(note:she didn't forget her grief or anything,Lucas had Eureka , the black witch to help take away some of her pain while she was asleep.)
He didn't speak right away.
Instead, Lucas took a quiet step forward, his eyes locked on hers not wide with shock or narrowed with suspicion, but calm, relieved. As if he'd been holding his breath for days and only now remembered how to let it go.
"Evie," he said gently, his voice like the space between notes in a song.
The councilman turned as well, a stern-looking man with neatly combed grey hair and a polished pin at his collar one that marked his rank. His face gave nothing away, not warmth nor disapproval. Just silence, heavy and watchful.
Evie's steps faltered as she drew closer. She tried to speak but nothing came out.
Lucas closed the remaining distance and reached for her hand without hesitation. His touch was warm. Steady.
"You're alright," he said, more to himself than her. His eyes scanned her face like he needed proof of it.
She nodded slowly, but the breath she let out was shaky. "I… I didn't know where I was."
"I brought you here," he said, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. "You collapsed in the forest. You'd been"
He paused. His jaw tightened ever so slightly before he went on, his voice lower. "You were unconscious. I didn't know what else to do."
Evie swallowed hard. "I don't remember leaving the clearing."
Lucas glanced toward the councilman briefly, then back at her. "You shouldn't have been able to walk. Whatever you did,whatever happened out there,it drained you completely."
The councilman finally spoke, his tone clipped but not unkind. "She burned the circle. Completely. Left a scorch ring so clean it looks carved by blade. And the creature was gone."
Evie blinked at him. "Creature?"
Lucas nodded. "It didn't follow you. When I got there, the ground was still smoking. You were lying just outside the ring."
A silence stretched between them.
Evie looked down at her hand in his. "I don't know what I did. I just… felt it. Something pulling at me. Like it was inside and outside at the same time."
The councilman stepped forward, the edge of his cloak brushing the gravel path. "What you felt was magic. Ancient and volatile. It shouldn't be in you at all. And yet,here you are."
Lucas shot him a quiet look, something like a warning, but the man only raised a brow.
"Evie," Lucas said, drawing her attention back, "you're not in trouble. But there are things we need to understand. Things you deserve to understand too."
Evie's breath hitched. "I didn't mean to...."
"I know," he said firmly. "I know you didn't."
The councilman folded his hands behind his back again. "Lord Thorne has asked that your recovery be protected. I've agreed. But your presence here cannot go unrecorded. We must begin asking questions. Carefully."
Evie glanced between them. "Questions like what?"
"Like where this magic came from," the councilman replied. "Why it responded to you. And whether it will do so again."
Lucas's hand tightened just slightly in hers. "One step at a time," he said quietly.
Evie nodded, unsure if she should be afraid or relieved.
She looked up at Lucas, eyes searching. "You stayed here. With me?"
His gaze softened again. "I wasn't going to leave."
And just like that, her knees nearly gave again not from weakness, but from something else. The sense that she was still tethered. Still seen.
Still herself, even if she didn't understand how.
The councilman turned, already walking back toward the manor. "I'll return this evening. There's much to discuss."
Evie watched him go, then turned to Lucas. "Who was that?"
He exhaled. "Lord Marlowe. He's one of the oldest council members still active. He's not someone I'd invite lightly."
"And yet here he is," she said quietly.
Lucas gave a small nod. "Because of you."
Evie didn't look away. "Do you think I'm dangerous?"
He looked at her for a long moment. Then shook his head. "I think you're the only reason that thing didn't tear through the village."
The wind stirred around them, bringing with it the scent of roses again. Evie closed her eyes just briefly, trying to hold onto the warmth of the sun, the feel of his hand in hers, the quiet garden where for now everything had stopped.
When she opened them, Lucas was still watching her.
Evie took a slow breath and stepped closer, her hand still resting lightly in his. She looked up at him at the softness behind his usually unreadable eyes, at the worry still lingering in the curve of his mouth. Then, without fully thinking, she leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Lucas blinked, a small smile tugging at his lips, but it faded almost instantly. He tilted his head, just enough for her to meet his eyes fully.
"You don't just thank a man like that," he said softly.
Evie frowned. "Why not?"
His hand slid to the side of her face, fingers brushing her cheek. "Because when a man carries you through a cursed forest, watches over you for days, nearly loses his mind wondering if you'll ever open your eyes again…" He leaned in closer, his voice now barely above a whisper, "You thank him properly."
Before she could ask what he meant, he kissed her.
It wasn't rushed, but it wasn't hesitant either it was the kind of kiss that said everything words hadn't. Warm. Steady. Real.
Evie froze for a heartbeat. She had never kissed anyone before never imagined her first would be here, in a hidden garden, with the Lord of Havethrone. But the feel of him, the warmth of his lips, the way his breath ghosted over her skin it all wrapped around her like a spell.
So she mimicked him. Slowly. Carefully. Her lips moved with his, unsure at first, then more certain as she let herself follow his rhythm. She tilted her head the way he did. Matched his pace. Let herself feel it instead of overthinking.
His hand stayed on her cheek, anchoring her. Her hands found his collar.
They kissed until breathing felt like an afterthought,until the world blurred and steadied all at once.
When they finally parted, Lucas rested his forehead lightly against hers, catching his breath.
"That," he murmured, eyes half-lidded, "is a real thank you."
Evie smiled, heart hammering in her chest. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of it."
Lucas chuckled softly, and for the first time in days, it sounded like the world hadn't ended.