Chap 28
Evander's gaze dropped immediately to the exposed skin of her neck.
His throat worked.
Penny watched temptation cross his face.
Not hunger.
Curiosity.
The kind that had probably gotten him into trouble since childhood.
Slowly, he leaned closer.
Close enough that she could feel his breath.
Close enough that his fangs showed.
For one dangerous heartbeat, Penny thought he might actually do it.
Then Evander abruptly stepped backward.
As if retreating from a cliff edge.
He pointed toward a wardrobe.
"I think I have a shirt you can wear."
Penny blinked.
Evander refused to look at her.
"Something warm."
He moved toward the wardrobe.
Still refusing to look at her.
"So you don't get cold."
Penny smiled.
Evander opened the wardrobe door.
Stared into it.
And silently questioning every decision.
Penny sat on the edge of his bed, watching him.
Part of her was still fighting the mischievous urge to turn him around and kiss him again just to see him become flustered.
"The king said you wanted adventures."
Evander's searching paused.
"Have you traveled much?"
His expression shifted immediately.
Something wistful flickered there.
"I haven't traveled at all."
Penny blinked.
"What?"
"There are complications."
"What complications?"
Evander finally found a shirt and turned toward her.
"Well, for one, Kaida murdered my mother, so I've spent years trying to prove it."
He walked over and handed her the shirt.
"For another, I'm a vampire."
Penny pulled the oversized shirt over her head.
"I noticed."
Evander laughed.
"I sleep during the day."
"That seems inconvenient."
"It is surprisingly difficult to captain a ship when you're unconscious for half of every voyage."
Penny's eyes brightened.
"You could teach me."
Evander stopped.
"What?"
"You sail at night."
She pointed at herself.
"I sail during the day."
For a moment he simply stared.
As though the possibility had genuinely never occurred to him.
Then he groaned.
"Oh, that is dangerous."
Penny grinned.
"What is?"
"The fact that I immediately started considering it."
His gaze drifted toward the maps covering the walls.
Toward all the places he had never seen.
Then back to her.
"You are tempting me away from my duty, Penny."
Penny smiled.
"Penny."
Evander tilted his head.
"What?"
"My friends call me Penny."
Something warm crossed his face.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Does the merman call you that?"
Penny immediately laughed.
The jealousy was so obvious she was almost offended he thought she wouldn't notice.
"His name is Wade."
She tugged the shirt down over her knees.
"And yes, he does."
Evander looked away.
Far too quickly.
"Of course he does."
The response was so dry that Penny nearly laughed again.
She grinned as Evander moved closer.
Wrapping her fingers in the front of his shirt, she gave a small tug.
Just enough to pull him off balance.
Evander stumbled forward onto the bed beside her.
"You are a dangerous woman, Penny."
"I am a witch."
Her smile widened.
"Didn't you hear all the stories?"
Evander groaned.
"I've heard entirely too many stories."
Penny leaned her shoulder against his.
"The ones warning innocent princes to stay away from witches?"
His eyes drifted down her body, wearing just his shirt.
"The ones warning innocent princes that witches will charm them into making terrible decisions."
Penny laughed.
"Or wonderful decisions."
For a moment, Evander looked tempted.
"Are there witches who really steal magic?"
Penny nodded.
The humor faded slightly from his voice.
"There are vampires who also become monsters."
His gaze found hers.
The apology in his eyes surprised her.
As though he felt responsible for every vampire who had ever hurt someone.
The look made her smile.
"So we're both unlucky enough to share a species with terrible people."
That finally earned a laugh from him.
Penny reached over and pulled his shirt up over his head.
Evander stared for a moment.
Then looked embarrassed being topless in front of a woman.
Penny immediately noticed.
A mischievous smile tugged at her lips.
"But do sea witches bed lots of men?" he asked, still not looking at her.
The question sounded suspiciously casual.
Penny laughed.
"Most probably do."
Evander made a thoughtful sound.
One that suggested he very much wished he hadn't asked.
Penny leaned closer.
"But I prefer handsome princes."
His eyes immediately snapped back to hers.
"The adventurous kind. The ones Magical fate has given me."
A smile slowly spread across Evander's face.
"That sounds oddly specific."
"It is," she smiled as she lifted her lips to his and kissed him.
Evander wrapped his arms around her.
Then he rolled the two of them into the middle of his bed.
He stopped when she was on top of him, and he grinned.
"Do you understand this magical bond? If we do..."
His cheeks blushed a bright red, and he looked up like he needed help.
"I am learning right along with you."
She sat up and straddled his body as she looked down and got a wicked thought.
Her fingers were tracing the line of skin just at the top of his pants.
"Like I can feel your excitement."
He laughed, "You don't need magic to feel that, you're sitting on me."
Penny smiled, "Ok that is true." Catching the crown prince looking at the door.
"Can you feel the others?"
Penny took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Wade is mad. I can feel him swearing."
"You can feel Wade? The Merman, how did he get mixed in all of this?"
Penny placed her hand on Evander's chest. "Shhh, long story, right now, I need to concentrate."
The other connections were so new she hadn't pulled on them yet.
She hadn't even searched to find them.
The king was easy to find.
Penny touched the connection and immediately recoiled.
Pain.
So much pain.
Not physical.
The kind that sat in a person's chest and hollowed them out from the inside.
She pulled away before it swallowed her whole.
She turned her attention elsewhere and found Sebastian.
"Prince Sebastian is frustrated. Like on the verge of being mad, but it feels like he is pushing it down, hiding it from someone."
Evander placed his hands behind his head and watched her.
"Sounds like my brother. What about Roku?"
Penny opened her eyes and looked at Evander. "Roku?"
Evander raised an eyebrow at her as he looked up at her from his pillow.
"General Roku."
Penny nodded, "I didn't know his name until right now."
Evander looked puzzled.
"Really, he knew that you had been swimming with mermaids, playing games with flowers and Sebastian, and possibly engaged to some sea prince."
Penny gasped.
The general's white, almost silver hair, those laughing green eyes.
The same eyes that watched her from the lake.
She knew why he had looked familiar.
He looked like Alyrina.
"He's Alyrina's son?"
Evander nodded.
"Yeah. My other half-brother."
He looked genuinely surprised.
"I thought you figured it out."
Penny stared at him.
"How was I supposed to?"
Evander laughed.
"Fair you didn't grow up with the prophecy."
Then his expression shifted.
Thoughtful.
He repeated the line from the prophecy.
"Three generations bound."
The words hung between them.
Evander looked far too pleased with himself.
Like he had finally figured out a puzzle before everyone else.
"This is the only time in recorded history the castle has housed three princes at once."
He counted them off on his fingers.
"One human."
A finger.
"One vampire."
Another.
"One merfolk."
The third.
"At the same time."
Penny blinked.
Then looked at him.
Then looked at the fingers.
Then back at him.
"Oh."
"Exactly."
Evander leaned back against the headboard.
"I always assumed that was what the prophecy meant."
His eyes drifted briefly toward the discarded gown.
"The red-and-white dresses."
"The flowers."
"The symbolism."
"I thought Father was trying to force the prophecy into existence."
Penny frowned.
"Force it?"
Evander nodded.
"I assumed he hoped one of us would fall in love with you."
The casual way he said it made Penny choke on absolutely nothing.
"But..."
His smile widened.
"Apparently fate got there first."
Penny's stomach dropped.
"What if it didn't stop with you three?"
Evander's smile faded.
"What?"
"The king."
She sat forward.
"What if the old magic bound him too?"
For the first time, Evander hesitated.
The certainty vanished from his face.
"No."
The answer came slower than before.
"That can't be right."
"Why not?"
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
The prophecy suddenly sounded much less certain than it had a moment ago.
Finally, he repeated it again.
As though hearing the words one more time might give him the answer.
From the garden a flower,
Will rise the true queen,
Married in blood,
Three generations bound,
Will return the old bones to the sea,
And leave no blood for vampires to drink.
As though hearing the words one more time might give him the answer.
From the garden a flower,
Will rise the true queen,
Married in blood,
Three generations bound,
Will return the old bones to the sea,
And leave no blood for vampires to drink.
Penny suddenly wished she was back to pretending to be mute.
It had been much less complicated.
She sighed.
"But I was already a queen when I walked into the throne room today."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Evander blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then his entire body went still.
Penny immediately regretted saying anything.
"You were what?"
She winced.
Penny could practically see the pieces connecting inside his head.
Then he shoved himself upright.
"Are you kidding me?"
He nearly tripped over a blanket in his haste to get off the bed.
"You are already married to my father?"
He grabbed his shirt and dragged it over his head.
Penny nodded.
"I didn't know what he was doing when it happened."
Evander stopped pacing long enough to stare at her.
"How long?"
"The first night."
The answer did not improve his mood.
"The first "
He pointed dramatically.
"The first night?"
Penny shrank slightly.
"He did some old magic ritual."
"What witnesses?"
Evander immediately demanded.
"What priest?"
"What court?"
"What elder sealed it?"
His hands flew through the air.
"You can't just perform royal marriage magic in secret!"
Penny watched him pace.
The irony of the situation was almost enough to make her laugh.
Almost.
"I didn't understand the words."
She tucked her legs beneath her.
"I only found out recently myself."
Evander stopped.
Then dropped to his knees beside the bed.
Taking both her hands.
Hope flickered briefly across his face.
"Then maybe we can break it."
Penny's expression immediately became apologetic.
The hope died.
"Oh no."
Penny nodded.
"We already tried."
Evander closed his eyes.
"Of course you did."
"It involved Wade."
His eyes opened again.
"Of course it did."
"It got worse."
Evander stood up.
Turned away.
Then began pacing again.
Fast.
"I cannot be married to my father's wife."
He paced as his hand rubbed over his face.
"That is wrong."
He looked at the ceiling.
The floor.
The fire.
Anywhere but her.
"On so many levels."
Then he dropped heavily onto the edge of the bed.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Finally, he looked at her.
"Just tell me one thing."
His voice was quieter now.
"When I carried you through the gardens..."
Penny's heart tightened.
"When I showed you the world outside the garden..."
His eyes searched hers.
"Whose arms were you in first?"
The question caught her completely off guard.
Not because she didn't know the answer.
Because she knew exactly why he was asking.
Penny remembered the blur of the gardens.
The speed of his steps.
The pride in his voice as he showed her the kingdom.
The way she had misunderstood nearly everything he had been trying to show her.
She leaned forward.
Placing her hands beside him on the mattress.
Not touching him.
Because she knew the answer would not fix a single thing.
"Yours."
Evander closed his eyes and took her hands into his.
The relief lasted less than a heartbeat.
Then reality returned.
He lowered his forehead to the blankets.
Still holding her hands.
"So when I asked my father for permission to marry you..."
His voice became muffled.
"He had already claimed you."
Penny bit her lip.
"He used the old bones beneath the castle somehow."
Silence.
Then another groan escaped him.
A long-suffering sound.
The sound of a man discovering that fate had a personal grudge against him.
A knock sounded at the door.
Both of them froze.
The knock came again.
Three slow strikes.
Not a servant.
Not Wade.
Someone with authority.
Then the king's voice came through the wood.
"Evander."
Penny felt the bond immediately.
His Pain. His Hope. His Love.
And determination.
"I know she's in there."