Unfaithful (50 page)

Blushing, I changed the subject. “Anyway, there was this huge carriage and I assumed there were a prince and princess inside it. Peter made fun of me but I kept insisting. I can’t believe I actually told you that, it’s so stupid!”

My sudden embarrassment made him throw back his head back and laugh, but then his laughter became gentler. “I was right, though. Behind that tomboy façade, my sweet thing was already hiding,” he said, grinning.

I tightened my lips, blushing at the confession I’d just made, revealing a tiny part of me I’d kept hidden among my memories.

“Hold on.” Evan pulled himself up and rested one knee on the ice. I stared at him, puzzled, as he focused on the frozen surface, holding his palms over it.

“Evan, what—”

“Watch this,” he whispered without looking at me, his sweet tone not allowing any objection.

“It’s not another of your mind-blowing tricks, is it?” I joked nervously. He ignored me. “It’s another of your mind-blowing tricks,” I murmured. I stared at his hands, but nothing happened. Nothing except . . .

I squinted at the puff of white steam that rose from the cold surface beneath his palms, trying to remember if it had always been there. No, it was the ice that was steaming. The mist thickened beneath Evan’s hands until I couldn’t see through its silvery veil any more. It looked like something was moving inside it. I didn’t understand. Evan’s hands slowly moved up and the fog thinned out. The rest of his body followed his hand movements, straightening up as the ice changed shape at his command, leaving me breathless.

Only a moment had gone by. Before me stood a large statue that looked like it was made of crystal. I couldn’t believe it—he’d sculpted it out of the ice as though it had been trapped inside it all along and he’d only freed it.

Despite all the astonishing things I’d already seen Evan never failed to surprise me. He’d left me wordless. “Your prince and princess,” he announced with a flourish of his hand and a pleased smile on his lips. In silence, I looked from him to the sculpture, which was so perfect it was like I was seeing two actual people captured in the ice.

“Don’t look at me like that—you know I can control the elements.”

Without replying, I walked around it cautiously, complete astonishment on my face. I’d seen lots of ice sculptures in my life, but none of them came close to the graceful beauty before me now. It was perfect, right down to the smallest detail. There were no words to describe it. A prince was kneeling before his lady, holding a crystal flower out to her.

Reading my mind, Evan walked over to the prince and gently took the rose from his frozen hands. The flower came away as smoothly as if the prince himself had handed it to Evan. He offered it to me.

I hesitated before accepting it, not saying a word. Holding it in my hand like a precious gem, I examined it. “It’s beautiful,” I said, my voice barely audible. Each transparent petal was perfectly defined, the half-opened bud sparkling like a Swarovski crystal in the silvery moonlight.

How was it possible that all this was happening to me? It felt like I was living in a dream. I brought my other hand closer to trace its contours and stroke the petals with my fingertips.

“Careful,” Evan warned me gently—but it was too late. I flinched at the sight of the blood. The petals were as sharp as they were beautiful. I hadn’t even noticed I’d cut myself—there had been no pain. A scarlet droplet formed on my pointer finger, grew and slid down, leaving a crimson streak on my skin. As I watched the tiny red droplet, mesmerized, time seem to slow. I carefully observed every instant of its fall to the snow-covered ice. It struck the pure white surface and my heart skipped a beat as though I’d heard it make impact. Though the sound was imperceptible, it silenced my heart for a second.

A premonition.
A horrible premonition writhed in my chest.

Evan watched me with concern but seemed unaware of the dark sentiment that throbbed in my veins, demanding my attention. Time froze as the strange sense of foreboding gripped my chest and stopped my heart.

“Everything okay?”

His voice pulled me back to his side as though someone had deactivated the mute button, snapping me out of my trance.

“Gemma, are you okay?” he insisted, alarmed, as I continued to stare blankly at the scarlet spot that had spread on the white carpet of snow.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing,” I stammered. What was going on with me? Why was I having these weird reactions? Why did time seem to suck me into a black hole where I couldn’t breathe? Why did I feel these bone-chilling sensations on my skin? Was it a consequence of defying death and coming back to life?

“Let me take a look.” Concerned about the cut, Evan examined my finger for a second.

“Beautiful and dangerous,” I said, looking into his eyes. I wasn’t talking about the flower.

Evan returned the look. “I can heal it in no time,” he said solicitously.

“There’s no need, really. It’s just a scratch. It’ll be fine,” I reassured him.

Evan shot me a glance. “I told you you were brave.” I wasn’t sure whether or not there was mockery in his half smile. “But why wait?” Before I could reply he brushed his thumb over the cut. It closed at his touch. He flashed me a little smile and his expression abruptly changed.

I could tell from the expression on his face that something was wrong. He looked lost. Standing perfectly still, his muscles tensed, he moved his eyes as if to peer over his shoulder.

“Evan—”

“Don’t move,” he ordered.

My heart lurched. Inexplicably, my instinct had warned me. I’d foreseen it. The sensation I’d felt beneath my skin had been a premonition after all. All at once, I heard a strange, creaking sound. My heart pounded, making it difficult to breathe. Something moved on the slab of ice, too fast for me to make out what it was. I tried to get Evan’s attention, but he looked through me, his face full of fury. I could see he was listening for something, but I couldn’t tell what. Then I saw it on the ice:
a crack
. It was racing toward me.

“Evan . . .” I whispered, my heart in my throat. A whimper escaped me. He didn’t move. The crack stopped at my feet and an eerie silence fell, hushing even the wind around us.

It was a threat.

I looked around, trying to control the panic filling my mind. My instinct already knew what to look for though my eyes hadn’t yet managed to spot it anywhere on the ice. It had to be
him
. He must be here.

The Reaper Angel had come to kill me.

My alarmed eyes flew to Evan’s. Up to now he’d worn a tough, focused expression but when I looked at him I saw a cunning smile spread across his face. He was ready to kill.

Bewildered, I stared at him, trying to understand, as he clenched his fists at his sides. Suddenly his voice rang out, breaking the icy, ominous stillness. “I should have expected this from a traitor like you.” He spoke without turning around, as if someone were behind him.

“Nothing personal.”

I jumped at the sound of the voice and whirled in the direction it had come from. My heart skipped a beat when my eyes met his.

Drake.

“Wha—How—” I stammered in shock. He was the Angel who wanted to kill me? No. It couldn’t be true. I had to be wrong, yet I saw him clearly a dozen yards away, his cold, detached gaze fixed on us. In his shadowy face there was no hint of the fun-loving, carefree guy I had come to care about. My heart refused to accept it and yet there he was, his hostile gaze locked onto mine.

Drake was there to
kill me
. Something inside me shattered. For the first time I realized what was so different about the look in his eye: it was the look of a predator—and I was his prey. He’d just been waiting for the right moment to attack.

Drake took a step in my direction and Evan, his back to me, shielded me with his body, glaring at him threateningly. “I suppose it wasn’t anything personal when you kissed her either,” Evan accused him, bitter poison in his tone.

The corner of Drake’s mouth rose in a crafty smile. “You mean the first time . . . or the second time?” He was clearly trying to provoke Evan. “Because I have to admit things were a lot more exciting by the pool. You should have seen the way she touched me.”

“You pervert!” I accused him, stunned.

He tilted his head and locked eyes with me. “Come on, you mean to tell me you didn’t like it?” There was a wicked glimmer in his dark gaze.

“I thought you were Evan!!!” I cried.

Drake shook his head as if to disagree. “Actually, I think part of you knew,” he said.

I glared at him. This couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t believe those words had just come out of Drake’s mouth. This had to be a trick—it was all too bizarre. He’d never spoken to me like this before. It couldn’t be the same Drake who’d helped me so many times. I simply couldn’t accept that he’d betrayed us all, that he, of all people, was my Executioner.

It hurt too much.

“Why?” Evan snarled, his muscles tensed.

“You know what?” Drake shot back in a mocking tone. Evan waited silently, his eyes narrowed to slits as he followed Drake’s every movement. “I wanted to see what there was about her—what was so special about her, an insignificant mortal soul—that she deserved the protection of three Subterraneans and a Witch, against everyone and everything.”

I winced at his harsh words. I didn’t want to listen to him any more. It was too painful.

“And at what cost.” He laughed to himself. “I thought maybe if I got close to her I could figure it out. But as I expected, she’s not such a big deal—although I can’t promise you I won’t try her out again.” His tone was even more provoking and a smirk spread across his face as he continued to challenge Evan with his eyes. “You know what I’m like—with me, bad habits die hard.”

“Why?” Evan repeated in a snarl, his tone fiercer now. His resolute attitude made me guess he’d suspected this horrifying deception for some time now. There was no trace of surprise on his face—just rage.

Drake turned serious. “I’m a servant of Death,” he said, as if Evan might have forgotten. “Just like you. Orders come first. There’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t deny my own nature.”

Evan stifled a bitter smile. It was plain from the look in his eyes how difficult Drake’s unfaithfulness was for him to accept, how much his brother’s betrayal pained him. “You’re right. I can’t blame you for what they’ve ordered you to do,” he said calmly, “but don’t think I’m just going to stand by and watch you do it. You know I won’t let you.”

Drake cocked his head, his evil eyes locked onto his brother’s, a look of amusement on his face. “You going to kill me like you killed Faustian?”

Evan clenched his fists. It had been difficult for him to kill Faust, and doing the same thing to his brother would be infinitely more so. Drake was aware of this and was using it to his advantage. Something flashed through my mind and I turned pale as my heart raced wildly. The poison. It had been Drake who’d taken it from Ginevra’s room, and he would be prepared to use it against Evan if they battled. Panic left me breathless. I wished Evan could read my mind so I could warn him. I trembled at the thought of what might happen.

“I’ll do what I have to do,” Evan said, his tone steely. Vapor rose from the ice on which he stood, as if the fire burning inside him was melting it.

An evil smile spread across Drake’s face, making me shudder. “Why don’t you try it right now?” he said.

“No!” I cried. I had to prevent it. Drake clearly wanted to seize this chance to catch his brother off guard. I moved closer to Evan, alarmed. “Evan, don’t do it,” I whispered. “He’s the one who took Ginevra’s poison.”

Evan didn’t bat an eye. He attempted to reassure me in a low voice as he shielded me with his body, but there was nothing he could say to ease the panic consuming me. Terror descended on me, almost blocking out his words. His fierce gaze sought Drake’s.

Without warning, the ice trembled and lurched beneath my feet. I jumped, a cry escaping me as I lost my grip on the flower I’d had in my hand the whole time. It shattered against the ice with a disquieting sound that penetrated my bones. Evan turned toward me.

“Evan!” I screamed in a desperate warning, but it was too late—I had distracted him.

A blast of ice-cold wind struck him in the chest, hurling him against the sculpture, which exploded in a thousand pieces beneath his weight. I tried to run to him but hesitated when he thrust his arm out in my direction without looking at me. He was already back on his feet. “Get out of here, Gemma. It’s dangerous!”

I retreated, remembering the moment I’d distracted him.

The surface of the lake trembled beneath my feet again. All at once the ice exploded and a thousand fragments flew toward me. Evan hurled a fireball into the air, melting most of them, but a few remaining shards lodged in the ice. I turned toward Drake. His fiery gaze met mine, making me shudder with terror.

Evan charged him. They moved too fast for me to make them out clearly. All I could see in the dim light were two blurs battling it out on the ice. Drake hurled Evan in my direction as I watched, my heart shrinking in my chest. I felt small and powerless as he crashed backwards into a tree. It toppled over behind him, uprooted from the frozen ground. When he got up, there was something different in his look. He turned to me and winked, his face shrewd, evil.

I shuddered and recoiled. It was Drake in Evan’s guise. The real Evan shot toward him like a bolt of lightning, stopping in front of him. I started. They were identical, like a reflection in a mirror.

Evan’s fury was apparent. A vortex of wind blew around him and the ice steamed beneath his feet, creating spirals of fog that encircled him.

Drake changed his physical appearance again, his body smaller. “Why don’t you attack me now?” Terror pierced my skin at the sound of my own voice: Drake had taken on my appearance. In his new body he challenged Evan. “Bet you can’t.” He laughed, an evil laugh that rang out icily through the chill night.

The air around Evan swirled restlessly as if expecting him to rush Drake from one second to the next. He was more enraged than ever.