30. Chapter Thirty
Evelia’s feet are tired from hours of dancing, and she lets me carry her to our room. I lay her on the bed and remove her shoes.
She hops off and grabs a nightgown from her chest at the end of the bed. “I need to be clean before climbing into bed.”
“You’re limping.”
“It’s been a long day.” She looks at me a moment longer before entering the bathroom and showering.
I listen to the water running and wish so much she’d invite me to join her. I shower after her to calm myself down, but it does nothing for me when I climb into bed with her so close, dressed in her night clothes as I can think of nothing but the kiss we just shared.
She rolls over to face me, and I grunt at her cleavage that stops right above her nipples. “That night we spent together years ago is one of my best memories.”
“I could make every other night better if you let me.”
“I wanted that for so long, but your actions have ruined my desires.” She scoots closer to me. “It’s difficult resisting you.”
“You don’t have to. It will always be your choice. Even if you sleep with me now, and you choose to never again, I’ll be grateful for this night alone.”
She moves toward me until she’s fully pressed against me. “I shouldn’t do this. I shouldn’t be so attracted to you.”
“It’s a terrible thing?”
“Yes, Lazzus.” Her lips graze mine, as if she’s testing herself.
I let her do what she will and don’t push.
She closes her eyes and presses her lips to mine, and the memory of the first time I had her sparks me to life as my longing takes over.
I shove my tongue into her mouth, and she does the same.
It’s so effortless with her. Each time she moves, my body knows how to move with her.
My cock throbs still contained by my pants, and I want to free it, but this is all her choice.
She breaks the kiss and rolls back over but doesn’t move away. “Can you hold me for tonight?”
I ache to be inside her, but I wrap her in arms and kiss the top of her head goodnight.
The next morning, we travel back to her castle on our unicorns and continue our ride on the beach.
Dinivan and CiCi sent us off with a hearty breakfast, and it keeps us full for most of the day.
Evelia directs her horse over to the water and gets it to prance, which causes splashes that soak me and my stallion when we get close.
She drops from her unicorn and wades out to where the water reaches her hips.
I jump down to make sure the tide doesn’t rip her away from me, and when I get close, she flings a ton of water in my face.
She squeals as I chase her for the crime, but she can’t get far.
I grab her around the waist and spin her around.
As soon as I put her down, she splashes me again, and I chase her down the beach.
She trips on something in the water, and I catch her fall, but the clumsy angle it requires takes us both to the ground, and I can only keep her from hitting the ground.
Evelia is on top of me, and she kisses me as the waves crash around my body.
I pull us both to sitting, and she straddles my lap, where we finish our kiss.
I keep her on my lap while pulling back. “Tell me what you can’t forgive. What is bothering you to not fully be with me? If it had been the kidnapping and killings of your guests, that’s understandable from a human perspective.”
“But not from a whatever you are perspective.”
“Is that it? Are you angry I haven’t told you what I am?”
She shrugs and moves next to me. “I’ve never cared what you are.
Unlike your kind, who seem to not value human life, it didn’t bother me in the least that you were something I couldn’t fully understand.
Because I saw who you were under whatever label the gods placed on you, as you always saw me as more than the silly human princess everyone else saw me as. ”
“You only wanted to know so you could kill me.”
“It’s not that I ever wanted to kill you. Okay. Maybe for a while I desperately wanted to, but especially at first, it was that I felt you needed to die.”
“Why?”
She runs her hand over the sand and stares out at the ocean.
“Because you killed children. That’s what I can’t forgive you for.
Kill all the evil elites you want. Conquer the world, so you aren’t sent back to the emptiness by your kind.
All of that I understood, but not the senseless killings.
I understand your species may see children as nothing too, but I can’t.
That’s something I can’t excuse away for you. ”
“What are you talking about? Killing the young is unnecessary.”
She scoots away from me and jumps up. “I saw what you did, Lazzus. With my own eyes, I saw how you slaughtered children in the villages. After we slept together and my father broke us apart, I ran away to be with you. Multiple times I did, and my father always found me and brought me back.”
“He did what?” I leap to my feet, ready to finish the conversation so I can rip Sarek apart.
She takes more steps back. “No! You don’t get to be outraged when you’ve done the same thing to me.
This discussion isn’t about my father. It’s about you.
On probably the tenth time I tried to leave, my father told me he was protecting me from you, and if I didn’t believe him, I should check out the damage you did to the villages on the borders between your land and his. ”
I study the ground as I try to recall what she could mean. “What villages?”
“The ones he directed me to. Piles of bodies, even children.” She drops to her knees and covers her face. “They were all impaled, exactly like those men you killed in your throne room. You massacred babies without thought.”
“Evelia, I never killed children in any villages. That’s something that makes no sense to do. Do you remember months ago when I told you to destroy what you love would be my end? I meant that. I controlled myself and only took down anyone who opposed me and didn’t slaughter children. I promise.”
She rubs her arms and stares me in the eyes. “How can that be true? I saw them all dead, the way you like to kill. The same as I’ve seen you do.”
“When have I ever lied to you? When?”
She rubs her arms harder and shivers. “I don’t know what to believe. It was one of the worst moments of my life.”
“You’re freezing. We should go inside and get you warm, but I swear to you, Evelia, I didn’t kill children in any village.”
She runs for her unicorn and climbs on with ease as though she’s ridden one with no saddle all her life. With a nudge to the unicorn’s side, she gallops down the beach.
“Evelia! Evelia!” I turn half to smoke to catch up to her.
“Let me go, Lazzus. If you ever want me to forgive you, let me go! I need answers.”
She picks up speed, and I don’t follow her.
I go into her castle and try to take my mind off where she’s going and if she’ll return.
It takes all my willpower not to find her, throw her over my shoulder, and lock her in my castle again.
I hurry to my guards and order them to make sure she gets to wherever she’s going safely, but not to interfere unless she’s in danger.
I also take comfort in the bluebirds being with her always to tell me the moment her life is threatened.
I pace my bedroom for what may be hours, and I occasionally turn into smoke or burst into flames. The sides of my mahogany bed are black from times I’ve caught them on fire and had to smother it before it destroyed the gift to my wife.
The night comes and goes, and she still hasn’t returned.
I fear never seeing her again, but our bluebird Raffe keeps telling me she’s safe.
Our bond isn’t fully in place since we haven’t consummated it, but it also tells me she is fine.
The longer I stay in the human world, the more my need for sleep becomes like theirs.
Three days pass, and I’m going out of my mind.
I no longer care if she’s ever fully with me. I only want to see her.
A messenger bird arrives from my main kingdom to notify me of some issues, so I send Raffe to tell Evelia I need to head home.
The castle will always be hers even if we’re not together, and I make sure the little bird informs her of that as well.
I ride the unicorn back. Servants and guards also remain at Evelia's castle to keep everything fully going for her.
Days go by with me being unable to sleep, and any mercy I gained from my time with Evelia is fleeting.
I throw many in my dungeon for crimes and execute several more.
Anyone who commits a crime against a child is instantly killed.
Not only do I feel they deserve it, but it’s as though some part of me wants to punish them more to prove to Evelia that I don’t tolerate harm to children.
It’s a ridiculous notion because she’s not around to witness my justice.
On the tenth night away from her, I drop on my bed.
My body can no longer fight my need for sleep, and if I remain with the humans much longer, nightly sleep will probably become necessary.
The casket on the platform greets me when I surrender to unconsciousness.
As in the witch’s shop, I’m forced forward, and I plead not to see inside the decorative box.
The black rose speaks of beauty and death, and they paint the outside of a casket that brings misery.
I scream and plead for Evelia to open her eyes.
Her smooth, perfect skin has turned grey.
Such a fragile creature she always was. The collective sent me because of the frailty of humans.
How easily they can be disregarded for their extremely finite existence, but that same frailty has destroyed me with the stopping of a single heart.
I fly forward in bed and yell for Raffe. The little bird answers my call. “Evelia! Is Evelia alright?”