vee

“Why are you being so cruel?'

'Because you won't leave!' Jacks shouted. 'And if you stay, you will die. Chaos hasn't fed in thousands of years. I know he thinks he can control his hunger, but he can't. That's why they put the helm on him.'

'You could have just said that. If you didn't want me to say goodbye or you want me to leave, you don't have to hurt me to get me to do it.'

'I'm not- I-' Jacks broke off abruptly. His eyes were no longer just red, they were blazing with fear. She'd never seen him look so terrified before. She'd been poisoned, shot, lashed across the back, and Jacks had always kept his calm until now.

With a great deal of effort, he took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was soft but uneven. 'I'm sorry, Little Fox. I didn't want to hurt you, I just-'

He looked suddenly at a loss for words, as if whatever he said next might be the wrong thing. He's never looked at her like this before.

'Jacks, please, don't use the stones tonight. Come with me instead.'

He took a jagged breath. For a second, he looked torn. He raked a hand through his hair, his movements jagged.

Evangeline took a step closer.

He shuttered his expression and took a step back. 'This doesn't change anything. I still can't have you in my life. You and I aren't meant to be.'

'What if you're wrong?'

Evangeline had once heard a tale about a pair of doomed stars, drawn across skies toward each other's brightness, even though they knew that if they drew too close, their desire would end in a fiery explosion. This was how Jacks looked at her now. As if neither of them would survive if they drew any closer.

'Evangeline, you need to go.'

A thunderous roar poured out from the Valory, so loud it shook the arch and the angels and the ground at Evangeline's feet.

'Get out of here.' Jacks said.

She held his gaze, one final time, wishing she knew how to change his mind. 'I wish our story could have had another ending.'

'I don't want another ending,' Jacks said flatly. 'I just want you to leave.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After