Jeweled (39 page)

But she would like better to spend the rest of her life with them.

“Oh, child, surely you must have known you’ve been living on borrowed time since the storming of Belai.”

“Actually, I’d hoped I’d have more time than this.” She swallowed hard.

Markoff smiled apologetically and shrugged. A rush of anger hit her and all she wanted in the world—other than to be with Anatol and Gregorio—was to lunge forward and strangle this man.

Instead the thugs jerked her to the side, around Markoff, and began dragging her to the other side of the house.

“Good-bye, my dear,” called Markoff as she rounded the corner. “Be confident that your demise is for the best. For Rylisk and for Gregorio.”

What she saw on the other side of the house made her stomach drop into a cold hell. The setup was simple, but chilling. A pillow on the muddy ground. A stump to the side and a little behind it. A shiny, sharp axe suitable for removing heads.

The dry grass in the area in front of the pillow had been stained dark brown with blood.

Her stomach roiled at the sight. “Why a pillow?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Do you really care how comfortable your victims are right before you take an axe to the back of their necks?”

“It’s not our idea,” growled the man on her left. “The boss thinks it’s more humane.”

The other man pushed her toward the pillow. “Kneel.”

She stared down at the filthy red cushion. How many others of her kind had knelt here? Died here? These people were systematically killing all the magick in the world.

Time crawled to a near standstill as she stood there. Suddenly every sound near her registered—the few birds in the trees, Vita’s low sobbing, the murmuring of others who milled around the small house. These would be the last moments of her life. She’d wanted to spend them with Anatol and Gregorio when she was old and gray, having enjoyed a long life with them.

She would never have children. Her chest clenched. She would have liked to have children . . .

She squeezed her eyes shut against the rising tang of regret at the back of her throat. She would give anything to go back in time, make a different decision. Lilya had been right, she’d been a slave to her fears.

Now, finally, Evangeline had clarity.

No one could know the future. She couldn’t be totally sure that one day she wouldn’t be rejected by Anatol and Gregorio. Words and feelings given today could change tomorrow. But she couldn’t run from their love based on that possibility. Their love was worth the risk. She couldn’t flee her
tomorrows
. She had to live
today
.

Of course, today would be the day she died.

Oddly empty of fear, she opened her eyes and stared at the stump.

“Kneel!” one of the men barked at her.

When she didn’t immediately drop to her knees, he pushed her. One kneecap hit the pillow and the other the half-frozen muddy ground, making her wince. The pain hardly mattered since it was only a drop compared to the intense—but brief—agony to come.

The two men positioned themselves behind her and she heard one of them close his hand around the handle of the axe. With a grunt, he pulled it free from the stump.

She twisted her bound hands, hearing the rope creak. A curious numb disconnection stole over her. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she didn’t feel inclined to beg for her life or try to run. She would have thought that in this situation anyone would do that. That no one would be able to look death in the face and not cower.

Yet, here she was. Perhaps it was Joshui enfolding her in his warm embrace, helping her to accept this as her end.

The cold edge of the axe touched her neck.

Her executioner drew the axe back, steadied his boots on the ground for balance.

She closed her eyes, her face wrinkling with mingled grief and fear.

“What? What is go—whoa!”

The axe clunked to the ground. Men and women screamed and yelled. Boots pounded on the ground. Something growled.

Evangeline opened her eyes to chaos. Out of nowhere a huge brown bear rushed past her. She blinked, not fully comprehending. Then her limbs unfroze and her will to survive took over.

Wide-eyed, she struggled to her feet and carefully walked backward, keeping her eye on the house. The bear had disappeared around the front. She could tell because of all the bloodcurdling growling. It actually sounded as though there were more than one bear, but how could that be? Bears didn’t run in packs.

No matter. She glanced at the woods. Maybe this was her chance to get away.

Strong arms came around her and she yelped with surprise and began to struggle.

“It’s me!” Gregorio yelled.

She turned to see Gregorio’s beloved face. She let out a sob and threw herself against him. “I’m so sorry,” she cried into the curve of his neck. His arms came around her and her knees went weak from relief that he was here. “I’m so sorry,” she breathed. “I made a horrible mistake and ran from you out of fear. I love you and Anatol so much. I never wanted to hurt you. I never—”

He held her away from him a little and cupped her face in his hands. “We know that, Evangeline. It’s all right. Let’s get you out of here and then we can talk.” He began to unknot the rope around her wrists.

She nodded. “Where’s Anatol?”

“He’s throwing the illusion of those bears. We brought a whole contingent of armed guards with us. The bears are herding the Revolutionaries right to them. They’ll be arrested soon.”

She slumped against him in relief. Now she and Anatol were even. She’d used her magick to save his head and now he’d used his magick to save hers.

Gregorio finally freed her hands and crushed her to him, kissing the top of her head. Heavy, warm emotion rolled out of him and covered her over like a blanket.
Love and gratefulness
. “We were almost too late.” He shuddered.

“But you weren’t,” she murmured against his shoulder.

In the distance the growling ceased and the yelling grew louder. The soldiers were here.

“Evangeline!”

She turned to be immediately embraced by Anatol. He spun her around in the air, holding her tight. She wrapped her arms around him and held on. This time she would never let him go.

He collapsed to the ground, holding her in his lap and rocking her back and forth. “I thought you were gone forever,” he sighed into her hair. “I never thought I’d be able to hold you again.”

Tears ran down her face. “I thought the same thing.” She lifted her head. “I’m so sorry I left you and Gregorio that night. I can’t regret it any more than I do. I never meant to hurt you. I love you both so much. I was stupid and I was—”

“Shhh.” He smiled and smoothed her hair behind her ear. “You were frightened. We both know you love us, and we always believed you would come to your senses.”

“How did you find me?”

Gregorio came to kneel beside them. “For several days we didn’t know that you’d been taken. Then Anatol ran into Lilya and we discovered you were missing. A little investigation led us back to the Temple of Dreams.”

She felt her expression go dark. “And Dora.”

Gregorio nodded. “I arrested her and managed to get some information out of her that led us here.” He swallowed hard. “Any delays and we would have been too late.”

“Where are we?”

“Illyana Province.”

She blanched. No wonder it was so cold. They’d taken her all the way to the northern edge of Rylisk.

“But we’re going home now,” Gregorio finished. “Our home. The three of us.
Forever
.”

A week after her ordeal and Evangeline was finally beginning to feel a little like her regular self . . . only better. Oddly, her emotions had seemed to settle into a more manageable ebb and flow. It was almost as if being terrified and grieved nearly out of her mind had jerked her emotions into alignment.

Whatever had happened, it was an improvement.

Even the weather matched her mood. The day was warm enough to leave the house without a wrap, and all the doors and windows of the town house were thrown wide open.

She walked into the kitchen where Anatol and Gregorio were talking with the cook. Gregorio handed her a cup of tea while she went to the open doors that led out to the porch and leaned against the doorjamb, breathing in the clean, warm air and closing her eyes for a moment.

She could feel safe now, as could Anatol and the rest of the magicked. Most of the Revolutionaries had been arrested, including the head of the beast, Markoff. Gregorio was going particularly hard on him because of his immense betrayal.

Of course there were still other magick haters out there, other people who would attempt to target those who were different from them. That would never end, not completely. Still, Anatol and Gregorio were doing a good job of drawing the magicked out, binding them together, and making them stronger. Evangeline was optimistic that even though hatred and bigotry would never be completely eradicated, at least some of the ignorance about the magicked could be vanquished through their efforts.

They were good men doing the best of work. She would never leave them again and she felt confident they would never leave her, either. Their love was way too strong. Instead she had thrown her heart wide open to them. Given all she was to them. Invested herself completely in them.

She was theirs, wholly and without reservation.

And they were hers.

Anatol, with his quiet strength and his uncanny ability to look into the hearts of those around him. Gregorio, with his intelligence, fierce protectiveness, and his gentleness that was so at odds with his gruff appearance. She couldn’t ask for two better men.

Anatol came to lean against the opposite doorjamb, looking up into the blue sky. “I think we should get a cat.”

Gregorio gave a bark of laughter as he walked past them both to settle in one of the chairs on the porch. “A cat? Where did that suggestion come from?”

Instead of answering, Anatol looked over at her. “What do you think, Evangeline? Should we get a cat?”

She smiled and looked down into her half full teacup. “I’ve always wanted a cat.”

“I thought so,” answered Anatol with a secret little smile playing around his mouth.

She sighed, giving in. Sometimes Anatol’s ability to read her was eerie. “And I’ve been thinking about other things I might want in this lifetime.” She paused. “With you both.”

Gregorio turned in his seat to look at her.

Evangeline stepped onto the porch and sat down in the chair opposite him. She held his gaze, since Anatol already knew what she was going to say and this would come as a shock to Gregorio. Her stomach tightened a little at the prospect that Gregorio might not want what she and Anatol wanted.

“It would be a very large thing, larger than a cat. Actually, it would be a small thing . . . at least at first.” She smiled and then grimaced. This wasn’t going the way she’d planned it in her head. Nervousness was making her babble.

Gregorio frowned at her. “What are you talking about, Evangeline?”

She glanced at Anatol. No help there. He just grinned at her. She directed her gaze back to Gregorio. “What I’m saying is . . . what I mean to say is . . . that ...” She paused, and then blurted it out, “I want children. With you and with Anatol.”

Gregorio sat up in his chair, as though alarmed.

She held up a hand. “Not right away. I mean, we can take this slowly. Whenever you and Anatol are ready. I’m willing to—
ah!
”

Gregorio had lunged at her, enveloping her in his arms. He knelt on the floor of the porch in front of her and cupped her cheeks in his hands. “I have always wanted children, Evangeline.
Always
.”

Anatol came to sit next to her. “You already know that I want this, too.”