Lorcan & Evette

Chapter Forty-One

Why would she want to stay with Lorcan anyway? It wasn't like he was nice to her. He'd made her purpose in this Kingdom perfectly clear to everyone. When all was said and done, he was happy to treat her like an equal with pretty words about her being the Queen. But when push came to shove, she was nothing more than an asset.

That was what he'd told his people.

With time, they'd realise she was an asset to the territories.

Evie was done being a war strategy.

She struggled to balance all this in her mind with all the other things. No one had ever made her stomach flutter the way Lorcan did. No one had ever wiped her tears away, seeming to be genuinely pained by her turmoil. No one had ever been so eager to listen to her, so happy to be around her, so enthusiastic for her touch.

No one made her brain hurt like Lorcan.

No one made her long for love as much as Lorcan did.

Maybe that was another permanent thing about Evie's life. She'd never find love and she'd always serve a purpose.

Yay me.

Only in the bath with the bubbles piled high and Beyoncé blasting from her iPod did she relax.

"I'm out of here soon," she said, a means of comforting herself.  It didn't do what she intended for it to. A pang of pain hit her. "Just a little bit more of this shit, then I'll be home."

Soon, she'd be bathing in Castle Solum again with an entourage of admirers asking her if the water was warm enough.

At least that was something to look forwards to... even if she had gotten used to the privacy. Even if she knew she'd miss it.

Privacy.

Oh Gods. She'd counted Lorcan's presence as part of that privacy, just as he'd predicted she would.

It's the heat of the water getting to me.

And the wine.

Yep, the wine.

She heard the door to Lorcan's bedroom open and ignored it. After their fight earlier, she doubted he'd come anywhere near her. Not when she'd told him to stay away in the way that she did.

"Evie?"

Or, y'know, maybe not. He didn't have to listen to her. He'd already proven time and time again that her wishes weren't his priority. I'm his priority in general.

Gah! He'd prioritise what she needed over what she wanted.

She was going to tell him how things were going to be the next time she saw him. With Claudio taking her away soon, her getting things out in the open was probably for the best.

That plan would be happening sooner than expected. Ignoring her wishes- again- Lorcan pushed the door to the bathroom open. There was a careful look about his features. He had the face of someone who knew they were in the danger zone.

Today, he'd pushed a little too hard.

"Hello, pet." She was leaning him. He'd started to call her that instead of witch to lessen their divide. He said it when he was trying to be nice. She hated how she liked it when he called her by both names. "I've missed you today."

"Uh huh."

"How've you been?"

"Good."

Small-talk. Had it really come to that?

He returned from the bedroom a couple moments later with a chair.

Great, he's not going anywhere.