She nodded. “And I’ll always be here for you. Just not here for you.” She couldn’t do it. Not anymore. She loved him too much. She couldn’t just be the person who made him feel. She couldn’t be his companion. It was all or nothing. She needed him completely, not just shards of him.
Traevyn stared at Evie, his heart beating sluggishly in his chest. “Why?” he breathed. “Why are you saying this?” He felt the good part of his soul trembling in fear, in complete horror. It could shatter in one moment if she said the wrong word. In one second, she could shatter all he was.
“Because,” she cried, “you heard what Jane said. She was right! I’ll never fit into your world!”
He felt his eyes flash fire. “Never fit into my world? You are my world!”
He all but shouted it and Evie jumped. She stared at him in obvious confusion. “What?” she whispered, her voice shaking from pure emotion.
He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Without you I am nothing!” he cried. “I was nothing before you. A hopeless, pathetic shell of a half man who felt nothing but overwhelming sorrow. Would you send me back there, Evie? Would you send me back to that dark place?” He started to tremble, terrified of this entire situation. All she had made him, all she had given him, was threatening to disappear.
Evie shook her head, shrinking back at the raw, unadulterated despair he knew his eyes reflected. “No, Traevyn, I—”
“Do you know I have not slept worth anything since Amy left and Leanna died? Every night I was plagued, haunted by their faces. Since you came to me, I can sleep. Do you know why? Because, before I close my eyes at night, I think of you. I think of your smile and your laugh and your touch. Your smile lights up my whole universe. Your laugh is more beautiful than any music on the Earth and your touch…” He shook his head. “Your touch drives away every recess of darkness, every grasping demon. I think of those things and I sleep because I know that the sooner I sleep, the sooner I can experience the splendor of you all over again.” He let it all out, every emotion and secret thought spilling out over the next. He risked it all, laid himself bare. He opened his arms wide and invited the last stab to his decimated heart, the one that would surely kill him. If he couldn’t have Evie, he didn’t want to live.
“And when I sleep,” he continued softly, “it is your face I see.” He stared into her eyes, which were now wide with overwhelmed emotion. “Would you send me back there?” he whispered, a tear streaking down his cheek as his voice shook. “Would you banish me back to the darkness? Back to hell?” He turned away from her, unable to look at her any longer. It hurt too much. His heart, it was dissolving. Not breaking, dissolving. It was ceasing to be.
Evie stared at his broad shouldered back, trying to process what he had just told her. In all her life she had never expected that reaction. She reached out to him tentatively, but let her hand drop, unsure of how to proceed. “Traevyn,” she murmured.
“I love you, Evie,” he murmured.
Evie froze. Her heart stopped, then started to beat way too fast. “What?” she rasped, realizing she seemed to be saying that a lot. She couldn’t have heard him right. Surely that was just a trick of her deluded imagination.
He turned back to her, his shining hair glistening in the moonlight as it fell to frame his flawless face. “I love you,” he repeated, fixing her with a forlorn expression. “I love you more than the sun, the moon, or the stars in the night sky. I love you more than the ocean, the fog, or even my art…” He held his arms out in a helpless gesture. “There. It’s done. I said it. It doesn’t even matter if I’m afraid. It doesn’t matter if I get hurt. Nothing matters if I can’t have you.”
More tears began to fall from her eyes. Tears of joy. Tears of confusion. Tears of every emotion in the world.
Traevyn reached out to catch her tears with his fingers. “Evie, I love you more than I ever could have hoped to love Amy.”
She shook her head violently. “Oh no,” she sobbed. “Don’t say it. Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.” Loving anyone more than Amy was impossible. She had been his life, his goddess.
He took her face in both his hands and forced her to meet his eyes. “I never say anything I don’t mean.”
She stared at him for a millisecond of time before collapsing against him and sobbing into his shoulder. She clung to him with a ferocity she didn’t even know she possessed. He loved her? This beautiful, perfect man loved her? Evie? Loud, abrasive, unrefined Evie? Her stupid brother had been right the entire time?
Traevyn’s arms crept around Evie and he held her to him, his heart aching and heavy. “You…don’t love me?” he whispered. It was as he feared. Why else would she be sobbing like that? She felt bad that she would have to hurt him. His world started to crumble as if he could see the pieces falling around him.
She pulled back and looked up at him. “Are you out of your mind?” she all but shouted. “I love you so much it makes me dizzy! I can’t even breathe without you!”
The threatening shadows were incinerated by the inferno of love and passion that swept through him. He enfolded her in his arms and held her close, wanting to make her a part of him, wanting to be a part of her. “Then why do you cry like your heart is breaking?”
“Because I never thought—” She buried her face against his chest, relishing the feel of him. Strong, solid, unyielding.
“How could I not love you, Evie?” he said softly. “You brought me back to life.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on. She was still trembling. She couldn’t help it. She felt as if her entire world had inverted, then exploded like a supernova. Seth… For some reason his smug face flashed before her eyes. She would never live this down. She closed her eyes as she felt Traevyn caress her back. More than Amy… He’d said he loved her more. She never would have even hoped to touch that one. She would have been content that he loved her at all. She never would have gone for the gold medal.
“Evie,” he whispered. “Why are you trembling so badly?”
She pulled away and looked up into his concerned eyes. “I can’t stop,” she said with a small smile.
He wiped the remnants of her tears and gave her a gentle smile. “Please, never scare me like that again. In one moment I saw my entire life ending. I can’t let you go. You hold part of my soul, remember? If you leave, it goes with you.”
“I have one year of college left,” she stated.
He nodded and continued to trail his fingers across her cheek and down her neck. “I know that… And I will wait for you. I’ll be holding my breath.”
She smiled a little more genuinely, her shock abating to let her joy through. “You know when you’re eighty, I’ll only be seventy-one.”
Traevyn grinned. “And all the old men next to me in the nursing home will be jealous of my hot, young woman.”
She laughed.
He smiled, gazing at her with open adoration. “Never doubt your beauty,” he said. “You are the most beautiful woman ever created.”
Tremors worked their way through her body at his words. She looked up into his eyes and was drawn into their depths.
“I love you, Evie,” he whispered over her lips before claiming them for his own once again.
She melted into him, fused her body to his as much as she could. His arms tightened around her and held her there even as she pulled away. “Say it again,” she pleaded.
He smiled. “I love you.” He punctuated it with another kiss.
She reeled with the satiny softness of his lips. “Again.”
“You’re greedy,” he teased.
“Very,” she agreed.
He grinned and dipped her dramatically, causing her to squeak in surprise. He pressed a lingering kiss to her throat. “I.” He kissed her chin. “Love.” He positioned himself over her lips again and gazed down into her eyes. “You,” he finished, lowering his lips to hers. One of her hands came up to tangle in his hair as he took his time, relishing in the feel of her, the taste
of her, everything that was her.
He sighed as he pulled her back up into a standing position. “Now, I really want to show you something,” he said softly, “but we have to go back inside.”
She cringed.
“Don’t worry,” he assured her. “No one had better ever insult you in front of me again.”
She smiled, marveling over how Traevyn was so openly declaring his feelings for her. How long had he been feeling them in silence like she had? If she had known all it would take to get him to spill it was threatening to leave, she would have done it a long time ago.
He took her hand in his, leading her back into the gallery. They moved swiftly, not stopping to make conversation with anyone, until they reached the back room. Evie gasped as they entered. There was a large painting on the far wall. A painting she had never seen. In it was a man she could only assume was Traevyn, sitting on the ground, his eyes downcast and sad. A woman stood behind with her arms wrapped around him. She was surrounded by an aura of fire and she had great, white wings hovering over Traevyn, sheltering and protecting him. She was wearing the same gown as Evie, and it was apparent that it was Evie.
“Oh my gosh!” she breathed, going to the painting. “When did you do this?”
“Last night and today. It’s your portrait. You see, the fire represents your passion.”
She turned to look at him. “And the wings?”
He swallowed and met her eyes. “Well, the wings are because… Because you are my angel. My angel coming to rescue me… It’s symbolic.”
Evie felt tears again, although she didn’t know how she could possibly have any left.
“Do you like it?” he asked softly. “It’s for you.”
“I love it. Traevyn, I—” She shook her head. “There are no words.”
He smiled and came up close to her, resting his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes. “Love me,” he whispered.
Evie couldn’t mistake the ache in his voice, the pleading note that let her know how vulnerable he was at that moment. He was begging her not to hurt him, not to destroy what he had become. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, sighing. “For as long as you’ll have me, I will love you,” she promised. She knew it was true. Traevyn could very possibly be it for her. She had never felt for anyone the way she felt for him.
His lips found hers again and he kissed her slowly, deliberately, indulging himself. He had forgotten affection, forgotten how marvelous it felt to kiss someone, hold someone, lose himself in someone. He had forgotten how it felt to know his heart was beating. Evie had given him back his life, his soul, his very breath. She was his angel and she had rescued him. He would not take that for granted. He would hold onto her forever. He couldn’t exist without her now. He wouldn’t know how.
He wrapped her petite frame up in his arms and held her close to him. He felt so much. His heart seemed to sigh in contentment, as if he could finally rest after such a long time. He felt whole, completed. Because of her… Evie. His savior, his world. His home.
Chapter Twenty-One
Everyone was asleep when Traevyn and Evie arrived back at Talis’s house. They had remained at the gallery despite Evie’s earlier requests to go home. She had figured it would be rude for Traevyn to leave the opening of his own gallery and, with him at her side all night, holding her hand and sneaking kisses at every opportunity, she no longer cared what anyone thought. She was invincible with the knowledge that he loved her. And, as if he hadn’t surprised her enough for one evening, Jane Meadows had come in to view Traevyn’s new painting when they were still in there. She had given Evie a gloating smirk before turning a critical eye to the portrait.
“Just your apprentice, is she?” she said as she looked at the painting. Her voice was witchy and full of malice.
Traevyn gave a smug smile and pulled Evie into his arms protectively. “I lied,” he stated. “She’s not just my apprentice.”
“So this sad excuse for a little girl actually is your girlfriend?” she spat, looking very agitated.
Traevyn smiled down at Evie. “No,” he murmured. “She’s my life.” He punctuated it with the kind of kiss that was sinful, and he continued to kiss her until Jane left the room in complete disgust.
They entered the house quietly so as not to wake anyone and, as soon as the front door closed, Traevyn backed Evie up against it with a devilish grin. He took her face in his hands and kissed her with sensual slowness. She sighed, melted against him, and it made him smile. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her up close, pressing his full body to hers. It almost set her on fire.
“So, I take it things went well?”
Evie jumped almost to the ceiling as Traevyn pulled his lips off of hers. Talis was standing in the living room, smirking. She had only ever seen Traevyn blush once, but the way he blushed then made up for all of the other times he hadn’t.
Talis shook his head and chuckled. “Poor Ash,” he muttered. “He never had a chance.” He turned and headed back to his room.
Traevyn turned back to Evie and gave her a bashful smile that turned her heart to goo. She giggled.
“I’m going to go change,” he stated.
She nodded.
He kissed her again before turning toward the bathroom.
Evie waited until he was gone before slumping back against the front door and sighing in bliss. She toyed with the fabric of her sleeve and glanced at Seth, who was fast asleep on the hide-a-bed. She grinned and ran toward it, jumping directly on top of him.
He groaned. “Bubbly tuna,” he muttered.
She frowned, then shook her head and laughed as she bounced up and down on him. “Seth!” she exclaimed. “Wake up!”
Several unpleasant words came out of his mouth before he managed to throw her off and sit up. He blinked at her, disoriented and irritated. “What the crap are you doing?”
She grinned and sat up. “You don’t have to worry about your video games,” she stated.
His frown deepened. “What the heck are you talking about?”
“Remember our deal? You won.”
He stared at her for a long time before recognition seemed to dawn on him. He raised his eyebrows. “Are you serious?” he breathed. “He made a move? The dude actually got off it and made a move?”
She grabbed Seth’s hands and gripped them in excitement. “He told me he loved me.” She whispered it like it was some great secret.
Seth reacted as if someone had just smacked him in the face. He jumped back in surprise and his eyes bulged. “Dude!” he shouted.
“Shhh!” She giggled softly. She looked up to see Talis come back into the kitchen, a sly smile on his lips. He poured himself a glass of water, then walked over to Evie, where he bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She blinked in surprise.
Talis smiled. “Evie,” he said, “go to breakfast with me in the morning, would you?”
She frowned. “Just you and me?”
“If you don’t mind.”
She shrugged. “No, that’s fine.”
He nodded and winked at her before turning back to his room.
Evie frowned and looked at Seth. “Why does he want to take me to breakfast?”
“Probably to say thank you. We were talking the other night when you and Traevyn were at dinner. He was telling me how worried he’s been about Traevyn, how he and his other brother thought he’d never come out of his depression.”
Just then Traevyn emerged from the bathroom, silencing their conversation. Seth grinned at Evie as she stood and grabbed her pajamas, making her way into the bathroom next.
Traevyn watched Evie pass and breathed a soft sigh. He bent to fix the pillows and covers on his side of the bed, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Seth. When Seth apparently got irritated at him not looking, he punched him in the arm. Traevyn blinked and rubbed at his shoulder, frowning. He looked up at Seth, who was grinning from ear to ear. Traevyn chuckled.
“Traevyn,” Seth said, �
��you have redeemed yourself.”
He frowned. “From what?”
“From being an idiot.”
Traevyn rolled his eyes. “Would you shut up and just go back to sleep?” He smiled.
Seth lay down, stilling grinning, and turned on his side away from Traevyn.
Traevyn sat down, waiting for Evie. She finally came back out in her monkey pajamas and he felt his heart swell. She met his eyes from across the room and flashed him a smile as she placed her gown in the garment bag and zipped it up.
He held his arms out to her as she approached and she went into them willingly, closing her eyes as he pulled her up onto his lap and against his chest. She buried her face against his neck. “Your brother asked me to go to breakfast with him tomorrow,” she said. “Don’t freak out on me, okay?”
He smiled. “Talis is no competition for me,” he said with arrogance.
Evie feigned irritation. “Whatever. I happen to love medieval tattooists.”
He chuckled and cradled her close, drinking in her warmth. “Lie next to me,” he whispered. “Please?”
She pulled back and frowned at him. “All three of us on this bed?”
He grinned. “I’ll just have to hold you extra close.” He reached up and threaded his fingers through her hair. “It’s been so long since I’ve been close to someone. Forgive me if I seem too attached.”
She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his. “Do I look like I mind?”
He smiled.
She climbed down off of his lap and let him get in bed, her heart beating erratically as he pulled the covers back and motioned for her to climb in next to him. She had never slept next to a man. Only in her craziest daydreams. It made her want to tremble to think that she would be sleeping next to Traevyn, the most beautiful man ever created. He was her idol, her mentor, her inspiration… More than that, he was the only man she had ever really loved.
She managed to make her body not shiver as she slipped into bed next to him and felt his arm go around her waist, pulling her flush up against him. She closed her eyes, unable to believe that she was actually lying next to him with his arms around her, that he was holding her like she was something precious and desired. It made her want to cry all over again.
Dark Masterpiece (Serendipity Series 3) Page 20