Page 163 of Happily Ever Witch
“Well, you didn’t tell me that!” Marrok snapped. “If I’d known it was literal life-and-death, I would’ve helped you with an escape plan. I thought you were just bored and homesick. I still wouldn’t have rigged a bomb to wipe out a hundred people, but I’m sure we could’ve come up with something to save you.”
“I did come up with something. I slept with Snow White. And I wasneverthe same. I’ve always been Bad, but I was worse after that. The dragon raged for five goddamn years and --yes!--I got out of control. At least partially. And Ihatebeing out of control.”
The wolf frowned.
Trevelyan ran a hand over his face. He knew Esmeralda had been right when she said he’d had sex too early. Mrs. Clyburn had been a predatory bitch. It seemed obvious, now. Trevelyan had spent years afterwards inoculating himself with more and more meaningless bed partners. That just made things worse.
But, he’d neverfeltout of control. Not until Snow White.
That had been the moment that changed him. When he’d decided to survive, yes… but the means of his survival hadn’treallybeen his decision. After that, all the little shit that he’d been previously ignoring, coalesced into something huge. His resentment of Snow White and Mrs. Clyburn had mixed together in his head and crashed down on him. Trevelyan had wondered if he’d ever get back up. He almost hadn’t. He’d done things that even he knew were wrong.
“It wasn’t until I found Ez that I felt like me, again.” He said aloud. Trying to work it all out, so they’d both understand. “The dragon finally settled and my mind cleared. And I was fully in control, again.”
The wolf was listening.
Trevelyan sighed. “God, Marrok. I didnotwant to sleep with Snow White.”
“I know.” Marrok’s tone changed, becoming less cold. “I shouldn’t have said what I said about that, back in the Westlands. When I implied you must have wanted her back. I know you didn’t.”
Trevelyan shrugged, staring at the wall and hating this whole conversation.
Marrok wasn’t done. “But, we have our mates, now. Whatever we did to get them is worth it. We endured it all andwon, because we found them.”
Trevelyan was quiet for a moment. “When I scared Scarlett, I wasn’t thinking beyond my fury at you. I have very few friends and I was… upset with you for not helping me.”
“You need to not be such an asshole. Then maybe you’d have more friends.”
“Possibly.” He returned his eyes to the wolf. “I’m sorry.”
Marrok crossed his arms over his chest and thought for a beat. “How much did it just hurt you to say that?”
“A fucking lot.”
“Good.”
Trevelyan expelled an irritated breath, because he might as well say it all. “I understand what you meant in that jail cell. All those times you said your True Love would save you, I thought you were being ridiculous. But I get it, now.”
“I know you do. You wouldn’t have come for me or be saying any of this, if you didn’t love Ez.”
“She wants you alive. Lord knows why. She’ll be here soon to save you. I told her to stay away, but I’m sure she’ll ignore me. And she’ll be able to feel my magic, even with the block on Bad energy.” That golden strand still connected them. It always would. “We need to wait here, until she shows up.”
“Trev, she’ll come foryou.” Marrok corrected. “For both of us. But mostly for you.”
“You have no idea how desperate she’s been to find you.”
“And I’ve been desperate to find her. Butyouare her True Love. Nothing will stop her from reaching you. Esmeralda will rain down nail polish and gingerbread mutants on anyone who keeps you from her. Trust me. She’s a villain. Just like us.”
“She’s better than us.”
“She is.” Marrok agreed. “But that just makes her stronger.”
“She has the greatest magic I’ve ever seen.” Trevelyan said with genuine pride. “No one anywhere can match it. Not even me. What she can do isimpossibleand yet she does it without even seeing how special it is.”
“Doesn’t surprise me.” Marrok flopped down on one of the pristine white sofas, getting comfortable while they waited for Esmeralda. “When the Tuesday share circle escaped the WUB Club, I was the muscle, Scarlett had the plan, Benji and Avenant got us across the Lake of Forgetting… But Ez’s glamours made all of it possible. Even with those magic detectors everywhere, she could find ways around the rules.”
Trevelyan smirked. “She hates rules.”
“If you don’t take care of her, I’ll kill you.” It wasn’t a threat. It was a flat warning. “If you have a sister, than you know that I will.”
