Evie was staring down at an unbothered Rohmir, who was lounging lazily in one of the chairs in the main book hall, looking for all the world as if he hadn't just upended hers.
"Rohmir, I can't accept this." Evie pursed her lips together, gripping the paper in her hands like it might suddenly change the numbers written on it.
"It's already done. There's no point going back and forth about it." He said it so matter-of-factly, watching her closely, like he was waiting for her to stop protesting and just accept it.
"But this is too much… I haven't done anything that warrants this." Evie insisted, shaking her head, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Does this"—Rohmir gestured vaguely between the two of them—"have to be so transactional?" His tone was unreadable, but his gaze was steady. "I just did something I wanted to. No use making a fuss about it." He shrugged like it was nothing. Like he hadn't just changed everything.
Evie couldn't contain herself. The relief, the gratitude, the sheer overwhelming joy surged through her all at once, and before she could think better of it, she threw herself down onto him and hugged him tightly.
Rohmir stiffened beneath her. He froze like a statue.
"Thank you," she breathed into his neck, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her lips.
It was only then that she remembered—the bond.
The heat that pooled through her now was a grim, undeniable reminder of it. It crawled under her skin, a slow-burning, aching need that made her feel lightheaded. She should have pulled away, should have created some distance between them, but instead, she clung to him.
"You did this for me…" Evie sighed, her voice coming out softer, almost breathy. She felt too good touching him. She wanted more. Needed more. "It's only fair that I say thank you… the only way I want to."
Rohmir still said nothing, his dark eyes locked onto hers, transfixed, as she slid down to her knees in front of him.
"I've always wondered what you taste like," she practically purred, her fingers trailing up his thigh.
Rohmir's breath hitched. His cock twitched under his pants, and Evie grinned, feeling the power she suddenly had over him.
"You don't need to thank me," Rohmir said, though his voice was hoarse, thick with something dark and heavy. Lust.
Evie's skin broke out in goosebumps at the sound of it, and she let out a slow breath, her hands making quick work of his belt. When she tugged his pants down just enough to free him, she was rewarded with the sight of him—thick, heavy, glistening at the tip. A truly impressive specimen.
Her mouth watered.
Just as she leaned in—
"Evie, dearie, is the shop open?"
Mrs. Dunst's voice cut through the thick haze of heat like a knife.
Evie jolted so hard she nearly lost her balance, her face flaming as she yanked herself away from Rohmir like she'd been caught committing a crime. Oh, God. She couldn't even think straight, couldn't move from her spot. The door was locked, so Mrs. Dunst couldn't see them, but—What the hell am I doing?
She kept her gaze low, still kneeling in front of him, still reeling.
Rohmir, however, had already begun adjusting himself, fixing his clothes with an unreadable expression, though the arousal still burned in his eyes.
"She's gone," he said after what felt like an eternity.
Evie swallowed hard, her hands curled into fists in her lap.
"I said you don't need to thank me," Rohmir murmured, standing and looking down at her for a long moment before turning and walking out of the shop.
Evie could not believe this day.
Her shop was no longer in danger. The weight that had been pressing on her for weeks was finally gone, and yet… she didn't feel free.
She had just seen a glimpse of Rohmir's power. And he had been so thoughtful about her.
And—dear God—she had been about to do something thoughtful right back to him.
But he murdered someone...and that fact could not be overlooked. The fact remained that he was cursed and it wasnt for nothing, there must have been a reason.
She had to break this bond.
It was getting far too easy to get lost in Rohmir.
. . . .
Evie didn't see or hear from Rohmir again until late that night, when she was curled up in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Then she heard it, a soft creak of the wooden floors. The quiet shifting of weight.
She sat up.
She hadn't given Rohmir a key. Yet she knew—deep in her bones, in a way that had nothing to do with logic—that it was him. It was like a sixth sense, an awareness of his presence that she couldn't shut off.
For ten whole minutes, she sat motionless, debating. Should she go out there? Should she ignore him?
But then she sighed, resigned, and slipped out of bed.
She found him standing near the bookshelves, running a finger absently along the spines, though he seemed lost in thought. His expression was unreadable when she entered the room, though his gaze flickered to her once before returning to the books.
Evie hesitated, then sat on the sofa, exhaling.
"Look," she began, folding her hands in her lap, "we really need to understand this bond if we're going to break it." She met his gaze, firm but gentle. "I'm really grateful for what you've done for me. I could never say thank you enough."
A flicker of something crossed his face, but he said nothing.
"But I still stand by what I said. We need to set ourselves free from this." She gestured between them. "So I need you to be honest with me. What happened before? With the king?"
Rohmir was silent.
So long, in fact, that Evie almost thought he wasn't going to answer.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"That's all I know," he said quietly. "Everything else has been wiped from my memory. So I don't know."
Evie frowned.
"I can't read the book either," he continued, his voice carrying a strange weight. "That's one of the rules of the curse. Only the master gets pages revealed to them, and if they choose to tell me, they do. If not, they don't."
Evie's stomach twisted.
"So… the answer to your predicament has been right next to you this whole time, but you can't access it?"
Rohmir nodded.
"Previous masters would read the book and keep information hidden from me," he said bitterly. "All I know is that I killed a king. I'm supposedly a murderer."
The weight of his words settled between them, heavy and unmoving.
Evie swallowed.
"Then we'll just keep learning together," she said quietly.
Rohmir's gaze flickered up to hers, something like surprise in his expression.
"I promise," she continued, "I won't hide what's written about you."
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then, something unreadable passed over his face—something quieter than relief, but too vulnerable to be called gratitude.
And for the first time in a long, long time…
Rohmir felt the smallest glimmer of hope.