Page 83 of Façade

“If you mean to intimidate me with this silence, dear husband, I shan’t let you prevail…yet I’m finding it difficult to think of topics about which we can converse and am desperate enough to even consider the weather.” She guiltily bit her lip, drawing my attention to her mouth. I hastily yanked my wayward gaze up…but not before I yet again wondered what it’d be like to kiss her.

“I thought we’d agreed once you discovered my affinity for rocks that we’d never again discuss such a dull topic. Do you have a secret affinity for the weather?” Surely our usual banter remained a safe subject.

She smirked. “You dare tease me considering your own dull interests? Poor form, dear.” Her gaze took in the columns, arches, and the cobblestone path. “I’m reluctant to admit that during my time here I’ve become curious about these stones. Can you tell me about them?”

Desperate for a distraction, I eagerly expounded on the rocks within the monastery and my theories on how their properties enhanced the magic embodying the structure. Admittedly compared to her, I no longer took as much interest in this passion as I once had, though sharing my hobby made it morealivethan it ever had.

With her limited attention span I expected her to grow restless, but she seemed genuinely interested. It made me feel closer to her than was prudent considering my plans—whether I used her for her magic or discarded her, the deeper our friendship became, the more difficult either course would be to traverse.

Yet no matter how much I knew I needed to, I couldn’t pull away. The exhaustion brought by my restless night attacked my defenses, making the temptation twisting my thoughts more difficult to resist.

The longer we conversed, the more the energy between us seemed to expand. Despite my limited experience with magic, I could almost feel it tingling the air between us, magnified by our proximity. The alluring sensation drew me closer, satisfying my need to be nearer.

I hesitantly caressed her cheek, a touch that proved dangerous for my wavering resolve. I’d just summoned the strength to do the right thing in pulling away when she leaned against my hand, and the battle was lost.

“I’m sorry I got carried away.” Whether I was apologizing for boring her with my monologue about rocks or giving in to the temptation to touch her, I wasn’t sure…most likely the latter, considering being this close to her only made the seductive whispers of her magic all the stronger.

She shook her head as she reached up to the hand still cradling her face. For a brief moment I feared she’d brush my touch away, but instead she rested her hand over mine. “Ryland…” My heart expanded with the way she said my name. “I want…” She didn’t finish, leaving me yearning for her words.

The temptations, strong as they were, couldn’t hold a candle to my captivation with Evie herself. I leaned closer. “What do you want, Evie? Do you want to stay with me? Perhaps there’s another path that will allow us to remain together.”

I expected her to shake her head, but she didn’t move, save for the subtle movements of her fingers as they caressed the back of my hand, sending heated tingles up and down my arm and effectively pushing away the temptations until they faded in the background, leaving only her.

I hadn’t fully considered the repercussions that would result from her dangerous touch. It stoked my all-consuming desire for her until it was impossible to resist the lure that drew me closer, near enough to caress her lips with mine.

In all my imaginings of what it’d be like to kiss dear Evie, nothing could have prepared me for the love and closeness that enfolded me along with her embrace. Every part of me ignited as her arms came up around my neck to bring me closer as she kissed me back, causing my heart to expand. She was so soft, so warm, so dear.

All of my precious wife consumed my senses, even as such a simple kiss proved far more dangerous. I felt both the softness of her lips against mine and her skin beneath my fingertips against her cheek as well as the tingly sensation I now recognized as her powers, growing ever stronger, as if her emotions had given them life.

The magic pulsed beneath my fingertips, feathery light against her cheek. It enveloped me as her hand pressed more firmly against mine, a gesture which reluctantly pulled my thoughts away from her and back to the path I fought valiantly to resist.

Just take a little bit. It needn’t be much, just enough to be able to keep her.

Deep down I recoiled at such rationalization, even as in this tempting moment it seemed a sensible solution to the dilemma raging within me. To my surprise, even without the vial, with every caress of my fingertips, my hold curled more and more securely around the magic emanating against her skin, even as my heart tried in vain to stop me.

Just take a little…

These enticements mingling with my susceptible emotions eventually grew too powerful to resist—the fear for my kingdom, the heartbreak for all affected by the curse, my loss as to what else to do to help my suffering people, and most of all my need to be with her. It all culminated to lend strength to the force seducing me away from what was right, guiding my touch almost beyond my will, as if the seductive shadow that had entwined itself around my thoughts was alive to consume my weak resolve until my willpower lay in shreds at my feet.

Take her magic. My hold burned as it succumbed to the seductive whispers and coiled around the magic-stealing vial nestled in my pocket.Take it!

The temptation grew louder, deafening, so when I felt her magic seep from her to curl around my fingers, it was easy to secure my hold enough to withdraw my hand from her cheek, taking it with me.

Her startled, pain-filled gasp broke our kiss and with it the trance that had momentarily overcome me. “Evie?” I shakily managed.

For a moment she only gaped at me, eyes wide with fear, and the next she collapsed. I lurched forward and just barely managed to catch her before she hit the cobblestones. “Evie?”

I slowly lowered myself to the ground, bringing her with me to rest her head in my lap, a task made more difficult with the invisible magic I clutched in my fist, power already seeping into the vial I still clung to, as if drawn to it by a magnetic force. I scarcely noticed, consumed by Evie and the unusual pallor overtaking her complexion. Foreboding knotted my stomach.

“Evie?Evie!”

I shook her, gently at first, then more forcefully, but she didn’t awaken. Only then did I notice my touch lingered on her, almost burning as it took more and more of her powers, much more than even my subconscious weakness had intended, as if opening the door an inch had resulted in a flood. I tried to wrench away, but a force greater than myself seemed to have completely taken over my will.

The paler she became, the more deafening the screams emanating from my heart.Stop it, Ryland! Don’t hurt her. You love her!This reminder was the only force strong enough to allow reason to seize hold over my mind consumed by greed and desperation.

With a gasp I managed to sever my touch. The world around me emerged into sharper focus. Trapped within the temptation’s clutches my senses had been clouded, but now a single shaft of sunlight penetrated the darkness, just enough for me to seize control over my will enough to push the lingering seductions away.

But it was already too late.Evie…

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