Attention

She had decided that when she saw him next, both her shoes would be aiming for his face once again.

Two days had passed by quickly and she had not glimpsed his face even once. It seemed as if he was avoiding her on purpose and whenever she had questioned Gwen, she dodged the topic by changing the subject slyly. Eva didn't know what to do to make him talk to her.

Her hands had only stopped trembling when he had touched them if she remembered correctly. Was he angry at her? Upset? How would she know if he didn't talk to her? Eva looked out on the snow-capped mountains which looked more beautiful as the Sun's light hit them making them shine and glow.

Gwen had been helpful and had given her a thorough tour of the place. The court was big and it mostly consisted of meeting rooms where, as Gwen told her, Theodore mostly dealt with people who were a little... dangerous.

Eva had asked who these creatures were but Gwen had just given her a meaningful stare which told enough that they were not normal people. Most of the time she had strayed off into the gardens and enjoyed the view which managed to distract her from her thoughts.

Thoughts of him.

Eva pouted, raising her head to feel the cool wind on her face. It felt comforting as she let out a sigh and closed her eyes, feeling relaxed though the sting in her chest didn't leave.

Feeling bored again, she walked away from the trees and headed toward the mansion's backyard which extended off to a cliff. Her dress was made of lapis-colored silk that hugged her body perfectly from every angle. It was as if the dress was made especially for her but she pushed that thought out of her mind.

She was angry at Theodore and having good thoughts about him wouldn't make the flame inside her burn brighter.

The backyard of the house reminded her too much of her own house back in Gleana. How her father had trained her to shoot arrows with her mother continuously fussing over them, saying that it was too dangerous. After the training, they would gather together to eat which was always the best time of the day for Eva. She smiled, rubbing her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall off.

No matter how much she tried, she missed her mother, her father, and her sister the most. She felt more guilty since a small child's life had been stolen because of her. No wonder Vanessa had grown distant when growing up. She had been a great, supportive sister when they were young and her hatred for Diana only multiplied as she remembered how she was laughing while telling her about her family's death.

As she turned around a corner, her eyes caught sight of a worried Gwen looking around at the surroundings. Eva watched as she ran a hand through her long blond hair and her eyes continued to dart around as if searching for something desperately.

Not wanting to disturb her, Eva turned around and continued to walk to the backyard. Her steps were small and therefore created no noise to attract attention.

A turn arrived and Eva stepped out from around the building—

The only warning was the stir of air around her—a breeze that smelled of something smoky and citrusy.

A hand clamped down on her mouth, and a strange jolt went through her. At that exact moment, an arm folded around her body, pinning her arms to her sides. The shock of the contact—the jolt of someone touching her, touching her skin with theirs—cost Eva the split second she had to break the hold. She was jerked back against the hard wall of a chest.

"I wouldn't make a sound if I were you."

She could recognize that voice anywhere.

The warning came from a male voice, spoken barely above a whisper directly into her ear as he lifted Eva off her feet. Shock blasted through her. He carried her back from the courtyard with stunning ease as if she were nothing more than a small child. And Eva was not small, not in height nor weight, but the male was also extraordinarily fast. In one heartbeat, he'd taken her into one of the nearby back alleys connected to the building.

Eva tried to wiggle out of his strong grip but it only made him pull her closer to his chest. The move stole all air away from her lungs as her body threatened to lean against his body and feel his warmth once again.

"Let go of me!"