7
It would have been easy for Evangeline to simply stand there. To let Marisol enter the solarium without warning her. Marisol’s history with Luc was her own fault. She’d put Luc under a love spell to steal him from Evangeline. Then, when Luc had been disfigured by a wolf attack, Marisol had rejected and shunned him. Luc deserved the chance to confront her.
But Evangeline knew that wasn’t what he wanted from Marisol.
Evangeline felt a twist in her gut.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Jacks said, “but some people get things because they deserve them.”
Evangeline knew he was right. Marisol was no innocent. She’d done terrible things. But that didn’t mean that Evangeline could just let Luc kill her.
Before she lost her resolve, Evangeline started down the royal hall. Marisol blanched as she neared. Then the girl’s eyes went wide as Jacks came up beside her. She slowly took in every inch of him, from his polished boots to his rakish half cape, to the cruel line of his mouth.
Marisol had met Jacks at Nocte Neverending and been instantly enthralled. He’d had dark blue hair then, nothing like the brilliant gold that crowned him now, but she clearly recognized him. Her breath went shallow, excited. Then her eyes hardened and she glared at Evangeline, probably remembering the way she’d warned Marisol away from him. “You are such a little hypocrite.”
Told you she deserves it, Jacks thought at Evangeline.
She ignored him, pushing aside his words, along with the bite in her stepsister’s voice. All she had to do was warn her. Then hopefully she’d be done with her for good.
“You need to get out of here,” Evangeline said. “Leave Wolf Hall and the North.”
Marisol snorted. “You can’t make me go anywhere. You’re just a ruined girl with a dead husband. The servants might call you Princess, but most of them still think you murdered your prince.”
Evangeline flinched.
Jacks ground his jaw. “You’re a nasty piece of work.”
“I’m just telling the truth.”
“So am I,” Jacks said.
Marisol’s cheeks grew bright red, but she lifted her chin with a haughty sniff. “I’m going to meet Prince Lucien now.”
“If you go through those doors, you will never come back out again,” Evangeline said.
Marisol rolled her eyes. “Is that really the best you can do?”
“It’s the truth.” Prince Lucien is really Luc, and he’s a vampire! Evangeline wanted to scream, but she feared saying the word vampire would only work against her. Jacks had once told her that all the stories about vampires were cursed, but instead of warping the truth, like the other cursed tales of the North, stories about vampires manipulated the way people felt. No matter what a person was told about vampires, they would always be intrigued instead of horrified.
Marisol spun on her heel and strode toward the solarium doors.
Evangeline felt a brief flicker of indecision as she turned toward Jacks.
Before, she’d thought her feelings for Marisol were complicated, but they were actually very simple. All that Evangeline really wanted from her stepsister was an apology. She wanted her to feel some regret or remorse for the selfish things she’d done. She didn’t want her dead.
And yet the only way to save her now would be to ask Jacks for help.
Evangeline swallowed. Something metallic coated her tongue. It tasted like a price she didn’t want to pay. She reminded herself that she could not trust Jacks. She could not be tricked into believing he was her friend or make a habit of turning to him for help. She would just do it this one time.
“Please,” Evangeline whispered to Jacks, “use your powers to stop her.”
He raised one imperious brow. “You’re asking me for a favor?”
“I’m asking you to show some humanity.” Which actually felt almost as dangerous. If Jacks did this for free, it would be easier to once again think he was something he was not. But, from the unfeeling look on his face, that clearly wouldn’t be an issue.
“You’re asking for the wrong thing,” he said.
The guards reached for the solarium handles.
Evangeline’s insides tightened. If Jacks wasn’t going to stop Marisol, then she was going to have to try again. She didn’t know what she was going to do, but she started toward the solarium after her stepsister.
“Don’t.” Jacks grabbed her hand, his grip firm and cold.
Evangeline started to pull away.
But then she saw Marisol. One moment her stepsister was at the doors, and then she was backing away, flitting like a frightened bird with thin brown hair whipping around her face. She tripped on the hem of her skirts, stumbling a bit against the stone floors before breaking into a run down the opposite side of the castle hall.