Page 14 of Rapunzel Unchained
Luke and Blake broke the tree line.
I dropped my hands, cutting off the magic. It would have to be enough.
Spinning to face the twins, I placed a hand on Izzy’s back and drew my shoulders back. There was nothing else I could do. I could only hope they would listen to reason and not try to force me to go back with them.
Though, based on the looks on their faces as they grew closer, I knew they weren’t going to let me go without a fight.
Chapter 8
If I had met the twins somewhere else with someone else, I would have been able to run into their arms and cry out with joy at seeing their faces. That’s what the beating in my heart wanted me to do.
Instead, I stood my ground, forcing my feet to stay in place and my expression to give nothing away.
My gaze focused on their faces as they approached. They looked as weary as Zane and Adam had. It hurt me to know my disappearance had affected them so, and yet another part of me was happy.
Happy to know that I meant as much to them as they did to me.
Luke had always been the more expressive of the two of them. The moment he realized who was standing before him, his face broke out into a wide smile as relief filled his eyes. His footsteps quickened as he raced toward me, his white and gold lined jacket flapping in the wind behind him.
Blake approached me slower. His face to others would have been indifferent, but I could see the change. The slight widening of his exposed eye. The tick of his lip before it smashed back into a flat line. He did not run to me, and yet his pace was faster than it had been before.
“Izzy,” Luke cried out with glee. “Look who you found! Such a good hellhound, you are.” He scratched the back of Izzy’s horns before looking at me. His body tensed before he reached out a hand for me. “Eva.”
“Luke.” I nodded, not taking his hand. He dropped it with a frown. I met the one visible golden eye of his brother. “Blake.”
“What are you doing out here?” Surprisingly, this came from Blake and not Luke, the one usually so quick to make his thoughts known.
I shot a look between the two of them and then down to Izzy, who panted and wagged his tail with unbound happiness. Did I tell them the truth? Or did I lie? What could I trust them with?
Luke had given me no reason not to trust him, while Blake was a grumpy man who had more secrets than most. He also seemed very good at keeping them. Would he keep mine?
“Training.” It was the truth and a simple answer that gave away nothing they could use against me.
Luke cocked his head to the side. “Training? For what? Why?”
I grinned. “Why do you think?”
Letting out a long breath, Luke shook his head, dragging a hand through his pale hair. “What happened at the party wasn’t your fault.”
My fingers curled into fists at my sides. “It was. If I had control over the queen, it wouldn’t have happened, and Master Tuck would still be here.”
Blake snorted. “No one weeps for that vicious idiot. You did the world a favor.”
I shot him a glare. “He might have been a vicious idiot, but that didn’t give me the right to kill him.”
“Eva,” Luke said my name low like a lover would in bed his hands reach for mine. This time, I let him take them. “Both of us know what it's like to have a power you cannot control. You’re not alone in this. Please let us help you.”
His fingers stroked mine and, when I didn’t pull away, he drew me to him, wrapping me in his embrace.
For just a moment, I let myself sink into his warmth, breathing in the scent of him, all medicinal herbs and sweet citrus. I wanted to accept his offer. With everything that was inme, I wanted to go back with them and let them help me, but I couldn’t.
They weren’t safe until I could keep my powers and the queen under control.
I drew back from Luke, my mouth open to tell him so when a warmth pressed to my side. I blinked up at Blake as he cupped my chin in his hand.
“Please.” His words were so quiet I almost didn’t hear them. The usual bite in his voice had softened until it was almost a plea. “Please don’t go.”
My eyes locked with his gaze, the wind blowing his dark hair away from his face giving me a full view of his one gold eye and one purple one, the scar slashed across that eye prominent in the sun’s gaze.
