by Dawn Brower
“Aww,” Eve said mockingly and raised her hand to her chest. “You’re not special enough.” She rolled her eyes. “Cry your excuses to someone who might actually care.”
Shut up. Why couldn’t she rein in her rage? She sounded like a damn harpy without a tether to hold in bitterness. Trenton must be wondering why he’d bothered coming for her. If so, she couldn’t really blame him. She hated herself at the moment too.
“That’s uncalled for, Eve,” Serenity said. “You’re being extra witchy, and he’s right. You are not yourself—what did happen to you here?”
“I survived.” And she wouldn’t make any excuses for it. “I don’t need you to save me.”
At least he’d followed the breadcrumbs she’d left him through Regina and researched a way to find her. Regina had one of Rosanna’s journals the last time she mentally spoke to her. Genevieve had steered her in the direction to find it. What good had that done? She’d been moved around France, and it had taken a league of spies to rescue her. If not for the Duke of Branterberry and the Marquess of Seabrook, she’d still be locked in a room in a small cottage somewhere along the French coast. She owed both of those men her life. Abandoning Brandon now seemed—wrong. He depended on her to take care of Sebastian.
“I am going to see to my son,” Brandon said. “When I get back, we’re going to settle this all once and for all.”
“Go,” Trenton replied furiously. He clenched his jaw tight and didn’t even spare the duke a glance. “We don’t need you to arbitrate our relationship.”
Genevieve glared at him. How dare he talk to Brandon in such a manner? He was her friend, and if Trenton wanted to win her over he’d remember that. “He’s not the person you should be mad at in this equation. You’re the one who failed to find me sooner. He’s been the one person I could depend on. I’m supposed to toss him aside because you say so? It doesn’t work that way.”
Her irrationality was taking on new levels of crazy. Brandon had saved her, and she was grateful for that, but she didn’t love him. She still loved Trenton… A part of her wanted him to do something—more. Traveling through time and the hoops he had to jump through should’ve been enough. Sadly, for some unknown reason, it wasn’t. Her doubts were clouding her better judgment.
“That’s not it… I…” Trenton swore under his breath. His voice rose with each word he uttered. “I’ve been trying for well over a year to find you—ever since the first lead that you were alive surfaced. Do you have any idea how hard it was? How much research I had to do to figure out where you were? There were so many sleepless nights I’ve lost count.” He shook his head in disbelief. “That marriage you spoke of? It’s been over for a long time. It didn’t have a chance of lasting. Do you know why?”
Genevieve stepped back out of his reach. His face was bright red and his eyes had grown stormy. He might be about to crack and lose his temper. Trenton never… He wasn’t the same man she remembered. The love of her life would never have yelled at her as he was now. Had losing her done this to him? Was she perhaps being too condemnatory? Did she dare ask why? What if she didn’t like the answer?
“Why?” she taunted. “Because you think you’re still in love with me?”
Her tone could’ve been better, but she had to hear him say it. Actions spoke louder than words, but saying them were equally important. Maybe after he admitted his feelings she could find a way back to him. It was all supposition at this point and she wasn’t sure of anything.
“I am in love with you,” he replied. “But I’m not going to lie. Right now, I don’t particularly like you very much.”
Genevieve snorted. “You say the nicest things. Kisses to you too. You can leave anytime. I’ll be glad to show you the door.” Fuck. Someone muzzle her before she said something else stupid.
Trenton froze in place and didn’t move an inch. He stalked forward and stood directly in front of her. They didn’t touch but the short distance between them made her crave his warmth. He’d been her weakness for so long, and that hadn’t changed much in the years they’d been apart.
“You and I, we were always meant to be, and I refuse to believe you actually want to marry this bloke.” The muscles in his cheek twitched. “You can’t love him. I refuse to believe it.”
She really didn’t want to marry Brandon. When she’d said they were engaged it was a moment of insanity, but now she wasn’t so sure she could find a way to extricate herself from it. Brandon wouldn’t hold her to that promise, but she still felt bound by it. Why did she have to be such a conundrum of idiocy?
“Pretty words,” she said derisively. “But it doesn’t mean a thing. Words are just that—words, and completely meaningless in our situation.” Wrong. She loved hearing them, and after she sorted through the nonsense in her head she’d appreciate them more. She had too much to work through, and she wasn’t any good to anyone.
Trenton scrubbed his hands over his face. “What do I have to do to get through to you?” He stopped and turned toward Serenity. “Find someplace else to go. Eve and I need some alone time.”
Before she had a chance to object, he picked her up and carried her back into the duke’s study. After Serenity exited, he closed the door shut and set her down. Genevieve looked up at him and swallowed the lump in her throat. His focus was completely on her. He believed he still loved her, but she wasn’t so sure he understood what love was.
Before she’d disappeared, he’d been distant and unavailable on a good day. How was she to believe his supposed love had never died. Admittedly, while she was locked up she’d had hope that he did. It was why she worked so hard to reach out to Regina. After she was alone for months on end, she’d decided that it was time to move on. If she’d understood how to travel through time and find her way home, she’d have done it a long time ago. Since she didn’t, she’d given up on him, on them, and a real future.
There was one thing she was certain of: Trenton desired her. That had always been clear and evident in his actions, but even the biggest fool realized desire and love were two very different things. He was reacting to his need to claim her. Love had nothing to do with that. He said he loved her, and admittedly traveling through time was a huge indication he might, but she was too messed up to see past any of that.
“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.
“I’m going to remind you of what we have. Words don’t work for you?” He lifted a brow mockingly. “Then actions it is.”
Trenton leaned down and placed his lips on hers. Heat spread through her body immediately upon the connection. She stepped into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist. He pulled her tight against him and deepened the kiss. When their tongues touched she barely repressed a moan. This. Him. Everything. How could she have believed she’d ever be able to let him go and not experience the joy of his kiss? Only he had ever made her feel as if she’d float away with the touch of his mouth to hers.
She pulled back and stared up at him. His eyelids were drooped low and his bottom lip jutted out. The need to kiss him again was almost too hard to resist, but if she gave in to it he’d never let her go. He had to go back to his time. Her heart couldn’t handle being broken again, and Trenton Quinn would destroy her if she let him.
“Don’t ever do that again.” Please ignore me. I’m clearly stupid, and possibly insane.
The corner of his mouth tilted upward. It held an edge of cockiness and something she couldn’t quite identify. Genevieve didn’t have anything to protect herself from what that grin did to her. He had an infectious smile. It slammed a dose of happy through her so fast she didn’t have time to dodge its effect. All she could do was brace herself for the impact and pray she could handle it.
“Darling,” he said a little too pleased with himself. “I refuse to make a promise I don’t intend to keep.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You can deny it all you want, but the feelings are still there. I’m not going anywhere until you realize we belong together. You’re
worth fighting for.”
With those words, he let her go and strode out of the room. Trenton had thrown down the gauntlet, and it was up to her if she wanted to pick it up or not. He was being stubborn and even the possibility of her marrying another man wouldn’t deter him. How had she not taken into account his competitive nature? He wasn’t going anywhere, and she might have to actually go through with the wedding in order to make him leave.
She didn’t like either choice, and would have to find a different solution. Maybe the easiest course was to find out how they’d managed to time travel and use it to her advantage. She didn’t have to go back with Trenton and Serenity. If she figured it out, she could go back herself and leave them both behind. No reason to marry anyone at all that way…
Gaining that information wouldn’t be easy though. Serenity was suspicious by nature and would easily see through any ploy Genevieve concocted. Trenton might not have all the details. Serenity wasn’t the sharing type, and if she was as important as Trenton had indicated, she held some important facts back. Her cousin’s stepsister was sneaky like that. Genevieve had a decision to make and not enough information to go on.
What a fine mess she’d made for herself this time… At least she had a plan to extricate herself from it. She needed time and distance to figure it all out, and she’d make sure she found it … somehow.
Chapter 5
That hadn’t gone as he’d hoped or even imagined it would. Why did he believe Genevieve would have come running into his arms and be grateful to see him? Somewhere along the way, he’d fashioned himself into some kind of knight in shining armor, ready to rush in and save the day. What a bloody fool he’d been. Real life didn’t happen that way. It didn’t matter that his circumstances were convoluted and twisted in a thousand different angles. Nothing ever went as planned. It was a good thing he was able to adapt, reassess, and create a new plan. Genevieve wanted to play hard to get? Well, he’d let her have her way for a day. There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d allow that wedding to take place. He’d use everything in his arsenal to make her see that they belonged together. Failing wasn’t an option.
Trenton glanced up at Serenity walking down the hallway. Her mahogany hair was a tumbled mess around her shoulders. The trip through the mirror had taken a toll on her. There were dark spots under her eyes, and she looked ready to drop. He was rather weary himself. Some sleep would do them both good. After a quick chat with Serenity, he’d go in search of the duke and demand he accommodate them. A man of Branterberry’s stature probably wouldn’t take such a slight calmly. He couldn’t wait to bash figurative heads with him. The notorious spy wouldn’t be happy, and Trenton intended to make it a point of being the bane of his existence. The man dared to take Genevieve away from him. For that alone he deserved to be harassed.
“How did it go?” Serenity asked.
He shook his head. “It’s a tossup. It could be good, but it could be bad. I do think I may have put a chink in that wall she’s built up around herself.”
That kiss though… It was so much more than he could have hoped for. She’d all but fell into his arms. It was a start, but nothing more. He had to find a way to convince her he was worth the risk. They’d been in a bad place before she disappeared. Something he hadn’t taken into account when he started on the path to find her. Of course, she’d have doubts. Why wouldn’t she? She didn’t understand what he’d been doing and why he’d been so distant. Maybe once he explained it to her she’d be more open to trying again. A love like theirs didn’t go away.
“Branterberry is good with his son. His aura changed when he was telling him the bedtime story,” Serenity said. “I wonder what happened to the boy’s mother.”
She stared past Trenton and her gaze went unfocused. He turned to see the duke coming down the hallway. It looked like they were about to have that conversation about a room for the night. His Grace didn’t seem too happy to see them both standing in the hallway.
“Maybe you should ask him,” Trenton offered. “Might not find out if he throws us out on the street.”
He probably shouldn’t encourage her to poke the bear—or maybe he was more like a lion. The duke definitely appeared as if he could tear them from limb to limb. Trenton doubted he’d take his ire out on Serenity though. He didn’t seem the type to harm a woman. He had taken Genevieve in when she had no one to lean on. To Trenton, that spoke volumes about the man’s honor and integrity.
“Why are you two still here?” the duke demanded.
“Because we’re waiting on you to show us to a room,” Trenton deadpanned. “It’s rude to leave guests waiting in the hall.
“I am rather tired,” Serenity said, stifling down a yawn. “Did you have a maid prepare a chamber?”
The duke glared at her. “I did no such thing. Why would I let intruders have a guest chamber?”
Serenity straightened and met his gaze, then shrugged. “Fine. It’s not as if I’ve never slept on a couch before. I’ll be in his study getting some much needed sleep if you need me.” She pushed past the duke to head toward the study. Branterberry reached out and latched onto her arm. Serenity was forced to stop and turn to face him. She glanced down at where the duke’s hand was wrapped around her arm and then slowly back up to meet his gaze. Her voice was pure steel as she said stormily, “Let me go.” Her eyes were cold as she continued to glare at the duke until he released her.
“You are not sleeping on the settee in my study,” the duke informed her. “I will not allow it.”
Trenton leaned against the wall and stared at the two of them. There were some sparks there. The duke didn’t seem to want to like Serenity and vice versa, but they were there. The way they kept sneaking glances at each other—if they had enough alone time, they’d jump on each other. He’d stake everything he owned on it.
“Would you rather I sleep on the front steps?” She raised a brow. “It won’t be comfortable, but it will work in a pinch.”
“Are you obtuse?” the duke asked. “Fine, you win. I’ll have a maid prepare you a chamber.” He turned to Trenton and said, “I suppose you want a room of your own too?”
“So nice of you to offer,” Trenton said. “I’d love to be your guest for the night.”
He didn’t want to stay more than that. Genevieve had to see reason soon. Once she did, they could head to Weston and go through the mirror. Serenity would be their guide as they passed through. If she’d known that her psychic ability would allow her to pass through, she could have come home to him months ago. How long had she been living with Branterberry? She planned on marrying him—did that mean they had a real relationship? Had that bastard put his hands on her?
He didn’t like the path his mind was going, but he couldn’t help himself. Thinking about Genevieve moving on without him was driving him mad. It wasn’t as if he could blame her for creating a life for herself. He’d attempted to move on with Regina. The duke had been good to her. Trenton didn’t have to like any of it, but he could respect the duke, albeit silently, for helping the love of his life.
“I didn’t offer anything,” the duke said. “Tomorrow morning, you both are leaving.”
He could think whatever he wanted. Trenton wasn’t going anywhere as long as Genevieve insisted on staying. Once she agreed to leave, he’d happily remove himself from Branterberry’s residence.
“That’s fine by me.”
The duke frowned and spun on his heels. He disappeared down the hallway to seek out a maid to prepare the chambers for him and Serenity. That was a good thing. Serenity really did look rough.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’ve had better days. I didn’t really expect that going through the mirror would drain me so much. I probably shouldn’t have used any more energy to read the duke, but I had to know if we could trust him.” Her voice shook as she spoke. It must have taken a lot for her to be so forceful with the duke earlier. He didn’t like how pale she’d gotten.
“Can we?�
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“Yes.” She nodded. “I said as much earlier. He still has secrets, but I don’t think they have anything to do with Eve. She’s being stubborn. Give her time and she’ll realize that herself.”
“I hope so.” They didn’t exactly have a lot of time though if she was going to insist on marrying Branterberry. “How am I going to stop that wedding?”
Serenity smiled. “I might be able to help with that.”
Perhaps he’d been wrong about his earlier assessment concerning the sparks between her and Branterberry. Did she realize he was drawn to her? “What do you have in mind?”
“I’m going to make friends with little Sebastian.” She grinned. “He’s the key to winning the duke over. That boy is the one thing that man cares about. I’m going to ruffle his feathers a little bit and see how he likes it.”
That might be amusing to watch. Serenity might have a lion tamer gene or two in her. The duke wasn’t going to realize what hit him. “I’m not sure bringing a little boy into our skirmish is a good idea.”
“I’m not going to abuse him,” she said, offended. She flinched as if he’d slapped her. “What kind of person do you think I am?”
“Still…” Kids were to be cherished. They were not tools of revenge or needling angry dukes. “Isn’t there another way?”
“It’s the first step. It will gain his attention.” She winked. “Trust me.”
Trenton wanted to. God, he really did, but he didn’t know Serenity that well. She showed up in his hour of need and made it possible for him to find Genevieve. He owed her a lot. Perhaps it was time to give her a little more faith.
“If you say it’s the only way, I’ll give you the room to work.”
“Good,” she said. “Because I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. The duke is—different.”
What did she mean by that? What had she said to him when they first met? “You said you see all of him. What exactly does that mean?”
She shook her head. “I’m not giving away his secrets.” She got a faraway look in her eyes. “But he’s been through a lot. He carries a lot of pain and anger in him.”