Chapter 12

CHAPTER12

Itypically took dinner alone in Evren’s room, but Thalia had refused to leave me on my own ever since the news of Evren arrived.

I didn’t know if it was simply because she was worried about me or because she feared what I would do, but either way, she hadn’t left my side.

Thalia was sitting across from me at Evren’s little desk, and I had no idea where she found the chair that she had pulled into his room.

“You’re like a mother hen.” I tore a piece of bread and dipped it into the stew Mina had brought in.

Thalia simply shrugged and her gaze held firm to mine. “I just want to make sure you’re okay. “

“I’m fine.” It was a lie and her presence spoke to her disbelief of my proclamation. It had been two days since Evren had went missing. Two days since we had any word from Jorah or Sorin about what was going on, and everything inside me was begging me not to listen to their demands that I stay in the kingdom.

But I was far more fearful of losing Evren than I was of any of their wrath.

He had been gone for far too long, and I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.

“No, you’re not.” She shook her head and took a sip of her wine. “How could you be?” We don’t know they’re okay. Not Evren, Jorah, or Sorin.”

I tucked my knee up against my chest and studied my friend. I was dressed in nothing but one of Evren’s shirts, but I hadn’t expected the company. I was planning to crawl in bed and try to sleep away my rising fear before Thalia had knock at my door.

I opened my mouth to answer her, but as soon as I did the door to Evren’s room burst open. Both Thalia and I jumped to our feet and my magic swirled around my hands as panic took over.

But it was Mina who stood at the door with her hands against her chest.

“What is it?” I asked, breathlessly.

“It’s Evren. He’s back.”

Before I could think better of it, I tore from the room. I had no idea where I was going or where he would be, but I couldn’t stop to think. I simply took off, my bare feet slapping against the ground, and I couldn’t control a single emotion that was racing through me. I could hear Thalia behind me, and everything about her felt as uncontrollable as I did. Evren may not have been her mate, but he was her prince, and more importantly, her friend.

I skidded to a halt when I hit the main entry of the castle, and I watched in horror as Queen Veda leaned over her son who was propped up against the stone wall. His face looked sickly and drained of life, and Queen Veda cursed as she pulled his bloody shirt away from his skin to look beneath it. Sorin paced around the room with blood staining his hands, but he looked up as soon as he saw us. “Adara, he needs you.”

I looked past him to Evren, and I could feel my fear as if it had become alive within me. I hesitated, crippled with raging emotions, but Thalia moved past me quickly. She dropped her knees beside Evren as my stomach turned to panic and guilt.

I hesitated, and Thalia watched me for only a moment before she rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. She was giving me a choice, but when she saw me stutter in my indecision, she took things into her own hands. She was going to save his life. He was going to feed from her, and it would save him.

I should have let it happen. Evren needed her in that moment, and I should have kept my mouth shut. But he was my mate. My magic rolled around my hands violently, and I knew I couldn’t sit here and simply watch as he fed from someone else. I cursed under my breath as I tried to shove down the fear that was clawing at every inch of me. I pushed forward and dropped to my knees beside Thalia. Evren’s eyes connected with mine, and his gaze softened as he sagged further against the wall.

“Princess.” The word was soft and barely heard, but it rang through me as if he had screamed it.

This was my mate, and I was his.

I pushed the sleeve up my arm that held my black mark with trails of stars within it and held my wrist out toward him.

“Take from me.”

His gaze trailed over my face, before he slowly lifted his shaking hand and followed its path. I shivered under his touch and my heart raced in my chest. This was my mate.

“Are you okay?” His voice was thick and quiet.

I choked on a laugh at his question and tears sprang to my eyes. Was I okay? Was he insane?

“Do not worry about me.” I pressed my hand against his where it was resting against my neck. “Take from me, Evren.”

His eyes shuttered, and I wondered what all he had been through. Who had hurt him like this? Was it the queen? Was it his brother?

“You don’t have to do this.” He shook his head softly, and even that took an effort.

“What are you talking about? Take from me.” I begged, knowing that every second that passed, he remained in pain. He remained at risk.

“I promised you I would never be like him.” His gaze was soft and pleading, and I knew what he meant. He didn’t want to be like his brother, taking from me against my will, but he didn’t understand. “You don’t have to do this.”

“He can take from me.” Thalia looked at me softly, and I knew she only said it because she knew how badly I warred with myself. But there wasn’t an ounce of indecision left in me. This was my mate, and it would be me who saved him. “It’s all right, Adara.”

I shook my head as I stared down at him. “I am your mate, Evren, and you will feed from me.”

His gaze sparked in surprise before his lips parted and his hand tightened against my neck. My stomach clinched tight, and my breath caught in my throat, but I didn’t have time to steady myself before Evren lifted my wrist to his mouth. He sank his teeth into my skin. I closed my eyes, and I forgot about everyone else around us. This was Evren and me, and even though he was hurt, he was here, and he was safe. The queen couldn’t touch him here. Neither could Gavril, and I reminded myself of that fact over and over again.

His magic surged through me as he drank, and my body was lit afire as every inch of me became alive within his touch. I was still so angry with him, but I couldn’t deny my want. I couldn’t recognize that pain that blared through me with his feeding when I was so lost in my desire and relief. But I forced myself to cling on to my anger because without it I knew I would be hurt. Seeing him like this now gripped my chest in a vise, and I couldn’t imagine how much worse it could be if I let myself fall into him completely.

He drank long and hard, and I could feel myself draining. But as every drop drained from me and into him, my body ached deeper and deeper, and I couldn’t remember why I wasn’t supposed to want him.

“That’s enough, Evren.” I couldn’t make out who said it, but they were probably right. But I didn’t want him to stop. I never wanted him to stop. I wanted to live in this moment, in this feeling of ache and want, and I wanted no one to stop him.

He pulled his teeth from my skin slowly, and I gasped for breath as his magic pulled away.

More.The thought rang out in my head, and I couldn’t be sure that I didn’t say it aloud. But it was all I could think. More. More. More. He was my mate, and I wanted more.

I blinked my eyes open, and Evren was gripping both of my arms. He pulled me into him, and I had no choice but to allow it. Pressing against his chest, I took a deep breath of the scent of him. My nose buried in his neck, and I clung to him hard. Refusing to let go.

“Princess,” Evren whispered my name, and his voice sounded so much clearer, stronger than before.

I didn’t answer him. I simply snuggled in harder against his chest and tightened my arms around him.

“It’s okay.” He ran his hands over my hair, and I could feel myself trembling against him. “Everything is going to be okay.”

My legs were straddled around his waist, and I could hear the murmur of voices behind us, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. In that moment, it didn’t matter what any of them thought of me. All I could think about was him and the deep ache coursing inside of me.

“I need you.” I let the plea fall from my lips that still pressed against his neck.

Evren groaned but didn’t try to stop me. I pressed my lips to his neck and his hand ran down the length of my spine. My marks were aflame along my skin, and the ache between my thighs was overpowering.

I could focus on nothing else.

“I need you all to leave.” He growled, but I was far too bewitched by my want for him to know if they listened.

“Evren, I need you.” My voice sounded panicked and desperate, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Every breath of it was the truth.

“You hate me,” he whispered, and I forced myself to sit up and stare into his dark, tired eyes. “If I gave you what you wanted right now, you would hate me.”

Part of me knew he was probably right, but that didn’t stop the anger from surging inside of me. I needed him. Needed him more than I had ever needed anything in my life, and he was going to deny me.

“Agree to be mine. Agree to marry me, and I’ll give you everything you want.”

My marks felt like they were burning me alive at his words. He had just gotten back. He had been insanely injured, and he was worried about marrying me?

“I don’t want to be a part of your games.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to be the answer to the prophecy.”

Evren ran his fingers over my face, pushing my hair back before gripping the back my neck. “This has nothing to do with that. Marry me because you want to. Marry me because I’m your mate.”

I pushed against his chest, frustration and want making me feel insane. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him yes. To tell him that I would give him anything he wanted from me, but I couldn’t do that. Not now. Not when there were still so many unanswered questions between us.

“I’m glad you’re back.” I pushed farther away from him and realized in that moment that I was sitting across his lap wearing only his shirt. There were still others around us, but most had listened and left the room. But Queen Veda was watching us, her gaze bouncing back and forth between us, calculating our every touch, and I couldn’t stand the way my stomach tightened in worry.

“Evren, we should talk.”

Evren looked up at his mother, and I dug my fingers into his chest. I didn’t want to give him up to her. Not even for a second, and his gaze flew back to mine as if he, too, couldn’t fathom us leaving one another.

“It can wait.” He lifted his hand slowly and pressed it against my cheek.

“We both know it can’t.” The queen’s voice was firm and left no room for argument.

He stared at me for a long moment before he slipped my hand into his and lifted my wrist against his mouth. He pressed a gentle kiss along the sensitive skin before he whispered his next words. “I’ll come find you shortly. Wait for me.”

I didn’t say a word. I simply climbed from his lap and straightened his shirt over my body. Thalia was there in an instant. She reached out for me, ready to offer her strength in my moment of weakness. Evren looked back and forth between us before his mother called his name again.

“Let’s get back to your room,” Thalia spoke softly, and I nodded in agreement. I wanted to be anywhere but here. Evren was back. He was safe, and I shouldn’t have been desperate to hold on to him and make sure that no one else could touch him, but I was. The frenzy I felt was churning in my magic, and every inch of me ached to reach out for him.

“Adara,” Thalia said my name more firmly, and I finally looked away from the prince and looked up at her. “We’ll find Evren later. We should get you dressed.”

I let her pull me away from him, each step feeling like torture, and as we made our way back to Evren’s room, I couldn’t breathe.

“Not here.” I quickly shook my head. This was Evren’s room, his space, and I had been invading it without his permission.

Tahlia nodded as if she understood and motioned toward my door. “Go ahead. I’ll clean up our mess from earlier.”

I hadn’t even thought of that. I hadn’t thought of what it would look like when he walked in and saw all of my things.

“Okay.” I nodded and walked backward until my trembling fingers pressed against my door. I pushed inside and closed the door securely behind me, and only then did I allow myself to fall to my knees and thank the gods that Evren was back.