Closing the door to her room behind her, she leaned against the hard structure and let out a sigh. Slowly she peeled herself away and walked over to her bed. She sat down and began removing her boots. When she pulled her right boot off a pain shot through her leg and she bit back a cry. Dropping the boot onto the floor, she removed the black stocking and rolled her pant leg up. A black mark had spread up her leg along the side from her ankle toward her knee cap. Sighing, she pulled her hair loose and stood up. Putting as little pressure as possible on her leg, she walked into her bathroom and shut the door. She removed her clothes and left them folded up on a chair near the tub. Her robe waited for her also and she slowly stepped into the warm bath. A sigh passed her lips as she sat in the warmth and leaned her head back on the tub. Her eyes drifted closed and she let the water loosen her muscles. Pulling her leg up out of the water, she ran her hands along the mark and focused her thoughts. Humming an old melody her mother taught her, she ran words through her head and felt the power begin to build up in her palms. The strength of the spell brought heat to her skin and she bit her lip to keep her mind clear. The spell was completed and the power slid from her hands to her leg. She felt the warmth containing the dark magic and pushing it from her leg. Sighing, she opened her eyes and examined the mark again. The worst of it had disappeared and a normal bruise was left as a reminder. She ran a hand along the length and felt the tenderness better. A knock came from her bedroom door and she stood up. Grabbing a towel, she dried her skin off and began dressing. Slipping her shirt on, she pulled her hair free and pulled her pants back on. She ran a hand through her hair and glanced out the bathroom window. "Eve." Hearing that voice was a surprise and she quietly walked to the door. She opened it and found him about to knock. Quietly she slid past him and walked to her bed. Sitting down, she rolled her pants up to slide her stockings on. He saw the bruise on her leg as she slid the stocking over it and held his tongue. She pulled her boots on and grabbed her hair tie off the bed. Walking to her dresser, she slid her fingers through her hair and pulled it back. "Did you need something?" "They wanted me to come check on you." "They're cunning, sending the one person I can't turn away." He rolled his eyes and watched her. She fixed her hair and took a deep breath. Glancing at her reflection, he found her watching him and held the gaze. "I'll tell them you stopped by." He held his tongue and watched her open her door. She glanced back at him briefly and slid into the hall. He let out a sigh and raked a hand through his brown hair. She was hiding something and he felt the vibe growing stronger. Whatever happened out on the hills was bad and it left his blood racing. Glancing at her bathroom, he walked back to the door and looked around the room. His eyes were pulled to the tub where black water was floating. A growl passed through his throat and he left the room. Leaving the bedroom, he stepped into the hall and closed the room behind him. He walked down the hall and descended the stairs to the first floor. Hearing the muffled conversation coming from the parlor, he ignored it and walked back to the kitchen. He heard Oric laughing again and pushed the door open. The woman was already working with the cook on the dinner and his frown deepened into his scowl. "I want a word with you." Oric looked up at the order and asked "What did I do this time?" He ignored the man's silly question and watched the woman's hands stop moving. She took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder at him. Oric glanced down at her and then back at him. "It'll have to wait until after dinner." "No it won't." The cook shook his head and said "Make it quick. I need her help." He sent the man a silencing stare and waited on the blonde woman. She silently approached him and he led her out of the kitchen. He moved through the dining hall and down an old stairwell no one used anymore. Eve found herself being drawn further from the place she knew and into a darker part of this castle. Her eyes settled on the man guiding her into an old cellar and he waited for her to enter the room. He shut the door behind her to keep the conversation private and looked back at her. She met his gaze and he pointed to a chair. She took it and waited. "My cousin hurt you." Her eyes slowly met his and she took a deep breath. She wished it was that simple but it wasn't. The man was serving that witch and the powers she gave him is what left the mark, not the man himself. "I don't think so." "I saw the mark on your leg." She shook her head and said "It must have happened when we tried leaving. Carina moved quickly and he did have a hold on my leg when it happened." "Don't cover for that brute, Eve." She could hear the underlying contempt in his voice and knew if she did blame Christopher it could very well get him killed. "I can handle your cousin." His brown eyes flashed and she stood up. He didn't move from the door and she held his gaze. "I need to get back to the kitchen." "You will not deal with that man. His actions are mine to deal with." She shook her head and said "You'll just have more of a reason to kill him. Do you think I can live with that?" "What?" "I can hear the contempt you have for you cousin. I can only guess it has something to do with the accident. Adding this to that burning fire in you will just cause you to do something foolish, like killing him." He settled a burning gaze on her and growled "It wouldn't be foolish." She found she couldn't look away from the burning brown eyes and felt something tingling inside her. His eyes never left hers and she felt the sensation quickening her blood. His hand slowly settled on her shoulder and the jolt grounded both of them. She let the shock motivate her to pull her eyes away and she gained control of her senses once again. "Please let me deal with Christopher." He closed his eyes and she managed to slip between him and the door. He caught her wrist as she passed and the electric spark ran up her arm. She looked back at him and pulled her hand free. Putting space between them, she retraced her steps back to the dining hall and felt the remnants of that power slowly dying away. She put on her best mask and walked into the kitchen appearing calm as always. Oric smiled when she returned and asked "Where did he take you?" "Some cellar." The man smirked and asked "And did anything happen?" She washed her hands and said "We just talked." The man chuckled and said "I'm sure that's all that happened." Ignoring the jab, she went back to work cutting the vegetables for the dinner meal. The work allowed her to put her thoughts aside about that man and the power he stirred whenever their skin made contact.