Page 105 of The Demon King's Destiny

“What is it you think I need to see?” he seethed, turning his back and staring out the darkened window.

Evelyn pulled the sheet higher. He was irate. Not with Evelyn, but with his past.

“You want me to see her betrayal? I see it. Her inability to handle being Caleb’s heir? I see it. Her visions which always pointed in one direction when it came to my future? I see it. Her promising to tell Brennen who my mate was if her visions revealed your identity? Trust me, I see it, and I refuse to see anymore. If I do, I might find a necromancer for the sole purpose of bringing her back so I can kill her again myself!”

Evelyn stood, slowly approaching his shadowy figure outlined in the moonlight. Her palm fell upon his muscular back and he stiffened.

“You’ve every right to feel deceived, Marrok.”

“Well, thank you for your blessing that I’m entitled to my own feelings,” his sarcastic tongue lashed out, moving away from her touch.

It hurt, but Evelyn wouldn’t back down. Like a festering wound, it needed to be flayed open and debrided so the healing could begin.

“I see some things, too, Marrok. I see that she ensured youwouldfind me. If she hadn’t done what she’d done, I would not be here with you now. I’m not convinced if you were still happily married, you’d have been able to come to my aide that night. Fate wouldn’t let you fall in love, let you remain married to that person, and then find your saatus.”

“Then you have more faith than I,” he ridiculed. “Fate’s been nothing but cruel these past years. Even you’ve suffered at Her hands, Evelyn.”

Evelyn blinked away the tears forming, despising the pain in his voice.

“I disagree,” she countered. “I think Fate has been very generous with me.”

“How can you say that? I’ve seen what you had to endure, night after night, reliving my memories, my thoughts. You felt me fall in love with someone else. You were forced to watch it happen. It was callous at best. If I was to see the truth of my past, it shouldn’t have come at a cost to you. How can you possibly think Fate gave you a godsdamned thing?”

Her eyes filled to the brim, spilling over in rivulets streaking down her face. “Because I have you, Marrok. Whatever the price for that, I would gladly pay it. I know it’s not the same for you, that you don’t feel the same, but that’s how I feel about it.”

The air left his lungs in such a rush he was sure he’d taken a blow to his gut. His little mate took no issue with suffering whatever pitiless twist Fate threw at her. Because they were together, Evelyn accepted all the moments of heartache.

He’d been so wrapped up in the brutality of things hidden from him years ago, he’d failed to acknowledge the one beautiful truth in his sad existence. Evelyn was his. Melena’s death, as difficult as it was for him, set in motion the path to his mate.

“Evelyn—”

Someone hammered a fist against the door, startling them both.

“We’ve got problems, Marrok!” Danil’s muffled voice called through the wood.

“Get dressed. Hurry,” he marshalled, collecting his own clothing with demon speed.

She quickly threw on a dress, not bothering with her underthings. Once Evelyn was lacing her boots, she heard Marrok open the door.

Favin and Danil stood in front of a dozen others whose faces she couldn’t see. The two entered and Danil barked out orders to the others to be alert.

“What’s happened?” Evelyn asked, coming up beside Marrok.

“Lazlo sent a rider. The peninsula’s wall has been compromised. The barrier …” Favin took a breath.

“Which part is down?” Marrok asked impatiently.

“It’s gone. The entire colony rushed it at once.”

Marrok went still. The wall was gone. There was nothing holding the rogues on the peninsula. “It was coordinated. There’s no other way that would have happened. Someone has rallied them.”

Evelyn’s nervous gaze fell on Marrok. “Do you think it was Dmitri?”

“Maybe. They might be easily influenced by a vampire’s power of hypnosis. Those who are really far gone would have followed the crowd, feeding off the frenzy. Or Bogdan could have had an heir in place, planting ideas. Or both.”

Danil ran a hand through his white hair. “Bloody hell, this is bad. There are thousands of them.”

Marrok looked at Favin. “Is Lazlo alright?”

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