Chapter 25
Traveling through shadows in the countryside, Zariha snuck into the bedroom window of a young witch, who lay curled on her side, hugging her teddy bear.
“Not real, not real, not real, not real,” she kept muttering, rocking slightly.
He tapped into her thoughts and saw him. Her mother told her stories about the Shadowman who would drain the child and leave a husk if she was a bad little girl.
The town had always feared him. And rightfully so.
He crouched down before her and pried the teddy bear from her face. She opened her mouth to scream, and his big hand latched onto her face as he pulled every ounce of her magic and essence into his body.
Power exploded, and then there were thundering footfalls before the door was yanked open.
Zariha faded into shadows and hid in the corner, watching as the frantic mother who’d told her daughter the story collapsed beside the husk of the girl.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her essence into himself before zipping out the window and flying toward the lighthouse. Maybe with enough juice flowing through his veins, he could crash the barrier and find his way inside.
Maybe, and maybe not, but he had to try something. He needed to make a stand, make a move, slaughter the bitch who kept him trapped near the source of his imprisonment, yet managed to stay in an unreachable plane.
When Halstien nearly managed to kill him, he did something to tether him to Merova. He couldn’t ever reach the rift she was in, but he couldn’t stray far from the rift either.
* * * *
Evangeline curled around Bran. He’d made love to her, telling her how much he loved her. And now, she was peaceful, even though he’d felt the doubt that had overwhelmed him before she disappeared. She hadn’t been gone long, but apparently, she could translocate like Robert now.
Things were changing at record speed. Magic hummed through her veins, but it wasn’t any one thing. There were traces of witch, mage, Fae, both Sylvan and something else. And now, he felt slivers of Savon’s magic.
How was anyone supposed to contain all of that?
Closing his eyes, he pushed all thought away and got with the program. His woman, the one he’d wanted for far too long was finally his, and he needed to find a way to prove he was hers beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Bran had history with another, but so did she. Hell, she’d been mated. And he had no doubt in his head that she would ever want him back.
And yeah, he wanted to know more about the asshole, but at the same time, he didn’t. Not that he had a choice. Either Evangeline would tell him, or she wouldn’t. He wasn’t going to force it because honestly, too many questions about Margaret were going to fuck with his head and make him cry. And clearly, she had no understanding that what he felt for his first love had no bearing on what he felt for her.
And then a crazy idea hit him. Maybe it would set her mind at ease if he proposed. Nate was proposing to Savon soon.
Shit, that should probably freak Bran out. His half-brother was going to be engaged to his half-sister. Bran shared Nate’s father and shared Savon’s mother. Nate and Savon weren’t blood-related to each other, just to him. And they had always been meant for each other.
He just needed to stop thinking about all that crazy shit. None of it mattered. He had his mate. Nate had his. Hell, even Evangeline’s sister had hers.
Jay didn’t. The bastard was leaving to find his, and that made sense. The only reason he stuck around was that he knew Evangeline would keep coming back until they fell into place, even if he had come close to giving up a few times.
Thank fuck he hadn’t given up.
Her fingers trailed circles around his abdomen. His muscles jumped in response. He caught her hip and rolled toward her so he could take her mouth.
“How long have I been asleep?” she murmured.
“Twenty minutes. Not long at all.”
“And why are your emotions up and down like a roller coaster?”
He captured her gaze and lifted the shoulder he wasn’t on. “Trying to figure out how to prove you’re the one and only woman I want and will ever want again.”
“And if I die?” she whispered, tears shimmering in her gorgeous eyes.
“Nope, not entertaining that thought for a goddamned second. You aren’t dying. You can’t get sick like Margaret did, and you’re too damned smart to fall under your father’s sway. I love you, and I will fight to keep you here with me forever, and ever. So please, don’t start that bullshit, because that’s the last thing I ever want to consider.”
“But you never thought you’d love anyone but Margaret, did you?”
He grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut. After a heavy breath, he looked Evangeline in the eye. “This makes me a fucking asshole, but I knew from the moment I saw you I could fall in love with you. It was instantaneous. I ignored it because I loved Margaret with my whole heart, but you were still there, in the background, someone I wanted against all reason.”
She captured his face and pressed her lips to his. “Because your soul recognized what I knew when I saw you. You were meant for me.”
He nodded. “Can we stop with this line of thought? You and I both know that once you find your mate, you don’t have another unless you lose them. I’m not losing you.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me, but I had a moment of grief, and I don’t even know why. I have you, and I know you aren’t ever going anywhere. Damn it, I’m sorry.
“Shh, it’s okay. Just tell me how to prove to you, you’re it for me.”
She shook her head, tears falling faster. “I’m a selfish bitch. I didn’t mean to insist. What you shared with your wife was pure and real, and I don’t want you to cheapen that.”
Sighing, he pulled her closer. “You haven’t. And I get it. Shit, the thought of you with another man…one you were mated to—that hurts. But you know what? It’s in the past and shouldn’t concern me now. No matter what I think, I trust you, I have you. And I got to believe the mate bond means this is real for you too.”
“It does. But I’ve seen that go wrong, even if I didn’t realize it until far too late.”
“Evangeline, if I ever treat you wrong, tell me, immediately. I’m willing to work anything out.”
She kissed him again, and he relaxed slightly. Then she leaned back. “You’re amazing and perfect, and I can’t imagine you ever being like Jasper. You’re so damned compassionate. And I know that if you ever did anything that hurt me, you’d do your damnedest to fix it.”
“Never want to hurt you. Not in the least. And to make sure I don’t, I need you to be honest with me, even when you’re thinking something that might hurt me.”
“Sorry I ruined the moment.”
“Never. This was important to get out. I’m glad you talked to me.”
* * * *
Never had Evangeline felt so loved and understood. Bran got it. And he knew exactly what to say to make her feel better about all of it. Evangeline trailed her fingers over his jaw.
She let out a sigh. “Does it bother you that Nate and I tried for a bit?”
He shook his head, then his lip curled up. “As long as I don’t think about it, it doesn’t. Hearing it in passing, fine, whatever. But it’s not something I want to consider because I get it. You were both seeking something to make everything right, but it wasn’t right.”
“Same as you and Meridian?” she asked.
“That was similar, only she manipulated me. But had you been in town at the time, I would have ignored her.”
“I feel like a bitch for saying I’m glad things worked out the way they did.”
“You’re not. And if I’m being honest, I hate that Margaret suffered, but it was time for her to go. I don’t regret my time with her. The only thing I regret is that it took so long to get you to give me a chance.”
She nodded. “Me too. But I was worried you’d wind up like Jasper. But then, I knew who your father was a lot sooner because Killian told me after he saw the way I watched you the first time we met.”
His eyes popped wide. “I didn’t know until he turned me.”
“Neither did Nate. He wanted me to be afraid of you. He saw the way I was changed. And he wanted me to go to the full wolf, not the Sylvan Fae. That’s why he made sure I understood who you were to him.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Everyone hates Killian. You believed Daron was your father. I didn’t want to ruin your perception of family. You loved him. Why would I take that from you?”
He shook his head. “I’ve hated Killian since I was little. He was horrible to Nate. He would have killed my sister. I should have known sooner, but that isn’t your fault. I’m sorry.”
“I’m caught between going to find Merova to stop Zariha, and finding my father to kill him so he can’t hurt my sister again. How messed up is that?”
“It’s not. You want to protect Genevieve, but maybe I can do some digging to find out if Olivier is on the way. As a police officer, I can look into things you may not be able to if I pull the right strings.”
“Thank you.”
He climbed from the bed. “Give me a bit. I’ll have a friend run some searches to see if we can find him.”