Chapter Twenty-six

                                    

                                          
"See? I told you it was here, dad keeps all the good juicy stuff locked up." Gracien said excitedly as he heard the click on the lock and watched as the heavy iron lock fell off it's position and clattered to the hard wood floors.
                          
Evie stood behind Gracien, peeking her head around his to get a better view of the contents of the chest. She kneeled down in front of the chest, beside Gracien and stared for a long time. Inside laid everything her teachers and even her guardian- Argo, had been keeping from her about the Salvatore agreement twelve years ago. The reason why King Ryker had a fascination with her, the reason why her enemies were helping her even though they hated her. Finally, all of her questions were going to be answered. 
                          
Gracien reached into the chest, his hand going past hand written letters, black and white photographs and what looked like a few jewelry boxes. He pulled out a more modern looking picture, which shows a girl- a few years older than Evie, lying in her bed: asleep. 
                          
"Who is this?" Evie asked curiously. "She looks like me." 
                          
Gracien took the picture from her hands and turned it over, reading the fine cursive writing. "My love and life, Evie Mae Walker, June 6th." 
                          
"We have the same name..." Evie stared off into the distance, not seeing or hearing Gracien as she tried to put the pieces together. "Who was she?" 
                          
"You really don't know, do you?" Gracien's voice was small and quiet. He sighed, bringing his voice down low, he continued. "Your-" 
                          
"Gracien Salvatore! What is SHE doing here? That filthy, low down, good for nothing, little who-"  Cai appeared in the doorway screaming at the top of his lungs with an anger that Evie had never known. 
                          
Gracien quickly stood to his feet. "Don't you dare say it. She has every right to be here!" 
                          
"What right? As far as im concerned, she doesn't have any rights! And you!" Cai shoved his brother in the chest which caused Gracien to stumble backwards. "Brought her here, YOU invited her in and cared about her! We are supposed to hate her guts, to want to rip out her insides!" 
                          
Evie cringed and stood to her own feet slowly, taking shelter behind Gracien. She didn't want to be the reason why these two brothers were torn. "I am here because your father requested me and out of respect for him i came. If it weren't for your father, i would-" 
                          
"You would what? Unleash your wrath of me?" Cai threw back his head and laughed dramatically. "What a thought! I would actually like to see that." He peeked around the two at the open chest and suddenly he grew silent. His fathers voice began to ring in his ears, remembering what he had said about the possibility of Evie being Gracien's Sani. He snapped his mouth shut and turned his gaze back on his brother, who was breathing heavily with his hands clenched together as fists at his sides. He cared about her, it was obvious. Gracien, in that moment, did something he thought he would never do for as long as he lived- he began to apologize. "I'm sorry for scaring you, Evie. My brother and yourself have grown close lately and i am to respect that, as is the way of my people. I apologize for my rude and nasty behavior, it was unnecessary and you of all people did not deserve it." Cai turned his back on the pair but before leaving uttered, "love can make you do crazy things, you know?"