“I wanted to be withyou. I didn’t marryDamien. But maybe I should have!”
Did I really say that out loud?
Leo hesitated. “What are you talking about?”
Evelyn didn’t back down. “Damien tells me what’s going on, even if it’s scary. And he respects my decisions, even when he doesn’t agree with them. Damien didn’t leave me today.”
“I didn’t abandon you, Evelyn! I kept you safe!”
“No, you didn’t! Rory andDamienkept me safe. You weren’t here!”
“I’m here now!”
He is, only because he finished everything else. I was last on his to-do list. Did he even check my room first, or did he come up here out of habit? If I hadn’t been on his couch when he arrived at the palace, would he even be talking to me? I’m not okay being an afterthought. Not when Damien and Haydn treat me as a priority.
“You may be here, butIdon’t want to be.”
Evelyn started for the door, but Leo blocked her path.
“Move,” she warned.
“We’re not done talking about this.”
“I am. Move.”
“You can’t just walk away!” Leo commanded. “You can’t do the same thing you’re mad at me for!”
“Watch me.”
What had Leo said that day? “Tell me when you’re mad at me. Or set my boots on fire and I’ll figure it out.”
Evelyn waved her hand toward Leo’s feet. Flames gathered at the tips of his boots. He staggered backward and hurried to get them off. Meanwhile, Evelyn stormed into the hallway.
Maybe I was wrong not to leave with Damien yesterday.
56
Empty
Various guards and soldiers still swarmed Evelyn’s room on the third floor. She stood in the doorway and used magic to fly a change of clothes out of her closet.
“Is there a different room I can use?” Evelyn asked her guards.
A room without a dead body in the bathtub.
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Viviane led her a few doors down. She and Rory both inspected the new room carefully, checking the bathroom twice. Once they deemed the space satisfactory, they took their positions near the door.
Rory looks exhausted. Maybe he’s grateful to have Viviane around. New policy: only one traumatized guard per team.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier,” Evelyn told him. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I shouldn’t have taken my emotions out on you.”
“No harm done. I would much rather be yelled at than set on fire, anyway,” Rory teased.
Viviane’s eyes widened, unsure if Rory was kidding or not.
Evelyn bathed and dressed quickly. She had the overwhelming urge to get out of the palace.
I need air. I need a break. I need to be somewhere without death and fighting.
