The Past Burns
Vincent stared down at Evelyn's grief stricken face, trying to wrap his mind around her words. His body shook with his efforts to stay in control. His wolf was strong now, demanding they take what was theirs. Over and over it chanted from within his mind.
Mate. Mate. Mate.
Evelyn was his mate.
His hands twitched with the need to pull her to him. He craved the taste of her skin. Her scent surrounded him, an intoxicating blend that left him aching and hard. He needed to fill her with his cock and sink his teeth into her neck.
The animalistic needs in him played havoc on his mind, his wolf practically roaring as it clawed to be free.
He rubbed a hand down his face with a snarl, forcing it back. It took every ounce of him to do so. Vincent focused on her eyes, the silver pools gleaming with tears. It centered him, cleared his mind.
"What did you say?" he asked, his words cracked and gravelly.
Tears slipped down her cheeks, each one a dagger in his chest. She swiped them away, glaring up at him. "Did you know that the only way to kill a mystic is to burn them? Cutting off the head alone won't work. They're too powerful even for that. You have to burn them to ash."
"I didn't," he answered truthfully, frowning down at her. Why was she telling him this?
She seemed slightly relieved by his answer before her eyes glazed over with grief once more. "The hunters that killed my parents knew."
This couldn't be true. No hunter could take down a fucking mystic. His wolf and his mind filled with denial. He knew the pain of losing a loved one in violence. Knew the blackness it left on one's heart.
His wolf gave a mournful howl.
Fear rushed over him, a clawing panic at the back of his throat. The feeling was foreign to him, daunting in its intensity. Evelyn wasn't a werewolf. She didn't feel the bond as he did, that undeniable pull to be with her mate.
What if she rejects me?
His wolf roared, the sound vibrating within his mind.
No!
Before he knew what he was doing he had her shoulders gripped tightly in his hands. He gave her a soft shake. "You need to tell me what happened." His wolf was beside itself, torn between the oppressive desire to claim her and the inherent need to care for her.
Evelyn paled, shaking her head. "I can't."
A chill ran up his spine. What if she truly did reject him? He couldn't stand the thought of it.
Can't lose her. Won't survive it.
It would kill him, he knew it.
Claim her!
Gritting his teeth Vincent fought back his wolf. It physically pained him to do so. He relished its return, wanted to give in to it fully. But he couldn't, not now. Not with Evelyn so torn.
He needed to know everything so he could fix this. "I need to know."
Eve swallowed hard, avoiding his eyes. "My mother was a really powerful mystic, even stronger than my aunt." She smiled sadly. "But her real talent was in healing others. She was so good, pure. She refused to ever hurt anyone, even if they wanted to do her harm."
"Evelyn." Vincent reached up, cupping her cheek, wiping at her tears with his thumb. It pained him to see her this way.
"One night a man dragged me out of bed. I was so terrified. He forced me outside, where another man was waiting with my mother and father. They were both hunters. They came for my mother." She laughed, the sound cold and empty. "To kill a mystic, imagine what that would mean to a hunter. Villagers where there too, surrounding us. They said awful things, threw things at us."
His claws and fangs ached to hunt these bastards down and rip them apart. Vincent clenched his teeth. There was nothing he could do; he couldn't save her from the past. His wolf howled in agony.
Evelyn reached up, clasping her hands around his wrists. "My mother saved so many, and they turned their back on her. She knew those hunters were there to kill her. She could of have stopped them, but she refused to hurt them. Even when...even when they slit my father's throat right in front of us." Eve's eyes flashed with anger. "She was good, but the hunters didn't care. All that mattered was the kill."
Stop her, his wolf pleaded. It couldn't bear to hear this.
"You don't have to say anymore," he grated painfully.
Evelyn went on as if she hadn't heard him. "She didn't fight when they stripped her down. She didn't fight when they tortured her. She didn't fight when they chained her up...and set her on fire." Eve sobbed, her voice catching. "I've never heard such screams. Over and over, she was in agony. And she just burned to ash."
Fuck! This couldn't have happened to her. Evelyn was so sweet, so innocent. She didn't deserve this, not ever. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head, shaking violently with the effort to remain calm. "Stop, Evelyn."
"They laughed and congratulated each other. They killed a mystic. Their names would be revered across the realms. But that wasn't enough for them." Evelyn's voice roughened, filled with fury and bitterness. "What was killing a mystic when you could wipe out her whole family, her offspring?"
Vincent stepped back with a snarl. "I can't hear any more of this."
"I have no magic. I was defenseless. They didn't care. Those men laughed at me as I cried and begged. They stripped me down, tied me up. I was so scared." Her breathing was harsher now, coming in short bursts.
"Evelyn, stop!"
"They set me on fire," she barely whispered. "It was climbing up my legs. I could smell my own skin burning." Her silver eyes were wide, gone to another place. "I never knew such pain existed." She drew in a shuddering breath, blinking rapidly.
"Stop," Vincent choked, pulling her against him. He needed to feel her warmth and listen to the sound of her beating heart. Evelyn was here with him and safe. He would never allow anyone to hurt her again.
Protect her above all others.
"My aunt came. She stopped them and saved me. She was so enraged, never seen her like that. She killed the villagers, ripped them to pieces. The hunters pleaded for their lives. She laughed at them, burned them. But she didn't let them die, not right away. She made them suffer."
Good. Vincent snarled against her hair with satisfaction. He would have done the same. I would have killed them all.
"She cursed the village and burned it to the ground. I can still smell the fires. Hear the screams." Evelyn looked up at him. "Then she brought me here."
And here was where she'd stayed. It made sense to him now, the pieces falling into place. His Evelyn had suffered greatly, and there was nothing he could do to change it. The thought ripped his heart apart.
He leaned his forehead against her own, cupping either side of her face. "Evelyn, I would never hurt you."
"But you've hurt others," she whispered. "How many of them were like my mother?"
Vincent couldn't answer that because he honestly didn't know. A part of him desperately wanted to tell Evelyn that the creatures he'd killed on the hunt were evil, and most of them had been. But the truth was towards the end his heart had become so hardened and black the thought of innocence had never even crossed his mind.
Drawing in a deep breath he stroked her hair. "I can't change what I've done, Evelyn. And I won't lie to you. I have done things...that are regrettable. I'm not a good man."
"Are you evil?" she asked softly.
Vincent hesitated. He liked to think he wasn't evil, but he supposed that all depended on who was looking at him. The Demon King, the she-elf, that bastard mercenary Nicholas - when they looked upon him Vincent knew they saw only evil. "I don't know."
Evelyn peered up at him. Her fingers trembled as she gripped his hands and pulled them from her face.
His heart sank.
She stepped away from him, her features full of anguish and confusion. Her voice quivered as she said, "You need to leave."
His wolf roared as a near madness over took him.
******
Eve took another step back as Vincent's face turned murderous.
"What did you say?" he asked, his tone dangerously soft.
Swallowing her fear Eve hiked up her chin. "I need to think and I can't do that with you here. I want you to leave."
Vincent shook his head, stepping up to her slowly, as if he were stalking prey.
Not good.
His eyes had taken on that wild gleam. This was definitely all wolf she was dealing with now. "Not leaving," he growled.
Why? Why couldn't he just leave her in peace? This whole situation made her feel sick, her chest tight. She couldn't breathe. It was as if Vincent was sucking all the air out of the room.
Eve grew desperate. She pointed her finger at the door, ignoring the way it shook. "I said you have to leave!"
He snarled at her, his fangs bared. "I won't. Not ever."
"Why not!?"
"Because you're my mate!" he roared.
For a moment Eve thought the room was spinning. "What?"
Reaching out he wrapped his hand in the front of her dress. "You're mine. I will never leave you."
This couldn't be happening. Part of her was thrilled by his words, tears rushing to fill her eyes. She'd wanted this, she couldn't deny it. She'd wanted to be his. But now...now everything was turned upside down and her heart was shattering. "I'm your mate?"
"Aye." His head dipped down, burying against her neck, breathing deep. "I need to be with you."
"No," she croaked. This wasn't right. None of this.
"Yes," he growled, pulling her closer. His lips seared along her skin, making her tremble. Vincent raised his head, eyeing her knowingly. His other arm wrapped around her, his hand cupping her backside. "Your body is already mine."
She shook her head.
"No?" He raised a brow. His voice had taken on that deep rumble that meant his wolf was in control. "Shall I prove it?"
"Wait," she whimpered.
He ignored her, his claws wrapping around the fabric of her dress, ripping it open in one swift move. The material fell to the floor as she gasped, stumbling back. Vincent caught her, pulling her tight against him as his hand cupped her bare sex. "Your mouth lies, but not your body."
"V-Vincent-"
"Ah, Evelyn," he groaned, his palm rubbing over her. She responded, helpless not too, a damp heat pooling between her legs. "You want me. Don't fight it. Submit to me, Evelyn."
His roughened words sent her desire soaring. She wanted to run and to bend to his will at the same time. Her mind was overrun with emotions.
It was all too much.
Eve did the only thing she could; she replaced her shock and desire with anger. "What will you do, Vincent, use your voice on me? Are you going to force me like you were going to force her?"
Vincent backed up immediately, his face full of anguish. "What?"
She snatched up her fallen dress, wrapping it around herself protectively. "Would you force me?"
"I would never force you, not ever!" he bellowed. His hand ran down his chest as if in pain, his breathing harsh. "You're my mate, Evelyn. A werewolf's mate is the one they wish to protect above any other. This need is seeded deeply within us. Hurting you would be akin to ripping out my soul."
Tears blurred her vision. How could he say such beautiful things to her when she felt like her heart was being torn out of her chest? "You were just about to. Pushing this on me now, after everything that's happened today, that would hurt me, Vincent. I need time. Can you not understand that?"
Vincent looked as if he would argue, his eyes tormented. After a moment he backed up further, his body a rigid mass of muscle. "Understand this, I cannot leave you. It would drive me mad."
"Please..." she choked.
He stalked to the door, yanking it open. The cold air hit her face and skin, making her shiver. Vincent glanced over his shoulder at her, blue eyes full of emotion. "I will give you the space you require. But know that for every moment you keep me away my wolf and I will suffer."
"I'm sorry," she murmured.
His eyes briefly reflected pain before his face turned hard once more. He turned away from her and left. Immediately she felt empty and cold. Her legs buckled. Falling to the floor she cupped a hand over her mouth and sobbed.