Page 74 of The Demon King's Destiny

Chapter 19

Marrok appeared in the meadow. His upturned lips flattened when he saw the state of his mate.

Evelyn was fully clothed, head to toe. A cloak buttoned high on her neck. Her hair was in a severe braid when she only ever wore it down for him. Though her skin was tan, he could see the distinct feature of dark circles under her eyes.

Striding to the table where she sat, he knelt in front of her. His hands landed on her knees just above her tall black boots. His fingers pressing into the soft fabric of her riding breeches.

Evelyn wore nightgowns when they met. Small, dainty, flimsy coverings he could easily remove. She hadn’t worn daytime clothing in so long, he almost forgot what she looked like covered.

She also hadn’t ran into his arms the second he appeared, which troubled him more than the outfit she wore. His eyes searched her troubled face.

He hadn’t felt any severe distress through their connection. The only sign she might be upset came a few nights ago. The flicker of jealously and sadness he’d experienced in the middle of the night was the same one he always had whenever she dreamt of Melena.

It had rarely affected Evelyn to the point she was standoffish with him.Damnit. She must have seen something she hadn’t wanted to see.He wanted to curse Fate for inflicting such suffering ontohis saatus.

“Tell me what you saw,” he urged, without any preamble for what he was asking.

Evelyn drew in a slow, purposeful inhale, gathering the air like it could fuel her courage. “I think it best if you take them from my mind. There were quite a few this week.”

Marrok lifted his hands, gently placing them on each side of her face. He could see without touching her, but touch allowed him to feel the emotions she felt in the memories.

Memories, many long forgotten, played out in his mind. Most of them were innocuous. He waited patiently for the ones he knew had hurt his mate.

He flinched when he saw Melena in her wedding gown, marching down the aisle. How had he missed her eyes upon the throne, not upon him? The hit to his psyche came hard.

The memory altered and it took him a second to realize he was seeing from inside Melena. Her cousin, Caleb, was behaving as his usual self. Detestable.

He was threatening Melena, warning her to keep some secret. It raised Marrok’s hackles despite the fact both Caleb and Melena were long dead. Caleb had been killed by Kellan for his misdeeds in helping to poison the wolf’s father.

His life ended the day before Melena took her own. She wasn’t fond of Caleb, so Marrok had never seen the timing as anything other than a sad coincidence.

Marrok had to wonder why Caleb’s mention of Melena being his only heir sounded like a threat. He’d left behind no offspring and his assets had been spread among his living family,though the bulk of it was to go to Melena. The entire exchange was baffling.

The image of Caleb’s sneer gave him pause. The bastard had been the demon member of Sephtis Kenelm. Few knew of this fact. Only Brennen and a handful of his people, Marrok included, were present when it was revealed.

Kellan had needed permission to hunt Caleb down on Sundari land. With King Edward at his back, Brennen could only grant permission or else risk the wrath of the other kingdoms. Even The Heartless King of Prajna had acquiesced, and he bowed to no one.

Melena must have known Caleb was part of the brotherhood. It was the only logical explanation for their discussion. She took her cousin’s secret with her to the grave.

He had no time to think on it before the scene changed once more. He watched Melena put away the vial of poison that would later take her life.

Old wounds reopened listening to Melena tell Bogdan about her visions. By accepting the poison, she was giving Marrok a chance to find his saatus, to have children, something he cared nothing about at the time. Had she really thought he would have ended her life in order to be with another?

Then, the worst of them, for Marrok, at least, was the night he entombed Melena’s corpse. The night he vowed to never love another, not even his mate. Evelyn had heard it all.

A warm hand wiped something damp from his cheek. Marrok blinked, Evelyn’s face coming back into focus. He pulled out of her reach, unwilling to allow her to clean up the evidence of his sorrow. She’d been subjected to more than her fair share of his heartache.

“Those last few were different. Obviously. They felt … I don’t know. Ominous?” she guessed, unable to come up with a better word.

“You probably have much you need to think on,” she continued.“Before I go, I need to ask you something. It’s completely selfish of me, but I need to ask it anyway.”

“Ask it,” he encouraged, sinking his weight onto his heels, still on his knees in front of her.

“If you’d known I was your saatus, and I was here in Gwydion, would you … would you have …” she cleared her throat, wracked with guilt for even thinking to put him in this position. It wasn’t fair of her. She bit her tongue to stop the rest from tumbling out of her impious mouth.

“Are you asking if I would have come for you?”

“Yes.”

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