Leaving Eden

by Kelly A Walker et al.

  Tonight, the sight of her when she stepped into the Queen’s reception nearly took my breath away. Long, auburn hair, wide blue eyes, and full, pink lips were made all the more beautiful by the flowing red gown she wore, a color she’d long been told seemed made for her.

  “Stop looking at her,” Andreas snapped when he caught me staring. My older brother shifted slightly beside me, trying to be inconspicuous in his attempt to see Charmaine as she was escorted in ahead of the King and Queen. “She left you, Corbin. You need to move on.”

  “Left us, you mean,” I muttered back. “Don’t pretend as though you didn’t care for her as much as I.”

  Enzo, my younger brother, let out a quiet huff. “He’s got you there.”

  “It’s no matter,” Andreas muttered. “She chose to take up with that creature.”

  “And you chose to forsake her without finding out why,” I snapped. “You’ve known Charmaine her entire life. You know she wouldn’t associate herself with that witch without good reason.”

  He shot me a glare. “What reason could possibly be good enough to turn your back on all your beliefs? Denounce your hatred for a person after so many years just to torment people?”

  “Quiet down, you two,” Enzo hissed. “The King and Queen are coming in.”

  One of Helena’s personal guards had escorted Charmaine to a spot on the side of the room opposite where we stood, just beside an old woman who bore the colors of House Asten. As we watched King Horace and his queen enter, Charmaine and the woman spoke to one another briefly. After a few moments, Charmaine’s eyes drifted over the room, narrowing slightly on the small group of women who were sending envious glares toward Helena.

  Seconds later, the old woman left her side, and I watched as Charmaine’s expression shifted from suspicious to cunning as she continued to gaze at the group of women.

  “She’s plotting something,” Andreas murmured. “Look at her face.”

  “You don’t know that,” I replied, unable to conceal the doubt in my words. It didn’t strike me as odd in the least that Charmaine’s behavior toward us had shifted so drastically when her sister Luella had been named as the future Queen of Vind. It was something that had been replaying itself in my mind for months now; and if I wasn’t mistaken, it was something my brothers had taken note of as well.

  “Her facial expressions are no mystery to any of us, Corbin,” Enzo said. “Don’t fool yourself.”

  I shot him a glare but chose not to respond. With our family ties in Teid, and there being only a few years difference between the four of us, Charmaine, my brothers, and I had formed a tight bond when we were children, one that had flourished as we grew. Of my two brothers, Enzo seemed the least affected by Charmaine’s sudden change. Andreas, though…at five years her senior, he had known her the longest. Despite any words he might have to the contrary, her sudden defection had hit him hardest of all. He cared for her nearly as much as I did, though he would never admit it.

  “I’m going to see what I can find out,” I muttered. Not giving either a chance to stop me, I slipped into the crowd that had formed around us and made my way to the other side of the room, hugging the wall as I went. I’d almost reached the spot where I’d last seen Charmaine, when I caught sight of a familiar dark cloak and gleaming black hair tied into an elaborate knot. As I got closer, the rasping voice of Kosandra, the fae witch who’d been banished from her homelands, reached my ears.

  Quickly, before they could see me, I ducked behind a wide marble pillar and crept toward them. It was difficult to hear their conversation over the din of the reception, the clink of glasses, and high-pitched laughter of the lecherous women who seemed to be vying for the king’s attention, despite the young bride at his side.

  Sycophantic fools.

  I was only able to glean a few words from the conversation between Charmaine and Kosandra, but those I did both confused me and made my blood run cold. There was a plan in place, of that I was certain. Whispers of regicide and kidnapping made their way to my ears. “Soulmates” as well, although considering the context, I wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

  And then I heard the words that gave me hope for Charmaine.

  “I will break this curse, Kosandra.”

  So, she’d bartered with the witch and been cursed in exchange for…something.

  But curses were made to be broken, and her words told me it was possible to break this one. It was only a matter of determining how to break whatever curse the witch had placed, and I knew I would need the help of my brothers in order to figure it out.

  God only knew how difficult a feat that would be.

  3

  CHARMAINE

  It took far longer than I anticipated for the King to allow himself to be distracted by the ladies of Vind. I passed the time by wandering through the small crowd of about fifty guests, inhaling bits of envy here and there, adding to my stores, ensuring I wouldn’t have to feed again anytime soon.

  I paused beside a table full of food, nibbling at an apple tart as I waited for Gregory to have a chance to make his move. I hadn’t even told him my plan, but his intentions were written plainly on his face. It wouldn’t be long now before he would attempt to steal away the woman he loved and take her someplace far from Vind—and whatever cruelty would befall her should she be caught absconding with some foreign prince.

  Horace’s hand left Helena’s hip and was now gesturing animatedly as he spoke with a lithesome brunette and a sultry redhead, both of whom looked hardly older than Helena.

  For good measure, I sent a bit more power toward the preening nobles, causing them to increase their attempts to prove their worth as higher than that of his chosen queen.

  “Can I ask what you think you’re doing?”

  I stiffened at the sound of Corbin’s voice, deep and seductive in my ear. He was one of very few who could sneak up on me, something we’d learned years ago as children when I caught him attempting to look up my skirts on my tenth birthday.

  He’d matured a great deal since then, but he still enjoyed needling me on occasion.

  “I’m enjoying the festivities,” I said, unable, and possibly unwilling, to face him. “You?”

  His hand slipped around my waist, brushing against the smooth, ruby silk of my gown. I made to move away, but he caught me with his other hand, stalling my attempt to leave as he gently pulled me against him.

  “What trouble are you creating tonight, Charmaine?” he murmured in my ear, his breath hot against my neck. “Are you the reason those cretins are fawning all over their king?”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I replied, trying to ignore the hand that pressed lightly against my stomach, the poorly concealed lust that laced his tone, and the memories that went along with them. It took all my strength not to melt into him.

  “I think you do,” he whispered. Without warning, he tugged me backward, down a hallway where no eyes were likely to linger. When we’d gone halfway down, the light of the few sconces casting no more than a dim glow on our bodies, he stopped, blocking my path. I tried to push past, but a second voice stopped me.

  “Ah ah. You’re not going anywhere.”

  I squinted into the darkness, then rolled my eyes when I saw Enzo, another noble from Vind, and younger brother to Corbin.

  “I don’t know what you two think you’re doing, but you need to let me go.” I narrowed my eyes at each of them in turn, doing my best to look frightening. “Now.”

  “We only need to speak with you, Charmaine,” Corbin said.

  Before I could respond to the urgency in his voice, a third voice, the last one I’d hoped to hear, sounded from the darkness further down the hall.

  “I don’t know why either of you are bothering with reasoning,” Andreas, the eldest of the Carrole brothers and lord of their family estate, drawled. “She’s as stubborn as she is conniving.”

  “I am none of those things!” I jerked my arm from Corbin’s grasp and took a step back. “You haven�
�t a clue what you’re talking about!”

  I turned and began hurrying down the hall, but rough hands gripped me by the arms and pinned me against the wall, stopping me. Andreas’ pale blue eyes bore into mine.

  “What have you done, Charmaine?” he growled. Corbin and Enzo looked on from behind him. Enzo seemed impassive, but Corbin’s face held a bit of curiosity.

  Forcing back tears at the pain his hands caused, I lifted my chin defiantly, trying not to let my eyes run over the thick, auburn hair I’d once longed to run my fingers through. “Nothing! I’m simply here to see my niece introduced as Queen, just like you.”

  His eyes narrowed as they searched mine, and a hint of the attraction he’d once felt sparked there for just a moment before it was silenced by his newfound hatred for me.

  “You’ve done something, Charmaine. I know you have.”

  “I’ve done nothing,” I hissed, continuing to struggle against him. “Now, if you will unhand me, I’d like to go see my niece.”

  Ignoring me, he gripped my arm tighter and began dragging me further down the hall, one hand clamped over my mouth as he pulled me toward a seldom-used pathway that exited into a rear courtyard. Corbin and Enzo came quietly behind, following their leader, as usual.

  I quickly gave up any attempts to struggle against him when I saw how closely they were watching me.

  When we reached the moonlit courtyard, Andreas let me go, shoving me away as though I held some contagion that might make him ill. The backs of my legs bumped into a short stone bench, nearly sending me toppling into a fountain.

  “I think you need to leave, Charmaine,” he said, pointing toward an archway that led out of the courtyard and toward the apple orchards that grew behind the castle. “Helena may be your niece, but she doesn’t need you causing trouble at her wedding.”

  I looked back and forth between the three men in front of me, friends I’d had since childhood who’d turned their backs on me once they knew who I’d chosen to consort with and the power that Kosandra had given me. The witch’s curse forbade me from disclosing what she’d done and why, so they’d gone from looking on me fondly, each showing affection in their own way, to seeing me as a monster who basked in the pain I caused others.

  “I can’t,” I whispered, lowering my eyes to the smooth stone ground. “I won’t.”

  “Why?” Corbin asked before Andreas could respond, his tone gentle.

  I felt my lower lip begin to tremble as I wrestled with the decision to tell them what my plan was—as much of it as I could, anyway—or simply allow them to come to their own conclusions.

  My eyes darted between the three of them once more, then I dropped to the stone bench and stared dejectedly at the ground. “I need to save her,” I whispered.

  “Who?” Enzo asked sharply. “The Queen?”

  “My sister’s death was not the result of some rebel raid,” I said quietly, choosing my words carefully. “The king orchestrated her death so he could have the younger, more beautiful option for a wife.”

  “You’re lying,” Andreas deadpanned.

  “How do you know this?” Corbin asked, holding up a hand to silence Andreas.

  “It doesn’t matter how I know,” I said bitterly, knuckling away a tear. “I just do.”

  “Even if he did, he is still the King,” Andreas said. “It’s not your place—”

  “I will never call that creature King,” I snapped, glaring at him. Closing my eyes, I struggled to compose myself and get my emotions under control. “Please,” I begged. “Please, just let me get her away. He can find another queen.”

  “He’s chosen her,” Enzo said. “If that’s who he wants, that’s who he’ll have.”

  I huffed. “You would say that. Ever the good soldier, aren’t you?”

  Corbin crouched down in front of me, then touched a finger to my chin. “Charmaine, I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to answer me to the best of your ability. Is that alright?”

  I shook my head and tried to stand. “I need to get back inside. I need—”

  Corbin’s strong hands gripped my shoulders, and he shoved me back onto the bench. I forced back a sob of frustration. I just needed to get inside, make sure Helena and Gregory were where they needed to be. If they weren’t, all my work tonight would be for naught, and she’d be taken to that man’s bed—.

  This time, a choking sob forced its way out, a strangled sound that made me want to scream my frustrations to the heavens.

  “Charmaine, look at me.” When I refused, Corbin let out a sigh. “Alright, fine. This plan of yours tonight...does it have to do with this curse I heard you discussing with Kosandra a short while ago?”

  My eyes snapped to his, and I scrambled to come up with some semblance of a response.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Andreas snapped. “That witch only curses those who ask a favor of her. If she is cursed, it’s because she stupidly chose to bargain with a fae.”

  Ignoring him, Corbin lifted an eyebrow in question. I ran my eyes over his face, his tan skin, light brown hair, and the rough stubble that covered his jaw, recalling the way it used to brush across my cheek…

  I opened my mouth to respond, but the words I’d hoped to speak stalled at my lips.

  “You can’t answer me, can you?” His eyes held more sympathy than I deserved.

  I bit my lower lip and shook my head. Even if I could tell him everything, I didn’t want to speak the words aloud, didn’t want to say what I’d received in exchange for this pitiful existence.

  “This curse…” He frowned thoughtfully as his brothers looked on; Andreas with a scowl, Enzo, impassively. “She gave you something in exchange.”

  I swallowed hard as I tried to force my head to nod, but the muscles wouldn’t respond.

  “This is a waste of time,” Andreas grumbled.

  Corbin stood and faced his brother. “Have you forgotten who she was to us for all those years, Andreas? Have you forgotten all the time we spent together, how close we were?”

  “She made a choice,” Andreas said simply. “It makes no difference what memories or feelings I may or may not have.”

  Tears began to slide down my cheeks at the harshness of his words. I already carried so much guilt over what I’d asked of the witch; the knowledge that I’d destroyed three lifelong friendships as well made the weight of my guilt even greater.

  “Corbin isn’t wrong,” Enzo said, finally speaking up, surprising us all. “Why are you so quick to abandon her?”

  “Abandon her?” Andreas laughed incredulously. “She abandoned us along with all sense of reason when she bartered with that thing!”

  Corbin pushed him back several feet, causing Enzo to jump between them as they began to argue loudly with one another.

  Gnawing at my lip, I waited quietly. After a few seconds, their attention on me lessened, so I took my chance and slipped away.

  The moment I hit the hallway, I broke into a run.

  4

  ENZO

  I watched in amusement as Charmaine made her escape, slipping past my older brothers like a wisp of air. It was quite impressive, really. So much so, I wondered if that witch had given Charmaine abilities outside whatever she’d received in their barter.

  She’d have seconds, if that, before my brothers realized she was gone.

  “You didn’t hear what I heard, Andreas!” Corbin shouted. “She was talking about curses and soulmates and—”

  Andreas’ eyes narrowed. “And what, Corbin?”

  Corbin’s mouth snapped shut, his jaw set, clearly not inclined to share anything more.

  Seeing there was something he didn’t want Andreas to know, I smirked. “Gentlemen, it appears our princess has escaped us.”

  With a snarl, Andreas snapped his gaze toward the bench behind him, and Corbin let out a muttered curse when he saw its current state of emptiness.

  “You didn’t stop her?” Andreas growled. “What is the matter with you?”

  I sh
rugged. “I’m curious to see where her antics take her. Her concern for Helena is genuine, even you can’t deny that, despite that black heart of yours.”

  “Black heart,” he scoffed, then began making for the entrance. Corbin hurried after him, grabbing his arm just before he walked through the darkened doorway.

  “I’ll go after her,” Corbin said. “Stay here, I’ll see if I can bring her back.”

  Andreas eyed him suspiciously, and I couldn’t say I blamed him. We may have all loved Charmaine, but where Andreas and I kept our mouths shut about it, Corbin tended to wear his heart on his sleeve.

  “I will bring her back,” he amended with a sigh. “For the gods’ sake, Andreas.”

  “You act as though I’m being unreasonable,” Andreas snapped. “This is the first time you’ve seen her in six months. You expect me to believe you won’t attempt to—”

  “I truly don’t give a shit what you believe,” Corbin shot back. Without another word, he vanished into the hall.

  Andreas ran a hand through his hair, then let both fall to his sides.

  Pursing my lips, I considered what words might work best. His anger toward Charmaine was rooted in hurt and offense, only partially in logic.

  “Why do you think she did it?” I asked.

  He gave me an exasperated glare. “Does it matter?”

  I gave him a curious smile. “Of course. You two know her better than I do, but even I know she wouldn’t have done something with such great personal cost as accepting a curse if there wasn’t a worthwhile benefit.”

  He arched a brow. “Magical powers aren’t enough of a benefit? I know fools who have killed for just a taste of fae magic. The gods only know what she gave in exchange.”

  “In exchange for a curse, Andreas. I might’ve agreed with you yesterday, but Corbin himself overheard their discussion. Based on what he heard, and what she said—”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said flatly.

  “It seems as though she wants the damn thing broken.” I held up a hand and shook my head. “And don’t tell me it doesn’t matter.”

  “Alright, then, if you’re so smart.” He spread his arms, beckoning me to continue. “Why do you think she allowed Kosandra to put a curse on her?”