32
EVIE
“ E vie’s incredible,” Kylo agreed when Idris brought up my magick. “It warms my heart to see her receive the recognition she deserves for her work.” He looked at me, his hand resting just above my knee as we sat on the couch in the drawing room. “You have every right to be able to do what you love without fear.”
“Agreed,” Idris said in an adjacent chair. “It’s disgusting what the born are doing to witches. Their newest targets to cope with the shame of their own incompetency.”
I glanced down at my shimmering rose gold gown with a deep frown, and Kylo’s grip on my leg tightened.
“Well said,” a voice said from behind us.
Idris and I both tensed as Wendy approached us, the psychology professor who occasionally did emotional healing sessions in her retirement.
Her smile was warm, her cool blue eyes bright. Her long white hair was pulled into a regal bun with a few strands loose to frame her face. The color of her dress reminded me of the deep blue hues of the ocean.
“It’s always such a joy to see you two all grown up,” she said.
Idris watched my face for a moment before nodding and smiling politely.
“Hi, Wendy,” I said.
For a moment, I was that frightened thirteen-year-old, refusing to let this strange woman anywhere near Idris. Now that I was older, I knew she’d only been trying to help.
I cleared my throat. I felt Kylo’s gaze on me, heavy and intrusive. I kept my focus on Wendy. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
Wendy grinned. “Always.” She sipped her sparkling drink. “I wanted to tell you two how charming, intelligent, and thoughtful you both are. We’re all so impressed with everything that you do and everything that you are.”
“Thank you,” Idris and I both said.
She hesitated a beat. “If you ever need anything, you know where to find me. I’m always in your corner.”
Idris and I both mumbled our niceties, and she left us alone.
On the other side of the room, someone howled with laughter. Guests were still caught up in a ridiculous game of charades, a game Mena adored even as she lost every single time.
People just don’t understand my vision! she always lamented.
“Let’s mingle?” Idris said, his features slow to shift back into normalcy. “I need a drink.”
When I stood, Kylo stayed glued to me. Idris moved too quickly for us to follow, clearly ditching us for the moment.
“Want to explain that strange mood-killing exchange?” Kylo asked, his breath warm as it skated across my ear.
I looked up at him, my smile warm but my eyes bleeding ice. “Nope.”
“Mm,” he hummed, scanning my features. “We’re going to dance now, angel.”
I tried to step away from him, but he quickly grabbed my wrist and closed in on me, eclipsing me with his size.
“Uh-uh. Be good, baby,” he whispered before gripping the back of my head and crushing his lips to mine. When he pulled back an inch, he grinned at my look of pure spite. “Your very mean and evil boyfriend wants to force you to have fun with him.”
“I will not be having fun .”
“I’m taking that as a challenge. You know how much I love those.”
“Rot. In. Hell.”
“So long as my sweet, docile angel is in my lap where she belongs, I don’t care where my soul goes to rot.”
“You’re going to fertilize my flowers.”
Kylo laughed. His eyes sparkled with adoration. “You’re so fucking cute it makes me sick.” He planted a kiss on my head, placed my hand on his arm, and pulled me toward the music.
In the second biggest drawing room, space had been cleared for people to dance. A vocalist, pianist, and guitarist were by the tall windows overlooking the front lawn and the glimmering lights of Etherdale beyond. The woman’s voice was powerful, moving, and unique. The whole band was masterful—a blend of dreamy melodies and haunting, poetic lyrics. Their presence here once again proved how much cooler Mena was than the rest of us.
Pillar candles of various sizes decorated the furniture and windowsills, creating a moody, romantic atmosphere as guests danced.
I glared at Kylo as he pulled me close. He looked at me the way I’d always dreamed a man might look at me.
His hand brushed my cheek, bending to kiss my forehead. “I didn’t abandon you, Evie. I could never. I still checked up on you. You were always safe.”
The words were sneaky darts attempting to break through the walls of my resurrected defenses. More beautiful promises designed to target my deepest wounds.
Little did he know, I was using his words to build my own weapon.
I was going to take back control and show this arrogant tyrant that he didn’t get to just take anything he wanted from me. I wasn’t a doormat. Not anymore.
“It pains me to be apart from you,” Kylo said in my ear.
“Good. Suffering builds character, and you most certainly lack humility,” I hissed back. “And sanity, too.”
“If only my lack of sanity didn’t make your little pussy soaked and begging for me,” he whispered over the din of music, laughter, and chatter.
I tried to rear back, but Kylo locked his arms around me.
“Shh. I know where everyone is, at all times. No one can hear us,” he said, keeping me close as his chest vibrated with laughter. “The only person almost within earshot is a wealthy older gentleman who has looked at you one too many times for my liking.”
He suddenly released his rigid hold, only to guide me into a spin before dipping me. His grin was wide, his eyes flitting from my face to my fluttering jugular. I was breathless and dizzy when he pulled me back up and close to his chest.
The music swelled, and a few people stopped dancing to cheer on the band’s incredible skill. In my periphery I saw Idris enter the room with a couple of younger women—at least, younger than Mena’s peers—but still at least a decade older than my brother. They were laughing and fawning over him, and Idris had never appeared more pleased with himself.
Mena, on the other hand, was in a far corner dancing close with one of her many lovers. Boyfriend Number Three, I believed, was what she’d dubbed him. A man in his late forties, so nearly twenty years younger than her.
It made sense. Mena was a catch and a masterful seductress and would remain so until the end.
Kylo recaptured my attention with a gentle stroke of my cheek. He was smiling at me in that perturbing, genuine way he did—the kind of smile that made me forget he wasn’t human, if only for the briefest exhale.
“I love watching you always,” he said, cradling my face. “But nothing beats observing you up close like this, seeing the way you look at the people you love.”
My heart betrayed me again, going off beat as I stared into those deep pools of blue. Words slipped from my lips before I could stop them. “You’re ruining me.”
Kylo held my gaze with equal intensity.
“You’re ruining me too.”
We continued to dance. His hands gripped my waist, my body flush against his.
“Destruction is the first step in creation, wouldn’t you agree, little witch? Clearing of the old to make way for the new.”
“You can’t just use mystical, witchy language to melt my brain into submission,” I growled.
Kylo made a low groan. “All this talk of ruining you and melting your brain into submission is not making me want to be on my best behavior, sweet girl,” he said. “I’d watch your mouth until we’re alone.”
At my look of feral venom, Kylo pressed closer, alerting me to the hard, imposing bulge in his dark pants.
“Behave, angel,” he warned. The darkness in his eyes, the arousal in his features as he stared into my soul—it had the muscles in my stomach tightening, my thighs yearning to grind against him.
As the music faded away, someone clinked a spoon against glass.
“It’s time to consume the sunshine cake!” Mena shouted over the din. “For new beginnings, good tidings, and renewed hope!” She found my eyes in the dim lighting and winked.