“But I can try, can I not? Go on a walk with me?”

That last question sounded a bit too earnest, and the eagerness in his boyish expression twisted at my chest.

I did wish to stretch my legs, to let out some of the nervous energy that had bounded my chest all afternoon since the trials.

“I suppose your company is a smidge more entertaining than counting the notches on my bedpost.”

Regret swarmed my stomach as soon as the words had fallen from my stupid, traitorous lips. Why? Why did you have to select that particular string of words, Ellie?

Delight twinkled in Evander’s eyes, and I shoved my hand over his mouth. “Don’t you dare comment on that.”

True to his nature, Evander bit me.

I expected Evander to take me to the gardens to walk, so I was surprised when we turned toward the woods at the back of the castle walls instead.

“Do you intend to lure me out here to murder me?”

He shrugged. “If I’m still in the mood for it when we get there.”

I laughed, overly aware of the timid presence that followed us from behind.

Evander turned to face my maid—well, one of my maids. She’d informed me earlier that Blaise was sleeping in. Apparently it was indeed possible for a person to sleep past lunch. “You may leave, Imogen,” he said, then he turned to me with a polite nod, “If the lady allows it, of course.”

I weighed the possibilities in my mind as Imogen widened her eyes. If dining alone with Evander was improper, traipsing through the woods with him alone was downright inappropriate. Scandalous, even. If Evander’s suspicions about Imogen were true, which would torture her more? Chaperoning us all afternoon? Or sending her away, forcing her to spend hours letting her imagination run away with what we might be doing together alone in the woods?

Her fears weren’t rooted in reality, of course. Evander and I had become friends, sure, but nothing more. Though I had grown fond of him and even allowed myself to admit there was a bit of attraction there, that didn’t change our situation. I wouldn’t be handing my heart on a platter to a being who had bedded more suitors than I had friends. Mostly since he’d given me no indication he intended to cease the habit once we wed. We could be friends within a forced marriage, sure. But I would protect my heart at all costs.

I gazed at Imogen, noted the horrified look on her face, the tenseness that seemed to exude from her, and decided that I didn’t need that kind of energy following me around like the shadow of a storm cloud on such a beautiful afternoon. If she allowed herself to dream up that something more was occurring than was, that was not my responsibility. I had no control over her thoughts. “You’re dismissed for the afternoon, Imogen.”

She glanced back and forth between me and Evander, eyes wide, then curtsied and shuffled off.

My heart sank. I hoped she wasn’t going off to hide and cry somewhere.

“I know you’re fond of her,” Evander said, “but if you allow yourself to feel guilty for crushing the heart of every woman who fancies themselves in love with me, you’re going to have to bear the responsibility of quite a lot of tears that aren’t yours.”

I couldn’t help but snort. “How humble you are.”

Evander grunted. “I don’t mean that I’m deserving of every woman’s love and affection. Only that there are plenty out there who believe themselves to be deserving of mine. Never mind the fact that none of them actually know me. Not really.”

“Oh,” I said, embarrassed that I had, again, assumed the worst.

He shrugged. “It’s fine,” he said, though I hadn’t actually apologized.

We strolled in silence for a moment until we reached the edge of the woods. The trees cast shade over the ground, and as we continued on, the gentle breeze invigorated my blood, which had felt like it had gone stagnant from being trapped inside the castle for the last few weeks. My mind dwelled on what he had said. Something about his tone had made me wonder…

“Are they true? The rumors?” My words echoed off the forest canopy, and Evander didn’t look at me for a moment. My face went hot, and I was grateful for the songbirds who filled the space left agape from my inappropriate question.

“Which rumors?” he finally asked, that smug grin plastered across his face. But nothing about his green eyes glinted. How many years had he spent perfecting that mask, only to miss the most telling part?

Eyes did not lie, and there was no tricking them into it.

“The ones about your reputation.”

He stepped in front me of, stopping me in place as he leaned in close, much too close, tilting his head so that his lips lingered just above my forehead, a blade’s width away from brushing my skin. “Why do you ask?”

My blood went hot as my heart pounded. His breath was warm and soft on my face as he inched closer.

I cleared my throat and stepped back. “Stop trying to deflect.”

The seductive look drained clean from his face. Only annoyance was left over. He stepped back and placed his hands in his pockets. He started walking backward, and I followed him, refusing to let him avoid answering me that easily.

“If you mean the rumors that I take a different female to bed every evening, then no.”

Heat flushed my face as my throat tightened in discomfort.

“Embarrassed?” An almost mean-spirited smile spread across his face. I swallowed. I didn’t like that look on him. The way his perfect features formed into a sneer looked too terrifying. Too real.

I straightened my back. “Yes, actually. But I thought I’d risk the embarrassment to give you a chance to talk about it.”

Confusion softened his stare. “Why would you think I wanted to talk about it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because I just figured I wouldn’t like it much if my sexual history was being gossiped about by people who didn’t even know me.”

“Do you even have a sexual history?” he asked, his lips forming into a sneer yet again. But instant regret twitched at the edge of his smirk, and he frowned. “I apologize. That was unkind.”

But I was prepared for it this time.

“No, but I’d rather people not talk about that, either. And I’d especially not like them making up rumors.”

He shrugged and turned, walking further into the woods. I followed him as we cut through the brush. The forest was beautiful. Pine needles brushed my cheeks as we walked, and there was an impressive lack of thorns in the bushes. Ivy clothed the thick tree trunks, and when I imitated Evander, who grazed the trees with his outstretched fingertips, I found the surface to be as soft and inviting as a homespun quilt.

After a long silence, he spoke. “There’s probably more truth to it than simply gossip, though people do like to exaggerate.” He turned to look at me, and his shoulders sloped as he sighed. “There’s something about realizing that you’re immortal. As a child, you think it’s a blessing. But when your mind finally works out its own thoughts, you start to realize there’s a weight to eternity. That, even though the possibilities seem endless, there’s not really a potential for limitless pleasure. Eventually, I’m going to run out of the things that bring me enjoyment. That’s the thing about thrills—they have a tendency to grow dull so very quickly. But pain, El? There’s an infinite amount of pain to be suffered.”

My heart sank, and I wondered if he was thinking of his brother.

As if reading my thoughts, he said, “I don’t know if it was as bad for my brother. He had a purpose, at least. Something to work for, people entrusted to him. I always thought it was an illusion—that his life had meaning—but I was jealous of it all the same. So, for a long while, I drowned the pointlessness and the emptiness with the parties and the so-called friends and the countless females.”

“For a while?” I asked. Were the rumors no longer true? They had sure seemed true, the way Evander talked to me that night he first came to visit my room. In fact, he had actively worked to perpetuate that persona.

“After Jerad died, I threw myself into that life more than I ever had. There’s something about it that’s numbing. And it was nice to be numb for a while. But then.” He looked at me, clenched his teeth, and swallowed. “But then, one day, it wasn’t so nice anymore.”

I nodded, mostly because I didn’t know what to say. The silence surrounding us went thick, which was probably why I asked, “And Blaise?”

Evander frowned. “What about her?”

I chewed my lip. “The two of you seem close.”

Evander practically gagged. “I’ve known Blaise since she was a toddler. She’s like my sister. An even better one than my actual sister.”