Marked By Masks and Secrets (Everlasting Possession #1)

23

KYLO

I n an instant, everything had changed irreversibly. I wasn’t sure Evie truly understood the predicament she was now in. And perhaps it was better that way, for the time being.

So long as she kept that pretty little mouth shut about what I’d revealed, she could remain in denial about who she’d just sold her soul to.

She would never betray me that way. She would never endanger her loved ones, for starters. But I also simply didn’t think that was who Evie was. She thought she hated me, that I was the reason for all of her sorrows, but deep down, she knew the truth.

I was not the one who’d harmed her. I was not the reason she was always on the run.

I loved that Evie was violently protective of the people in her life. It was a quality I adored—one that reminded me of myself. It only made me that much more territorial over my angel, knowing that while she was the fiercest defender of her family—she had no one to truly care for her.

Not like I could.

She was so small right now as she walked next to me. She’d eventually jolted from her state of shock and demanded I set her down.

I took her to my neighborhood off campus, where we were surrounded by the clan. My estate was covered by tall trees for privacy, on a small piece of land on the outskirts of the residential area. It was dark and regal, with castle-like spires and arched doors and windows. A large, circular stained-glass window stood on the second floor, detailed with bright, luminescent colors and a sacred geometric patterned frame. A path of stone led to the front steps, with black lamp posts dispersed on either side.

“Is there a sigil in your tattoos that corresponds with your glamour?” she asked me, staring at my bare arms with a furrowed brow.

I shook my head. Yes, Evie was far from stupid—too intelligent for her own good, honestly. But gods above, she was oblivious to the sheer amount of danger she was in right now.

“Baby, please,” I warned. “Let’s keep those questions at bay for now.”

She was absolutely drenched and covered in mud, her arms tight around her body as her teeth chattered. It was one of the most precious sights I’d ever seen.

She frowned and returned to giving me the silent treatment as we approached my estate.

A smirk tugged at my lips. I deserved a medal for the self-restraint I’d exercised in that tunnel. There was something about Evie finally unraveling—displaying raw, unbridled power in her pink-rose-colored dress with frilly details and a bow around her neck—that had made me unquenchably ravenous. Desperate to taste her, to bite her, to sink into her, and to finally show her what it was like to be with a man. Helia, Selena, and Lillian too . I’d never been so painfully aroused.

Her anger was a drug. Everything about Evie was my new favorite addiction. The salt of her tears, the sinfully sweet smell of her arousal, the way she’d struggled and fought for air as I held her underwater, the most delicious relief of her submission when she finally yielded to my power.

I’d wanted to fuck her, right there in the rain and mud. I wanted to drive into her as she nearly drowned, force her to offer herself to me with her desperate bargaining over and over again.

Gods, the way she’d begged. I could listen to her plead for my mercy for an eternity.

Her deal was easy to accept, given that I had already been planning on taking Evie however and whenever I wanted until the end of time.

And if she wanted me to keep her brother away from the clan, there was no need for the drama. I would’ve agreed if only she’d asked nicely.

Not that I was complaining. Our explosive, dangerous power struggle was the far sexier option.

“Are you going to?—”

Evie cut herself off when we reached the steps to my front porch, and she noticed we weren’t alone.

I waved at the clan members gathered on my secluded porch, sitting around a table reading and playing cards.

When their eyes landed decisively on Evie, my fangs ached. A primal urge to claim her in front of my guards pressed against the walls of my mind. Even more so when she instinctively stayed a step behind me, recognizing me as her protector.

Good girl. Good fucking girl.

At my hardened stare, each of my guards averted their eyes in subservience.

“Good evening, gentlemen. You all may take your leave,” I said.

They wouldn’t go far. Just to the outskirts of the property or across the street, far enough away to give us privacy.

When I led her inside, Evie’s mouth dropped open. She stared at the double staircases weaving to the second floor, then peeked to the right where one of my libraries showcased row after row of ancient texts. To the left, the dining room, with a long wooden table and high-back chairs cushioned in green velvet. The color scheme was a mix of burgundy, black, forest green, and navy. Wooden furniture predominated, giving the atmosphere a studious, yet inviting energy. I made sure to hang plenty of art, mostly pieces that showcased Ravenia’s natural beauty. The occasional moody, abstract piece could be found—generally creations that made me feel something deep and unnamable.

“What were you saying, angel?” I asked Evie as she gawked.

Her eyes were slow to find mine, still churning with unspoken heartbreak, ire, and distrust. She looked at me like I’d betrayed her.

And I fucking hated it.

She cleared her throat, still shaking and chilled to the bone. “You said that the deal was for dates…” She stared uncomfortably at the floor.

My hand lifted, my instinct to comfort her and make her feel safer. But when I reached to stroke her cheek, she flinched and recoiled.

I swallowed and retracted my hand.

“And now I’m in your home,” she continued. “Are you going to take advantage of me? Did I agree to be your?—”

“ No. ”

Rage cut through me like a knife, and Evie stared nervously into my eyes.

“Angel, gods, no. You’re not a prisoner. You did not sell me your body. If you tell me you never want me to lay a hand on you again, I won’t.”

We both knew she would never utter those words. No matter how much false hatred coated that bratty tongue. But it was true. If Evie wasn’t interested in me, if she told me in earnest that she never wanted to see me again, I would leave her alone.

But she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. Just like I couldn’t stay away from her, couldn’t stop winning her over until she’d yielded me all of herself and more.

“Is it about my power? Is that why you’ve stalked me and tricked and lied your way into my life?” she asked.

I lifted a brow. “I didn’t even know you were a witch when I decided I was going to be in your life.”

Evie’s lips turned down, deeply exhaling and avoiding my eyes.

“ You , Evie. That’s the why you’re searching for.”

I took off my own shoes first, and then I reached for Evie’s ruined sneakers. They’d already been beat-up, but now… they were trash.

I’d buy her new ones.

“You don’t have to?—”

“Hush, baby,” I said, helping her out of each one before standing again to tower over her.

She was chewing on that abused bottom lip. “I’m going to get your house dirty.”

“I have a cleaner. You’re not the only one who’s filthy.”

I glanced down at my dark, muddy clothes. I took her small hand in mine and led her up the steps.

I wanted to take her to my own bathroom off my bedroom, but I took her to a separate bath attached to a guest bedroom instead.

“I want to care for you by bathing you,” I said, and she stiffened. “But you aren’t ready for that.”

Evie visibly relaxed.

I nodded toward the door. “You should have everything you need, but if you don’t, let me know. When you’re finished, I’ll make you dinner.”

I studied her for a moment. Her power had gone completely dormant, not only depleted but also buried deep inside herself. It was clear Evie had been shunning the most powerful side of her magick her whole life, which meant it only came out in uncontrollable, emotional bursts.

We were going to have to work on that.

“Okay, angel?”

She nodded, wordlessly turning away from me and slipping into the bathroom.

I didn’t want her out of my sight for even a moment while she was this triggered. The idea of her accidentally harming herself with her wild, misunderstood magick haunted me as I walked to my bedroom.

Who was I kidding? I hated being apart from Evie under normal circumstances. Especially when I didn’t know exactly where she was or who she was with.

As the water cascaded over my body in the shower, I closed my eyes. Vision upon vision tormented me. Evie soaked and flailing, my shadows teasing her nipples and the bud between her thighs, the way her arousal amplified the more I cut off her air supply with my hand around her throat.

I loved that she was capable of putting up a fight, that she held the most delicious violence in her soul. It made it all the more satisfying to overpower her, to dominate her into total submission.

The more I learned about Evie, the more I understood why my attraction to her had been so instant and overwhelming. My clan knew my instincts were never wrong. I was born with an intuition, a deep-seated knowledge of the world I was born to build and the beings who were meant to help me build it.

I wasn’t drawn to Evie because she was a pawn on my board. I was drawn to Evie because she reminded me of my own soul, the humanity buried beneath the shadows, the loneliness I’d felt as a child. My family, peers, and community didn’t know what to do with the ambitious boy who pored over historical and philosophical texts in his free time, who spoke like he was much older than he was, who brimmed with strange, fantastical dreams.

I might’ve been surrounded by a legion of comrades, mentors, students, and friends now, but for most of my human life, I might as well have been utterly alone.

Showering away the rain and dirt was a quick and unceremonious process. The mere thought of Evie doing the same had my cock straining all over again. My tongue flicked over the sharpened tips of my canines as I stood in my bedroom.

I eyed the painting of the Etherdale mountains that hung over the bed. The walls were navy blue with black vine patterns, my bed a mess of blankets and pillows of the same colors. A bookcase stood by the windows, with low, plush chairs around a small coffee table. I imagined my angel sitting there, gazing over Etherdale with one of her smutty fantasy novels in her lap.

I was once again grateful I’d fed generously before laying eyes on her today. I would never put Evie in danger, and that meant taking every precaution against bloodlust.

At the next throb of my fangs, I busied myself with dressing in a casual black shirt and slacks before picking out clothes for Evie.

I wanted her in one of my shirts and nothing else. One of the many ways I wished to mark her as mine.

Instead, I reached for one of the dresses I’d bought Evie in the past week. I skimmed the sky-blue, soft fabric absentmindedly before halting at the sound of footsteps.

In the hall, Evie looked like a frightened doe who’d just heard an approaching hunter. I couldn’t help but grin at her endearing discomfort as she glanced around her unfamiliar surroundings. Her blonde hair was wet and messy, a long blue-gray towel wrapped around her—almost the color of those stormy eyes.

Her irises were quick to latch onto mine. “I need clothes.”

She tried to sound strong, holding tight to that bitter feeling of betrayal. She looked me up and down, her lips forming a deep frown.

I followed her gaze curiously to my simple black outfit. “Not to your tastes?”

“A lot of black,” she muttered.

Strange intuition crawled down my spine. Had I ever seen Evie in dark colors? Certainly never black, as if it didn’t even exist in her wardrobe.

Interesting.

I tore my shirt off in one fluid movement before handing Evie her dress.

“Better?” I asked.

I tried not to smirk as Evie’s eyes blew wide, one hand holding tight to her towel and the other now clutching the dress in a death grip.

Her eyes quickly flitted over my elaborate onyx tattoos, some tinged with midnight purple and blue shimmers. Her gaze fell downward for the briefest moment before snapping right back up.

In an instant, her cheeks had turned my favorite shade of pink.

“I need…” She swallowed, avoiding looking anywhere but my eyes. “I need a brush.”

“I’ll fetch you one. Get dressed.”

“Stop ordering me around.”

I stepped closer to her, watching as she continued to fluster as I eclipsed her with my size. My fingers skimmed her shoulders, and I heard her inhale shakily as her heart erratically jumped.

I placed my fingers under her chin, offering only the gentlest of touch. “ No .”

“You said there was no greater authority in Etherdale than your own,” she said, staring into my eyes angrily. “Is that why you’re like this? Are you—oh gods…”

Fear surged in her blood. She yanked herself away from me.

“I am not your enemy, angel. I am the monster that will tear your enemies limb from limb.”

She made no response. She escaped back into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

If my task of earning her trust was arduous before, it would seem my unmasking had raised the difficulty by leaps and bounds.

Thankfully, I adored a challenge. And I couldn’t imagine a sweeter reward.

When she reemerged, I was back against the wall with my arms crossed over my chest.

Her damp blonde strands were still in disarray. I appraised my good taste on her even better form, admiring the tulle sleeves that hung off her shoulders, the pastel blue fabric that curved around her breasts and ass and fell to her lower thighs.

“I don’t see a brush,” she snapped.

I chuckled darkly. “You are exceptionally bratty for someone who just got everything she asked for despite her painfully stark disadvantage.” I pushed off the wall. “Be a good girl and follow me, please.”

I didn’t hear any footsteps at first. I had to stop myself from laughing again at the huff of air that left Evie’s lips, nearly another growl.

When she finally recognized what was good for her, I smiled with satisfaction at the sound of her following me to one of my libraries.

The pattern of her heartbeat changed when we entered, as if the atmosphere had stunned her out of her facade of hatred.

I glanced back at her. She stood on the center of the rug, staring at the large stained-glass window on the far wall. Its floral frame was intricately detailed, dividing the bright colors into petals that illuminated the space with multicolored light. She was slow to take in the rest of the room. A circular lower level in the center had a space for reading, complete with a loveseat, chairs, a couch, and a glass coffee table.

She took in the shelves that surrounded us, the inside of a spire above our heads.

“Sit, please,” I instructed. I picked up the brush I’d retrieved while she’d been changing, resting on a corner table next to the couch.

I pointed to the stool in front of the loveseat.

Indignation was ripe in her adorable features.

“Now, Evie.”

She slowly sat down, but her glare remained.

I slid onto the loveseat behind her.

When she caught on to what was happening, she attempted to get up. My shadows were quicker. Tendrils yanked her back down.

“Baby, please,” I murmured. “Settle down and stop squirming. Ask your burning questions, if you wish.”

Evie gave up and went still. Her arousal was doing ungodly things to my body already pushed to its absolute limits. My shadows fought me as I pulled them back beneath my skin.

I gritted my teeth. “Just be my perfect angel and let me brush your hair.”