Chapter Thirteen

She hadn't thought she'd ever see him again, not even now she was living in his world again. But she'd recognised Christophe's golden hair instantly. He'd walked in with swagger, a confident smile on his handsome face as he greeted Evangeline with a hug. She'd no idea they were family, or they knew each other, no idea the woman she was serving could be related to the one that had thrown her whole world upside down. If she had, she'd definitely have tried to escape again. The fear that had taken over had had her completely paralysed. She didn't remember leaving the ballroom, didn't remember following Riven to a secluded area of the castle. She hadn't even thanked him, only held on to his shirt and let him wrap his arms around her until the shock had worn off. They'd gone back to the ballroom without saying a word. She was lucky, in a way, that Evangeline had dismissed her, because she'd successfully stayed out of Christophe's sight the entire night. Most of Evangeline's family were only there for the night, she prayed he was gone by the time her shift started in the morning. For now, her bed seemed the only safe place in the castle, partly because of the man sleeping across the hall from her.

"Don't you think it was a little too much today?" Layla's voice pulled her out of her depressing spiral.

"Hmm? Yeah, I suppose it's the way things are supposed to go when the heir of an empire gets engaged," she replied, turning on her side so she could look at her friend. She hadn't heard her entire rant, but she knew what the blonde was thinking about, or more precisely, whom. She fluffed her pillow before she hugged it, trying to get comfortable for what was probably going to be a long conversation about the blue-eyed man that seemed to have a hold on her friend's heart.

"I don't think he had a lot of say in the decorations," the brown-eyed girl said, her voice thoughtful and maybe a little hopeful. Nieve knew her friend thought she had a clear idea of who the Simia heir was, but there was no way. Primes were not to be trusted, Christophe had shown her that much. They could act a certain way and think the complete opposite. Ryan was rich and important, there was no logical reason for him to be interested in Layla. Yet, he'd acted like he was, until suddenly he wasn't anymore. Typical prime attitude.

"I don't think he has a lot of say in many things," Nieve shrugged. She doubted it mattered to Ryan what the wedding looked like, as long as he married someone as important and powerful as himself. Her friend nodded, pouting a little as she let out a long breath. The brunette didn't have to guess at her friend's thoughts, she was sure Layla felt pity for the fire-creator. She always saw the best in people. If only she'd realise primes weren't people like them.

Ryan grunted as he let himself fall back on his bed, groaning when the room started turning. Maybe Riven had been right, maybe he'd had one too many wines today. Or maybe it was the champagne that had done him in. Either way, he felt miserable. Though that probably had nothing to do with his alcohol consumption and more with the fact that he was now engaged.

Evangeline had looked beautiful tonight, her dress hugging her in all the right places, her fiery hair pinned up and away from her pretty face. They'd danced together most of the night, chatting together and laughing while she introduced him to her family and he introduced her to his. It hadn't necessarily felt wrong to have her in his arms, in fact, it'd been nice. But his thoughts kept going to the girl that was dutifully following his sister around. Her dress hadn't been as elaborately decorated, but she'd looked beautiful anyway. 'She always does,' he thought wistfully.

After the ceremony, he'd kissed Evangeline. Her lips had been soft, tasting like strawberries, and it had made his heart flutter a little. Still, it was nothing compared to the half-kiss he'd shared with Layla. Their lips had barely touched, but it had left him wanting for more. The blonde had had a hold on him ever since.

"Get a hold of yourself," he mumbled to himself as he moved to curl under the covers. He almost chuckled when he found a bucket next to his bed; Riven knew him well, maybe too well. He took a steadying breath when the room started to spin again, enjoying the smell of fresh linen as he closed his eyes. He just needed some sleep, he was sure he'd feel better the next day.

Christophe. The name kept running through Riven's mind the entire night. He had no idea what the muscular man had done to Nieve; she hadn't told him and whatever it was, Ryan's distant cousin hadn't thought about it once. He'd bounced around the ballroom, talking to anyone important, never looking at the waitresses or the maids in the room.

Riven pushed his hair, still damp from the shower, out of his face as he leaned back on his pillow. He folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, instantly picturing Christophe smiling and laughing. He wondered if he'd been close to Nieve, if that laugh was something she found attractive. A lot of the girls in the ballroom sure did.

He could've gone through his mind, he could have combed through all his memories until he'd found Nieve. Maybe he should have. But his ability could leave traces, especially if he wasn't completely focused, which he probably wasn't. Besides, he wasn't allowed to. He doubted Lord and Lady Simia would appreciate it if one of their guards violated a guest on an important night as this. They didn't care what Christophe might have done to Nieve; she was only a common maid after all. Riven couldn't figure out why he cared, but he definitely did. She'd been so scared, he'd never felt her fear like this before.

Wait…

His eyes shot open and he turned his gaze to the door. He'd never felt her feel anything before, so what had changed? He tried to feel her again. He knew she was in her room, he could hear Layla thinking and talking to her, always with Ryan on her mind, but he couldn't hear her. Why?

Every time he thought he had her figured out, something would change, and she would leave him guessing. He wasn't used to guessing. He wanted to get up and ask her, but immediately pushed the thought out of his mind. He needed to stop acting like an infatuated teenager. He was the head of the Simia guard, and he'd best remember that.

For some reason Evangeline had trouble falling asleep. The day had passed without incident, and she was finally engaged to the heir of the Simia empire. She should be happy, she should be sleeping like a baby. Instead, she found herself staring at the ceiling, a sort of dread squeezing her throat that had nothing to do with the new responsibilities she was bound to get. She could handle responsibilities, it had been all she'd trained for. No, this feeling was something else. She dreaded loss, but she couldn't figure out of what. She was closer to getting the title she deserved than she'd ever been. Her future in-laws knew there was no one like her, no one as strong-willed or powerful, no one more fitting to rule alongside their son. They weren't the problem, she realised. And neither was Kaitlyn. The white-haired sibling to her fiancé was nothing more than a small nuisance, a mere fly in the greater scheme of things, nothing a quick marriage couldn't take care of. The person that made the redhead nervous was her future sister-in-law's quiet little handmaid. She wasn't blind, she'd noticed the way that girl couldn't take her eyes of Ryan. That wasn't a big deal, or at least is shouldn't have to be, a lot of handmaids looked at him. The reason she was filled with dread was because Ryan seemed to notice the handmaid too. He thought he had her fooled, and he had for a little while, his sudden flirting had hidden his ridiculous feelings for a common, but Evangeline had been taught to assess threats, so she knew one when she saw one. She'd have to make sure Ryan didn't do anything stupid, at least not until they were married. She'd liked the thought of having a title and being in a loving relationship, the possibility had made her happy. But if she couldn't have both, she'd take the title, and find love somewhere else. That was the way most marriages worked anyway. She'd find a way to tolerate Ryan's stupid infatuation, and find herself one, too. All she needed to do was stop him from acting on it for now, and she already knew what to do.