Chapter 17: Veil of Desire

The night was silent, yet something felt wrong. The air was thick, charged with an unseen force that made Evelyn's skin sting. The dim glow of the candles in her chamber shining unnaturally, their flames bending as if whispering secrets she could not hear.

She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the door. Her mind was restless. Ever since they escaped the Keep, something in her heart felt… incomplete. As if she had left a piece of herself behind.

Or maybe, she had brought something back with her.

A soft knock echoed through the chamber.

Her heart pounded.

It was him.

Ronan.

She hadn't seen him since their escape. Not properly. He had been distant, avoiding her gaze when the others were near. But now, as the door opened, there he was leaning against the frame, looking like a piece of art work, eyes piercing with an unreadable expression.

"Evelyn," his voice was smooth, deep, laced with something that sent a shiver down her spine. Are you avoiding me?

Her heart hurts painfully. Avoiding him? If anything, she had been desperate to see him. To make sure he was real. That he was still him.

"You disappeared," she said, standing. After everything that happened, you…

He stepped inside before she could finish, closing the door behind him. "I needed time," he murmured, his gaze intense. "To recover. To think."

Evelyn swallowed, forcing herself to meet his eyes. There was something off about him, but she couldn't place what. He looked like Ronan. Spoke like Ronan. But something inside her whispered otherwise.

Still, she wanted to believe.

She had seen him break in the Keep. She had seen him suffer. If anyone deserved to be lost in his thoughts, it was him.

Are you alright? she asked, softer now.

A small, almost satisfied smile crossed his lips. "You're worried about me?"

She frowned. Of course, I am. You almost….

She stopped herself.

He had almost died. Or worse.

He moved closer, his presence overwhelming. I didn't know I meant so much to you, Evelyn.

Her pulse raced. There was a shift in his voice, a slow, deliberate pull that made her pulse stutter.

You're deflecting, she muttered, crossing her arms.

Am I? He bent his head, studying her in that way that made her feel stripped bare, vulnerable. "Or do you just not want to admit the truth?"

She cleared her throat. And what truth is that?

"That you have always felt something for me and you felt something back there. In the Keep. When you held onto me."

Her lips opened, but no words came out.

Because he wasn't wrong.

She had always felt something. A connection. A pull. Something deeper than just survival.

And that terrified her.

"Ronan, I…."

But before she could finish, his fingers brushed against her wrist, light as a whisper. It sent an unexpected push through her, warmth coiling deep in her stomach.

His gaze dimmed.

"You don't have to say anything," he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. Just… let yourself feel it.

Her heart was pounding now.

Was this really happening?

Why did it feel like she was standing at the edge of something dangerous, something irreversible?

But before she could decide whether to step forward or run, the door burst open.

Damien.

His eyes were burning with something close to rage.

"Step away from her," he warned.

Ronan didn't move.

Evelyn blinked in shock. Damien, what the hell…

You shouldn't be here, Ronan, Damien snapped, his fingers curling into fists. "Stay away from her."

A muscle in Ronan's jaw ticked. "And who are you to decide that?"

Damien's eyes flashed with something dangerous. "Her protector."

Evelyn stepped between them before things escalated. "Enough. Both of you." She turned to Damien, anger rising in her chest. What's your problem?

Damien's expression hardened. He's not who you think he is, Evelyn.

She frowned, glancing between them. What are you talking about?

Ronan let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. Ah, Damien… always the paranoid one.

Damien's jaw hardened. You think I don't see it? The way you move, the way you speak, it's different. You're different.

Evelyn's heart skipped a beat.

Ronan's gaze flashed with something unreadable before he smirked. "Maybe I changed."

No, Damien snapped. "This is something else. Something darker."

For the first time, a glimpse of irritation crossed Ronan's face. "Careful, little brother." His voice was deceptively calm, but something beneath it made Evelyn's blood turn cold. "You don't want to start something you can't finish."

Damien's fists squeezed. "Try me."

And then…it happened.

For the briefest moment, Evelyn saw it.

Something shifted behind Ronan's eyes, like a shadow twisting beneath his skin. Something that wasn't him.

But before she could react, the tension snapped.

Damien pounced.

Ronan vanished.

One second he was there. The next, only empty space remained.

Evelyn's breath came fast, her pulse racing.

What the hell was that?! she demanded, turning to Damien.

But Damien wasn't looking at her. His eyes were fixed on the doorway, and for the first time since she had known him, he looked truly afraid.

 A Mother's Warning

Outside, in the deep shadows of the night, Ronan reappeared.

Only this time, he wasn't alone, a figure stepped from the darkness.

Evelyn's mother.

Her eyes filled with knowing fury as she faced him.

"I know what you are," she whispered, her voice low and steady.

Ronan smirked. Do you?

"You are not Ronan."

He nodded his head, amused. "Then who am I?"

She took a step closer, unafraid. "You are the Keep. And I know why you're here."

Ronan's smirk faded.

You want Evelyn weak, she continued, her voice like a blade. You want her to fall for you, to let her guard down, so when the time comes….she stepped closer, her eyes flashing…she won't see the dagger coming.

Silence fell between them.

Then…Ronan chuckled. "Clever woman."

"But you will fail," she vowed. "Because I will make sure she is ready. I will teach her how to control her power. How to resist you."

Ronan's eyes darkened.

You won't live long enough to fulfill that. he murmured.

Her lips formed into a knowing smile. "We'll see."

And then she vanished into the shadows, leaving him standing alone, the night pressing in around him.

But Ronan didn't move, instead, he smiled.

Because this was only the beginning.

And Evelyn… was already falling.

Back inside, Evelyn sat on her bed, heart pounding.

Damien was gone, but the room still buzzed with the weight of what had just happened.

Something wasn't right.

Her mother had been acting strange. Damien had been furious. Ronan… had disappeared like a shadow in the night.

And then….she heard it.

A whisper….Soft. Deceptive.

Calling her name.

Evelyn.

She turned sharply but no one was there.

Yet somehow… she wasn't alone.

 ….Continue….