Page 114 of Fated In Forever
A second later, Bex peeked up over his shoulder, gasping, cheeks bright pink.
“Bex said Angelique was gone. Where is she?” Eldric breathed, and I handed him the wadded-up note.
“Romulus is my guess. There are signs of a struggle outside, blood—” Eldric elbowed past me and rushed to the window, leaned out to get a better look at the garden below.
“I came to find her after breakfast, to see if she wanted to walk the grounds.” Bex’s tear stained eyes met mine. “We usually have a stroll, and this is how I found her room. I looked everywhere for you, but found Master Eldric first.”
Eldric stormed back across the room, holding up the paper, eyes flying over the single line, once, twice, a thirdtime before he snarled, revealing canines he usually kept hidden. “I should have killed him when I had the chance,” he said simply, the words ringing with absolute conviction. “This time, I'll fucking tear him apart with my bare hands.”
He spun toward the door, heat gathering around him like a charged storm, and I grabbed his arm, feeling the tension coiled in his muscles.
“Eldric, don’t. This is what they want. You can’t go charging off into an obvious trap. We need to think this through. I’ve contacted Blake, they’re already on their way. Once they get here, we’ll make a plan?—”
As totally onboard as I was with charging off into a trap to rescue my sister, I’d learned from my mistakes. We were all stronger when we worked together, and we’d only endanger Angel if we acted recklessly.
“There's no time for plans,” he snapped, shaking me off. “Every second we waste here is another second she's alone with that monster. You know what he does to his victims. Youknow, Evangeline.”
I swallowed down the bile searing my throat.
I did know, all too well.
All those thralls Ravok was making, feeding on, sucking dry.
Would it even matter that Angel was pregnant? A valuable hostage? My sister?
I couldn’t take a chance that Ravok—or Romulus—or my uncles might have actually grown a conscious these past few weeks. No, Eldric was right, but going in with no backup…usually I was the one making rash decisions, but even I knew this was suicide.
“Evangeline is right, Master Eldric.” Bex threw her support behind me and I gave her an encouraging nod. “This is just like when Duke Raleigh’s arch enemy, Count Sabre, kidnaps the heroine’s favorite cousin to lure her into a trap. It’s obvious, they’re trying to draw Evie out.”
Okay, that did not go how I thought it was going to go. I cleared my throat, “Bex isn’t wrong, Eldric. I agree, this is a trap, but we’ll only endanger Angel by rushing in unprepared.”
“We don’t even know how long she’s been gone,” Eldric snapped. “We could already be too late.”
“Give Blake and the others time to come back, then we all go in together…five minutes, just…”
“They're too far away,” Eldric's voice cracked with desperation. “Angel ismyresponsibility and you don’tunderstand. I swore I'd take care of her, and I didn’t. I wasn’t here, and now she’sgone.” I narrowed my eyes. Eldric was acting almost like a…
“You’re not stopping me.” Power echoed around the room, the temperature rising as an aura of fire flickered around him. “So don’t even try.”
He strode toward the door with such grim determination, I realized with growing horror that he meant to go alone. Eldric was strong—Blake had told me with grudging admiration how he’d stood against Romulus down in the tunnels—but he’d be facing an entire army. He was going to get himself killed.
And most likely, I was the one Ravok wanted.
“Eldric, please,” I caught him by the arm, because I damn well wasn’t letting anything happen to my sister’s boyfriend. “Just give me five minutes.” I looked to Bex for support, but she didn’t know how to stop him, any more than I did.
“No.” His voice was flat, final. “I'm leaving. What if Angel doesn't have five minutes? Did you think of that?”
“Of course, I did. She’smysister.” I reminded him, digging my fingers in harder, willing him to look at me. “I should be the one panicking, but I’m not.”
“Maybe,” he said, with an edge of bitterness, “that’s because you’ve pretty much ignored her for the past two months. Maybe that’s because you haven’t been a good sister to her, when she really needed you to be.”
My hold on his arm loosened, his accusation hitting home.
He was right. I’d been a shitty sister, and while I could make excuses all day long, lately, I hadn’t been there for her, and shedidneed me right now. In truth, she’d needed me before today, and…once again, I’d been too caught up with my own life problems.
“That’s not fair, Eldric,” Bex snapped. “Evangeline has been a good sister, and you have no right to call her loyalty, of all people’s, into question, especially right now.”
“Well, I am,” his face was a mix of anger and frustration and regret as he turned away and I watched him disappear, poof right out of existence.
