Page 73 of The Evernight Court

He had his arms spread to the sides, and he was smiling like all his dreams had come true. I could have sworn he winked at me just before the wind coming from the sky made the earth shake and threw me off balance.

Then his feet were no longer touching the ground. The sky was already pulling him up, just like it had Grey.

God, I didn’t want to believe my eyes. I refused to believe that I was too late, that this was happening for real, even though I knew it was. I screamed and I shouted and I told Romin to stop it, cancel the banishment, keep him down here—but he wouldn’t be able to if he tried now.

No, it was over. Valentine was spiraling into the sky and his eyes were on me and he was fucking smiling as the darkness pulled him up.

Then, in what felt like the blink of an eye, he was gone, disappeared into the vortex when I was just a few feet away from the brothers. When I was so close to where he had been—close enough to grab him and keep him right here on the ground until he talked to me and told me exactly what went on in his head.

The power of the vortex closing once it had Valentine in its grip slammed against us, just like I knew it would. But I couldn’t be bothered to brace myself or even try to stop the impact before I fell against the ground on my side.

The tears kept on coming, even though I might have even passed out for a moment there. Complete silence in the gardens, and I had to blink a thousand times until I began to see again.

Shadow.

He was sitting calmly on the branch of an apple tree not twenty feet away to the side of the garden. I hardly saw the shape of him, and for a moment I thought maybe it was just my imagination, but I knew him far too well not to recognize him even in the complete darkness, even in the distance, even in the state I was in.

Something warm slipped down my nostrils, and when I touched it, my fingers came out stained red. The energy blast from the vortex had hit me hard because I’d been so close. Right underneath it.

My heart was already slamming against my ribcage when I pushed myself to sit up and found Romin was already on his feet, his shirt gone, his wings spread. His fangs were extended, too, and he looked angry when he met my eyes. He looked just as pissedoff as me.

“What have you done?” I said through gritted teeth, pushing myself to stand on my shaking legs.

Emil and Tristian had made it to their feet, and Balthazar was roaring as he flew in circles over our heads. The others—Tristian’s Blackheart and Emil’s Rider—joined him, too.

Meanwhile Shadow remained on the branch of that apple tree, all alone.

Nottrying to bite his wings off.

“Now is not the time, Fall. Get back inside,” Romin said, looking up at the sky as he ran his fingers through his disheveled hair.

“Hewantedyou to banish him, damn it—how did you not see?!” I was not a ruler, not a fucking vampire, so I forgave myself for not seeing it sooner, buthim?

He should have. He should have fucking known better!

The look in his eyes was suddenly murderous. “What did you just say?” Romin whispered.

But Tristian was already coming closer to me with a sneaky smile on his face. “Would you look at that. Nobody left to save you now, is there? Come, Fall. Let me teach you some proper respect for your masters.” And he reached out a hand for me.

I moved back, disgusted. “Don’t fucking touch me!” I shouted at the top of my voice.

“Oh, no. Who’s going to tell us to back off now? Poor little Fall,” said Emil,laughingas he came for me, too, a wicked look in his glistening eyes.

My heart fell all the way to my heels as I backed away. “Don’t come near me,” I told them, but they already were. They were coming, and I couldn’t outrun them. I couldn’t stop the both of them when they came for me.

My God, I couldn’t stop them even if I had all the magic in the world right now, not with the way my whole body was still shaking, but…

“Tristian, Emil, not now.”

The brothers stopped.

Romin was right behind them and none of us had even noticed he’d moved. His wings were spread, and his eyes were bloodshot. Emil and Tristian had no choice but to step aside and let him through.

Romin looked at me like he wanted to burn me alive with his eyes alone. And when he stopped in front of me, those massive wings taking his brothers from my sight, he said, “In my office.Now.”

He turned for the castle while Balthazar spit so much fire he lit up the sky like a miniature sun. I didn’t even allow myself to look at the other brothers, only followed Romin inside without a word.

Seventeen

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