12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Evandra
I gasped myself awake—again. A habit that was becoming far too frequent and far too exhausting. My chest heaved as I tried to gather my bearings. The motion startled Felix, who had been dozing lightly in the chair beside my bed.
“Gods, you scared me,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes before turning his sharp gaze on me. “And not in the fun way. How are you feeling, darling?”
“W-what happened?” I asked, my voice scratchy as I pushed myself up slowly. Pain flared from my shoulder, sharp and unforgiving, and my head throbbed like a drumbeat.
“You’re in your room, Miss Eva. Don’t try to move your shoulder,” Felix said, his tone both gentle and firm.
“I stitched you back together as best I could—miracle worker, truly—but your body still needs time.” He reached out, his small hand resting lightly on mine.
The pale morning light gilded his golden curls, and for a moment he looked more like an angel than a gnome.
Then memories came crashing back. The shed, Colin, the growling in the dark, and my frantic run through the woods crashed over me like a wave. I flinched, my free hand clutching at the blanket. Before I could ask any more questions, heavy boots pounded up the stairs. The door flew open.
Drake.
He filled the doorway, his eyes locking onto mine. For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw something soften in his expression. Relief? Concern? It was gone almost as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the mask.
“She’s fine, Eldrake,” Felix said, mildly annoyed. “No need to tear the door off its hinges.” Drake ignored him, crossing the room with deliberate steps. He perched carefully on the edge of my bed, his weight making the mattress dip slightly.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” he said, his voice low and steady.
“Thank you,” I murmured, managing a small smile.
“Please,” Felix cut in, leaning back with a wicked smirk.
“Don’t let him fool you. He’s been pacing holes in the floor since he carried you up here.
I nearly had to tie him down—or sedate him, which I was honestly tempted to try—just to stop the questions.
” my cheeks burned as the words sank in. He carried me? And I missed it ? Damn.
I stared at him, trying to imagine the moment—his strong arms cradling me, his warm scent wrapping around me. And I missed it?! I cursed myself silently for being unconscious through all of it.
“I was concerned for the mission,” Drake said gruffly, his jaw tightening.
Felix snorted. “Yes, yes, the mission. You’ll forgive me if I don’t swoon over that excuse.”
I watched Drake, trying to decipher his expression. His stoicism wavered for just a breath, and I thought I caught a flicker of something genuine.
“Really,” I said softly. “Thank you. Both of you. I don’t know what would’ve happened if?—”
Drake shook his head, cutting me off. “It doesn’t matter what could’ve happened,” he said firmly. “You’re safe now,” the way he said it—like it was a promise—sent a strange warmth blooming in my chest.
Then it hit me.
“The growl,” I whispered. “I heard it… It was you. You told me to run.”
His molten silver eyes locked onto mine, still, unreadable.
“Might as well own up, Captain,” Felix said, his voice carrying a note of dry amusement. I looked at Drake expectantly, waiting for an explanation. His square jaw tensed, his gaze flickering briefly to the floor before meeting mine again.
He cleared his throat. “I may have been… trailing you.”
“What?” I blinked. “You were following me? Why?”
“Strictly to assure the safe delivery of you to Castle City,” He said, defaulting to full military cadence.
Felix rolled his eyes dramatically. “Strictly professional, mm? Darling, you’ve been staring at her like she’s the last glass of wine in the kingdom. Don’t insult us.”
Drake shot him a glare that could’ve melted steel but softened as he looked back at me. “When I saw what that piece of shit was doing to you…” He paused, visibly struggling with the words. “...I lost control.”
My breath caught. “And now,” Felix interjected, his warmth cooling to something sharper, “one of the richest families in town has a dead son. We’ll need to leave with Eva half-healed and a pack of hounds sniffing at our heels.
Not exactly the subtle exit we’d hoped for.
” the words hung heavy in the air, crashing over me like a wave.
My mind reeled, piecing together what Felix had said.
I turned to Drake, who was now hunched slightly, looking more guilty than Godlike.
“Wait,” I said slowly, the realization hitting me like a blow. “You… you killed him?” Images from my vision flooded back into memory.
Drake’s jaw tightened, his silver eyes flicking away from mine for the briefest moment. He looked nothing like the unflinching warrior I’d come to know. There was a vulnerability in him now, a crack in his otherwise unshakable armor.
“I had to,” My emotions churned violently—shock, anger, and something dangerously close to relief and gratitude warred inside me.
Part of me wanted to comfort him, to reach out and ease the guilt etched into his features.
But he’d just admitted to taking a life, and I didn’t know how to feel about that.
Felix broke the silence, his tone matter-of-fact.
“We need to leave, Eva,” Felix said, already on his feet, shoving things into a satchel with quick, precise hands.
“Tonight, under cover of darkness. Before this turns into an even uglier scandal.” I tried to move my injured shoulder, testing its range and was immediately met with a sharp, searing pain that forced a hiss through my teeth.
I looked between Felix and Drake, their tense expressions mirroring the gravity of the situation.
“I understand,” I said finally, my voice quieter than I intended. Drake and Felix exchanged a look— tense, grim.
Then—more footsteps thundered up the stairs, and the door to my room burst open once again. Fen stood in the doorway, her dark eyes wide with urgency. “They found the body.”
Drake stood immediately, his hand instinctively dropping to the hilt of one of the daggers strapped to his side.
“We need to move,” Felix said, his voice losing all trace of its usual levity as he crossed the room in two strides. Even his warmth had its limits. Drake turned back to me, his expression softening just enough to break my heart. “Rest, Eva. We’ll be back.”
He placed a reassuring hand on my knee, his touch grounding me in the midst of the storm of uncertainty. Then, just like that, he was gone.
I rested for a few more hours, the ache in my shoulder a dull throb that refused to let me fully relax. It must have been early afternoon when the creak of my chamber door pulled me from the haze of restless sleep.
“Eva? Doctor Whitehand is here to see you,” my father said softly, standing in the doorway with a sullen expression.
I blinked groggily, assuming the doctor had come to check my shoulder. I grabbed my robe and slippers, wrapping myself against the chill, and made my way into the hall. I was halfway down the stairs when a thought hit me: no one else knew about my shoulder.
Dread twisted in my gut. The faint murmur of hushed voices grew louder with each step. As I descended, I saw them. Dozens of people from the town were packed into the dining hall, all whispering and shifting like coiled snakes. At the center of it all, Mr. Smith— Colin’s father.
His black suit was crisp, his shoes polished to a mirror shine. Too polished. Like a man clinging to dignity when his world had already broken. His eyes were bloodshot, rimmed raw, his jaw tight as though he were holding himself together by sheer force of will.
“What’s this about?” I asked, feigning ignorance. I descended the last few steps with deliberate calm, my voice steady despite the storm brewing inside me. Every head turned.
“Evandra.” Colin Senior’s voice was smooth, but the edge of it cracked, grief leaking through.
“Nice to see you,” he said, the lie thin and brittle.
He swallowed hard before continuing, each word like glass in his throat.
“Doctor Whitehand found my son’s body in the woods behind his house this morning. ”
A ripple of gasps spread through the crowd like a wave.
Colin Sr.’s hands clenched at his sides, trembling faintly.
He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as though anger could eclipse the grief swimming there.
“And Colin mentioned that you and he were to have a… date last night.” His tone curdled into condescension, venom layered over something ragged.
My heart thundered in my chest, but I kept my face carefully neutral.
“Did you happen to see anything… untoward?” he asked, his voice raising slightly to draw the attention of everyone in the room.
Every pair of eyes bore into me now, the weight of their stares pressing down like a physical force.
I could feel the tension in the room shift, suspicion sharpening the air.
“What happened to your shoulder?” he asked pointedly, his gaze dropping to the sling Felix had placed me in. My blood chilled. I cursed silently, willing my face to remain impassive. My mind raced, trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t implicate myself—or worse, Eldrake.
“I tripped.” I said finally, my voice calm but firm. “There was a loose board in the kitchen, and I fell.”
Colin Senior’s lips curved into a frosty smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
“How unfortunate,” he said, his voice dripping with insincerity.
“Still, it must’ve been a shock to hear about poor Colin.
” I forced myself to hold his gaze, even as unease crawled up my spine.
Whatever game he was playing, I wasn’t about to let him win.