Falling for my Murderer

Evelyn Vale had been warned never to dance with the devil. Unfortunately, no one had ever told her what the devil looked like. If they had, she might have recognized him the moment he walked into the ballroom. The orchestra fell silent. Hundreds of conversations died at once. Every nobleman and woman in the Crystal Hall turned toward the enormous doors at the end of the room. Evelyn followed their gaze. And forgot how to breathe. A man stood beneath the golden archway. He was dressed entirely in black. Not the soft, fashionable black worn by the other men at the masquerade, but something darker. His tailored coat seemed to absorb the candlelight around him, while silver embroidery traced the edges of his sleeves. A black mask covered the upper half of his face. It should have hidden him. Instead, it made him more dangerous. His hair was dark, slightly tousled, and his expression was cold enough to make the room feel several degrees colder. But it was his eyes that caught Evelyn's attention. Silver. Not grey. Not blue. Silver. They swept across the ballroom with the detached confidence of a man who knew everyone present feared him. Then they stopped. On her. Evelyn's fingers tightened around her wineglass. For some inexplicable reason, she felt as though the entire room had disappeared. There was only him. And her. She should have looked away. She didn't. Neither did he. "Who is that?" Evelyn whispered the question without taking her eyes off him. Her friend Charlotte immediately grabbed her arm. "Don't." "Don't what?" "Look at him." Evelyn finally glanced at her. Charlotte's face had gone pale. "Why?" "Because that's Prince Jasper Blackwood." Evelyn's stomach tightened. The name meant something. She had heard it before. Everyone had. Jasper Blackwood was the heir to the Shadow Court. The most powerful kingdom in the northern realm. The kingdom whose people could command shadows. The kingdom whose royal family had ruled for nearly five hundred years. And Jasper himself had a reputation that had become almost legendary. Ruthless. Unforgiving. Cold. Beautiful. Deadly. He had returned from the northern war six months ago with an army twice the size of the one he had taken. No one knew how. No one asked. People who asked questions tended to disappear. Evelyn turned back toward him. "He doesn't look that dangerous." Charlotte stared at her. "Are you blind?" "Apparently." "That's the crown prince." "I know." "He executed three nobles last winter." Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Three?" "Four." "That's worse." "Exactly." Evelyn took another sip of wine. "So I shouldn't talk to him." "You shouldn't even breathe in his direction." That made Evelyn laugh. Unfortunately, she laughed too loudly. Because at that exact moment, Jasper looked directly at her. His expression didn't change. But something in his eyes did. He started walking toward her. Charlotte grabbed Evelyn's hand. "No." "Charlote..." "No." "He might not be coming here." He was. Every step brought him closer. People moved out of his path without being asked. Whispers followed him. "The prince..." "Why is he here?" "Who is that woman?" "Is that Evelyn Vale?" "Doesn't she belong to the western kingdom?" Evelyn's heartbeat quickened. Jasper stopped in front of her. Up close, he was even more intimidating. He was tall. Much taller than she had expected. His black mask revealed only the sharp line of his cheekbones, his mouth and those strange silver eyes. He looked at her for several seconds. Then his gaze dropped to the necklace around her throat. Evelyn instinctively touched it. It was an old silver pendant her mother had given her when she was sixteen. A crescent moon surrounded by a tiny black stone. Jasper's expression changed. Just slightly. But she noticed. "Where did you get that?" His voice was low. Smooth. Dangerously calm. Evelyn looked down at the pendant. "My mother." "Your mother?" "Yes." "What's her name?" Evelyn frowned. "Why?" "Answer me." Something about his tone irritated her. "You could try asking politely." Charlotte made a choking sound beside her. Jasper's eyes moved briefly toward Charlotte before returning to Evelyn. "I don't ask twice." "And I don't answer questions from strangers." Silence. Someone nearby gasped. Jasper stared at her. Then, unexpectedly, the corner of his mouth lifted. Not quite a smile. Something more dangerous. "Interesting." Evelyn folded her arms. "What?" "You aren't afraid of me." "Should I be?" "Most people are." "Perhaps most people are easily frightened." His eyes darkened. "You have no idea who you're speaking to." "Neither do you." His eyebrows lifted. Evelyn wasn't sure where the courage had come from. Perhaps the wine. Perhaps the fact that she had spent her entire life being told what she could and couldn't do. Or perhaps there was simply something about this man that made her want to challenge him. Jasper stepped closer. Too close. Evelyn could smell him now. Something warm and dark. Cedar. Smoke. And something she couldn't identify. Her pulse fluttered. His eyes dropped to her lips. Only for a second. But she noticed. Then he whispered, "May I have this dance?" Evelyn stared at him. Charlotte stared at her. The entire ballroom seemed to be watching. She should have refused. Instead, she placed her hand in his. The moment their skin touched, something exploded inside her. Evelyn gasped. A sharp burst of heat traveled from her fingertips through her entire body. Jasper went completely still. His pupils widened. The candles around them flickered. Every shadow in the ballroom moved at once. Evelyn pulled her hand away. "What was that?" Jasper didn't answer. He was staring at her hand. Then at her face. His expression was no longer cold. He looked shocked. Almost frightened. "Impossible," he whispered. "What?" He stepped backward. "Evelyn Vale." Her heart stopped. She had never told him her name. "How do you know my name?" Jasper looked at her as though he had just seen a ghost. Then he said something that made her blood run cold. "Because I've been searching for you." Before Evelyn could respond, the orchestra began playing again. Jasper extended his hand. "Dance with me." "I thought you were frightened." "I am." She blinked. "You?" His gaze locked onto hers. "Very." That answer should have made her walk away. Instead, she placed her hand in his again. Jasper led her onto the dance floor. His hand settled against her waist. Evelyn's breath caught. His touch was warm this time. Far too warm. They moved together. One step. Two. Three. He danced beautifully. Effortlessly. Like someone who had spent centuries doing it. Evelyn looked up at him. "How old are you?" His eyes flickered. "Old enough." "That's not an answer." "It's the only one you're getting." She smiled. "You really are arrogant." "And you're reckless." "Perhaps." His hand tightened slightly around her waist. "You're wearing the wrong dress." Evelyn looked down at herself. "What?" "You should have worn something less noticeable." "Why?" "Because half the men in this room are staring at you." She looked around. He was right. Several men were watching them. Evelyn smiled. "Are you jealous?" Jasper's jaw tightened. "No." "That sounded like a yes." "I'm not jealous." "Then why do you care?" His gaze returned to hers. For several seconds, neither spoke. Then he leaned closer. His lips almost brushed her ear. "Because if any man here touches you..." His voice dropped. "...I'll kill him." A shiver ran down her spine. "That's a little extreme." "I wasn't joking." She pulled back slightly. There was something frighteningly sincere about his expression. Yet beneath the fear, there was something else. Something she didn't want to name. Attraction. She felt it. And judging by the way Jasper was looking at her, he felt it too. His thumb moved slowly against her waist. Evelyn swallowed. "Jasper." He froze. It was the first time she had said his name. His eyes darkened. "Say it again." "Jasper." His breathing changed. The music continued around them. But neither of them moved. Then the ballroom doors exploded open. Everyone screamed. A guard came running inside. "Your Highness!" Jasper turned. "What happened?" The guard was bleeding. "Someone has broken into the palace." The room erupted into panic. Jasper's expression became cold again. "Who?" The guard looked toward Evelyn. Then his face went pale. "The assassin wasn't looking for you, Your Highness." Jasper frowned. "Then who?" The guard swallowed. "Her." He pointed directly at Evelyn. The ballroom went silent. Evelyn's heart stopped. "What?" Jasper stepped in front of her. "Take her to the royal chambers." The guards moved toward Evelyn. She backed away. "Wait." Jasper looked at her. "Why are they after me?" He didn't answer. "Jasper." His jaw tightened. "I'll explain later." "No." She grabbed his arm. "I want an answer now." His eyes dropped to her hand around his sleeve. Then slowly returned to her face. "You want the truth?" "Yes." He leaned closer. His voice became almost a whisper. "That necklace you're wearing..." He touched the crescent pendant. "...doesn't belong to your mother." Evelyn's stomach twisted. "What do you mean?" Jasper's eyes held hers. "It belonged to my mother." Evelyn stared at him. "Your mother is dead." "I know." "Then how did my mother get it?" His expression became unreadable. "That's what I'm trying to find out." A scream came from the corridor. Then another. The palace guards drew their swords. Jasper immediately pulled Evelyn behind him. "Stay here." "Jasper....." He drew a black sword from beneath his coat. The blade seemed to drink the candlelight. Evelyn stared. "What is that?" "My sword." "No." She shook her head. "That's not a normal sword." For the first time that night, Jasper smiled. "Neither am I." The lights went out. Darkness swallowed the ballroom. Evelyn felt Jasper's hand find hers. Then she heard his voice beside her. "Don't move." Something breathed behind her. Evelyn froze. A whisper brushed against her ear. "Found you." She turned. Nothing. Then a blade flashed through the darkness. Jasper moved faster than she could see. Steel struck steel. A figure appeared between them. The assassin wore a silver mask. Jasper attacked. The fight lasted only seconds. One s***h. Two. The assassin fell. But before dying, the masked figure looked directly at Evelyn. And laughed. "You really don't remember her?" Evelyn's blood ran cold. "Remember who?" The assassin's eyes closed. "Your first life." Then he died. Silence filled the ballroom. Evelyn stared at the body. "My first life?" Jasper slowly lowered his sword. She turned toward him. "What does that mean?" He didn't answer. "Jasper." Still nothing. She stepped closer. "Tell me the truth." He looked at her for a long moment. Then his gaze dropped to her lips. When he spoke, his voice was barely audible. "You weren't supposed to be born again." Evelyn stopped breathing. "What?" Jasper reached for her face. His fingers brushed her cheek. And the moment he touched her The entire ballroom shook. A strange symbol appeared beneath Evelyn's feet. Black flames erupted around them. Everyone screamed. Jasper stared at the mark. His face turned completely pale. "No..." Evelyn looked down. The symbol was glowing beneath her. A crown. Surrounded by flames. Jasper whispered the words like a curse. "The Lost Queen." Evelyn looked at him. "What does that mean?" He didn't answer. Instead, he looked at her with something she had never seen in his eyes before. Fear. And desire. Then he whispered: "You're the woman I killed three hundred years ago." Evelyn's heart stopped. Before she could speak, the palace bells began to ring. Once. Twice. Three times. And every magical creature in the kingdom felt the same thing. The Lost Queen had returned. And she had just fallen in love with the man who murdered her. TO BE CONTINUED.