Evadere (16 page)

“Listen,” Treyu whispered, placing his hand on my knee and sliding closer. “Let me give you a bit of advice. You should find someone else to be with, someone that deserves you. Emry Logan, his ego is already going through the roof. He’s not who you thought he was, and I can understand why you’re upset about that, but really, people don’t change. You’re not going to be able to make him be someone he isn’t. He’s going to be king. Are you willing to be continuously pushed to the side?”

I moved my knee a little feeling the warmth of his hand through my clothing.
 

“The way I see it,” he continued. “Emry is going to end up with someone who doesn’t mind being treated like crap, because all they’re going to be interested in is the power that comes along with being with him. But you, Anna James, you’re the opposite. You could care less about power. You want to be treated right. I’m correct, aren’t I?”
 

I looked up into Treyu’s blue eyes. There was something devious about them. He stared back at me, his head uncomfortably close to mine, but I couldn’t move. My emotions were all over the board. I wanted to run, but I knew that I should sit here and listen to Treyu no matter how much his words stung. He had a lot of logic to what he was saying. These were facts that I had needed someone to tell me, the bitter truth.
 

“Anna James,” he whispered, his finger now under my chin lifting my face upwards. “Such an interesting human you are.”

It was as if time was in slow motion as Treyu pressed his lips against mine. I felt paralyzed, unable to stop what I knew shouldn’t be happening.
 

“He’s kissing the human!” someone shrieked.

Hearing this, I pushed Treyu away and turned to see Raleigh and Emry at the doors that led back inside the castle. Emry’s mouth was hanging open. He turned around and stormed back inside.

“Emry!” I called out, but he was gone.

I looked back to see Treyu skipping around the fountain, a wild look in his eyes. “Foolish humans. Emotions
do
rule their lives. What fun to mess with them.” A wicked laugh echoed off the cement as he continued to hop around.
 

I glared at him. How could I have let this happen? I felt the angry tears moisten my eyes. I turned away forbidding myself to give Treyu anymore ammunition to mock my human emotions since it was obvious he didn’t have any.

Treyu’s loud laughter rang out as he continued to carry on. I glanced toward the door where Emry had been only to see the back of Raleigh’s dress flutter lightly in the wind as she went back into the castle to chase after my Emry Logan.

Oh, no,
I thought.
Don’t even think about it, Raleigh.
My mind raced about what I was going to say to Emry when I found him, but I knew I had to say
something
. I couldn’t just leave it as is, especially not with Raleigh hunting him down in a state of vulnerability. My mind kept trying to get me to return to my room to try to think things through, but jealousy overrode all other emotions at this point.
 

I practically ran into Jo as she rounded a corner, a tray in her hands.

“Jo!” I exclaimed.
 

“Anna.” She smiled. “I feel terrible about what happened at dinner. I’m grateful you’re trying to defend me, but I really need you to know that I’m fine,
really
fine. No one is treating me badly. Look,” she said holding out her free arm. “Clean clothes. Can you believe it? Clean clothes. My hair is washed. My belly is full. I think I’m already putting on weight.” She grinned.

“I know, Jo. I’m so sorry for lashing out.” I didn’t have time to rehash dinner’s mess right now with her. “Hey, have you seen Emry? I really need to talk to him.”

She pressed her lips together almost as if deciding whether or not she should tell me. She pointed down the hall. “Third room on the left, I think, but he’s not alone. Raleigh …”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, rushing past her to get to the room.

The door was closed. I shut my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Then I thrust open the door and burst in with shame drenched all over me. Emry was sitting in a chair, his head in his hands. Raleigh was behind him, her hands caressing his back. Anger seethed through me. Now I knew how Emry had felt only moments ago seeing me with his cousin.

Raleigh looked over her shoulder and glared at me. “I think you should leave.”

I motioned toward the door. “No, it’s
you
that needs to go.”

“What did you just say to me?” she asked.

“It’s my turn to have Emry to myself.”

She put her hands on her hips. “He doesn’t want to talk to you.”

I exhaled loudly, unable to control the adrenaline ripping about inside me. “Emry?” I asked. “Please, let me explain.”

“Is there an explanation?” His voice was quiet.

Raleigh was still glaring at me.
 

“Yes. Please, let’s just talk.”

He didn’t reply.
 

“I’m not discussing anything with
her
in the room.” I loathed the way she was guarding him.

“Raleigh, go ahead and go,” Emry told her.

“You sure?” she questioned him.

“Yeah. And thanks.”

We looked each other over one last time before she finally walked past me, her perfume lingering in the air momentarily as she left. I felt so much better now that she wasn’t in between Emry and I.

“Can I sit beside you?” I asked, my hands shaking as I locked them together.

He still didn’t look at me. He gestured toward the empty space on the couch beside him. I took a seat. I wasn’t sure if I should touch his hands or not. I decided not until I could assess how much trouble I was in.

“I know what you think you saw …” I began.

“Don’t play games, Anna. I saw you and Treyu lip locked. Ick,” he made a disgusted noise as if he were on the verge of vomiting.

I cringed. Desperation was now taking over. “Emry, I was so upset about dinner. I went outside. He followed me. We were just talking, I promise you.
He
moved closer to me.
He
initiated the kiss. It was just someone to talk to, and I don’t know what happened.”

“Treyu’s a jerk,” he said. “I don’t know how you could even stand talking to him. I can barely stomach it.”

I nodded. “I know. I’m an idiot for letting him get that close. I’ve just had no one to talk to …”

“There’s no excuse for it,” he snapped. “I don’t like it. I don’t like you confiding in another man, especially someone like Treyu who has absolutely no values whatsoever. I’m trying my best to balance everything, Anna. I thought, of all people, you’d understand that. I thought, of all things, our relationship wasn’t something I had to worry about.”

I closed my eyes. I wanted to reach out and touch him so badly, but I knew he’d only pull away if I tried. “I’m sorry.” His disappointment sliced through me.

“Treyu is the son of my father’s youngest brother. Mother says he’s always had everything handed to him no matter what. She says he’s a spoiled brat, and it shows,” Emry explained.

“What about Raleigh?” I said without thinking about it.

“What about her?” He looked at me, his eyes red and puffy.

“You confide in her, and look at her.”

“First of all, Anna, you have no idea if I confide in her. She’s a friend of the family, and I merely entertain her when she visits.”

“Which is all the time,” I added.

He pressed his lips together. “You’re jealous.”

“Of course I’m jealous.”

“Anna, you’re letting your imagination get the best of you. There’s nothing between us. Nothing.”

I narrowed my eyes. Just moments ago she was rubbing his back. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Am I imaging that, too?”

“So what, you decide to get back at me from spending time with Raleigh by making out with Treyu?”

“I didn’t make out with him,” I yelled. “And I already told you,
he
kissed me.”

“Didn’t seem like you were struggling to get away.”
 

“Emry,” I whispered, unable to hide my own tears any longer. “What’s happening to us?”

He shook his head. “I think this is just too much for both of us right now.”

I lowered my eyebrows. This sounded like the beginning of a breakup speech.
 

“I’m trying to adapt to this new world, to who I really am. I’m getting used to my powers, how to use them. This world, these people, are they really for you? You said, you had no one to talk to. Maybe you should go give Carlin a visit, let things blow over for awhile, then we’ll see where we are,” he suggested.

I turned away from him, biting my lip. This is exactly what Atavia wanted to happen.

“I mean, what do you want to do, Anna? Do you want to go back to Earth or do you want to stay here? You’re so unhappy here.”

I couldn’t believe this was happening. I had thought our hardships on Earth were going to be our last, but I had thought wrong. The ones here were even worse. I had no one to back me up. It was me against this world, this Evadere. “It’s not like I see you anyway,” I admitted, knowing now he didn’t want me to stay. “Do you think I’d even make it back to Earth?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, standing now and pacing around the room like he did in times of frustration.

“I just feel like she’s out to get me, like she wants me dead and gone, out of the way.”

“Who’s
she
?” he asked, narrowing his eyes as he already knew the answer.

“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?” I sighed. “Fine. Your mother.”

“Come on, Anna …”

“No, you come on. You trust her way too much and know her way too little.”

“She’s my mother. She’s protected me all these years,” he said, defensively.

“And you don’t think she was lying when she said I was safely back on Earth when she sent for you on the beach?”

“Well, I guess you do think she’s lying.”

I nodded. “I think it was absolutely her plan to leave me there. She wanted me to try to survive on Evadere alone. She knew I’d be killed.”

“This is crazy talk, Anna. Seriously. You are way over thinking what happened.”

“Am I?” My anger now stirred viciously within me. Now he didn’t want to be with me, and he didn’t believe me. Atavia had really gotten her claws into him. Maybe Emry was too far gone to get back. “I think she’s a malicious schemer. Anything to get her own way, and she wants me out of the way.”

“Listen, Anna, I’m only going to tell you this one more time. I’m in training to be a king. I have big shoes to fill, my father’s. There’s a lot going on here between contributors and Scaves. I have to figure everything out along with my powers. I don’t have time for relationship drama. I thought you’d be able to support me one hundred percent.”

“I do …”

“No, not at all. You just want to stir things up and create unnecessary problems. I don’t need that kind of stress right now. I need people around me who are going to lift me up, so figure out which side you stand on, Anna.”

With those words, Emry Logan turned and left me all alone.

“There you are,” Jillianne squealed, entering the room as she saw me standing there, still open mouthed that Emry had just left. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Come with me.”

“What do you want?” I asked as she grabbed my arm like she had when she had found me in the dungeon. She pulled me toward the hallway.

“Tonight has been a mess, an absolute mess. It’s time we get you back up to your room so things can settle down a bit.” Jillianne led me over to the stairs. I walked with her, my body completely numb to the pressure her short, fat fingers were putting on the skin of my arm.

We got into the room where she didn’t let go until I was sitting on my bed, staring up at her, unable to even care that she was being a nuisance.
 

“You need to calm yourself and get some sleep. Everyone’s a little bit irritated, a little bit tired.” She placed a cup of warm liquid into my hands. “Now, you just drink that up and go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a bright day for all, I just know it.”

“What is it?” I asked, sniffing it, the aroma sweet and comforting.

“Something similar to what you humans would refer to as tea. Everything’s all natural in it. Drink it down. Go ahead now.” She put her hand under the cup and lifted it to my lips.

I eyed her wondering if I was going to wake up in the morning if I did decide to drink this. Then again, right now I wanted to sleep. I needed to forget this evening had even happened. Maybe it’d erase my memory. Maybe I would wake up happy. I tilted the cup up so that the drink would pour into my mouth. The taste was equally sweet as the smell, like honey. It was soothing. I downed the entire thing and handed the cup back to Jillianne.

“Very good,” she patted me on the head. “Get some rest,” she instructed.
 

I watched her go, then leaned up against one of the large pillows sitting on top of the blankets. I tried to block out all the unpleasant thoughts, of Treyu and Raleigh, of Emry’s suggestion I return to Earth without him, and within minutes, I felt my lids grow heavy.