Fated In Secrets (Nocturne Vampire Clan #2)

Chapter 7

7

EVANGELINE

“ H ey Angel, I brought you something.”

I slipped quietly into the dimly lit bedroom where Angel sat half-bathed in shadows. Her slender frame was folded into a blue silk armchair, arms wrapped protectively around her stomach.

Like the rest of this godforsaken castle, the air in here was clogged with that oppressive silence.

I laid the flowers on the table, reaching out to brush a stray strand of pale hair from her face. "Hey, sis," I whispered, my voice gentle, but there was no response. Her eyes were downcast, far away, fixed on some spot only she could see.

"Bex sent up some tea," I lifted the steaming cup off the small table beside her. The fragrance of chamomile filled the room, but Angel didn’t react. "She thought something hot might help you relax."

Still, only silence.

I took a slow breath. I’d known this wouldn’t be easy—Tyrell’s cruelty had left deep wounds, and his death had left Angel shattered, fragile as glass. The healers explained this was the broken mating bond.

That there was a chance she’d never come out of this.

That the sorrow could kill her.

Healers, not doctors, and part of me wanted nothing more than to pull my sister out of this room and march her down to the nearest Medi-Clinic for a proper diagnosis. But her condition wasn’t physical. Tyrell’s absence was dragging her down into the darkness, right along with him.

I nudged the tea closer, “Take one sip. I’ll be right back.”

It didn’t take me long to locate the hidden door to the passageway in this room. Behind a bookcase filled with leatherbound classics—predictably, Bram Stoker’s Dracula unlocked the secret latch—the same narrow passage ran away in both directions.

I was surprised Nash wasn’t already in there with his host of soldiers, mapping out every single inch of secret corridor, boarding everything up. I pushed the bookcase back in place with a hollow click.

Now was not the time to explore, as important as it was to know a back way out, in case we needed to escape. Right now, I had to try to reach my sister, as I had every day since I’d killed her mate.

“Angel. Do you remember," I began softly, scooting beside her, "when Mom used to tell us stories? We didn't have much back then, but she always made us feel like we owned the whole world. She’d tell us the names of the stars, like they were jewels in a pirate’s treasure trove."

A faint flicker crossed Angel’s face, her hands cradling her belly.

"Mom worked so hard," I continued, my voice laced with the warmth of those distant memories. "She’d work all day, then come home and make paper flowers with us. Can you imagine what Silas would have thought, the three of us making flowers together?”

She winced at my father’s name, and I covered her hand with mine. “We were lucky, Angel, to have her. We never needed fancy toys or riches to make us feel loved, all we ever needed was Aurora. Somehow, she was always enough."

A hint of a smile ghosted my lips, seeing so much of mom in Angel’s delicate features. But her dead gaze remained distant, the scent of her pain turning vicious .

"I know," I took a breath, "mom would have wanted to be here, Angel. She would have told you how strong you are. How brave. That Tyrell couldn’t dim that light inside you. You were always her favorite, Angel." My cracking voice clogged in my too-tight throat. "You were always the better of us."

Her eyes flickered, and I leaned closer, resting my hand lightly on her arm, wishing I could reach inside my sweet sister and carve out every last piece of her pain, make her whole again.

"You’ll be a wonderful mother," I murmured, my hand drifting to her belly, where new life grew, untouched by the darkness that tarnished our past. "Your baby will know love, kindness, and strength—all the things mom gave us, everything Tyrell wanted to take away."

I swore I felt something move against my palm, my eyes widening. “But you won, Angel. He’s gone and he’ll never hurt you again. You and me and the baby, we’re family. You are safe. You are loved, Angel.”

I brushed a tear from her cheek, beautiful as it trembled on her skin. “I love you, Angel.”

Her gaze lifted, tears spilling over, tears she blinked away as quickly as they came. But my heart surged at the first sign of life I’d seen in days.

Angel’s voice, when she finally spoke, was a rough whisper, barely audible. "I don't know if I can, Evie," she said, her voice dull. "I don’t know if I’m strong enough. I want to be, but there’s a weight on me, heavy enough I can’t move. "

My heart broke, but I kept my voice steady, grounding her with every word. "You don’t have to be strong right now," I replied softly. "Right now, I’ll be strong for you. And when you’re ready—you’ll be strong enough for you and the baby, like mom was for us."

Angel's trembling hand tightened. Her grip was weak, but there was a new, faint connection I grasped tightly, refusing to let go.

"Thanks Evie," she whispered, her voice breaking. “Just so you know, I never told him.”

“Never told…Who?”

“Never told Laurent. About mom.” Her teary gaze locked with mine and my heart stopped. “He asked, you know. About Aurora . About her magic.” She swallowed hard. “About you , especially. But I played dumb.” More tears slid down her face, but there was a fierce light in her eyes now, that hadn’t been there before. “He never found out about you.”

Fear flooded my system with a riot of adrenaline, the room swimming before my eyes. “That’s good. We’ll keep that secret, Angel, like we always have. Nobody else needs to know.”

I squeezed her hand, pressing it gently against my own. "We’ll keep our secrets and get through this," I promised, my voice shaking slightly. "Together." We sat like that for a long time, me holding her close, wrapping her in the quiet strength of love, as mom had once done for us.

And worrying about this new snag that could very well get me killed.