Chapter Twenty Eight

Everett

Everett paced in Aerilyn’s room, awaiting her return. Blaise and Brinley sat in the room without saying a word. They all were nervous about the news that Aerilyn might return with. He hated allowing her to walk away from him to look for Azazel, but he knew they needed the information that she could get. Azazel’s obsession with Aerilyn sparked something in him that one could call jealousy. Even though Aerilyn slept beside him, he despised the way the man looked at his girl. He knew the cocky arrogance that radiated from the man the moment he walked into a room. Azazel was a self-absorbed man who was royalty. He was bad news in every sense.

The door creaked open, his attention snapping to the figure that walked in with bright white hair. Brinley got to her feet quickly and rushed to her side, hugging her arms around Aerilyn. He wasn’t used to the redhead expressing so much affection, but losing one of their close friends can do that to a person. “What happened?” Everett spoke up, not wanting to wait any longer for answers on what was happening. Brinley let go of Aerilyn and gave Everett a full view of the woman. Her face was pale and her hands had a slight shake to them. He could see the fear written across her expression. A frown tugged at his mouth as he stepped to meet her halfway. Her arms slid around him and he returned the motion, pulling her into his chest.

“There was an attack in Orissia. The hounds got past the walls. Fifteen are dead,” her voice was shaking as she relayed the information that she’d learned. The world suddenly felt like it was falling. The room flipped and spun as he tried to process the words that left her lips. “Roman gave them a message for you. They’re asking for you to return to Orissia. The king is losing his mind and your brother needs you. They’re going to allow you back into the kingdom without the sword,” Aerilyn looked up at him as she spoke, her eyes watering. His mind was running everywhere.

Everett ran a hand over his face, sucking in a deep breath as he tried to steady himself. It was all too much to understand. A hound breaching the walls was unheard of. Ever since they’d built the wall, the people within the kingdom of Orissia had been safe. His family had ensured that. Now that he was gone, something had caused the kingdom to go downhill. He felt guilty even if it hadn’t been his choice to leave. He wanted to be mad at his father, but his brother meant more to him than his anger towards his father. Going back to Orissia meant that he had to escape Korth. He knew Azazel wasn’t going to just let him walk away.

“How are we going to get out of here?” Blaise finally spoke up, his arms folding over his chest as he looked between each of them. They all went quiet trying to consider their options in the situation they were stuck in. “We have to get through the third trial. We do that and he no longer has control over us. We can escape if we’re no longer prisoners,” Brinley tried to give an idea. It all seemed impossible, but Everett refused to let his brother down. He didn’t know how long he could wait. “You have to get out of here before that, Everett. You need to get back to them,” Aerilyn’s soft voice broke him from any thoughts he had in his mind.

“I won’t leave you. I won’t let all of you do this alone. If we’re getting out of here, we’re doing it together,” Everett grasped onto her hand, squeezing it tightly. He hadn’t considered that trying to return meant that there was a possibility his father wouldn’t allow the others back into Orissia. The message had asked for him to return. He refused to leave Aerilyn behind. He’d grown to care about the girl in ways he hadn’t known he was capable of. He wouldn’t let her go, no matter what that cost him. He only prayed that his brother would have some understanding.

“So, we get this third trial over with and get the hell out of here?” Blaise ran his fingers through his long dark hair, something he always seemed to do when he was nervous or flirting. Aerilyn nodded her head, letting out a heavy breath. “That’s our best option right now. Between the guards and the hounds, I don’t think we’d make it far trying to escape. As much as I hate to admit it, Azazel is smart. We can’t underestimate him or his people,” she tried to be the voice of reason. Everett held back a cringe at the sound of the man’s name rolling off of her tongue. The king of Korth only continued to give him more reasons to want to kill him.

Everett had been told to hide his emotions his entire life. He never showed weakness and always shoved down every ounce of his pain. When the emotions began to overwhelm him, he always found his way to the training quarters. He knew at that moment that was where he needed to go. He needed to get away and clear his head before the emotions became too much to handle. He felt like he was drowning in thoughts. “I need to clear my head,” he squeezed his arms around Aerilyn before letting go of her and taking a step back. The emotion written on her face made him feel guilty. He knew he’d blow up if he didn’t walk away.

Everett slid out the door, getting himself into the hallway to put distance between him and the others. His fists clenched and unclenched as he tried to navigate his way back to where he knew the training area was located in the palace. It felt familiar in a way. The feeling of overwhelming emotions and his feet took him to the one place where he could lose himself. He sucked in a harsh breath as he headed straight for the line of punching bags.

The prince wanted to pretend like he was fearless. Like he was strong and had no emotions. But that just wasn’t the truth. Everett had a sensitive side to him that nobody had ever seen. He hid every bit of emotion so that he didn’t show weakness. He was afraid of letting anyone believe he had a weak spot that they could hold over his head. He continued to bottle his emotions up until he exploded. That moment, when he heard that his kingdom was in danger, he felt the emotions explode inside of him. He balled up his fists, letting his knuckles connect with the rough fabric of the punching bag. The familiar ache of his skin breaking with each continuous punch made the emotions slowly lift away.

Everett repeated the motions of punching his fists into the bag without stopping. He felt the sweat dripping down his brows, but he refused to take a moment to stop. His heart pounded in his chest, leaving his pulse to echo throughout every inch of his body. He focused on each thump that sent waves down his limbs. The soft tickle of blood running down his knuckles wasn’t even enough to break him out of the trance. Images of his brother flashed in his mind. He saw his brother in pain with a hound attacking him. He saw his father lying out bleeding. His kingdom was soaked in blood.

Someone called his name, but the voice was so distant it felt like it wasn’t real. Her voice called out again. She felt so far away or maybe it was his head that was far. He felt a hand on his back that finally pulled him out of his mind. He turned quickly to see who had touched him and his eyes locked with a pair of gray ones that he’d learned to memorize. “Everett,” she whispered his name. He had never loved the sound of his name as much as he did when it fell from her lips. She silently took both of his hands, examining the damage he’d done. He avoided looking at his bloodied knuckles, keeping his attention locked on Aerilyn. She was the definition of perfection in every sense. Even as worry pulled at her features, leaving a line to crease between her brows. He was pained to see the pity in her expression.

“This is my way of releasing emotion, darling. Don’t worry about me. It’s just a lot to process right now,” he forced a smile on his lips in an attempt to show that he was fine. “I used to use training with my father as a way to release my emotions too,” she admitted, placing a soft kiss on his knuckles. He watched as she pulled back, her lips coated with his blood. He used his free hand to brush his fingertips over her lips to wipe the blood away. It only seemed to smear it even more. “Let me help you. You don’t deserve to be alone right now,” she continued, her eyes softening. He nodded his head once as he kissed the corner of her mouth delicately. She was the most fragile thing he’d ever touched. Even if she could beat a grown man’s ass. “How about we go for a little round?” Aerilyn’s lips curled into a smirk that only meant trouble. He knew she was only doing this to distract him, but he couldn’t turn down a little sparring with the girl.

“I’ll go easy on you, darling,” Everett tapped the tip of her nose before grabbing onto her hand and leading her into the sparring ring. He gave her a moment to get into her fighting stance, examining her body language. She knew how to fight, that was undeniable. Her father had taught her well and Everett couldn’t help but appreciate that. “Come on, princey. Show me what you’ve got,” she motioned for him to come towards her. He let out a laugh before making a fake step towards her to the left before jerking his body to the right. He threw a fist towards her with a gentle force, allowing her to block it. “I know you can swing harder than that. Don’t take it easy on me or I’ll embarrass you when I knock you on your ass,” she teased as she kicked her leg towards his side. He quickly grabbed onto her ankle, yanking her close as she stumbled in an attempt to pull her leg from his grasp.

“The only place I won’t take it easy on you is in the bedroom, little thief.”

Everett watched as her cheeks flushed at the comment. He knew the girl had been desperate for more of his touch after he’d left her hanging in her room. He wanted to tease her to the brink of begging. He hadn’t expected her to be so reactive to his touch, but he loved every second of it. He used the bit of distraction to pull her ankle leaving her to fall on her ass. He laughed as he took a step back, looking down at her as she recovered from the impact. She quickly got back to her feet, resuming her fighting stance. “Then why don’t you take me back to the bedroom?” She lifted a brow in question. The words falling from her lips made something deep within him crave her in the most wild ways.

“Be careful what you wish for,” he warned, a smirk plastered on his lips. She took a slow step towards him, her palms pressing into his chest. He let his guard down as he slid his hands over her hips, tugging her closer so that there wasn’t any space between them. He listened to her breath hitch, every muscle in her body tensing up. “I know exactly what I’m wishing for,” she whispered, looking up at him through her lashes. He felt a pressure against his stomach and her smirk curled on her lips. “You lost,” she purred, her eyes flicking down towards where she pressed her dagger against his torso. The girl had used his lust as a distraction. He almost laughed at the thought.

“You win, little thief,” Everett lifted his hand to her cheek, running his thumb along her jaw. He could see her swallow hard, the sound audible in the silence around them. “What do I get for winning?” Aerilyn ran her hand slowly over his biceps. A shiver ran down his spine from the small touch. “You get me. You can have me however you want,” he lowered his mouth to hers, letting their breath mix. He heard the dagger hit the mat at their feet and her free hand grasped the back of his head. Her fingers looped into his hair as she pulled her mouth to his. He hadn’t expected the action. She was always full of surprises.

Everett didn’t hesitate to kiss her back, their lips connecting perfectly. He’d kissed many females back in Orissia, but he couldn’t process how she affected him in the way that she did. He couldn’t get enough of her. He knew the moment that he went all the way with her, he’d never be able to come back from it. No one’s touch could ever begin to compare to the feeling of her body against his. He slid one hand to the small of her back, capturing her against him. His other hand gripped her throat as he dragged his tongue over her bottom lip.