Unfaithful (38 page)

He stroked my hair as if I were a little girl in need of comforting. “Everything’s okay,” he whispered. For a second I almost hoped he’d killed the other Executioner. I wouldn’t be able to bear another moment like this.

“He got away.”

His words sent a tremor down my spine. So it wasn’t over. This wouldn’t be the last time Evan put himself in harm’s way for my sake. I held him tighter, knowing he sensed my apprehension. “I was afraid you weren’t coming back to me any more,” I murmured, desperation in my voice.

“Hey.” Evan lifted my chin to make me look him in the eye. “I will always come back to you.”

I buried my face in his chest again. His muscles stiffened and a groan escaped his clenched teeth. Worried, I instantly relaxed my grip and leaned back to look at his face. His lips were pressed together, though he was trying hard to smile. When he saw my alarmed expression, which instantly told him more than any words could, he gave a slight shake of his head and was quick to reassure me. “It’s nothing.”

“Evan!” I whispered, lowering my eyes to his abdomen. “You’re hurt!” Looking closer, I noticed a rip in his green shirt at the level of his ribs. Through it, I glimpsed an ugly burn mark, as if something had torn first through the fabric and then through his skin. When I reached out toward it, Evan pulled away from my touch, unsuccessfully concealing a grimace of pain.

“What happened? I thought nothing could injure you,” I gasped.

“We were just playing around a little.” He forced a faint mocking smile, then took me by the hand. “Come on. Let’s go somewhere safer.”

I followed him through the trees along the same course I’d taken. Earlier the distance had seemed longer, but I’d been so disoriented by fear I’d probably run in circles. The trees parted, revealing our hideaway just yards from us. I continued to steal glances at Evan’s pain-stricken face. I’d never seen him look like that before and it seemed to transmit a part of his suffering to me. Although he was trying hard not to let it show, his eyes filled with pain from time to time.

The wooden front door opened wide before us. Evan continued to look around him in all directions. When the door closed behind us I felt a strange sensation, as if a bubble of bulletproof glass had suddenly surrounded me, a protective sphere that kept out panic, pain, worry. All at once I wasn’t afraid of anything any more—even the terror of dying had disappeared. Evan had banished my fears from my mind, I was sure of it. Just like I was sure he’d tried, without success, to ease the one concern filling my mind right now, the only thing that really mattered to me: the bleeding wound on his abdomen.

I’d seen other marks on Evan’s body before—small cuts, burns, scratches. They generally healed even before I could get more than a glimpse of them. This injury, on the other hand, seemed pretty deep and didn’t show the least sign of improving. I wondered how it was possible.

I looked away from it and stole a glance at Evan’s face when he wasn’t looking at me. Dark and rebellious, his drenched hair hung over his forehead and his clothes were sopping wet—no less than my own, of course. My heart beat harder just looking at him.

“He’s sneaky.” Evan’s voice shook me out of my thoughts. “He wants to make it look like an accident, even to us. It’s like he doesn’t want to come out into the open.”

“Maybe he’s just afraid of you,” I said.

Evan shook his head, unconvinced. “It has to be something else. He must have a plan—otherwise I can’t explain it.” He stared into space, thinking aloud. “He always keeps his distance, just far enough away that I can’t detect his presence and intercept him.” His face went rigid and fire glimmered in his eyes. There was something he wasn’t telling me, I could feel it. “But I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“What happened, exactly?” I asked cautiously.

“I tried to catch him.” His tone went dull again, making me instantly regret my question. “But I couldn’t.” He looked away.

“It doesn’t matter, Evan. How are
you
?” I reached toward the wound without touching it.

“It’s nothing,” he said reassuringly.

“Evan, why haven’t you healed yet? I thought your wounds always went away quickly.”

“Only the common ones. Things get complicated if the person to injure you isn’t human. The bastard threw a fireball at me, a totally extreme measure.” Evan’s eyes seemed to grow more pensive, but his face was set. “He didn’t want to fight and he wasn’t trying to kill me.”

I started. “But he couldn’t have done that, right?”

Evan was silent for a moment. “No, but death isn’t always the worst outcome. He only grazed me and I’m sure he did it on purpose.”

Another silence.

“Then why did he attack you?” I asked. “Evan, why didn’t he try to hit you full on?”

“He wanted to get away.” Again that pensive look. “And that’s what I don’t get,” he reflected aloud. “It’s really strange. Too strange. I had the impression he didn’t want to confront me. He kept running away and wouldn’t let me see his face.” Evan shook his head. “No, it can’t be . . .” he murmured, barely moving his lips.

“Maybe he doesn’t want you to know who he is,” I suggested timidly, “so he can—I don’t know—operate undisturbed.”

“Maybe.” His gaze was still distant, lost in thought, as if he’d come up with an explanation but wasn’t convinced. “Or maybe not.”

“Does it hurt?” I asked, lightly touching the wound. His sopping-wet shirt clung to his body, outlining his chest, and the burn lacerating his skin showed through.

“Only a little,” he murmured at my touch. From the look on his face I could tell he was lying. An icy shiver ran down my back, reminding me I was still wet too. My clothes felt frozen to my skin.

“You’re cold,” Evan said, his voice low, gently rubbing my arms to warm them. He released them and went over to the fireplace. When he raised his palms toward the blackened stone hearth, a spark flickered amid the stacked firewood. Soon a fire softly illuminated the room. Outside, the sun had already set. In moments the fire was blazing, emitting a wave of hot air that startled me. Shivering again, I eased into the pleasant sensation of warmth against my skin.

I looked at Evan, captivated by the golden glow the fire was casting on his face. He opened his palm and before I could ask what he was doing something took my breath away: another spark, rising from his hand. Taking the form of a tiny crystal sphere, like a will-o’-the-wisp, its white light glimmered silver before my enchanted eyes as he raised it to his mouth and blew it off his hand. The luminescent sphere exploded in a myriad of tiny, diamond-like sparkles that looked like little stars. They floated through the room, finally coming to rest above us, twinkling just below the ceiling.

I looked up to contemplate the mantle of stars, then looked back down at Evan. No one could take this moment away from us. It was just him and me, with a microcosm of the universe shining down on us from above. I wouldn’t have given up this moment for anything in the world. There was nowhere else I would have wished to be but there with Evan in our private little universe.

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him create a sphere of light, but seeing so many tiny fragments of it all gathered together made me feel I was a part of something infinitely large.

Evan gazed at me as though I too were a star.
His
star. He smiled, his face illuminated by the warm glow, and I lost the power of speech. In the silence he gripped the bottom of his shirt, pulled it off over his head, and shook his wet hair. At this unexpected action my heart leapt to my throat. His dog tag jingled against his sleeveless white undershirt, which was wet and clung to his chest. His firm muscles rippled in his arms.

I moved closer to examine his wound, challenging my self-control as the flames in the fireplace burned on my cheeks, concealing my blush. “Does it still hurt?” I asked softly, touching the gash from which blood had trickled onto the white fabric. Evan pulled back slightly, stifling a grimace. “Can’t you heal yourself?” I asked, unused to seeing him this vulnerable.

“Not on my own,” he said, his voice unsteady from the pain he was trying to repress. “It’s not a human wound.”

“Let’s go to the others, then!” I said, looking at him sharply.

“No!” His wild dark eyes mesmerized me, putting an end to my attempts to take him to his brothers. Then his expression softened. “I want to stay here with you.” His eyes probed mine intensely, promising to take me places I’d never been before. “It’s almost healed,” he reassured me in a low voice. “I just need to bind it.”

Without giving me a chance to breathe, Evan reached behind his head and pulled off his undershirt with a groan, baring his pecs. An electric charge surged from my heart to my throat and stomach, his golden skin taking my breath away. With a single swift movement of his well-defined muscular arms, he tore the white fabric into strips as easily as if it had been a sheet of paper.

“Here, let me,” I murmured, looking at him encouragingly and taking the bandage from his hands.

Without a word Evan gave it to me and raised his elbows slightly so I could dress his wound. Though I was focusing on his side, I felt the heat of his gaze on me the whole time. My heart was beating so hard I was afraid he might hear it. I wrapped the bandage around his middle with careful movements, wondering why I couldn’t stop shivering. It felt like something was on the verge of changing forever. My movements grew slower as I felt his breath moving closer. A delicious warmth filled my head, but I knew it wasn’t coming from the fire. I tied the bandage in place and swallowed, unable to look him in the eye.

I couldn’t stop trembling. Not because of the cold, I was sure of that, but because Evan was there with me. Of their own volition my hands began to move over his ribs, rising with extreme slowness until they were caressing his chest. Evan’s eyes were on me all the while. His skin was incredibly warm. He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear as he lightly stroked my cheek. I looked at him with a strange shyness. When my eyes met his intense gaze I felt as if I were seeing him for the first time.

“God, you’re beautiful,” Evan whispered. My heart skipped a beat. I felt it tremble and half closed my eyes as he rested his forehead against mine. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

I nodded slightly without replying. He gently clasped both my hands in one of his. “Come nearer the fire.” His tone was even gentler than his touch. “You should dry off.”

With a hint of embarrassment I took off my shirt. Evan looked away until I’d straightened my camisole that had gotten pulled up in the process. I sat down on the big red rug in front of the fireplace. He came over, sat behind me, and wrapped his arms around me protectively. The silence in the room, a comforting silence full of promises, was broken only by our breathing. I stared at the flames that rose higher than our heads as I listened to the crackle of the burning firewood.

“I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through,” he said.

“It’s not your fault, Evan,” I told him firmly.

“It is. I shouldn’t have taken you to my world. You’re seventeen. These should be the best years of your life, and—”

“They are,” I interrupted quickly. “
This
year,” I stressed, “has been the best year of my life.
Meeting you
. Evan, over the last few months I’ve experienced more with you than anyone else could in an entire lifetime.”

Evan’s gaze was lost beyond the flames. “When I saved you, you were given a second chance. It’s my fault they’re hunting you again.” There was pain in his voice. “Maybe we shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

I suddenly felt my heart freeze as if the fire had been replaced by an iceberg. The bitter chill penetrated my bones. “Are you saying you should have left me?”

Evan smiled. “I wasn’t talking about
me
. I could never do that, ever. I could kill myself, but I could never think of leaving you. It’s just that—you shouldn’t have to be going through all this. I’m so sorry. I don’t know how you can stand it.”

His words took me by surprise. Did he really not know I would run a thousand risks if it meant I could stay with him? I turned slowly to face him. “I would go through it all over again, Evan, because all of it led me to you. Meeting you turned my whole life upside down, but being part of your world, being with you, has been the most wonderful thing life could offer me,” I confessed, hoping he could read the emotion in my heart.

“I’ll never leave your side, Gemma.” His gaze melted me with its bold tenderness.

“I know. You gave me your promise.” I let myself linger in the memory of that moment. It was so recent but felt so distant—he and I soaring through the sky, touching the clouds, forgetting the rest of the world.

“I mean I’ll never let them hurt you,” he said. I rested my chin on his upper arm as he held me closer and added, “I’ll be there to protect you.”

It was strange to be there with him after everything that had happened. Experiencing this magical moment with Evan banished all my worries, all my pain. This morning I’d left the house not knowing what was in store for me, not knowing death would return to track me down. Yet for some inexplicable reason, right here, right now, it didn’t matter. It had been a long day full of conflicting emotions, but oddly enough all I could remember were the unforgettable moments I’d experienced with Evan. His warm body holding me close was the only sensation I wanted to focus on.