"She is not going anywhere!" Isabella continued to grit out, unaware that her persuasive cries were not going to work on him.
"You try to stop her and you'll see what happens," Theo went on, chuckling a bit at the crowd still falling over themselves to get away from him. He jerked his chin toward Eva. "I gave you a week of freedom. You could at least look happy to see me."
Eva was shaking too badly to say anything. Theo's eyes flickered with distaste.
And that was when she realized how hard he was trying to hold in his rage and anger.
The expression was gone when he faced Isabella again. "I'll be taking her now."
"Don't you dare." the Queen snarled. Behind her, the dais was empty; the priest had vanished entirely. Along with most of those in attendance.
"Was I interrupting something?" he asked with a smile dripping with venom. "The groom seems to have fainted and the priest has vanished. I don't think any marriage will be taking place here for a few years."
Isabella turned around and her eyes widened as she took in the chaotic sight. The chairs were all thrown over, and the dais was half broken and half on the way to crumbling down into pieces. Alastor had blood leaking out from his head while Diana was staring at the whole spectacle with a horrified face. Eva tried to control her urge to laugh out and sealed her mouth close, her hands still quivering.
Only a few Dukes and Lords had stayed, while the rest of the people had run away the minute they had recognized who the man standing in front of them was. It seemed that Theodore's reputation was as bad as she had thought it to be.
"You can't take her." Isabella once again faced them and reached out her hand to grab Eva's arm. Theo's eyes flashed as he came to stand in front of her, blocking Eva from Isabella's sight. His massive figure and broad shoulders managed to hide her petite frame very easily.
"I am her aunt by law. She is in my custody!" shouted the Queen, her face and body bursting with fury at how she couldn't manage to control the situation that went so quickly out of hand.
Eva glanced at Theo to see that he was smirking. "You should know by now." he whispered in a low voice. "The laws don't apply to me."
He turned around to face Eva and offered her the same hand that was filled with markings and tattoos.
"I'm here," he spoke, and Eva placed her trembling hand into his and sighed when she felt his fingers wrap around it with extreme warmth traveling from the tip of her fingers to the toes of her body.
Safety.
Comfort.
Freedom.
Theo released her hand only to slip an arm around her waist, pressing Eva into his side as he whispered in her ear, "Hold on."
Then darkness roared, a wind tearing her this way and that, the ground falling away beneath her, and the world around her was gone. Only Theo remained, and Eva clutched onto him with all the strength that she had left in her body, which was close to none.
Then the darkness vanished.
She smelled jasmine first—then saw stars. A sea of stars flickering beyond glowing pillars of moonstone that framed the sweeping view of endless snow capped mountains. There was no sign of the Moon in the sky anywhere.
"Welcome to my Court," was all Theo said.