Lorcan & Evette

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Lorcan made the brave decision of allowing his mate free reign to explore the castle. As he struggled to track her, he increasingly regretted that decision. Word had been sent back to him that Claudio had arrived at one of the portals. With Chronos already ready and waiting, all he needed was the witch and then he could kick things off.

Having the meeting without the witch was a no go.

He needed the people in the castle to see that she was trusted and that she too had responsibilities. How else could he expect them to accept her as their Queen?

He needed the witch to see the same things. They were working on rebuilding. After all, he'd won the bet. She had to give this bond between them a chance.

Eventually, he found her prowling near the library. She seemed lost, so that eased his irritation a little. She hadn't intentionally hidden from him. This was an innocent mistake. He'd draw her a map later.

When she saw him behind her in a stray mirror, she raised an eyebrow.

"Are you following me, werewolf?"

He leaned casually against a nearby wall. "I would if I had time to, but it's not easy being a King, little witch." She rolled her eyes and turned away. Of course Lorcan meant every word of it. If he had the time, he'd follow her everywhere. "Above trying to stop you from leaving, bedding you and getting you to want me, I have a war on my hands. It'd be much easier to cope if you gave me a glance of the future. A stray word here or there would free up my schedule."

"Ah, yes. Because I'm an asset to this kingdom." She kept walking, staring at the paintings in curiosity. She really wasn't going to let him live that one down. Lorcan grimaced, knowing he'd have to move a mountain before she'd accept his apology.

He was like her shadow as she walked further. As she took in the castle, he lapped up her reactions.

She levelled him with a cool glance over her shoulder. "Can I help you with something?"

Down the hall, she spotted a gathering of maids watching them and giggling. They were young. They knew the two were mates. They likely felt like they were getting front row seats to a royal love story.

"As a matter of fact, pet, you can."

"Oh really? And what is it this time? Do you need someone to toss around and growl at? There's only so much my body can take in one go. At least give me time to recover from the last beating."

Her gaze returned to the painting as though she were done with him.

When he came up behind her, the maids giggled louder and tried to hide behind a wall. Crap hearing or not, Evie could hear them whispering excitedly to each other.

"They're my parents," He explained to her, pointing the figures in the painting out. The woman looked like him, the man looked like Chronos. "They're gone now. They died hundreds of years ago."

She wondered what that was like. Unlike her, he'd had a proper family.

"How did they die?"

"My Father died on the battlefield."

"You send Kings out to battle?"

"Of course," He said as if this were self-explanatory. "His last one was the bloodiest this kingdom has ever seen."

Evie couldn't imagine Annaliese's Dad on a battlefield. He'd have sooner used his own daughter as a witch shield than face a foe head on.

"What happened to your Mother?"

He stopped looking at the painting to stare down at her fondly. "She followed him to the grave."

"Well that's stupid."