46. Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Six

Evelyn

I t took every ounce of Evelyn’s willpower to leave their room and not spend the rest of the day exploring all the wicked ideas she had in store for Kade. Now that her flame was intertwined with his wolf, she couldn’t get enough of the feel of it. The warmth, the wildness.

Kade, too, had seemed reluctant to leave the bliss they’d found. His eyes had darkened to a molten amber when she’d removed his tunic and set her sights on an outfit Yennifer had left. But he’d blinked it away and donned appropriate attire as well. Clothes didn’t help. She felt, more than ever, the desire to undress him. He pulled half his hair and twisted it into a bun, the rugged, wolfish look heating her core.

Yet, the sight of his eyes drew Evelyn back to something she’d forgotten in the haste of escaping the castle and bliss of being with Kade again.

His mother.

Evelyn’s insides twisted. She felt rotten all of the sudden, selfish. How could she have forgotten? The need to tell him coursed through her so wildly her head spun. Even if it hurt and he grew angry with her for waiting, Kade deserved to know. She’d be there for him, however he decided to process the news .

He appeared at her side, grabbing her elbow so she looked at him. “Moons, what’s wrong? I can hear your racing heart across the room. If you need more time to rest before we discuss what’s next, stay here.”

Evelyn shook her head. “No, there’s something I need to tell you.”

But how did she tell him this? How did she admit something so altering?

She stared at her fated’s handsome, beautiful face. Brows pulled together, amber eyes searching her up and down. Evelyn, too, had lost her mother. And father. Time never allowed her to forget the loss, and their absence and death etched a scar of grief on her heart, one that throbbed time to time. It never got easier, Evelyn learned the pain and how to lean into it.

This was different for Kade. Her parents were gone, she knew that, but if she didn’t, how would she want to learn such heavy news?

This involved Kade’s heart, and the desire to hold it with care overcame her like the gentle warmth of an evening sun. She stepped towards him, mustering the courage.

“You’re scaring me,” Kade whispered. “Is it something that happened in the castle?”

“I’m sorry.” When Evelyn reached him, she grabbed his hands in hers and met his stare. “What I’m about to tell you isn’t easy, but I want you to know I didn’t mean to wait. With everything… it didn’t slip my mind, I… the right moment hadn’t made itself known. I’m with you in this, whatever you need, I’m here.”

Kade’s brows pulled together even more, but his eyes searched her face, and he breathed, “Okay.”

Evelyn inhaled. Her words came out soft and kind. “Kade, your mother is alive.”

His eyes widened, and he squeezed her hands tighter. His mouth opened and closed, expression slackening. “How?” was all he asked.

Evelyn shut her eyes and shuddered. “I don’t know. Your mother was my guard, she’s also in Riven’s council. She’s the one who brought me to Tovi. ”

“Tovi said she had a trusted contact in the castle… Whoever they were, they were a part of the plan of getting you out.”

She nodded. “When I look back at the last few weeks, I’m remembering the small acts of kindness. I never thought her an ally though. When I was caught with Belle exploring the castle, she suggested I be thrown in the dungeons, but honestly, I think she did that on purpose. She wanted me somewhere far away from the rings when the plan came into place.”

Evelyn didn’t have the energy to add she’d possibly derailed that plan when Belle broke her out of the castle dungeons.

“I’m sorry I waited to tell you,” she said. “It wasn’t intentional, and I feel awful for not telling you sooner—”

Kade grabbed Evelyn’s shoulders. “Please don’t apologize for the most memorable, blissful hours of my life. I love you, Evelyn, and I trust that you told me when the time was right.”

Evelyn sighed, softening into his touch. “You both have the same golden eyes.”

Kade blinked away tears. “We do.”

“And kindness. It all clicked when I saw you in the arena. My heart saw a little bit of you in her from the beginning.” She caught one of his tears before it fell. Her chest ached from the sight of his pain. “Do you think there’s a reason Tovi didn’t say anything?”

Kade sighed, and the two of them headed towards the door. Voices resounded on the main floor of the cottage, loud enough to indicate the entire Gray Fenris had returned.

“I’m sure she has her reasons,” Kade said, lips downturned. “But if she hasn’t told Eldrick yet, I fear for the princess’s well-being.”

A hole in Evelyn’s heart festered. In the tunnels, her conversation with Tovi had only reopened the wound she’d cut. Her words had torn the little healing Evelyn had done these past few weeks. Evelyn knew she’d run from home. She recognized her flaws. But she’d meant what she’d said. They were no longer friends, and despite that, Evelyn’s heart raced like a trapped bird. She didn’t want to, but she feared for her friend should Eldrick discover Tovi’s secrets.

As they joined the others filing in from the tunnels, it turned out Eldrick had already discovered his mother was alive. Unlike Kade though, his eldest brother’s feelings toward the matter weren’t as telling. He barely muttered a word about Tovi, too, but when the vampyr princess entered through the cottage beside Lou, a tension vibrated in the air, threatening to shake the cottage’s foundation worse than any of Linx’s explosives.

At least Lou had brought her bakery's offerings, defusing the tension with food. The table became a spread of pastries, breads, and cured meats, engulfing the cottage in morning breakfast. The questions about her time in the castle began, and Evelyn jumped into a more detailed account about what she’d discovered.

She started from the beginning, arriving at the tower and meeting Belle for the first time before discussing Matilda’s journal. She proceeded with the secret passageway in her room, leading to Riven’s study. They’d already covered the Lone Wolf and witch contact, so she glossed over those details and jumped to the destroyed room. Everyone was silent and attentive to her story, and as her time in the castle spilled from her, she hoped they didn’t see some frightened witch locked away, but one who’d done all she could.

Evelyn paused. Kade’s knuckles had gone white as he gripped the table. Unlike last time, he hadn’t interrupted with questions, but he bristled with tension. She swore the wood groaned, but why would he react in such a way? They’d stood here before, discussing over a table with notes spread out, investigating darkness. The difference in Kade unnerved her, but she ignored it and continued on.

“As I mentioned last night, Riven was visited by some deity,” she said. “What I didn’t mention was that… Goddess visited me when I was in the dungeons.”

Kade’s jaw ticked. “Excuse me? ”

Evelyn set her shoulders back, not letting Kade’s far-too-calm exterior rattle her. “Yes, a goddess. It was only a voice. She referred to herself as the Blood Goddess, saying her namesake was after what had been given. Riven had offered his blood when he visited the altar.”

Yennifer shook her head. “There’s never been any goddess of that name before.”

The team murmured their agreement, sharing bewildered expressions, mirroring Evelyn’s own.

She sighed, glancing at Tovi. “I know.”

Indecision warred within Evelyn. Answers about the prophecy, the spell, Riven’s motives—it all pointed to that instance at the altar with Tovi and her parents. She’d seen the look in Tovi’s eyes when they’d visited the caverns, noticed how quickly her old friend had wanted to hurry through it. But she’d also seen Tovi there , a vision of her from years ago. The haunt. The chill. The memory still fresh on Evelyn’s mind.

“What did she say?” Kade asked. “Did she show you anything?”

Evelyn fleeted one more glance at Tovi, giving her the chance to say something, because the truth was, Evelyn didn’t have it in her to call Tovi out. Not when her once friend sat back from everyone else, shoulders slumped as if she carried a thousand pounds. The tension, the static among the team had shifted in light of Nadia Drengr being alive, and nothing sat well with Evelyn adding more ire, more hurt to the situation.

It wasn’t her place. No matter the pain she harbored.

“Mists and memories,” Evelyn said, “but none of it made any sense. If we find out more about the Blood Goddess, then we might learn more about the spell or Riven’s intentions.”

“Where do we start researching a deity no one has ever heard of?” Bétar asked.

Eldrick splayed his fingers onto the table. “We write to Lorkan—”

“You have all never heard of her because she was banished by the other gods and goddesses. She is lost to histories. Lost to this world. ”

The cottage fell silent, every gaze turning to Tovi. Outside, the snow stopped, the river appeared to slow, and the gray in the sky lessoned a fraction.

Kade leaned into the table. “How do you know who she is?”

Tovi set her shoulders back, settling her jade gaze on each one of them until they connected with Evelyn’s only. “Because she is my maker.”