Page 86 of A Clash of Stars

I nodded and followed him as he carried the plate of cookies. It was so easy to follow his instructions. I wondered if it was because I wanted to or something else entirely.

Chapter 25

“So, I feel like you know plenty about me, but I still have questions about you, Ev,” I asked him softly.

We sat on the sofa, and I was curled under a quilted blanket holding my glass of wine and swallowing the remnants of my third cookie. He nodded, waiting for my question.

“If Lettie is the King’s daughter, why wasn’t she at the castle for our wedding?”

He took a breath, deciding how to answer this question without giving away too much information. He looked into his wine glass, searching for the right response.

“My sister was sent to train in the Kingdom of Rhysette on my mother’s orders. She had to stay far away from her father. She was too loose-lipped, and mom didn’t want her to give away anything to him.”

“Wait. She knows that you aren’t actually siblings?” I asked, sitting up a little straighter.

“Yes. Which is why having her removed from the castle was the best option. She is a wonderful person, smart, kind, and we didn’t want her to be collateral damage.”

I sipped the wine feeling the warmth coat my throat. “So, it’s okay if I’m collateral damage?” I asked begrudgingly.

Evander sat up, placing his wine glass on the circular metal table in front of us, and then leaning back on the couch, making us eye level.

“You have it all wrong. You are the reason we are doing any of this at all, Clara. I know you spoke with my mother; you know who she is and what she has done to some extent. Before this curse, you never existed. You were born during the curse, the only royal person to be born during it.”

What? I had never heard of this before. I was the only being born during the curse? What about all the other princes? They weren’t that much older than me.

“How long have we been in this curse?” I asked him fervently.

He sighed, leaning his head on the back of the couch and looking towards the ceiling. “I’ve already said too much. There are things you are not supposed to know.”

I gently pushed him, “What! How are you going to leave me hanging like this? That is ridiculous— Why would no one tell me that?”

“There are some things that are just easier for you not to know.” His stare was blistering, and his green eyes darkened with something I had only seen once before. It felt almost primal and wicked.

I took a breath and sat back on the couch, still clutching tightly to my wine glass. We sat shoulder to shoulder, staring at the wall across from us. It was a painting of a large home by the water. It looked similar to the cottage we were in. I wondered where that was. Were people living there? Were they happy?

“Okay, let’s move on to a different question. Shall we?” he asked.

I sighed, “What about Griffin?”

He took a sip of his wine and sucked his teeth back. “He knows that you and I were set to marry. He is with my sister, currently in Rhysette, so she can finish her training. They will meet us in Elistayre in a few days.”

He quickly turned to face me, and I tilted my head to look at him.

I asked another question that had been lurking around in my mind, “What about Luke? Why is he not around?”

He paused, narrowing his eyes before answering, “There are things he knows that could jeopardize everything to destroy this curse. He had to be away from you because if he stayed around, we wouldn’t stand a chance of breaking the curse over us.”

I nodded with defeat because Luke was a wonderful friend. He listened and went out of his way to make sure I was okay in any situation before the Variance. I knew there was no way he would just abandon me. A friend wouldn’t do that.

When I glanced back at Evander, he was just studying me as if he was trying to determine my expression. I tried my best to keep my inner monologue quiet in order for him not to pry into my mind, and sometimes it seemed to aggravate him that he couldn’t, which I secretly liked.

“Now it’s my turn to ask you a question,” he smirked.

I nodded and agreed to listen while sipping the wine.

“What do you know about Darthium?” Evander asked.

I almost spit out my wine. I was almost positive I never actually mentioned the name of the story I had talked about. Actually, I was certain.

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