Exclsuive First Look: THe Shattered Mirror by Dana Evyn

The Shattered Mirror

Dana Evyn

Book 3 of The Mirrored Trilogy

Never believe in happily ever after.

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 Release day: 7.7.26

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Chapter 6

Tobias leaned against a pillar, nearly blending into the shadows. He was dressed almost entirely in black—from his leather boots to his billowy black shirt, the top buttons carelessly undone. His silver-embroidered jacket now hung from the back of his chair, though the night air had cooled as the last bit of sunlight faded away.

I could see the pale white band scarring his throat, the match to his sister’s, in an eternal reminder of what they both had suffered. He rarely wore a shirt that covered it, perhaps to avoid the feeling of constriction. But as he brushed the mess of hair falling into his face away with one large hand, it was the taut muscles of his neck and the way his biceps bulged against his shirt that made me unable to tear my gaze away.

A trio of musicians armed with string instruments had set up on the other side of the balcony as the sun set. The lively sound of violins and the deeper bass of a cello echoed into the cool night air.

Bash and Eva were already swaying to music, entirely lost to the world around them. Eva looked lovely tonight, her gold dress glowing in the dim lights. The craftmanship was exceptional. Interlacing cutouts laced across her midsection, revealing triangles of tan skin. Off-the-shoulder sleeves of shimmering chiffon clung gently to her arms; an underlying pattern of golden roses shimmered beneath the surface. An asymmetric slit revealed the length of her thigh as Bash dipped her.

Eva laughed and I couldn’t help my smile at her joy. Bash stared at her so adoringly my heart ached. I knew how much he loved her from the moment we met. He had nearly broken door down in his impatience to get to her after her escape from Aviel in Soleara. And I didn’t think he had taken his eyes off her since, like his world entirely revolved around her.

It wasn’t just the way he looked at her that confirmed my trust in him—it was the way she softened in his presence. Even after everything she had endured, she could let herself breathe around him. It was more than simply an effect of their anima bond, which allowed them to sense each other’s emotions. He gave her a sense of calm I hadn’t seen in years, a quiet happiness that spoke to something like devotion. The kind of steady, all-consuming love that asked for nothing but gave everything in return.

Drawing in a breath to rally my nerve, I strode toward the shadows.

Tobias raised an eyebrow as I approached. “Didn’t feel like dancing?”

“Maybe I was waiting for the right dance partner.” I paired my shrug with a smirk, wondering if he would take the hint.

Tobias nodded slowly, a divot forming between his brows. “I’m sure you’ll have your pick tomorrow.”

He sounded resigned. Did he truly not realize my implication or was it something else—the thought of the event itself? In all my time in Soleara, Tobias had largely remained out of the public eye, content to delegate where he could and work behind the scenes. Except for our bouts in the training yard, I could barely remember the last time I had seen him outside the castle walls.

Was it the socializing, the crowds…or was there more to it?

“I wasn’t talking about tomorrow,” I said softly.

I stepped closer, my eyes catching on a button that had come undone on his sleeve. Tobias stiffened as I reached for his wrist, barely seeming to breathe as I refastened it. He was disconcertingly close, the faint, almost smokey scent of him—like charred cedar—making me feel almost dizzy. My cheeks heated from the weight of his gaze on me, though I didn’t raise my eyes from my task.

“There,” I said, backing away a step. “Wouldn’t want to ruin your outfit. You look…nice.”

The corner of his lips twitched, as if fighting a smile. “I look better than that, Sagray, and you know it.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Full of yourself, are we?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” He gave me a far too charming half smile I hadn’t seen since we were teens. “After all, you can’t seem to keep your eyes off me.”

There was something heady and intoxicating about the way he looked at me, that I couldn’t even slightly blame on the alcohol.

Two could play at that game. “Funny, I was just about to say the same thing about you.”

I could have sworn he blushed. Tobias swayed slightly as he took a step toward me, then grabbed the side of the pillar to steady himself.

My mouth dropped open before splitting into a grin. “Tobias Maris, are you drunk?”

Well, that explained the brief hint of levity.

Tobias looked affronted even as he swayed on his feet. “I had three drinks. Maybe four. I am absolutely…”

He stumbled back against the pillar. A laugh sprang from my throat.

“Maybe,” Tobias confessed with a hint of surprise. “I haven’t exactly had time to build up my tolerance.”

“I promise I won’t take advantage of you,” I said teasingly, even as the reason behind his inebriation struck home.

Tobias’s eyes widened slightly, then he shook his head like he was attempting to clear it.

“I’ll admit to…tipsy.” His words slurred slightly. “Though I’m not sure if it’s helping.”

His eyes flicked upward, his expression going distant like some buried memory had surfaced. White-knuckled fingers curled onto the stone pillar like he was searching for a handhold, a lifeline. A rough swallow tightened his throat, his shoulders folding in as his gaze grew haunted.

I said his name in a desperate attempt to pull him back to me. “Tobias?”

He flinched, his eyes meeting mine like he had forgotten I was there.

“I was just giving you a hard time,” I said gingerly. “It’s okay to let loose every once and a while. Honestly, it’s nice to see you lighten up for once.”

Tobias blinked once, then again. Shaking his head slightly, he focused his attention back on me, his voice shaky as he whispered, “Then distract me.”

“Okay,” I immediately agreed. “What do you want me to—”

“Dance with me.”

Tobias said it urgently, like it was a need rather than merely a want—like my denial might break him. He held out a hand, eyes wild with a mix of panic and raw vulnerability.

“Of course I will,” I said simply, slipping my hand into his before I even finished my answer. “I asked you first, didn’t I?”

His body tightened like he was bracing himself. Slowly, I placed my hand on his shoulder looking into his eyes as his other hand wrapped around my waist. He cradled me gently, his fingers curling around my hand like I was something precious.

Tobias took a deliberate breath in before he led us onto the makeshift dance floor, slowly letting it out as he met my gaze. I could feel the other’s eyes on us as we swayed in time to the music, my best friend’s sharp gaze among them. But I didn’t dare look away from Tobias—not when he needed me.

Eva had been so worried about her brother after the way he had spent the past few months shutting everyone out. I knew she had hoped that my choice to stay in Soleara might lead to him open up to me. And yet, despite our bedrooms sharing the same floor and all my attempts to include him in my plans, the distance between us felt staggering.

Maybe I was taking advantage of him, in a way. But for once, his guard was down—and I wasn’t about to push him away.

His hand moved to the exposed skin of my back. A shiver ran down my spine as a strange sort of shock passed between us.

Tobias’s gaze fixed on mine. “Do I make you nervous, Sagray?”

“No,” I said bluntly. “You’re just an interesting mix of who you were before and who you are now. I’m never sure which one I’m going to get.”

He stared at me unblinkingly, his head tilting as if weighing my words. “Who am I now?”

“Hard to tell. You’ve been avoiding me.”

The accusation slipped out before I could stop it. At least they were low enough not to be heard over the music and laughter on the other side of the balcony.

I suppose this counted as part of the distraction.

Tobias’s jaw flexed. “How very astute of you.”

I blinked. “You’re not even going to deny it?”

“I wouldn’t dare insult your considerable intelligence,” Tobias drawled. Then he smirked, a hint of that one-sided dimple creasing his cheek. “Now are you going to let me lead?”

Stiffening, I realized he wasn’t wrong. I was practically leading him in the dance with how much I was resisting. Swordplay and fighting, I knew. Dancing was another story.

After all, even when we sparred together I was still in control. I wasn’t used to letting someone lead.

“Don’t change the subject,” I snapped, though I made myself relax into his hold, allowing him to take charge.

We always had that sort of relationship. The snark, the casual, easy banter that usually had Eva rolling her eyes at us. Or at least we had. Now, he could barely look me in the eye most days.

“Here I thought we were just trading facts,” Tobias said, raising his brows in mock innocence.

He spun me around, the move catching me off guard, before pulling me back into him. I stumbled against him, our bodies pressing together in an awkward hug. Tobias stiffened like he didn’t know how to reciprocate that kind of affection anymore. Then his head dipped, his voice a low rumble as he whispered, “But I’m not avoiding you right now, am I?”

My breath caught. I leaned back just enough to look him in the eye. “Drunkenly dancing wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

“I don’t know,” Tobias murmured, his eyes darkening as they zeroed in on my face. “I don’t exactly mind it.”

Tobias twisted us, his hand tightening on my waist before he gently lowered me into a dip. Time seemed to stand still as I stared up at him. I wanted to trace the slight curve of his lips with my fingertip—to feel that hint of happiness on a face that was usually so expressionless before it disappeared again.

My breathing quickened. A deep flush stained his cheeks as he brought us back upright.

This…this was him for once. Or at least a glimpse of him. I knew he wasn’t the same kid I had grown up with, nor did I want him to be. But I was so sick of Tobias acting like the boy who used to laugh with me was as dead as he once pretended to be.

And I missed him.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind if you stopped avoiding everyone who cares about you.” The words came out sharper than I intended, and I immediately wished I hadn’t said anything at all. I could practically see his walls slamming down. Something sank in my stomach as he pulled away.

“Spare me, Sagray.”

The night felt so much colder without his warmth surrounding me.

“You should talk to someone. Please.” I wasn’t above begging if it meant getting through to him. “It’s been months of this and there’s only so long I can watch you wither away.”

He took another step backward. “No one’s asking you to. I’m fine. And I don’t need you to save me.”

“I’m not trying to—”

A bark cut me off, then the crash of broken glass. My head whipped around, my feet already moving in a blind urge to help. My heart lurched at the sight of Eva half-fallen against the table, her goblet in shards on the ground. Wine spread around her feet, soaking into the hem of her dress. Bash was there before I could blink, helping her back to her feet.

Tobias and I ran to the table along with the others, any hint of merriment forgotten. Phantom barked again with more urgency, his ears pinned back as he nudged Eva’s hand with his nose.

“I’m okay,” Eva said, a little shakily. “I must have had a little too much wine—”

“Eva…you’re bleeding.”

My chest constricted at the concern in Bash’s voice. A cold wave of dread surged through me as Eva reached up to touch the trickle of blood underneath her nose, smearing it across her upper lip.

Eva let out a hollow sounding laugh as she looked at the red on her fingertips. “Not sure what sort of omen this is before a wedding.” She smiled, though it seemed shaky as she amended, “Bonding ceremony, that is.”

Bash passed her a glass of water. Eva waved him away as she took a long sip. Red mixed with its contents in swirling circles.

I reached for my healing magic, but a buried part of me stirred—eager and almost that insistent that I use it. I took a step back, clenching my hands into fists.

“Let me see,” Marin said, moving closer. Her magic glowed at her fingertip, its color an innocuous green.

Eva spat out the next sip. Blood dribbled down her chin, growing worse with each passing second. She swiped at it with the back of her hand, only succeeding in smearing it across her face. Tobias silently passed her a cloth napkin. She gave him a grateful nod before pressing it against her nose.

“It’s just a nosebleed,” Eva whispered as if reassuring herself. The napkin steadily reddened as it soaked through.

Marin gently rested her hand over Eva’s face, her magic flowing from her fingertips. Her face turned grim, her expression tightening as she worked.

A few drops of dark red dripped onto the pale silk of Eva’s dress, the marks slashing over her heart. My stomach dropped, a sudden sense of fear making my heart pound.

I stepped forward, my eyes trained on the flow of blood that showed no sign of abating. “Between Marin and I, I’m sure we can fix this.”

Eva stepped toward me, swaying slightly. She was pale…too pale. Sweat beaded at her brow, her breathing far too labored. Her arm dropped to her side, the bloodied napkin falling to the marble floor. “I…I think something’s wrong.”

Bash pressed his hand to his forehead with a small groan of pain. Then his gaze shot to Eva. The agony in his eyes stole my breath—a reflection, I knew, of what Eva must be sharing through their bond.

“Eva.”

Time slowed to sluggish heartbeats as she started to fall. Bash lunged for her, but Tobias was closer.

He caught her just before her lifeless body hit the floor.