Jeweled (32 page)

Nicoli went red, then purple. Not with anger, but with the effort it took him not to burst into tears. Evangeline felt his emotions go from disbelief to wistful joy in under ten seconds. “Anatol?”

Anatol and his mother separated and pushed to their feet. Anatol stepped toward his father, offering his hand. Nicoli took his hand and pulled him into an embrace, finally breaking down into tears. “Son, we feared you’d never return to us. We didn’t want them to take you. You have to know that. We never wanted it. We tried to visit, but—”

“I know.” Anatol patted his elderly father’s back. “I know, Papa. I’m here now, though, and we can make up for lost time.”

But Evangeline could feel the swirl of Anatol’s mixed emotions and part of him was enraged right now, enraged that he’d missed knowing his family. No matter how calm he sounded, he was livid that he’d missed out on all this time with them.

Anatol stood back and swept his hand out to encompass Evangeline. “This is my friend, Evangeline. My very good friend.” He paused. “My love.”

“Oh!” Emelda immediately gave her a warm hug. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”

Nicoli wiped away a tear. “Our son comes home and he brings a woman with him.” He chuckled. “Maybe we’ll get those grand-children yet, Emelda?” He gave Anatol a wink.

Anatol met Evangeline’s eyes and gave her a little smile.

Then Nicoli turned and walked to the back of the shop. “Well, come on up to the apartment. We’ve got lots to talk about.”

Emelda flipped the sign on the door of the shop to closed, then took Anatol’s hand. “Come on home, son.”

Evangeline followed behind. Would her reunion with her parents be this heartwarming?

It almost made her want to find out.

Gregorio walked into the room with a sheaf of papers in his hand. As it did frequently these days, her stomach tightened in his presence. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. On the contrary, it was a feeling of anticipation. Anticipation of hearing his voice, feeling the warmth of his body, sharing her thoughts with him and enjoying the singular scent of him—musk, wood smoke, and man.

It absolutely frightened her to death.

She’d already had a powerful desire to be with Anatol and now she felt the same connection to Gregorio. It was an emotional dependence she didn’t want but was powerless to stop from evolving. Every time that strange tendril of feeling curled itself around her and became stronger, it made her want to run away.

Anatol had known this would happen and he was convinced it was a good thing,
what she needed
. But she wasn’t so sure Anatol could see the truth in everything. The closer she got to Gregorio and Anatol, the more unease and fear filled her.

That couldn’t be what she needed, could it? That couldn’t be that elusive thing called love?

Yet the unease and fear mixed with all sorts of pleasurable feelings, too. Caring. Stability. Happiness. Excitement. Anticipation. It was another example of the confusing sea of emotion she was now drowning in. Perhaps love was all these feelings combined, perhaps not. She had no way to measure.

Sitting on the couch with her legs curled under her, she took a bite of the fruit she was eating and watched him carefully. Gregorio had barely glanced at her since entering the room. He looked at the papers in his hand.

“Why so serious, Gregorio?” she asked with a smile, trying to pretend she wasn’t so disturbed by his presence in the room or by how much she wanted to walk over and kiss him.

He sat down in a chair and looked up at her. “I’ve found your family, Evangeline.”

“What?” she breathed.

He pulled out a chair beside him. She dropped the rest of her fruit onto a plate, walked over, and sank into it. “When you first came to live here, I went to the records kept at Belai and I found the names of your mother and father. I discovered their last known address and then hired someone to track them down.”

“Oh, my sweet Joshui.” She put a hand to her mouth. “They’re still living?”

“They own a farm in Cherkhasii. The same one you were born on. They haven’t budged an inch.”

“They’re still . . . pig farmers?”

“Dairy, actually.” He wrinkled his brow. “To my knowledge they never farmed pigs. They own the biggest dairy farm in the province. Who told you they were pig farmers?”

“The housemother at Belai.”

“Hmmm. Well, she was misinformed. You have a younger sister named Arabella. She’s getting married in the spring.”

Evangeline blinked, trying to comprehend it all. She went silent for several moments, studying a little mark on the table in front of her. “I think I remember my mother a little. Maybe.”

“You showed your talent from birth, Evangeline. Your parents tried to keep it a secret. They didn’t want you taken from them. Someone in their village discovered your magickal proclivities and turned in the information of your whereabouts for money. Your parents fought the guards when they came to remove you. Your father sustained an injury that, according to my information, gives him a limp to this day.” Gregorio reached out and tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at him. “They love you.”

“Loved me, maybe.” She moved her head and looked down again. “It’s been so long.”

“They love you still. How could they not? I propose a trip to Cherkhasii. The three of us. Anatol has found his family and now it’s your turn.”

She looked up at that. “You? All the way to Cherkhasii? How can you take time away from your work here for that? It’s a long trip.”

“I have business there. In the coming year I have to visit with almost every province in Rylisk to help bring their new governments into alignment with the central government here in Milzyr. Cherkhasii is on that list. We can leave as early as two days from now. I have a very comfortable carriage for the long ride into the country. What do you think?”

She rubbed at the mark on the table with her thumb. “I don’t know.” Things had turned out well for Anatol, and all indications seemed to point toward a happy ending for her, too. Yet something was telling her not to go.

“I strongly urge you to do this. You’ll have no regrets if you do. Later in your life, when your parents are gone, you won’t wish that you’d traveled out to see them. You won’t always wonder what would have happened if you had.”

She sighed. “If you and Anatol come with me, then yes. Let’s go.”

“Of course. We’ll be right at your side the whole time.” He pulled her across the distance that separated them, putting her in his lap. She turned and placed her hands on his shoulders and ducked her head, giving him a light kiss on the mouth.

He made a hungry sound in the back of his throat. “You taste like strawberries.” He threaded his hand in the hair at her nape and crushed her mouth to his, skating his tongue between her lips to mate it with her tongue. Her body quickened for him almost immediately, her sex growing warm and wanting.

“Where is Anatol?” he murmured against her mouth.

“Due back soon.”

“You’re all mine then for a little while.”

She moved so that she was straddling his lap. His thick, hard cock pressed up against her. “Do you want me to be all yours, Gregorio?” She worked at unbuttoning his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders.

He nipped her lower lip. “Not all the time. I like to watch you with him. I like to watch how your body moves when you make love to him. I like to watch the pleasure that he gives you show on your face.”

She smiled. “I think you just like to watch.”

His finger worked the buttons on the bodice of her dress, opening it enough to bare her breasts. His gaze ate in the sight of them. “Both Anatol and I enjoy it. That’s one reason why the three of us is working.” His hand eased under skirt, found her silk panties, and yanked. “Off.”

She smiled. “You’re the more demanding one of the two.”

“Do you mind it much?”

She slipped her panties off and straddled him again. Her fingers found the button and zipper of his pants and undid them, freeing his cock. “You know I don’t.”

He pulled her dress over her head and she sank down on his shaft, feeling him slide deep within her. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip and she tipped her head back on a groan. Gregorio closed his eyes and groaned, too.

She unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his chest and running her palms over his smooth, warm skin. Then she lifted up and sank back down on him, drawing ragged sighs from both of them. She moved slow, wanting to feel every vein and bump of his magnificent cock deep inside her and also wanting to tease him like he teased her so often.

He reached up and cupped her cheek. “I saw you with Anatol like this once, on the porch when I came home from lunch.”

“You did?” She remembered back. “Ah, yes. That explains why you were so flustered that day.”

He cupped her breasts as she rode him, gently pinching her nipples with his index finger and thumb until she gasped in pleasure. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Evangeline.” His voice shook with emotion.

Love
. Overwhelmingly, it hit her, breaking through all her shields.

She leaned forward and kissed him as she moved up and down, taking him as deep into her body as she could. “You are also beautiful to my eyes,” she murmured against his mouth. “And to my heart.”

He slid his hand between them, finding her clit. She moved a little faster and soon all their words were gone, washed away in the ecstasy of joining their bodies. He pressed and rotated his thumb on her clit, driving her closer to orgasm. Soon she was reduced to just pants and moans, leveraging herself on his body and driving his cock deep inside with every downward thrust.

Her climax hit her suddenly. She threw her head back on a long moan, the muscles of her sex pulsing and releasing around his shaft. Gregorio held her to him, kissing her breasts, as he expended himself with a long groan.

She slumped over him when the waves of her orgasm finally ebbed away. He pulled her into a strong embrace and kissed her throat and face. Finally, when they could both move, he lifted her off his lap, wrapped her in a blanket, and they settled down in front of the fire.

Leaning her head on his shoulder, she sighed. Being with him was something she could get used to. He had his arms around her and she snuggled into his chest.

“I’ll have the carriage readied for the journey.”

She nodded, though a thin, curling thread of fear wove its way through her stomach. “All right.” She couldn’t help the quaver in her voice.

He held her tighter, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “It will be fine.”

 

 

The carriage came to a stop outside the steam transport station. The footman helped Evangeline out and the men followed. She stood, gaping at the transport with one hand on her hat as steam billowed around her dark red skirt. It stretched almost as far as she could see, the long length dotted with boarding passengers and transport employees.

Gregorio led them forward, the footman following with their bags. Evangeline and Anatol followed, watching Gregorio hand over three long slips of paper to a uniformed transport employee.

She nodded at the employee, whose eyes were wide as he accepted the tickets. Clearly he recognized Gregorio. Therefore, he must also know who she and Anatol were. He’d probably never seen a Jeweled in his life. At least he didn’t look as if he wanted to murder them. That was a nice change of pace.

She walked up the few steps and into a long, narrow room lined with seats—some occupied and some not. The passengers seemed to be mostly middle and upper class.

She glanced back at Gregorio. “I don’t see very many poor people riding the transport. How effective was the revolution at bringing true equality, I wonder?”

“Well, Evangeline,” he answered with an arch of one brow. “The poor people may not be riding the transport yet, but they’re no longer starving, either. First step in achieving equality, don’t kill off over half your own people.”

As usual Gregorio had an answer for everything.

He guided her forward. “We have a private car.”

She gave him an arch look.

“Everyone knows who we are. We wouldn’t have any peace if we rode in the general compartment,” he explained. “In addition, you and Anatol might be put in danger. Not everyone likes the fact the magicked are walking around free.”

The compartment was about the size of eight seats, with four places to sit and a narrow bed. Evangeline knew they’d be traveling all day into the night before they reached the far-off province of Cherkhasii, so she was grateful for the space. She went to stand by the window that faced away from the transport station and stared out at the field on the other side, a knot in her stomach. Soon she would be reunited with her family.

What if they didn’t want to see her? What if they didn’t want ... her?