Page 26 of Chess

Chess peeled off his blood-speckled hoodie and lowered himself on the mattress, not glancing up at her.

“What is it?” Ever asked. “Cat got your tongue?”

“It’s got a lot of things actually.” For once, his voice wasn’t assured while he stayed peering at his clasped hands. “About what happened back there, about what they said, it’s not—”

Ever had wondered if he was going to say anything about his mother’s death first. She folded her arms over her chest and took a step toward him. “Don’t try and lie. We’re past that and this part of your game needs to come to an end. You think I’m afool? You believed that March really wouldn’t know about what was happening in Wonderland? That he wouldn’t tell me Rav killed his guards and how he’s now recruiting your mother’s friends to replace them? That he isn’t turning mortals into vampires anymore but leaving them in a trance? And that every vampire knows you’re wanted by my brother for the murder of his queen?”

“I didn’t know any of that and Ididn’tmurder my mother.” His gaze met hers then, his voice steady. “At first I thought Rav blamed me on purpose, but it seems he really believes it was me. It wasn’t.”

“I know it wasn’t,” Ever bit back. And she knew the mistake as soon as she said it, but she hadn’t been thinking about Maddie.

“You know?” He eyed her suspiciously.

“I know because, back there? When you were holding Garrett’s heart, I know why you stood so still. You were thinking about your mother. You loved her.”

“And you hated her,” he accused, his voice bitter.

“I did.” Anger coursed through her veins as she started to think about that bitch, truly think about all she’d done. “For her sending you to kill me. For hurting my friends. For turning mortals without a fucking care. For murdering anyone who wouldn’t do what she wanted. I understand that you loved her, because I still love my brother, but I can see when my own flesh and blood is a monster.” She slapped her hand to her chest, right over her heart. “We may be monsters, too, but your mother was the greatest one of all. She abandoned you as a child, then showed up in your life years later, turned you, and hauled you back to Wonderland without your consent. Did you evenwantto be a vampire? Don’t you care that she murdered your own damn father? He was a good male who wanted to give you a choice of what life you wanted. Instead of giving you that opportunity, she murdered him with my fucking brother’s help, then dragged you to her hell.”

“Shut up,” he whispered, his nostrils flaring as his fists shook.

“No.” She gritted her teeth and knelt in front of him. “I will not. My brother is a bastard and I know it, so how can you not see it? How can you not have feelings about what she’s done?”

“I see it, damn it.” His jaw tightened, his hand slamming against the mattress. “I know what my mother was. But she loved me. Who the fuck else ever would?”

Even though her stomach sank at what he’d spoken, she had to continue. These were words she’d held inside her chest for years. Words she should’ve spewed at him in that garden instead of fleeing. “She did in her own way, but to her, you werehertool. Would she have still loved you if you had told her no? What would she have done to you if you’d refused to take my heart?”

“And isn’t that what I am to you right now?” he seethed. “A tool?”

“Don’t.” Ever held up a finger. “Don’t pretend for a second that you weren’t trying to use me.” She needed to get up and walk away before she said something worse, before she admitted that Maddie had been the one to kill his mother and she was glad for it.

Ever stood and padded halfway across the room, when Chess’s hand clasped her wrist. He tightened his grip, then backed her into a wall so his firm body was once again pressed to hers. “You’re a fool.” He narrowed his eyes at her, then lowered his face, his nose brushing hers. “After everything, after our past, you turned your back on me. If I’d wanted, I could’ve easily ripped your fucking heart out.”

“Is that your end game?” she spat. “Tearing it out because you didn’t get the chance to before? Even after all you’ve done, when I could’ve easily killed your foolish arse a hundred times in the mortal world, I didn’t.”Not to say I won’t.

The prince’s chest heaved—the vein at his jaw feathered, the one at his neck thrumming harder. She was prepared to spew more spiteful words with whatever asinine reply that came out of his mouth next, but instead, he brought her to him and folded his arms around her, his body trembling while he cried.

Ever’s eyes widened, and she didn’t know what the bloody hell was happening as her head rested on his chest. She knew she could’ve been anyone in that moment, but he apparently just needed this. Over the past several days, she hadn’t hated him as she should’ve, yet she didn’t think she liked him either. Perhaps she did a little, though, because she lifted her arms around him, holding him as he cried. The prince of Scarlet, who always had a smirk on his face, was vulnerable for once.

After a long while, when he stopped shaking, she took a step back from him. Her gaze locked onto Chess’s, his eyes red-rimmed from crying. “Now that your lies are out in the open, you can continue with me or go back into hiding. If you decide to leave, I promise I won’t tell my brother I saw you. Unless you turn on me, that is.” There was one thing he still wasn’t telling her—he knew Maddie had killed his mother. But Ever would never put her friend at risk by admitting that.

“Rav has to die, and the only way it will happen is if you and I continue to stay aligned.” He paused, eyeing her warily. “However, I’m not much of a prince at the moment.”

In response, Ever could have said so many awful things, yet she chose to speak the truth. “No, Chess. You’re the king of Scarlet. Its rightful heir. And if my viola were here, I’d play us a song to prepare for our destinies.”

Chapter Thirteen

Chess

Chess followed Ever along the crest of a ridge toward a sparkling silver lake where they were meant to meet March. Four white gazebos with scrolling silver iron railings were spaced around it and a dock reached a few feet into the water where a canoe was tethered. He imagined parties took place here in the past.

But now, despite the beauty, it felt lifeless. As if no one had visited in ages. He couldn’t put his finger on why it felt that way—perhaps it was that the air was too still or the temperature was cooler than it had been when he and Ever had exited the safe house moments ago. Or maybe it was all in his head.

Since he’d broken down and cried the night before, the whole world seemed off. Just slightly—like someone had tilted the earth a degree or two—but there wasn’t time to get his footing. He’d fuckingcried.In front of Ever, no less.Bloody idiot.He’d learned on the streets at a young age not to show his feelings or weaknesses. Then no one could use them against him. Now his enemy held that power.

Well… He glanced down at Ever as she walked beside him. The curls of her brunette wig bounced gently around her cheeks, and the urge to brush them away filled him.Maybe she wasn’t exactly his enemy.There had been a subtle shift between them. An unspoken understanding after seeing another side of each other. Chess vulnerable and Ever comforting. It was strange and yet he didn’t loathe it. He sure as hell didn’t understand it, but it wasn’t unwelcome. Why had he hated her for so long?

Because of his mother…

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