He moves closer and pulls me toward him. “If you were just a normal girl, and I was just a normal guy, I’d probably do this”—he kisses me softly—“all the time.”
I kiss him back, hungrily, and after a pause, he responds with a hunger of his own. The garden, the woods, Carrefour itself all disappear as I fade into him. He holds me, caresses me, drinks me in like I’m the only thing anchoring him to earth.
When the kiss ends and we finally pull away, there are tears in his eyes. “But I let my guard down once. I let my feelings, my pride get in the way. And you almost died.”
“I didn’t die, though,” I whisper. “You saved me.”
He shakes his head. “Next time, we might not be so lucky.” He takes a deep breath. “Eveny, I love you. But this is why protectors are forbidden from having a relationship with their queens; I can’t think straight and protect you when I feel like this.”
“But—” I begin.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m so sorry. I can’t do this. But I’ll always be nearby, watching over you if you need me.”
“Caleb,” I say desperately. “I do need you. I need you now. I need you to be with me. I need you to forget all the things we’re supposed to do and just follow your heart.”
He smiles sadly. “I’m sorry, Eveny. But you know as well as I do that’s not how this town works.”
And then he’s gone, back over the cemetery wall, before I can say anything else. I stare in the direction he disappeared for a very long time, tears streaming down my face, before I whisper, “I love you too.”
I turn and walk slowly toward the back door of my house. The world feels like it’s been upended again. I want to go after him, to beg him to stay, to plead with him to reconsider. But I saw the resolution in his eyes. I’ll have to find another way.
I open the door and head inside. The first thing I realize when I shut the door behind me is that something feels different. There’s a heaviness in the air that puts me instantly on edge.
Before I can say anything, Boniface steps out from the living room, his face creased with concern. “Eveny, I didn’t know—” he begins, but a voice behind him cuts him off.
“I’ll take it from here, Boniface,” says the tall, handsome man who rounds the corner. His hair is sandy; his eyes are a brilliant green. I recognize him instantly.
“Dad?” I ask in disbelief.
“Eveny,” he says. He crosses the space between us swiftly and pulls me into a tight hug. I’m so shocked, I can barely hug back.
“But . . .” My brain is suddenly a jumble of questions. “You left us,” I conclude, my voice breaking.
“I did what I had to do to keep you safe, Eveny,” he says. “Staying would have put you in terrible danger.”
“But you’re here now. . . .” I can hardly believe what I’m seeing.
“You need my help.” He takes a step forward, and for an instant, I’m not thinking about the present; I’m thinking about all the moments like this we missed, all the times he should have been there to hold my hand, all the instances I felt so abandoned by both of my parents when one of them was out there all along.
“Why now?” I manage. “After all this time?”
“I’m afraid that what happened with Main de Lumière is only the beginning, Eveny,” he says gravely. “You’re going to be in danger until we figure out how to stop them for good. So the way I see it, we have two choices: You and I can run tonight, go somewhere they’ll never be able to find us. Or we can stay and do our best to stand our ground and protect zandara and everything your mother stood for.”
My heart hammers, and my Stone of Carrefour grows hot against my chest. Magic is in my blood—it’s who I am, who I’m destined to be. I don’t yet know what I’m supposed to do to make things better, but my mom believed I’d be the greatest queen the world has ever known, and I won’t let her down. I take a deep breath and steel myself. “We’ll stay,” I say. “We’ll fight.”
“You’re sure?” His eyes bore into mine, and I’m struck by the depth of sadness I see there. “You could die trying. You realize that, don’t you? I’ll do everything I can to protect you, but there’s always a chance. . . .”
“Mom died trying to make things right,” I say. “I have to carry that on in her honor. And I want to find out who killed her and make sure they’re brought to justice. Everything about this place, it’s who I am. I can’t run from that anymore, not if there’s a possibility I can fix things.”