Page 81 of Royal Lies

"Suit yourself. But I just figured you know with your whole persona of ‘innocence’you'd like to just let loose once in a while. Hmm, maybe your way of letting loose is just torturing little girls." She tossed out, causing me to pause. No one should know that except my family, so how?

Did Eli tell her? That bloody bastard always told her everything. I thought at the very least that he'd keepthata secret. Protect our family fromshameand all that. I stared back at her smirking face, her meat gone, her face clean of the brownish-red sauce it was covered in seconds ago.

"You know, you’re quite the oddball. You show this kind, lovely face, and then you turn around and torture little girls. Sure they're like what one hundred and eighty sun cycles? But still, they're rather young compared to us don't you think? I must say you did such a magnificent job on that last one. But, if I were to change one thing, I suggest you try usingneedlesnext time. Place it right under the nails, and it's really painful there. Makes it last longer too. They don't die as fast." She shrugged just as she threw herself at me, her face suddenly covered in red swollen eyes. This was the look I had expected when I first saw her out here. Her face plastered to my chest as she wept.

"I- just, thank you." She sniffed as my elder brother's voice rang out.

"Everetta! Where the bloody hell did you run off to?" He asked worry written all over his face as Everetta dabbed at her eyes with my handkerchief.

"E-Eli. I'm fine, really just getting some fresh air." She choked up, her voice shaking with sorrow, as I stared befuddled. My expression quickly returned to normal, my blank mask back in place, I doubt my brother saw butshedid. She'd arched her elegant brows as if to tell me to play along.

I smiled inwardly at the display before me. Well, isn't this going to be fun to watch? "Want to have a little fun? After all,Lucariousdiddump me publically." A voice that sounded like Everetta’s whispered in my mind as I stared back at her, the wet stains on her face already fixed by my brother's magic. I smiled back softly. I watched as Eli, in his white dapper suit and tie, fussed and soothed a crying Evie. It was then I truly started falling for her. I didn't quite know why at the time hell, I don't even think I do now. All I know is that my heart never skipped a beat till I saw her.

"Yes, that’s right, I found her here, and I thought I'd keep her company for a while if that was ok," I said meekly. Everetta's small smirk slid back to me from the edges of Eli’s shoulder where he couldn't catch her expression. Eli’s arms looped around her like a parent comforting his child.

We'd grown closer since then and she'd visit my lab every so often. It was in one of her many visits that I found out what her true intentions that night were, and how fun it turned out to be. I had suspected but it wasn't until she told me that it was confirmed.

"You wouldn't happen to know why my brother suddenly conquered six of the former Phoenix Court's lands, would you? I thought they were the best of friends." I asked as I silently requested for the dragon's scales.

"Well,Icouldn't lift a hand of violence in the name of vengeance. I mean I'm a saintess after all and Eli sure was pissed that hisdearestfriend was hurt by such alecherousman, add in the fact that his little crush just so happened to be engaged with said lecherous man, and bam. Eli just wanted to settle the score with Lucarious. Besides friends or not, when you've lived as long as we have or will be living, a friend is the same as an enemy." She shrugged as she read through one of my new books, her elbows resting on the large table.

I smiled, staring at the siren opposite me. Her golden locks streamed from her back and her golden eyes twinkled with bluemirth. I noticed that quite often, less so now but whenever she's overly excited or angered a hint of blue seeped into her irises. If I recall her name was Everetta Scarlett Everden Gillian Avalar Viana Seraph Phoenix Siren Lion Wolf Griffin, I wondered just what was in her genes. Was she part chameleon, but wouldn't that have been in her name? Perhaps it was so diluted in her blood she couldn't have it as part of her name. Then how was she able to change her forms? Was it magic perhaps? I wouldn't be surprised if she could use her magic for transformation and not just glamour. Although it took a great amount of magic to change, say, the color of your hair or the shape of your nose it was possible. The longer the name a fae had the stronger they were.

"Don't even think about it." She silently growled flipping through another page. Her tone no longer held the glee from before, a quiet warning held in the air as she spoke. "I can see your gears turning. You're trying to figure it out, my genes,don't. I hate it when fae snoop around on my genetics. So,don'tFlynny." Her eyes honed in on me, a not-so-subtle hint to drop the subject. I stared back at her golden depths, the blue tint non-existent like I'd just imagined it all.

Shaking my head out of the past I stared down at the beauty lying in my arms. How I wish we could just stay this way, but I knew she wouldn't be too happy with me if we did. Lords, how in the world did all of this happen?

One minute I was in a room, completely unseeing and filled with nothing but pitch-black darkness. Then suddenly a bright light glowed from somewhere. I walked towards it, in hopes it was my new life, but just as I reached the gateway I was bulldozed off the trail. Ishouldhave been prepared to stand my ground. I was too caught off guard. I was too confident that I would just be back in my former body, that no one else but me could possibly inhabit my body even in a new life. Lords how Iwas wrong. But new body or not first things first. Before I can take vengeance on the little prince who stolemybody, I need to heal Evie.

Gently placing the unconscious Everetta against the newly formed sheets, I sighed. Thank god I still have my magic in this life. In the past, I had to give up my magic to save Luna or part of it. The majority of my magic was sacrificed for something far more necessary. Something no fae can ever find out.

Luna and I had been the best of friends for as long as I could remember. She and I were the black sheep of our respective families. We had a mutual understanding of one another. She helped maintain my image as the Soft-hearted Prince of the Wolf Court. But, she’s used up all my mercy. I warned her time and time again. I forgave her if only because she seemed genuinely worried for me. This time was the last. I can't forgive her again. I told her if she tried something like last lifetime I wouldn't let her go so easily.

Who else could it have been? Who else could make such a poison that would work on Everetta, a fae who was practically immune to poisons? Reincarnated or not I know she wouldn't just let her body be vulnerable to toxins.

At first, I thought she was going mad because of the forced memory loss she was experiencing. Then the small tells, like the slightly tinted purple in her magic, the small discoloration so minuscule anyone would have overseen it, told me all I needed to know.

Poison.

Poison was in her system and no one would have as much of a vendetta against a fae of Everetta’s caliber but Luna.

No fae unless they were nearly as strong or stronger would ever want to fight a fae that could topple a whole kingdom with just a flick of her hand.

Luna, she'd done so before.

She started it all, the catalyst for the events of the past. The trigger that caused the fall of theROYALS. I still don't know what that acronym means,ROYAL. Evie came up with it in an attempt to put some spark into our mundane lives. When you've lived for more than a trillion sun cycles, or maybe even longer, like we have, you tend to try and make life interesting. Fae like Lucarious, Everetta, Eli, me, or hell even Akasuki play power games to keep ourselves entertained. Or you could try and gain all there is to know about the world.

Everetta's always loved traveling. Exploring the world. I've traveled with her on some of her adventures to different realms but nothing beats manipulating the way people behaved.

With the long lives we have you start making a big deal of the smallest things in an attempt to make life more interesting. You wage wars, friends turn into enemies then back into allies. You try to dabble in all sorts of arts.

I stared down at the love of my life. Pushing back her blond curls, her bright smiles and nonchalant giggles, her hidden anger, her cunning mind behind her mask of joy.

"Only I will know how you truly feel, my love. I'll save you, I promise."

The issue I couldn't wrap my mind around was just how Luna got the chance to poison Everetta in the first place. She couldn't have just slipped into the room without anyone noticing. Everetta also had contingency spells for when she slept. No fae could get past her magic unless they were allowed.

So how?

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