The Scarlett Legacy (16 page)

EVIE’S VOICE CAME OUT
in a startled shriek when she called out to Parker.

Avalon’s eyes darkened as he looked at her former fiancé.

Evie didn’t care. She dropped her clutch of Avalon’s arm.

No one else mattered at that moment.

Parker was like a beacon of light and hope. Seeing him stand before her in a black tux surprised her. His blonde hair looked to be professionally styled. Smooth cheeks and chin meant that he’d also shaved; something he normally neglected.

What was up?

Parker’s smile gave her butterflies. That smile was for her. He reached a hand out, beckoning her.

Am I dreaming?

She dared to believe that she was forgiven.

Evie’s lips parted as she stepped to him, her eyes full of so much love that she hoped he could see it.

“Hi, baby,” Parker said, both of them ignoring Avalon.

As if floating on air, Evie took Parker’s hands and allowed herself to be pulled so close to him that their chests pressed together.

Looking into his eyes, Evie felt tears sting hers.

“Parker,” she said in a soft voice. “What are you doing here?”

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

“What is going on here?” Avalon took a step to Evie but was stopped by a perfectly manicured hand.

Evie glanced back, shock filling her eyes as she watched her mother lock arms with Avalon.

“Mother?”

“Evening, dear.” Adelaide gave her a wink and returned her attention to Avalon, who looked furious.

“Listen now, Avalon,” Adelaide whispered. “Let’s not make a scene in front of the
entire
town of Woodland Creek.”

Avalon’s scowl faded as he looked around to see that everyone in attendance quieted and stared at them.

Evie couldn’t help but smile when Wesley and Olivia entered the room, hand in hand, and dressed in regency era attire.

They smiled at her, giving her a nod.

Avalon noticed them as well.

“Someone better answer me,” he said through clenched teeth. When his eyes flickered from Evie to Parker, his face reddened almost as bright as his hair.

Evie watched him clench his jaw and turned back to Parker to see what everyone stared at.

Seeing Parker on one knee before her sent her tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn’t care that she was ruining her makeup. She wanted this more than anything in the world.

“Evie,” Parker said. He looked to her mother. “Adelaide told me everything.”

She grinned, a weight lifting from her shoulders. Her secret was out. The man she loved knew everything now. Liberating didn’t begin to describe how she felt.

Sniffling, she went to her knees with him. She clutched his hands in hers, never wanting to let go again.

“Do you still love me?”

His blue eyes glistened with fresh tears of his own. He smiled through them. “I could never stop loving you. I knew something was wrong when you left that day, and now I know why.” His eyes hardened when he glanced at Avalon.

Adelaide held Avalon back. “This scene is for Evie. Don’t interfere by trying to make one of your own, or I will ruin you. Understand?”

Evie didn’t bother to look back at Avalon. All she wanted was to taste Parker’s mouth.

She kissed him, not caring that everyone watched. When they broke away from their kiss, he held out her engagement ring.

“This,” he said, taking her hand to put the ring on her finger. “Belongs to you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I will say yes to you every day for the rest of our lives.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Parker said. He stood and pulled her to her feet.

Everyone cheered.

Everyone but Avalon.

When Evie dared to look at him, she was surprised to see hurt in his eyes. Not anger. Not rage. Genuine hurt.

She almost wished she’d seen the anger at that moment. Hurting anyone, even someone like Avalon didn’t make her feel good.

She offered him a smile. The roar of the crowd filled her ears as she mouthed
‘sorry’
to him.

“Be a good sport, Avalon,” Adelaide said.

“Please,” Evie said, letting go of Parker’s hand for a moment. She didn’t need to rub it in his face. She could have, but she wanted to be sensitive to his feelings.

Avalon pulled his arm away from Adelaide. Wes took a step closer.

“All will be forgiven,” Wes said.

“Yes,” Evie said, nodding. “I beg you. Please… just let me go.”

The crowd cheered for the new couple. Her family waited for Avalon’s reply. Everything seemed to hinge on Avalon’s next move.

And then the ballroom went black.

“RUN, EVIE,”
Adelaide shouted over the screams of the crowd.

“No,” Evie said. “I know what to do.”

Evie stood there in the pitch black, her eyes adjusting. She scanned the crowd, searching for Avalon.

So much for being a nice girl.

She grabbed Parker’s hand and pulled him to her. “Listen,” she said to him, her eyes still looking for Avalon.

“We need to get out of here,” Parker said, wrapping an arm behind her back and pushing her toward the exit.

“Baby, you know all of my secrets now, and I will never keep anything from you ever again. But I need you to trust me right now.”

“What? No. We need to get out of here.” He held tighter.

A glow came from the floor, lighting the room dimly. Evie gave Wes a nod, thanking him for helping light the exits for the partygoers.

Wes nodded in return, the palms of his hands glowing. “You should come with us, Parker. Evie has to do this on her own.”

Parker faced her, his eyes worried. He clutched her to him.

There was no way he was going to let her go.

“I can’t lose you again,” he whispered.

She kissed him, closing her eyes against the warmth of his mouth. She missed his kisses. She never wanted to be without them ever again.

“Parker, I promise that you won’t.”

Wizard’s fire blew toward them, lighting the entire room a bright blue color. Gasping, Evie shielded Parker from the flames.

Evie’s eyes glowed gold as she picked him up and flew him straight through the house and out the door. Parker’s eyes widened as they shot through the hallway, Evie’s body deflecting the flames, sending them back to the source.

They both heard a loud cry of pain, and she clenched her jaw, knowing the voice.

Once outside, Evie and Parker rolled onto the ground.

“Oops,” she said. “I’ve never flown with someone before.”

“It’s okay,” Parker said, breathless. “You really are incredible. You know that?”

She kissed him.
“You’re incredible for being here tonight. Despite all that you know.”

“I wouldn’t leave you with that psychopath.”

Evie stroked his cheek. “Please, go with my family and stay safe until I return.”

Parker nodded.

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you more.”

Evie flashed a quick smile and ran back inside.

Her eyes widened with surprise when she bumped into Quinn in the foyer, just as hordes of guests ran past her the other way.

“Good lord,” Quinn said as she stepped over broken glass and rubble. In a short nurse’s costume, she folded her arms across her full bosom. “You just couldn’t wait for me to get here, could you?”

“You’re always late.”

Quinn adjusted her glasses as she surveyed the damage. “Well,” she said. “What do you need me to do?”

Evie nodded to Avalon’s thugs as they came running in from their posts.

“Take care of them for me.”

“Absolutely,” Quinn said, building small balls of red wizard’s fire between her hands. She shot the flame at Avalon’s biggest man, sending him flying into a nearby wall. The loud crash that resulted made Evie wince.

Quinn glanced back at Evie, who stood by, pleased by her best friend’s talents.

Having a wizard for a best friend had never proven so perfect until that moment.

“Run along. Get him,” Quinn said nodding toward the ballroom.

Evie took careful steps as she entered the ballroom.

“Avalon!”

She called out his name, hoping he would show his face.

The ballroom was empty of all guests now. Only random heels, trays of food, broken champagne bottles, and debris remained.

“Run, Evie!” Quinn’s voice shouted from the front of the mansion.

Evie almost paused to watch her in action, seeing bodies flying left and right. Then, more wizard’s fire as Avalon launched himself at her from the balcony of the second floor of the ballroom.

Heart racing, sweat dripping, Evie ran as fast as her legs would take her. She burst through the back doors to the garden and down the whitewashed stone steps.

Her heels stabbed the soil as she raced from the garden and toward the forest.

Avalon chased her, his speed astonishing.

All she needed was to get far enough away from the public and the tables would quickly turn. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth.

Evie screeched, hoping he would gain his confidence that she was afraid of him once again.

Come now, Avalon. Follow me.

Her eyes were fixed on the forest. Any other girl would seek aid in town, but Evie knew better. They had no idea who or what she was.

“Stop running,” Avalon shouted. “You can’t run forever!”

Evie ripped open the corset of her dress the instant she was in the concealment of the trees.

“I just want to talk to you. I won’t hold what you did against you. We can still work this all out.”

Evie could hear it in his voice. He was not going to let her get away with what she’d done. Seeing her with Parker clearly destroyed his last shred of sanity. No wizard had revealed their powers in public for as long as she’d been alive.

She was sure that the next day everything would be explained away as some natural or scientific occurrence. None of that mattered if she didn’t survive the night.

Avalon meant her serious harm. She knew what he could do with his power, and that was her fate unless she took matters into her own hands.

Still running, she pulled her dress over her head into the brush.

“What are you doing?”

Always keep clothes nearby.

She almost shouted,
Turn around and leave me alone or you’ll be sorry,
but she wanted to hurt him.

He deserved it.

No one messes with her family.

Shrouded by the security of the forest, Evie stopped. She heard his footsteps and turned around.

Face set with hate, she took off her glasses.

She wanted him to see her eyes.

To feel the rage festering in her soul like flames in a pyre.

He skidded to a stop and stood there in silence as Evie tossed her glasses into the woods.

Her eyes changed. They began to glow.

“What are you doing, Evie? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I told you to let me go,” Evie said. She closed her eyes, threw her arms into the air, and sucked in a deep breath as her body began to shift.

Painless.

Effortless.

Almost euphoric.

Evie’s bones bent. Her skin tingled as black feathers and fur took the place of her creamy white flesh. Silver talons replaced her nails, and her mouth became a white beak with a tip that curved downward.

Those eyes, silver and glowing, flickered open and glared at Avalon who seemed to shrink away.

He lifted his hands, showering wizard’s fire in her direction.

She smiled as the flames cooled as they neared her body.

Just like her mother, Evie transformed into a creature of myth, legend, and nightmare. As a gryphon, powerful and majestic, Evie was filled with enough confidence to exact her revenge.

Lightning quickness aided her in flying into him. She grabbed Avalon by his neck and carried him high into the black sky.

His yell filled the air and Evie’s ears, but there would be no mercy. She continued to climb the air with her wings flapping in tune to her heart beat. The clouds were a welcome blanket for her, and yet the Avalon shivered at the drop in temperature.

“Let me down,” he shouted in between coughs and screams.

“No,” Evie said in a calm voice.

“Please, Evie. All I wanted was to love you. And for you to love me back.”

Evie took him higher and higher until even she was too afraid to venture any further. This was as far as she would go.

“But I don’t love you, Avalon. You took me from the man I loved. Now, tell me you won’t hurt my family anymore,” she shouted.

Avalon looked at her, eyes wide with fear, but there was more… something she couldn’t decipher.

“I promise,” he said. “Now let’s go back down and talk this over.”

Evie stared at him.

For the first time since she met him, she was able to read him.

Horror filled her mind.

He’d done things to Olivia. Things that would haunt Evie forever. She could only imagine how Olivia was coping.

Rage filled her.

All logic escaped her mind.

Before she could stop herself, she crushed Avalon’s neck with her talons and tossed his body yards away through the air. Panting with anger, she watched his body soar through the air and fall downward to the ground.

Alone.

So many emotions filled her.

Relief, sorrow, and fear overwhelmed her.

Is it over?

The silence answered her.

Avalon was gone.

Yes,
she thought, a tingly sensation flooding her body.

Was this what victory felt like?

It’s over.

She vowed that this would be the last body that she would bury.