Page 7 of Fate of the Fallen

Under normal circumstances, I would have shielded her. However, she made a request what seemed like a lifetime ago. She asked that I always tell her the truth, even the hard truths.

This was definitely one of those times.

“They’ll uh … they’ll get bad, but we’ll take it one day at a time, think through our options, strategizing the best plan of action before we strike,” I explained.

It became apparent she didn’t care for that term—strike.When she glanced up the next moment I was sure of it. Her pulse throbbed where my thumb rested against her throat. I hated being the one to do this, being the bearer of bad news. If for no other reason than to avoid the way she looked at me now, with fear and dread flooding in.

“Hilda will do all she can to hide you, starting the moment she gets back from speaking with the Elders,” I promised. “She’ll use heavier spells on the house, most likely.” I paused before making another suggestion, one I was sure Evangeline would object to. “Or maybe … it’d be best if we … take you somewhere outside of town.”

Silence, just like I expected, but this had been on my mind all day. Removing her from the equation, getting her as far away from here as possible, was our best option.

“No,” she said flatly.

Ofcourseshe said no.

She glanced up and my eyes searched hers. “Evangeline …”

“No,” she repeated. Her response didn’t change, nor did her resolve. “I’m not gonna run from this. Hilda can cast her spells or do whatever magic she wants, but I’m not leaving town,” she clarified.

I breathed deep and the bed shifted a bit when she leaned away, sitting straight.

“The whole point of this has been that, when the dust settles, when this war is over, I’ll stand in Sebastian’s place, right? The lycans are supposed to revere me as their queen, aren’t they?” she asked.

Refusing to answer, air rushed from my lungs as I stared at her. She didn’t get it. I couldn’t have cared less what everyone wanted from her, what their expectations were concerning who or what she would one day become. Keeping her alive … that was theonlything I cared about.

“I can’t expect them to trust me if we don’t stand in solidarity, Liam. If I’m off on some glorified vacation while they’re cut down in battle … they’ll never respect me.”

She stared off, surprising me with how she’d come into her own without even realizing it, reminding me of Elise in so many ways. She had heart, integrity. She was fair and believed in second chances. Sometimes third and fourth chances, too.

And let’s not forget the inherited stubbornness.

There was no crown on her head just yet, but it was unmistakable that the girl I ran into in an alley so many months ago had evolved, had blossomed into a formidable woman.

A queen.

Still, no matter how honorable her intentions, I disagreed.

The dark eyes that had been my undoing since the beginning of time stared through me even now, as I was certain fear welled in her stomach just like it did mine. You wouldn’t have known it, though. Before me, she was the picture of bravery and determination.

“I won’t run from this, Liam,” she asserted once more.

It killed me inside, knowing I couldn’tmakeher bend to my will. She’d always had her own mind, her own way of doing things, and neither death nor rebirth had changed that.

Still, I had to make one final plea.

My palm settled against her stomach. It was still crazy to think we created a life, but soon there’d be no mistaking it.

When my fingers splayed across her warm flesh—the only thing separating me from our child—Evangeline’s eyes flitted with doubt. It was slight and only lasted half a second, but it was there. I needed her to understand this wasn’t just about her and I.

There was another whose existence, I believed, we both agreed mattered even more than our own.

“And what if things get out of hand?” I uttered, peering up again at the sound of the tremor in my own voice—the sound of a desperate man who couldn’t stand the thought of losing his family.

“What if it turns bad too quickly and there’s no time to get you to safety?” I added.

Our perspectives on this were so different, Evangeline’s and mine. A world apart I was sure. In my eyes, she was far beyond her years, and discovering what triggered Nick … it meant we’d been in this position before. In another lifetime, life grew within her, life neither of us had a chance to become aware of, and I was doing everything I could to pretend that part didn’t make all the difference, but … it did.

Knowing I failed themboththat night … I couldn’t let that happen again.