Page 128 of Fated In Forever
I couldn’t help running my fingers over the faded damask wallpaper, the dented carved wood moldings. All the little imperfections of an old family house that had seen centuries of wear from generations.
Hard to believe I’d once thought of this place as run down, when the place was just…lived in.
The grounds outside were a tangle of overgrowth, but there was a certain beauty there, too, roses twining through tall grass, the way every stone was blanketed in thick green moss. A calmness I hadn’t felt in weeks settled deep into my bones, like I could finally rest.
There had been a short, fierce argument about whether or not Eldric and Angel should be dematerializing over such a long distance. But here we were.
“Do me a favor. Remind me to send Aisling a fruit basket or something when this is over,” I muttered to my sister. “Since we basically turned their castle upside down and just left without a goodbye.”
Angel leaned heavily against my shoulder, her breathing shallow as I guided her to the sitting room where Sylvester was waiting, his glower turning to alarm when he spotted Angel.
“Let me look at you, child,” Sylvester said gently, his weathered hands steady as he examined Angel. With his cowl thrown back, his face was even more lined than I remembered, but finally, his pinched expression relaxed, along with the band around my heart. “The drug they gave you was potent, but your system is conditioned to neutralize toxins, and the chemicals are already working their way out of your system.”
“And the baby?” I asked, my hands clenched so tightly my knuckles had gone white. “Will the drugs harm the baby?” I whispered, afraid to voice the question any louder.
Sylvester's face softened as he placed his palm on Angel's round stomach. “Strong heartbeat. Your little one weathered the storm just fine.” He patted Angel's hand reassuringly. “Lots of rest, lots of feeding, and no excitement. You'll both be perfectly well. Nonetheless, I’m putting you on a week of bed rest.” He winked, “Read some of those books on wolves you like so much.”
The relief that flooded through me was so intense I had to sit down abruptly in the nearest chair. Angel reached for my hand, her fingers still trembling slightly.
“Evie,” she said softly, “it’s okay. Everything will be okay.”
I shook my head, shame burning in my chest. “I should have seen this coming, should have?—”
“Stop being a martyr, you know I hate when you do that.” Angel's voice was firm despite her exhaustion as she hugged me. “You are the best big sister I could ask for. You've never let me down, not once.”
“But I?—”
“No buts.” She squeezed my hand. “You came for me. You found me and you brought me home. That's twice now, by the way, not that I’m keeping track. Still, thank you.”
Sylvester had moved on to Eldric, his nose swollen to epic proportions, and sporting two black eyes. He was watching us, and the moment our eyes made contact, he flinched and looked away. I swallowed, my throat closing up as I imagined all the ways today could have gone wrong. Eldric had been right, though. I was a terrible sister.
“Still, I promise to be better. I'll be the sister you deserve.”
“Oh, will you shut up. You already are,” she whispered, following my gaze, to where Sylvester was checking Eldric over.
“Oh shit, that’s going to leave a mark,” she murmured, frowning at his broken nose.
“That’s what I said.” I sighed. “You should have seen him when we discovered you were missing, Angel. He was beside himself, like certifiably feral.”
A pretty pink blush climbed up her neck. “Yeah, well,” she shifted uncomfortably. “He said somethings, after they gave us the drugs.” Her blue eyes turned fever-bright. “I’m pretty sure he was hallucinating, though. Or I was.”
Bex burst in the room, scanned the chaos scene, then headed our way.
“Eldric would really do anything for you, Angel. Anything. You should give him a chance.” I told her, scooting out of the way as Bex threw herself across the final few feet and wrapped my sister up in a sobbing, messy bear hug.
“Okay then,” I said awkwardly, “good talk,” leaving themalone to go check on Eldric, Sylvester giving me the evil side eye as I walked up.
“Hey,” I said softly, settling into the chair across from Eldric.
When he finally looked up, I was struck by the raw shame in his eyes, and the sheer amount of dried blood on his face. “I could have killed you both,” he said, in a nasally whine. “I swear, it must have been the drugs, I just…I lost control completely. The dragon fire—I nearly torched you and Riordan. The king,” he muttered. “I almost killed the fucking king and queen of the clan. I’m a fucking disgrace.” Sylvester snorted and I gave him the evil eye.
“But you didn't,” I pointed out, not wanting to touch that queen comment with a ten-foot pole. “Instead, you face planted and shattered your nose.”
“A humiliation I’ll be reliving until my dying day.” He glared at Blake across the room, who mouthed something that very well could have beenlibrary boy, then pointed at his own, very unbroken nose. “See?” Eldric muttered. “A complete embarrassment.”
“Well, at least my sister didn’t see any of what happened,” I patted his arm and he winced.
“I’m sorry, Evangeline,” He murmured, dipping his head. “For what I said, before. I was angry and scared and…I took my frustration out on you, and that wasn’t right,” he sighed. “Iwasn’t right. Angel has never complained, not once, just so you know. She looks up to you. She worships you, actually. And I know the sacrifices you made for her, especially after your mother died, after…”
