It’s a balm to my frazzled nerves. The fight with Julius, anger towards Lachlan, and homesickness slowly ease away to nothingness at the peace this land brings me.
“How’re you dealing with all of this so far?” he asks, interrupting my wandering mind.
“It’s been difficult, but I think I’ll be okay.” I don’t necessarily mean the words, but I hope that if I tell myself that enough, it will become true.
He purses his lips. “There’s something I need to tell you about Lachlan.”
“I’m not ready to talk about him.” My stomach clenches, and I shake my head.
I dreaded this moment. When their friendship would bleed over into our outing.
Evander gives me a sheepish look. “Then can I tell you something about me?”
His words are not at all what I was expecting, but his face is leeched of color, and now I’m more curious than cautious.
“Uh, sure.”
He fidgets with the reins in his grip before he blurts out, “We’ve met before.”
“We have?” My brows raise in surprise, and I nearly jerk the reins.
I relax my grip, waiting for his response.
He swallows deeply, his throat bobbing with the effort. “I was stuck in your chimney.”
A laugh erupts out of my belly, a deep, full-body laugh. Evander’s face relaxes, turning into a hesitant smile. “You’re not mad?”
Tears spill over, and I wipe them from my cheeks. “No, I’m not mad.”
“But you’re mad at Lachlan?” he asks, tilting his head.
The movement is exactly the same as when he’s in his raven form.
“That’s different. Lachlan knew me long before and kept all of this from me.” The betrayal still stings.
All that time we spent together, all that time I pined for him,and he knew.
It’s silent again, and I focus on the path before us. Branches sway in the breeze, and my horse whips her tail side to side.
“But what if it wasn’t his choice to keep it from you?” he asks suddenly.
A sigh works its way out of my chest. “I hope that was the case,” I mumble.
I realize just how much I do miss him.
The path isn’t a harsh incline, more of a gradual slope, so I don’t notice how high we’ve climbed until we come to a small outcropping of level stone protruding from the side ofthe mountain. Evander leads us around the wall of stone and onto the ledge. The land opens up, revealing looming ancient columns that support a domed roof, creating a pavilion.
The columns and roof are overgrown with heart-shaped, broad-leafed ivy. Crumbling urns, overspilling with lilac flowers, are rooted on either side of the arched entry.
Evander frowns in displeasure at the neglected temple. “As you can see, no one comes up here anymore.”
I dismount from my mare, handing off my reins to him as I climb the four wide steps into the pavilion. I grasp a single violet from one of the urns and pluck it as an offering before walking inside.
There’s a stillness inside this place, like a bated breath. A dull ringing begins in my ears, and I grasp my necklace at the familiar sound. It’s warm in my hands.Approval, it seems to say. I spin in place, looking for anything remotely questionable, but there’s nothing here.
Light spills in from the doorway, and dust motes sparkle in their glow. The stone walls are covered in faded frescos of wild animals and flowers. Only a few decaying petals skitter around the marble floor in the breeze.
But a single red petal among the mix of lilac ones draws and holds my attention. My eyes follow its glide across the stone. The sight of it begins to blur, and a sinking sensation overcomes my body, numbing me. The violet in my hand drops to the ground as I sink further and further away.
