Chapter 12
“You’re sure about this?” Samuel Wolf moved around his desk and approached her.
She nodded, swallowing past the lump in her throat. Hold it together, Eva.
He laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Eva. You are doing the settlements a great service by marrying the heir of Stone Haven. Do you have any counter requests?”
Outside the half-open door of her father’s office, they heard a thudding noise, and both paused. Was someone outside, about to enter?
When no one stepped inside and no further noise was made, Samuel moved to the door and closed it fully. “Now where were we?”
Her body felt numb as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Actually, yes, I would like to move to Stone Haven.”
If she learned anything last night, it was that she couldn’t trust herself with Krieger. The draw to be with him was too strong. She couldn’t stay here. . . near him.If she was committing to peace, then she needed to be all in and not distracted.
Her father sat on the edge of his desk and adjusted his glasses. “Eva, are you sure about that? How about I put in the agreement that your time needs to be split between the two settlements?” He eased off the desk and grabbed the contract.
“No. I mean, it’s fine. I think change will be good for me. Really.” Eva bounced her foot as the tension in the room peaked.
Samuel pressed his mouth into a thin line. “Eva, you’re still my daughter. I’m not going to be okay with never seeing you again.”
Eva stood and made her way to the door, pausing before reaching for the handle. “I’ll come and visit, Dad. But I think it’s best I get to know—” A pressure weighed on her chest. How could she say the word? Just tell him what he needs to hear. She took a deep breath. “My new husband.”
She white knuckled the door handle. “It’s what’s best for everyone. So, send my agreement over to Stone Haven and tell the council they canannounce that the peace agreement has been secured at the Harvest Celebration. The feud will be put to rest, and the people will be safe. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” She turned the knob, easing it open as tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t face him as she said, “I’m happy, Dad, really.”
She walked out into the cool air and marched toward her hut. She just had to get to the privacy of her room before anyone saw the glistening in her eyes and the pain etched on her face that she couldn’t hide.
What a fool she had been. She thought she could say goodbye to Krieger, but spending the evening with him had only made her feelings grow stronger. How had she become so attached to him?
Damn him.
She had a plan, a mission. She had made a vow to herself years ago.This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go. Being in control, following orders, and not getting close to anyone—that’s what she was good at.
She stepped off the bridge and descended a small flight of stairs. Her room was just around the corner. Almost there. Loose strands of hair fell into her face as a breeze blew down the corridor, and the sky had darkened with her mood, the air heavy with the scent of rain.
As she rounded the corner, the tightness in her throat verged on being painful. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. She would have a good cry, feel sorry for herself, and then maybe she would feel better. Just need to get behind closed doors.
When she got to her hut, Derek was leaning against the door. His tall, slender frame faced away from her. A gasp escaped her, and she quickly brushed the tears out of her eyes.
He turned as her footsteps approached, and that’s when she noticed his face.
His jaw was set, and his lips were drawn into a grimace. “We need to talk,” he said as she stopped at her room.
She opened her door and stepped inside, not wanting to look him in the eye any more than she already had.
“Not now, Derek.” She began to close the door, but his foot braced against the opening, preventing her from shutting it. “What the hell, Derek?”
He forced the opening wide with his weight and edged her out of the way, pushing her farther into the room, then closed the door and paced back and forth in the small space. The filtered light from the window made him look menacing. A rumble of thunder filled the deafening silence that stretched out between them.
Her heart hammered in her chest. She’d known Derek a long time, never feared him, yet Krieger had warned her about him and said he had a bad feeling about the guy.
“What’s this about, Derek?”
She backed against the wall so he couldn’t get behind her, her knife only an arm’s reach away in the holder on her ankle.
He slowed his steps and looked to her. When he moved toward her, she sucked in a breath, ready to grab her knife. With a pained expression, he braced his arms on either side of her head. “I-I heard.” He punched the delicate wall and then hung his head.
“You heard? Heard what?”
He lifted his head, his dark gaze locking onto her. “I heard what you were talking with your father about. What you’re agreeing to.”
Shit. The noise outside her father’s office.
Eva’s chest rose and fell as the anxiety rolled off Derek in waves.
“Derek, you were eavesdropping? Why don’t you sit down and we can talk—”
His fist connected with the wall, harder this time, breaking through the first layer of wood. She just managed to spin her head away from his fist and the splintering wood.
“No, you have to listen to me, this... it’s all my fault. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I-I can fix it...”
“Derek, what are you talking about? Slow down.”
An agonizing moan erupted from his chest, and he grabbed the back of her neck, hard. “It was me. Mother Earth, Eva, it was me. I fired that first shot. I-I was young, I thought I was helping your dad against Thomas Beck. I didn’t—”
She placed her hand over his and removed it from her neck. “What shot, Derek? You’re not making any sense—”
And then it hit her. Her heart sank into her stomach as a streak of lightning flashed across the room and realization dawned on her. The first shot, the shot that started the feud between Everwood and Stone Haven. The feud that got her mother killed.
A blinding rage took control of her limbs as she shoved him hard. “It was you! How? Why?” She had been high in the trees but had never seen where the shot had come from.
He staggered back, his eyes shut as he held his head in his hands. “I was hiding in the bushes. I had my father’s gun—I was prepared to help. But I-I didn’t know how to operate it, and it-it just went off. Eva, please, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
She stared at him, a tear that had been threatening to spill for a while now streaking down her face. “All these years, Derek. W-why didn’t you say anything earlier? Do you know how many have been injured—hell, killed—over this?” Her stomach turned, bile rising in her throat. She was gonna be sick.
He was shaking his head, gripping his hair. “I know. I know! I can make it right now though. You don’t have to marry Stone Haven’s heir. I’ll tell them it was me. They can prosecute and punish me—I don’t care. Just don’t do this.”
She couldn’t breathe. Her hands trembled as she wiped more tears off her face. How could she have not known, all this time?
With quick steps, he approached her, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips. “After I’ve served my punishment, then we can be together. The settlements will be at peace, and we can marry and take over after your father steps down. The council will accept us, we will control the—”
“Derek, no!” Eva yelled as she ripped her hand out of his.
Lightning struck close by, and thunder shook the walls of her small room as her fingers twitched to grab her knife. How could he betray her like this?
Narrowing his eyes, he said, “What do you mean, no? I told you I would fix it. You and I, we belong together.”
Her head ached with tension, and she rubbed her temples and moved to walk around him, but he placed a hand on her shoulder.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his, her voice rough as she said, “Take your hand off me.”
Instead of obeying, he tightened his grip. “Not until you admit we belong together.”
Fury boiled inside her, and she jerked out of his hold and shoved his arm away. “Your lie got my mother killed! Killed, Derek! How could you possibly think I could be with you?”
The change in his demeanor was unmistakable. His chest rose and fell with every breath, a muscle ticked in his jaw as his lips curled, and his intense dark eyes dragged over her.
“Just get out, Derek!” she yelled.
The pounding in her head seemed to be in rhythm with the rain outside. She needed to think—she couldn’t think like this.
“Baby, you’re just confused right now. I’ll fix this, then you’ll see. You’ll feel—”
He reached for her, but she slapped his hand away.
“Fix it? You think Stone Haven will believe you now, after all these years? They will think you are just making it up—a way of not agreeing to the peace treaty. Now, I said get out!” The flood gates were open, and she was on the verge of losing control.
He dropped his hand. “It’s because of him, isn’t it?”
“What? Please, Derek, just go.”
She turned away from him, her mind reeling as tears slid down her face and neck. How had she not seen this coming? She held her face in her hands.
“I know you think you have feelings for him, but it isn’t real. He can’t take care of you like I—”
She whirled on him, venom lacing her tone. “You’re half the man he is. Krieger is the best thing to happen to me.”
She felt more than saw him lift his arm, but before he was able to slap her, his body was flung to the floor. Krieger stood just inside the doorway, hovering over Derek.
“The lady asked you to leave.” Matching the tone in his voice, thunder shook the settlement once more.
Derek scrambled to his feet, a sneer on his face as he looked to Eva. “I’ll fix it, you’ll see. You won’t have a choice but to have a change of heart.” He turned toward the door, and Krieger sidestepped, making room for him to exit. On his way out, he laughed and said, “Either way, you won’t have her. That’s for damn sure.” Without waiting for a reply, Derek stomped out of her room.
As soon as he was gone, Eva’s legs gave out under her weight.
Krieger went to her side, rubbing her back. “Angel, what happened?”
She shook her head as she sobbed.
He embraced her, taking her into his arms. “Shh, we’ll figure it out. We can make it right. Don’t cry.”
Pulling away from him, she said, “No, you don’t understand. I...”
The look on his face changed, and fear crept in around his eyes. “Eva, what did Derek mean I wouldn’t have you either.”
A strangled noise left her throat, and she wiped at the tears that wouldn’t stop coming. “You have to know, I never expected to feel the way I do about you, Krieger. I never thought I was capable. But I-I made a vow long ago to protect the people of Everwood. And I—”
Krieger sat back on his haunches. “What?”
Her voice broke as she spoke. “The peace treaty.”
He nodded. “You said they wanted something in exchange for peace.” His face paled. “Eva, you said the cost was high—tell me, what did you agree to?”
She took a deep breath and let the words fall from her lips. “I agreed to marry the heir of Stone Haven.”