by Paige Watson
“Have you forgotten that she is the reason you were killed in the first place?”
I felt my heart stop for a second. Had I really been the reason Conrad was killed? Before I had more time to think about it, Conrad answered her question.
“It doesn’t matter, because I was made into a secundae after that. I was reborn.”
“Aden is after you because of her. If he gets her, and a consiliarius, then he’ll have the power to prevent you from being reborn. And don’t try to put on the reigning hero routine in front of me; I know you hurt your leg pretty bad. You’re limping on it.”
“I’m not scared of Aden. And my leg is fine. It’s just a little cut.”
“You should be; we all should be,” she said. “She’s his and I think he wants her back for himself. All his actions make me think, that in some sick and twisted way, he is still in love with her. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Shouldn’t you know that better than anyone?”
“I won’t let him have her. She isn’t his property!” I could hear him slam something down on a table in the room. “I’m one of her secundae; I swore to protect her at all costs and die if necessary.”
“I know what we are supposed to do. All I’m saying is it was a good idea to separate the two of you from each other, because you would risk anything to save her, even the safety of the Concilium. And if Aden ever possessed the true powers of a consiliarius, he could play God. He would have the ability to influence all mankind down a dark path.”
“I know what he could do with their powers. I think Evey is at the center of all this. She’s more important than any of us, and you know it. Why are you so concerned with what happens to me anyway?”
“Because I care about you, and she wasn’t the only one that lost you,” she said, the tone of her voice softening. “You might know that if you ever kept in touch over the years.” There was a pause in their conversation and Helen was the first to break the silence. “Well I’m sure you’re tired so I’ll let you get some rest.” I could hear her footsteps as she neared the door. I dashed back to my room, leaving the tiniest crack open so I could watch.
“Goodnight,” Conrad said, standing in the doorway to his room.”
“Goodnight.” She kissed him softly on the cheek before going to her room.
I gently shut my door and immediately headed for the bathroom. I ran a hot shower and couldn’t keep myself from replaying their conversation over and over in my head. I was right about one thing; she was sending me hate vibes loud and clear. Helen certainly possessed a certain type of disposition. Even though I had only known her for an hour or two, I could tell she was strong willed, ruthless, and blunt. However, her voice was so soft when she talked to Conrad, tender even. It wasn’t hard to figure out she
had feelings for him, and I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about that. Although, it wouldn’t be so much of a stretch to throw my own hate vibes her way. I kept hoping the shower might help me relax, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her blaming me for being the reason Conrad was killed. I wished I could remember what she was talking about, but I had a feeling I didn’t want to remember. Either way, it was probably just a matter of time until I did. I dried my hair in the towel and pulled on clean pajamas for bed. I had just burrowed under the covers when there was a knock at the door.
“Evey?” Conrad whispered my name as he opened up the door. “Can I come in?”
“Sure, I just got in bed.”
“I thought you wanted to look at my leg again.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot,” I said, throwing off my blankets. “Why don’t you lay down and I’ll look at it right now.”
I waited for him to lie down and took the first aid kit from his hand. I pulled at the tape around his dressings delicately, trying not to hurt him. I eased the gauze from the wound on his chest and dabbed a little peroxide to clean it. The cut still looked raw, but it was starting to heal and that made a wave of relief rush over my body.
“Are you mad at me or something?” I could tell he was examining my face as I applied a fresh layer of ointment and gauze to his cut.
“No, why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. You’ve been really quiet since we got here.”
“I know. I guess I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed at everything. It’s a lot to take in.”
“That’s true.” He flinched a little as I cleaned his leg. “It’s still a little tender,” he stated.
“Sorry,” I said, gently putting ointment over the stitches and covering them with fresh gauze. “I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You almost died when we were trying to get the painting and I hate that I’m the reason you were injured.”
“It’s not your fault all this happened. You can’t control what Aden does.”
“He killed you because of me, didn’t he?” I looked at him, hoping his answer wouldn’t be yes, but in my gut I knew it would be. “When you were one of my guards, he found out about us, and he killed you for it.” I felt a lone tear slide down my cheek.
“There’s a lot more to it than that and it wasn’t your fault. Like I said, Aden is crazy. You can’t hold yourself responsible for his actions.” He reached for me before I could step away from him and lifted me up in his arms. He tucked me underneath the covers and turned off the light before climbing in beside me.
“What’s the point in being with someone that just gets you hurt all the time?”
“You don’t get me hurt all the time.”
“That’s not what Helen seems to think.” As soon as I said it, I regretted it. I didn’t want him to know I’d listened to his conversation with her.
“You heard that?”
“Well, the two of you weren’t exactly quiet.”
“What she thinks doesn’t matter,” he said.
“Are you sure? I’m not so sure that’s what you believe.”
“Why are you saying this?”
“Why didn’t you tell me I was the reason you got killed?”
He stood up from the bed. In the dark I could tell he was glaring at me. “Because what happened in the past isn’t important.”
“How can you say that?” I raised my voice to match his, and rolled out of the bed to stand opposite him.
“Things were different in the fifteenth century. Kings could do as they pleased; even if that meant executing innocent people. Living back then wasn’t like it is today.”
“He killed you because he knew it would hurt me. You were just a pawn in his game,” I said, my voice full of anger.
“I was punished for my transgressions against him,” he shouted.
“What?”
“You were a queen Evey; you were his wife. In a world that makes sense, I should never have been with you; let alone love you.”
I shook my head. “No, you did nothing wrong. You didn’t deserve to die because you loved me.”
“It wasn’t just that I loved you; you loved me too. I made love to you in the bed he gave you as a wedding present for God’s sake. What man wouldn’t want to kill his wife’s lover?”
“We what—?” I was so stunned by his confession that I was having trouble speaking. “I think I might pass out,” I said, trying to catch my breath. He was at my side in a manner of seconds, holding my body to his. My arms crumbled between us and his touch instantly soothed me.
“You should try to get some rest.”
“Ok,” I whispered. He helped me into bed and drew the covers over me. “Aren’t you getting in too?”
“Do you want me to?”
Instead of answering him, I pulled back the covers and dragged him into the bed on top of me. “What I want, is for you to kiss me.” His lips connected with mine, kissing me with such intensity that my body started to tremble all over. He pushed my arms over my head, interlacing his fingers with mine. I could feel his body rubbing against me and the feel of his muscles were hard beneath my hands. I ripped off his shirt and threw it. My hands
shook as I tried to remove his shorts. He took them off and tossed them onto the floor. My shirt and shorts followed his to the ground; leaving both of us in our underwear. His lips moved down my neck and he slid the strap of my bra down my arm to kiss the skin it had covered.
“Conrad?”
“Yeah?” he said, as he raised his lips from my shoulder. His fingertips barely grazed the skin down my side.
“Do you love me?” He stopped kissing my chest and moved to look at me.
“I would think that would be obvious,” he grinned.
“Well, enlighten me.” I placed my hands on each of his shoulders and waited for him to answer.
He took a strand of my hair and looped it around his finger. “I love you more than anything in this world,” he whispered.
Then he laid on top of me, forcing our bodies together and pressed his mouth to mine. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held onto him as he sat back on the bed. Now I was in his lap; my hands tugged at his boxers playfully. His mouth found mine again and I wound my hands around his neck, drawing him closer to me.
“Evey,” he said between kisses. “Do you want to…?”
I nodded my head, “Uh huh.”
I felt his body shiver as I rubbed my hands down the length of his back. I leaned forward, joining our lips again. His fingers skimmed along the surface of my bra before undoing its clasp. He started guiding it off my body when we both froze. A light knock sounded on the door.
“Conrad,” Noah’s voice was calling him from the other side of the door.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Conrad said, letting the anger rise in his voice.
“Maybe he’ll go away if you don’t answer,” I suggested.
“Conrad, I know you’re in there. I need to talk to you,” Noah said.
“I swear, if Aden doesn’t kill him, I will.” I stifled a laugh as he leaned back from me in search of his shorts. “Is something funny?”
“You’re like a cute little boy when you’re upset.” I held my bra to keep it from falling off and kissed him softly on the lips. “I’ll still be here when you get back.” His eyes held my gaze for a second before turning their attentions to my hands. “You’re staring at me,” I said, calling him out.
“Oh, I know I am,” he grinned. He gave me another swift kiss before walking out of the room to meet Noah. I threw my bra to the ground and pulled the covers to my chin, waiting for him to come back. I felt something become tangled around my foot. I reached down and removed his shirt from my ankle. I yanked it on over my head before resting my head back on the pillow. My eyes started to grow tired and I became too exhausted to resist falling asleep.
I sat at the wooden table in my room, reading. The spindled legs of the table shone under a coat of fresh polish. A knock at the door seemed to reverberate off the stone walls, drawing my focus away from my book.
“Come in,” I said, closing my book and rising from my high backed chair to face the door. A smile spread across my face as I saw Conrad enter my bedroom.
“You wanted to see me, My Lady?”
“Yes. I wanted to ask if you would care to accompany me on a walk.”
“It would be my pleasure, My Lady,” he answered with a slight bow.
“You know, you don’t have to bow in my presence.”
“Yes, I do. You, are the Queen of Spain, and I am just a simple guard. I should kneel in your presence, not just bow.”
I walked to him and reached out to take his hand in mine. I stroked the top of it gently with my fingers. “You’re so much more than just a guard to me.”
“It’s hard to believe you could love someone like me.”
“You’re right: kind, devoted, tender…” I said, caressing his face, “Who could love someone like that?”
“I’m being serious, and yet you insist on teasing me.”
“If you don’t believe the words that come from my mouth, perhaps the kisses that come from it will convince you,” I said.
He lessened the distance lingering between us and cradled my face in his hands. His searing blue eyes ignited with an intense passion. His kiss sent a jolt throughout my entire body, causing my heart to quicken its pace.
“Your kisses seem to be more persuasive than your words,” he said with a grin. “Now, how about that walk?”
He followed me from my room and we made our way out of the castle. We walked side by side to the far end of the grounds. I grabbed the train of my blue dress, gathering it up in my hand so I could walk. The sun shone above us, casting our shadows on the ground. When we were sure we were hidden from sight by the rows of apple trees, he took my hand in his.
“Adam met with me the other day,” he said, breaking the silence.
“What did he want to talk to you about?” My hand tightened around his as if I expected something to tear him away from me.
“He asked me to join his council of advisors. He knows you favor me above all your other guards and he says the devotion I show in my duties would be better served if I were to become one of his advisors.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him I would need some time to think about it. I asked him what you said about his suggestion.”
“He never mentioned it to me,” I said, starting to feel nervous.
“He probably just forgot to mention it. It was a few days ago,” he said, as he hugged me.
“I don’t want you to leave me.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to accept his offer. He wants me to sit in on a meeting today, but after that I’ll tell him I’m not interested. Besides, I’d much rather spend my days watching after you.”
“I’m sorry I can’t give you the things you want,” I said, feeling a tear meander down the surface of my face.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not free to marry you, give you children, or grow old with you. You have to resort to sneaking away to the shadows to spend time with me.”
“I don’t care, just being around you is enough for me.”
“But it shouldn’t be.” His rough calloused hands dabbed at my tears. “I would leave everything to be with you. We could run off together and start a new life.”
“He would search for you,” he replied. “He loves you more than anything; trust me I can see it in his eyes. He wouldn’t let you go without a fight.”
“I don’t belong to him, I belong to you.” I threw my arms around his neck and began kissing him all over his face. “Take me away from here,” I begged him.
“I want to so badly, but I can’t leave Cecily and my mother. They would have no one to take care of them, and the king would throw them out of the castle.”
“They could come with us,” I said hopefully. But as soon as I uttered the words, I knew it wouldn’t be feasible. His mother had been in bad health for quite some time. I stopped by as often as I could to care for her, but she never regained all her strength after the fever she had the year before. She would never be able to survive traveling a long distance.
“I’m sorry,” he said, kissing me.
“Don’t be. You love your family and I love them too. I couldn’t ask you to choose me over them and you wouldn’t be the man I loved if you abandoned your family.”
“I love you Evey,” he whispered.
“I love you too.” I rubbed my fingers over his lips, barely touching their smooth surface. My other hand took his and pressed it against the ruby pendant that hung from my neck. He swept me up in his arms, setting me underneath the shade of an apple tree. Then he laid his body on top of mine and joined our lips with such force that I couldn’t tell where mine ended and his began. The world around us melted into the distance as we held one another. Something in my life had always been missing until I met Conrad. He filled the void in my heart that had eaten away at my soul for hundreds of years. He was the one thing in my life I wanted to keep with me forever. “Did you hear that?” A loud sound drew me away from Conrad. I stopped kissing him and looked all aro
und us.
“What did you hear?”
“I don’t know, it sounded like someone running through the trees. I thought I heard footsteps.”
“Well let’s get you back to the castle before everyone starts forming a search party for you.”
As we walked back, we were met by one of Adam’s guards. Donovan was my least favorite of Adam’s secundae. He always wore a menacing scowl and the scar that covered the bottom half of his face haunted me. He served Adam with a cruel hand and Adam liked him all the more for it.
“The King’s council is meeting soon. He would like you to join him in the hall in half an hour,” he said, barking the order at Conrad. “And the king would like you to meet with him in his chambers,” he said, focusing his glare on me. “There are a few matters he needs to discuss with you.”
I nodded my head at Donovan. “Conrad, I thank you for your company on my walk. I shall speak with you later this evening.” He bowed his head slightly before following Donovan to the council meeting.
I awoke from my dreams as I felt Conrad climbing into the bed.
“What did Noah want?” I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I looked at him.
“Go back to sleep, I’ll tell you in the morning.”
“Ok,” I yawned. “I was dreaming of you. We were in an apple orchard and you were kissing me.”
“I remember,” he whispered. “Go back to sleep and I’ll be there when you dream.” I laid my head against his chest and he bent down to kiss my forehead.
As I slept, my subconscious revisited the memories I did and didn’t want to see. It was as if my body wanted me to remember what the Concilium tried to steal away from me, and fought for my memories of the man sleeping next to me.
“You don’t have to do this,” Marie’s voice trembled as she layered another gold necklace around my neck.
“You know I do. If I don’t, he will hurt him, and I couldn’t stand the thought of causing Conrad pain.”
“Adam wants you to be humiliated.”
“I don’t care; Adam can do what he wants with me, but I won’t let him hurt the people I love,” my lips softly touched her forehead. My hand was on the side of her face as I looked into her soft green eyes. “I’ll be ok,” I said in a soothing voice.