29. Evelyn
29
Evelyn
T he weekend finally arrived, and I found myself happily back at Alister’s mansion. The atmosphere was light and fun, partly because Chad had decided to stay over. He’d hugged Alister so hard when he saw his room that I thought he might squeeze the vampire to death.
It was cute, and I snagged a picture.
The others joined, and we gathered for dinner. The long table was laden with food, and everyone seemed relaxed.
I decided to share my encounter with Lia, knowing full well I was in for a sermon.
“So,” I began, pushing my food around my plate. “I visited Lia last night.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to me.
“And why would you do that?” Lucien asked. “She’s the enemy. You could have been hurt.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Something wasn’t right. I could feel it. I know Lia inside and out and…”
“You can’t possibly trust anything that comes out of her mouth,” Lucien cut me off.
Rafe leaned forward, concern etched on his face. “What did she say?”
“It didn’t make much sense,” I admitted. “She said something about Rick being manipulated. I think he’s being controlled like Theo was. And she mentioned something about ‘justice.’ It’s like they believe they’re righting some kind of wrong.”
Ryker frowned, leaning back in his chair. “Justice? For what?”
“That’s the thing,” I said, exasperated. “She didn’t have time to elaborate.”
Rafe placed a reassuring hand on my arm.
“But she did say that she was there when Theo was murdered, but Rick arrived before she could tell me who murdered Theo. I had to fly out fast.”
“Fly out?” Lucien asked, a frown on his face. “Please don’t tell me you flew out of her dorm window, Evelyn.”
“Can you please tone down the overprotective daddy figure? Nobody was around. It was past curfew, and she never saw my wings,” I huffed.
Lucien’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching visibly. “I am not your daddy.”
Chad snorted.
“You’re not? Well, you’re doing a great job imitating one,” I retorted.
Lucien pinned me with a stare. “Someone needs to bring you to your senses. The rest of them seem too concerned with pleasing you. Meanwhile, your recklessness knows no bounds. What were you thinking?”
His words hurt.
I couldn’t deny that.
My heart squeezed inside my chest as I stared at him and fought back the tears that threatened to fall.
Clenching my jaw, I pushed my plate away. “I was thinking I needed answers. And I got some, didn’t I?”
“At what cost?” Lucien shot back. “You could have been caught, or worse.”
“But I wasn’t,” I countered, feeling my frustration build.
Alister cleared his throat, drawing our attention. “While I agree that caution is necessary, Evelyn’s instincts have proven valuable in the past. Perhaps we should focus on what she learned rather than how she obtained the information.”
I shot him a grateful look. At least someone understood me.
Chad nodded. “Yeah, let’s talk about this justice thing. What could they possibly think they’re avenging?”
“I have no idea, to be honest. How can killing people and stealing magic be right?” I asked, thinking of Theo’s lifeless body.
The room fell silent for a moment, each of us lost in our thoughts.
After taking a deep breath to control my emotions, I continued, “I also found a page left by my mom hidden in one of my childhood books.”
“What did it say?” Ryker asked in his grave voice.
“It detailed our magical heritage and affinities, so I might have more powers popping up that I could eventually access,” I explained.
Chad’s eyes lit up. “Like what?”
I smiled. “One of them said ‘thunder’.”
Chad grinned widely. “Like a female Thor? That’s awesome.”
“Thanks.” I chuckled. “But there are still some entries missing. It seems, Mom hadn’t found all of them.”
Chad nodded thoughtfully. “By the way, let’s sleep in tomorrow morning since you’re spending the day sword-fighting with Rafe. No need for an early workout.”
“Ah, that’s a great idea,” I said happily, then turned to Lucien. “How did your date go with Miss Clarissa?”
He scowled slightly. “Fine. I told her I was still hung up on an ex and needed to take things slow.”
I nodded. As much as I hated him being on dates with the witch bitch, we needed answers.
Later that night, when all the lights were out and the mansion had quieted down, I crept into Alister’s bedroom. He made room for me without a word, his presence comforting in the dark silence.
I slept peacefully until I felt a warm lump at my feet. Groggily, I looked down and saw Chad curled up in his large hellhound form, sleeping soundly with us.
Good thing this bed was extra large.
* * *
Saturday afternoon found us all in the strategy room. I was drained from the intense training with Rafe and felt like I could sleep for a week. Chad and Ryker were engrossed in the zombie apocalypse video game, their fingers flying over the controllers as they exchanged competitive banter.
Alister sat at the large table, flipping through a thick, ancient book, his brow furrowed in concentration. Beside me, Rafe had dozed off on the couch, his head tilted back, mouth slightly open.
I snagged a picture.
Lucien walked in, his expression unreadable. I knew that look—he had something on his mind.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, breaking the quiet hum of the room.
Rafe startled awake beside me, and Alister closed his book with a soft thud.
“What is it?” I asked, feeling a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach.
“When Morgana performed the ritual,” Lucien began, “the one that ended your life,” he clarified. “She must have addressed everyone present. Maybe there’s something we can learn from that—any clues.”
I froze, my heart pounding. “I’ve buried that memory deep,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I try hard to never think about it. It’s too…” I trailed off, not wanting to relive the pain and terror of that night.
Lucien’s gaze softened. “I understand. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t crucial, but maybe it will shed some light.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Alister interrupted. “Reliving a traumatic experience—Evelyn has been through enough.”
“I tend to agree,” Rafe added.
Everyone turned their attention to me.
“It’s fine. I’m stronger now. I have you guys too. If it can help us in any way, then it’ll be worth it.”
I settled onto the floor and crossed my legs, mindful not to accidentally burn the comfy couch if my emotions got the better of me.
The room seemed to grow colder as I closed my eyes and tried to dig through the layers of memories I had locked away.
“Just so you know,” I warned them, taking a deep breath to steady myself, “this is going to be intense.”
A silence fell over the room as I concentrated, my mind traveling back to that night. The darkness enveloped me as fragments of that horrific evening began to surface—Morgana’s chilling voice echoing through the air, the smell of burning sage mingling with something metallic and sharp. The details were hazy at first, but then it all came rushing back like a floodgate opening.
I let the memories surface as I recounted what had happened that night.