though the two of them never had a chance to build a relationship, Eva understood what could have been possible for them. The two of them could have been the best of friends if life had been fair.
“The uncertainty of life is a given,” she told the tombstone at her feet, “So I’ll be damned if I don’t grasp each opportunity to enjoy every great moment I’m given.” She looked back to those dancing in the distance, smiles on their faces. “Good moments like these.” Eva bent down and set the flowers she was holding against the tombstone. “Moments I wouldn’t have had the chance to experience if it wasn’t for you. I have you to thank for every time I smile from this day on. Thank you, Mom.”
It wasn’t difficult for Eva to decide where she would bury her mother. Her soul was too pure to be buried back on that Norwegian island filled with selfish sorceresses. Her mother belonged here among good people. She belonged with Eva.
“You know, she made me promise to tell you she always loved you.” Darius was suddenly behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and cupping her head beneath his chin.
“I know.” Eva wished the two of them could have had a chance to live a life together. “I’ll use the powers she passed onto me for good, I’m sure that’s what she would have wanted. Any chance Karina figured out what powers she had?” Karina had been working on researching the sorceress community.
“They’re a secretive community.” That would mean she didn’t. “We know she had the ability to teleport, and we know she could somehow watch people from a distance.”
“And her third power?”
“We’ll have plenty of days to train and tap into your powers.” Darius had begun training Karina to use a sword. Karina turned out to be an exceedingly fast learner. Soon, Darius planned on training Eva as well. How else would she be able to defend herself against a world of unnatural beings that were out to get her? “We’ll figure it out. Together.”
Eva smiled.Together.
She twisted in Darius’ arms until she was looking up at him, wrapping her own arms around his neck. “I like that word. Say it again,” she purred.
“Together?”
She seductively bit her lip. “Mhmm.”
“Gods, if you put it that way.” He bent down and nibbled her ear, whispering into it, “Together.”She felt a fang pierce through her skin, a bit of blood dripping down her ear. She couldn’t stop herself from letting out a soft moan when he sucked the blood off her. But instead of continuing to tease her, he stood back up. “Let’s join the party before we get carried away. We have all the time in the world to finish this later.”
“Okay.” Eva felt a bit deflated. At the moment she definitely would rather spend the day partaking in wicked deeds with Darius.
“The party is for us. We shouldn’t miss it.”
“True,” she reluctantly agreed. “You know, no one’s ever held a party for me before.”
“I know, and I promise that for as long as you live, you won’t have to worry about that again. Soon you’ll be exhausted over the many of parties I intend to throw for you.” He winked. “But let’s not start using your powers to see how much time your future has left. In fact, don’t look into the future foranythingagain.”
“I hated predicting the future when it was cool,” she joked. “You don’t have to worry about me looking into it for any reason. It’s not going to happen.” She was grateful that no one here asked her to use that power, unlike the needy sorceresses she grew up with. “I’m more of aliving in the presenttype of girl nowadays.”
He grinned, reaching for her hand and turning toward the sound of the music. “Well, wepresentlyhave a party to attend. I think it’s about time we join in on the celebration.”
“Together?”
“Together.”
