Page 57 of The Evernight Court

“Emil was making out with Amita right outside,” I said through gritted teeth, despite my better judgment. It wasn’t any of my damn business, but wasn’t that justwrong? Wasn’t it wrong in every way possible?

It had only been twelve days since Grey was banished—twelve.

“Yes, and?” said Romin, taking his seat, so I had no choice but to join him. I even took a small sip of the wine he’d served me, hoping to calm my racing nerves.

“What do you mean,and,Romin? She’s Grey’s bride.” Not that I liked that, or would have ever accepted it, but shewas. And I was well aware that I shouldn’t have cared, but damn it, I did.

Just whydidn’tanyonecare that Grey was gone?!

“And Grey is not here, and Grey is not coming back,” said Romin, an easy smile on his handsome face as his eyes searched mine. “You look beautiful today, Fall. Did I ever tell you that Ilovehow you never call me Master?”

Goose bumps on my forearms. “Isn’t that against the rules?” I continued, pretending I hadn’t even heard those last words he said. “Isn’t it wrong for the bride of one brother to be with another?”

“Of course not. Amita and Cynthia are all alone. They deserve to be taken care of, and they are lettingustake care of them, as they should,” he said, leaning closer to put his elbows on the table. “As shouldyou, Fall. As I’m sure you will soon when you understand that you don’thaveto be alone. You never have to be lonely.” And he reached out his hand to touch my face.

I moved back, shivering in disgust. “Thanks, but I’d rather pull out my own eyes.”

Romin laughed like he thought I was fucking joking.

I wasn’t, though. I was most definitely not joking.

“I don’t understand,” he said, falling back on his seat as he drank his wine and looked at me like I was indeed that fascinating. “I don’t understand you—why? Why are you loyal to a dead man? Why wouldn’t you look ahead to your future? Are we that repulsive?” This time, he moved fast, and I was too shocked to stop him. He grabbed my chin in his hand and he didn’t let go as he came closer and closer. “Are you not attracted to me at all? Because I’m dying for a taste of you, Fall. I imagine you every time I touch any of them.” Oh, God… “I always imagine your Blood Call—how vulnerable you were, how you begged, andthose whimpers…” He closed his eyes and his jaws tightened for a second. “I can’t get you out of my head,” he ended in a whisper.

Every alarm in my head had gone off. I stood up from the chair, nearly spilling the wine all over whatever he was working on. But Romin didn’t care. He just laughed and put his glass down and stood up, his hands in his pockets.

“Stop it,” I said, shaking at that point. “I will never be yours or anybody else’s, Romin. I’m only here to warn you about Genevieve.”

That stopped him within the second. His smile dropped and his brows shot up. “What about Genevieve?”

“I don’t know, but she’s planning something. I received a letter last night warning me about her, and I went to see her this morning, and she practically confirmed it to my face. She’s up to something, and you are not going to like it.”

Romin sighed and closed his eyes.

When he looked at me again, he wasdisappointed.“Don’t be ridiculous, Fall. Genevieve was my father’s bride. She loved him dearly. She’s an innocent old woman waiting for her death without bothering anyone. It’s rude to make such comments about her.”

“Oh, I assure you, shedid notlove your father dearly.” But I didn’t tell her that Grey had suspected Genevieve had convinced their father to challenge him. That washistruth, not mine. “And she isn’t innocent at all.” Moving a bit closer, I held his eyes and said, “She tried to kill me once, Romin. She and Valentine together. She gave me a ring and told me that it made me undetectable, that even the curse wouldn’t be able to find me if I was wearing it, and Valentine himself took me through the mirror to Faeries’ Aerie. He took me there and said that I’d be free to go, even knowing that I would have died probably in a couple of weeks if I left the Isles. I swear it—he did!”

“Fall, Fall, Fall,” said Romin, coming closer and shaking his head. “Please, stop with that story.”

“It’s not a story—it’s the truth! Talk to Valentine and he’ll tell you. You’ll know if he’s lying, just talk to him.” I knew Romin wouldn’t believe me. I expected it, but he could still force the truth out of Valentine, couldn’t he?

“I already did,” Romin said. “And he told me what I already knew—it’s just a story. It never happened.”

“But it did!” I said, so frustrated I could cry. “It did happen. I was in Faeries’ Aerie, I swear it! Find Emerald—she has a stand in the Bazaar called Emerald Stories. Just find her, okay?”

Romin sighed. “If your story is true, then why are you here?”

I blinked. “What?”

“If what you’re saying is true, if you really were in Faeries’ Aerie somehow, and you thought a ring was going to make you invisible, and you didn’t know that you would die in the human world—why are you here? Why did you come back?”

Oh, fuck.My mouth opened and closed a dozen times… “Because I found out Valentine would get banished. I thought he’d die because of me and…and I came back.”

His brows shot up. “You came back when you had the chance to leave the Whispering Woods the way you wanted to do since the day you came here—forValentine.”

I swallowed hard. “Yes, Romin. For Valentine.” Because I was stupid enough to have cared about him.

Shaking his head again, Romin reached out to touch my cheek, even knowing that I’d move away. “Stop this, Fall. I know you’re grieving. I know you’re not well right now, but let me take care of you. Let me make you feel better.”

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