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As soon as he was gone, Eva’s legs gave out under her weight.
Krieger went to her side, rubbing her back. “Angel, what happened?”
She shook her head as she sobbed.
He embraced her, taking her into his arms. “Shh, we’ll figure it out. We can make it right. Don’t cry.”
Pulling away from him, she said, “No, you don’t understand. I...”
The look on his face changed, and fear crept in around his eyes. “Eva, what did Derek mean I wouldn’t have you either.”
A strangled noise left her throat, and she wiped at the tears that wouldn’t stop coming. “You have to know, I never expected to feel the way I do about you, Krieger. I never thought I was capable. But I-I made a vow long ago to protect the people of Everwood. And I—”
Krieger sat back on his haunches. “What?”
Her voice broke as she spoke. “The peace treaty.”
He nodded. “You said they wanted something in exchange for peace.” His face paled. “Eva, you said the cost was high—tell me, what did you agree to?”
She took a deep breath and let the words fall from her lips. “I agreed to marry the heir of Stone Haven.”
Chapter 13
Krieger stood and staggered back, shaking his head. His insides swam with unease. “No, Eva—No!”
“What choice do I have? This will end the feud, Everwood will be safe,” Eva said, moving to sit on her bed.
He sat next to her, taking her hands in his. “Not like this, Eva. What about what you want—what about... us?”
She wouldn’t meet his gaze when she said, “I have to be brave and do this for my people. If my sacrifice helps them live, then... it’s worth it.”
He tucked a stray hair behind her ear as he swallowed past the bile rising in his throat. “Oh, Angel, who sacrifices for you?”
She shook her head. “Try to understand. I have to be strong. I have a chance to control—”
“Control is an illusion, don’t you see? Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is ask someone else for help. There has to be another way. Let’s just think about this—come up with an alternate solution.”
She stood, raking her fingers through her hair. “Don’t you think I’ve been over this a thousand times in my head? There is no other way.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as he straightened and walked to the window. He stared out the glass pane, thinking not seeing, then approached her with slow motions. “You deserve more than this. You deserve—” His voice broke. He swallowed past the tightness in his throat, then began again. “To be in a place that brings out your softness, Eva, not your survival.”
Taking her hand, he placed it on his chest. “You feel this, Eva, my heart... it beats, for you. I think I’ve known it since the moment I woke up to your angelic voice. Do you hear what I’m saying, I think I—”
“Don’t say it! Krieger, I—” She clutched at his shirt as her face crumbled.
Slowly, he encircled her in his arms, bringing her against his chest, and kissed the top of her head. Her body quivered in his hold as she wept in his arms. Her earthy lavender scent surrounded him, and he breathed her in, trying to memorize the feel of her body against his as if it might be the last time he would ever get a chance to.
“I feel like I’m losing you, which is strange—I guess I’m not even sure I ever really had you to begin with.”
She was shaking her head again, backing out of his embrace. “I can’t—I... All I’ve ever wanted was peace, this is the only way.”
Krieger ran his hand down his face and took a step back. “So, you’ve made up your mind, then. That’s it? What was last night, then? You were—”
As if sensing their heavy emotions, the storm lit up the room, and he saw her eyes. Mother Earth, help him. The pain that swirled in those jade irises knocked the wind from his lungs.
“You were saying goodbye, weren’t you?”
Her lip trembled as she nodded. “Krieger, if things were different, if I was different... I’d choose you.” She threw herself into his arms, a strangled sob falling from her lips.
