Awry (23 page)

Gabriel was stunned. “Are you joking?”

“Not one bit.” Tristan shook his head.

Gabriel cursed. Looking around, he lowered his voice. “I’ll help you escape.”

Tristan thought about it, energized by the determination in Gabriel’s voice. “We could die.”

Gabriel smiled. “Dying for my brother is no problem for me.”

Tristan gave a weak smile in return. “I would notallow you to die for me.”

Gabriel sighed. “Your endless love for others is inconvenient.”

Tristan leaned his head against the wall behind him and closed his eyes in frustration. “Why does father hate me so?”

“You are not alone.” Gabriel shook his head. “He hates me as well.”

Tristan opened his eyes. “How so?”

Gabriel crossed his arms. “Father has arranged a marriage for me. A marriage! The announcement is tomorrow.”

Tristan wrinkled his brow. “Why would he do that?”

Gabriel scoffed. “To keep me from Raven, I’m sure. He threatened to cut off my inheritance if I refused to marry his chosen bride who, by the way, is some peasant named Scarlet.”

Tristan’s chest tightened. “What is your intended bride’s last name?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Jacobs, I believe. But I have no intention of marrying her. Father is a fool.” Gabriel lowered his voice to a whisper. “Maybe Raven will run away with me. I do not need father’s money.”

Tristan’s heart began to kick at his rib cage. Scarlet? His father wanted Gabriel to marry Scarlet?

How had this happened? How had he known about her?

Tristan stared past Gabriel. “What will become of this Scarlet if you do not marry her?”

“What do I care?” Gabriel shrugged. “She is a peasant who will probably go back to her mundane life without a husband.”

Tristan stood up, his eyes intensely trained on his brother. He spoke low and close to Gabriel’s face. “You must marry Scarlet, Gabriel.”

“I…what?” Gabriel looked astonished.

“You cannot refuse her. You must marry Scarlet and take care of her always.”

“Have you gone mad? Why in the world would I—”

“For me,” Tristan said loudly. He placed a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, lowered his voice and repeated, “For me. Please, brother.”

Gabriel’s look of confusion stayed intact for only a moment.

“Ah.” Gabriel’s face fell into understanding. “This is your girl from the eastern woods, isn’t it?”

Tristan said nothing, his palms sweating. “I might not be back for decades. I might not be back at all.”

“Do not speak that way—”

“I could die tomorrow, Gabriel.”

“You will not die,” Gabriel said. “You are speaking like a weak man.”

“No, I am speaking like a desperate man.” Tristan shook his head. “Scarlet has nothing, Gabriel. She is poor and hungry and cares for her mother by herself.”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “She must have something. Why else would father make an arrangement with a peasant?”

Tristan furrowed his brow. “He made an arrangement with Scarlet’s mother?”

“Yes.” Gabriel nodded.

Tristan’s head began to spin. Why had Ana spoken to the earl?

And why had the earl agreed to negotiate with her?

Tristan shook his head. “I do not know what Scarlet has, but it is not food or shelter or safety. I need….” Tristan swallowed. “I need you to marry her and take care of her. I need you to protect her. I need you to do this.”

Gabriel exhaled through his nose. “What about Raven?” He looked at his twin. “What am I supposed to do about her?”

Tristan tried not to sound frustrated. “Raven will be fine, Gabriel. Her family has money and power and food. She does not need a marriage to protect her. But Scarlet does.”

“And you want me to toss aside my love for yours?”

Tristan rolled his eyes. “You do not love Raven, and you know it. Raven is a cunning girl with more venom in her heart than love and your affections for her are all to spite our father. She is after power, not your heart.”

Gabriel opened his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it.

“Be honest with yourself.” Tristan looked at him desperately. “Do you love Raven? Are you willing to die for her? To give up your inheritance and live in poverty with her?”

Gabriel’s eyes looked pained. “Maybe not, but I am not so fickle that I will marry another for the sake of—”

“For the sake of me,” Tristan said. “If you love me, you will do this.”

Gabriel shifted uncomfortably and Tristan took a step back, ashamed of himself for asking so great a sacrifice from his brother. “I’m sorry.” Tristan shook his head. “I am a broken man without escape. I should not ask you for such things. You are more than generous to have even heard my words.” He looked at Gabriel. “Do what you will. Leave with Raven. Live free of our father. Enjoy life. I will not hold your choices against you ever.I promise.”

Gabriel breathed in and out slowly, his eyes never leaving Tristan’s face.

“Enough,” called Tennius, entering the small stone room. “Your father will have our heads if he finds you two spent the evening conspiring. Out!” He pointed to Gabriel.

Gabriel shot his eyes to the guard. “One minute.”

Tristan watched as the guards all entered the small room, their large forms blocking the light from the courtyard and casting shadows across the brothers.

Tristan’s heart filled with darkness in return, all hope draining from its well.

Gabriel put his hands on Tristan’s shoulders and leaned in close to his face. “I will do this for you.” His brown eyes were sincere. “I will marry your girl and love her and protect her like my own. You are my brother and my very soul. I will not let you down.” He swallowed. “I promise.”

Tennius clasped Gabriel’s shoulder and Gabriel righted himself, shrugging off the large man. “No need for force,” he snarled at Tennius. “I’m leaving.”

Gabriel turned his back to Tristan and followed the guard out of the stone room. As he reached the exit, Gabriel turned around one last time.

“Be brave, my brother.” He looked at Tristan. “Come home alive.”

Tristan nodded, trying to look brave.

But bravery and death were almost always companions.

36

Friday night, Scarlet and Heather sat on the floor of Scarlet’s bedroom painting their nails as they talked about boys.

Well, Heather talked about boys. Scarlet half-listened, her mind focused on other, more pertinent, issues.

Nate had been locked in his bedroom—which he referred to as the “cave of concentration”—all week trying to decipher the map to the fountain. Without success. The map was complicated and didn’t match any geographical images Nate had seen before. Had it not been for her father’s journal stating that it was, indeed, a map, they probably would have given up by now.

“I feel like all the boyfriends I’ve ever had were just lame, you know?” Heather’s voice cut into Scarlet’s thoughts. “When you compare them to immortals who fight off Ashmen, they just seem silly.”

“Yeah.” Scarlet finished her left hand and started painting her right. “But I’d take a curse-free relationship any day.”

“Would you?” Heather asked.

“Of course.”

Scarlet’s phone beeped with a text.

Heather looked up. “Is that Gabriel?”

Scarlet grabbed her phone off the nightstand and nodded, keeping her eyes on the screen as she texted him back.

Heather tilted her head. “Gabriel’s cursed to never know love without you, right?”

Scarlet nodded again.

“So, he’s like…forced to love you?”

Scarlet’s heart felt heavy as she looked up. “No. I mean yes. I mean…he says no, but it feels like yes.”

Wow. That sounded confusing.

Heather started blowing on her nails and pulled a magazine off of Scarlet’s bed. “Well, which is it?”

Good question. Great question, actually.

“Honestly?” Scarlet sighed, watching Heather flip through the magazine, careful not to disturb her wet fingers. “I don’t know.”

Heather looked up with puckered lips. “Don’t you think that’s weird? Don’t you think that makes your relationship…fake?”

Scarlet was about to get defensive and argue that what she and Gabriel had was real. And hot, of course.

But she couldn’t.

Because, even if their relationship was real, it was still controlled by the curse. And the curse sucked.

Heather skimmed a few glossy pages and muttered, “See how no one in this magazine is wearing clogs? Yeah, that’s a hint, Scarlet.”

Scarlet wasn’t listening. “I’m stupid.”

Heather considered. “I wouldn’t say that. You just have trouble picking out footwear, that’s all—”

“Gabriel can’t love me,” Scarlet said absently.

Heather looked up, confused. “I thought you were the only person he could love.”

Scarlet looked at Heather. “Exactly.”

Jumping up from the bed, Scarlet started searching for her shoes. Not by the door…not under the window….

“What are you doing?” Heather blew on her nails again.

Scarlet looked under her bed. Nope.

“Something I should have done the day I found out about the curse.” Scarlet walked the perimeter of her bedroom.

Finding her shoes—which were not clogs—kicked off by the closet, Scarlet slid her feet into them and hurried out of her room.

As she headed down the stairs, she heard Heather call out, “I hate how you always leave me sitting in your bedroom without explanation!”

Scarlet called back, “Love you!”

She smiled to herself as she heard Heather mutter, “Yeah, yeah. Love you, too. Whatever.”

37

Gabriel forced a smile on his face as he entered the great hall for the engagement ceremony. He hadn’t slept at all the night before.

Tristan had been sent away that morning and Raven was furious with him for agreeing to marry the Scarlet girl. And now he had to find a way to take care of both women.

All because of his wicked father.

Gabriel’s legs were weak as they carried him to the center of the room and waited for his father to announce the girl.

Who was she? Had Gabriel ever seen her before?

Probably not.

If she lived in the eastern woods, she was either an outcast or a thief. Neither of which made Gabriel feel any better about marrying her. But he had promised Tristan he would care for her, and that is what he would do.

People gathered at both sides of the large room, murmuring and smiling. The son of the earl being wed to the daughter of a peasant was extraordinary news and the townspeople were buzzing with gossip and giggles. This was exciting for the villagers.

It was not exciting for Gabriel.

Soon, the court doors opened and in walked two forms. An older woman, dressed in a red cloak and a peasant’s dress. And a younger girl, also in a cloak, with her face hidden in the shadows of her hood.

She probably wore a hood because she was hideous. Tristan had failed to mention that tidbit when he’d been so desperate last night.

His father entered the hall and stood before the people with a smile. “Today, I am pleased to introduce you all to the family that shall be joined with my own through the marriage of my son. Please give your blessing to Scarlet Jacobs.”

At the declaration of her name, Scarlet pulled her cloak back, revealing her face.

And Gabriel stopped breathing.

Stunning was barely an appropriate term for her beauty. She was breathtaking and devastating at the same time. Her long dark hair was full and wavy, her blue eyes sharp and exotic. Her skin was flawless and her red lips were perfectly shaped.

No wonder Tristan had fallen for her. She was more perfect than any female Gabriel had ever seen.

Gabriel kept his smile intact, playing to the crowd. His look of adoration and wonderment, however, was not faked.

Scarlet’s eyes roamed the room and her smile faltered a bit as she took in the crowd around her. But once her eyes met Gabriel’s, her smile grew and melted his heart. She looked at him with love and loyalty, like a lost soul who had just found home.

It felt wonderful to be smiled at with such love.

And then Gabriel remembered.

She was not looking at him, but at Tristan. For she did not know Tristan’s twin brother stood to take her as his bride.

She did not know she was being deceived.

And she did not know that her true love was headed for war.

Gabriel would have to tell Scarlet of his father’s wretched plan and the arrangement Gabriel had made with Tristan.

He would have to break her heart.

He looked at the gorgeous girl who was now walking up to his father and taking his hand.

How could one break the heart of something so beautiful?

Gabriel swallowed and carried on his fake smile. At his fake engagement ceremony.

Fake. It was all fake.

***************

Scarlet sat through hours of praise and well-wishes, Tristan at her side. She had practically smiled the entire journey from the woods to the court, thrilled at the thought of a life—a real life—with Tristan.

Tristan, however, seemed tense. There was no sparkle to his eye or laughter in his smile. He was cautious and careful around her as she sat beside him accepting the blessings of the people in the hall.

Her mother must have noticed Tristan’s odd behavior as well, for she kept eyeing him with a look of suspicion.

Hours and hours of greetings and kisses passed before Scarlet had a chance to have Tristan to herself. They walked with arms linked down a wide hallway that separated the court from the earl’s private dining area, escorted by two guards.

Scarlet’s mother had gone ahead, staying at the earl’s side with a stiff stance.

“Leave us for a moment,” Tristan said to the guards, and stepped away from Scarlet as the guards dispersed. When the guards were out of sight and it was clear Scarlet and Tristan were alone, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him shamelessly.

She hadn’t held him or touched him since yesterday and a day was too long. But his kiss felt…different.

His hands weren’t upon her, drawing her body close to his like he usually did, and his mouth didn’t roam her throat like she was used to.