Page 86 of A Kiss From Death (Oath of Vengeance #1)

T he ballroom is decorated extravagantly, expensive decor dripping from every inch. It’s bright and fresh, white and silver painted throughout. It seems the Empress has gone for a sky theme in homage to Lunaria.

Guests mingle, packed from wall to wall for the blessing that will commence shortly. They chat, drink, and dance with the anticipation of what power will be imparted to me by the Empress, and I won’t lie—that is exactly what has taken occupancy in my head as well.

Hade gracefully maneuvers us into the ballroom and through the boisterous crowd, leading me with my arm linked through his. A waiter walks by with a tray of drinks, and he snatches two off before thanking the man.

“For the nerves, my lady.” He hands me one of the glass flutes, which looks to have champagne in it. I can’t help the faint, anxious blush creeping up my cheeks .

“Such a gentleman,” I tease.

“Only for you,” he hums.

I eagerly lift the glass to my lips, downing one large gulp that bubbles down my throat, drowning a sliver of my nerves with it. I take a second sip for good measure, which makes Hade lift a quizzical eyebrow.

“Positively parched.” I throw the words over my shoulder as I take the lead, dragging him towards the dance floor. He moves with me seamlessly, and I think at this point, he would let me drag him all the way to the edge of Lunaria without a single fuss.

I turn to face him and crash into his large chest pressed close behind me. Tipping my chin up with his finger, he smiles down at me. “Dance with me, dream .”

We each finish off the last of our drinks and abandon them on a nearby table.

Gripping my hand softly, he drags me to the center of the dance floor.

This side of Hade is dizzying in the best way possible.

Every inch of this hard man has slowly softened into a puddle of malleable mush each time he’s in my vicinity.

I’m not sure if it’s from almost witnessing me die on multiple occasions, or if he’s slowly learning to drop his walls around me.

Either way, as long as he keeps showing me these softer sides, I’m content.

Pulling me close, we sway to the slow music, couples moving in tandem to the beat. His body heat seeps into me, a warm, unmoving wall to latch myself to.

“Last time I was here, I was in another man’s arms,” I tease, breaking the silence.

Leaning down, he growls into my hair, “Don’t fucking remind me. And never speak of another man while you’re in my arms, nightmare. ”

My breath hitches. “I thought you were done with that little nickname?”

“I thought you were done being a brat, but it seems we’re both sorely mistaken. ”

“Brute,” I mumble playfully under my breath.

He draws our bodies closer. “ Your brute.”

Both of our shocked gazes collide with his outright admission. He’s never said something like that so openly before, or labeled what this is between us. So far, we have been clinging to each other as a way to survive each round of the Crucible. Now that’s all over, what does this mean between us?

He searches my eyes—for what, I don’t know. Maybe to see if I’m scared, or repulsed, or if I’m about to run and flee after practically handing me a sliver of his heart, but if anything, it only pushes me closer to him.

Slowly, moving up on the tips of my toes, I plant a soft, innocent kiss to his lips to smooth over the emotions taking war over his worried gaze. It seems to do the trick as a slow, long breath fans over me from his stunned lips.

His large, rough hands engulf my face, angling me to look up at him. “Do you know what you do to me, Nyxi? Your gorgeous fucking eyes, good lord . One look from you could bring an entire army to their knees. You decimate me every time those silver orbs grace my skin.”

In one fluid, sure movement, he crashes his greedy lips to mine, not giving a damn where we are or who’s watching.

He’s ravishing me like it will be the last time, desperate to taste all of me.

I lean into the kiss, letting him take all he wants and reveling in the way my body hums to life under his burning touch.

Pulling back, we take deep breaths, trying to calm our racing hearts and heaving lungs. His eyes bore into mine, a plea and a promise shining within them, a plea to take a risk and a promise for tomorrow and forever.

I smile back at the man in front of me, a genuine full smile, and pull him close again. I mold my body to his, joining us as one. We sway to the music, more upbeat than the last song .

Squealing, my feet lift off the ground as Hade drops me to stand on his shoes so he can take the lead. I playfully slap his chest but stay put, enjoying this little slice of fun. It’s light, it’s easy, and it’s something I could get used to for the rest of my days.

“Are you going to do that little darkness trick again if another man asks to dance with me?”

He chews the inside of his cheek. “I have no clue what you are referencing, woman .”

“So you wouldn’t be an overprotective jealous brute if I were to say…” Looking around the room, I find the tallest man standing on the perimeter of the ballroom and point his way. “Ask that man if he would fancy a dance with the Crucible champion?”

Hade’s fingers dig possessively into my hip, and he leans down so his lips brush the shell of my ear.

“You can go ahead and try, Nyxi, but it would be his life you are forfeiting. I dare you to walk over there, but I fear by the time you make it to his side, there won’t be an ounce of air left trickling through his pathetically weak lungs. ”

His deadly calm threat washes over my skin; I don’t doubt that if I were to take two steps in his direction, he wouldn’t hesitate to strangle the life out of that man with his shadows. Weirdly, I don’t feel put off by his comments. No, instead, I feel wanted.

Important.

“So you admit you’re a jealous man?”

“I would have to be envious of him to be a jealous man, and that man has nothing of value.” Leaning over me, he drags his finger possessively down the bodice of my dress, sending chills scattering in every direction.

“The only thing I truly envy right now is how my shadows are currently wrapped around your bare flesh instead of me.”

I am well and truly fucked .

“Oh,” I breathe, trying to find the right words to respond to that bomb he just left in my lap.

I think I would prefer the one Tank threw at me during the Crucible to this one that has my lungs heaving for air under this tight dress and his even more suffocating gaze.

I swear, I feel Hade’s shadows weaved into my dress squeeze me tighter.

I’m suddenly overheating, squirming under his half-lidded gaze crawling across my skin and leaving permanent marks in its wake.

“Oh,” he repeats in a gravely tone.

Trying to break this tension I swear I could grip between my fingers, I reply sarcastically, “So that’s a no to going over there, then?”

“Negative.” He warns in a deadly low tone.

“Was just double checking,” I say sweetly, booping his nose with my finger.

He growls under his breath but loosens his hold on me slightly, spinning us to the beat again. Both of our moods lighten instantly, to the point I start to giggle as he throws me out and spins me back to him, my dress billowing like a cloud of mist.

Des and Winston eventually join the chaos as we dance and laugh.

Odessa downs her fourth glass of alcohol while Winston nurses a glass of orange juice, trying to savor it.

They begin to dance to a beat that doesn’t line up with the music, and I can’t help the boisterous laugh while watching them trip over each other.

Des’ immaculate, sparkling silver cloud dress catches on Winston’s feet, and they topple into each other while laughing the entire time. We are becoming quite the spectacle, and with my second glass of champagne sitting deep in my belly, I welcome the attention with open arms.

“ Attention! Attention! ” Empress Gwyn stands center stage, clinking a knife to her glass. “Welcome, my citizens, to another wonderful Blessing Ceremony.” Cheers and claps erupt, and she lets them play out for a moment. “Can we please have our guest of honor join us on stage? ”

I gulp thickly, dragging my suddenly clammy hands down my dress. Hade grabs my arm firmly in his and leads the way to the stage, anchoring me the whole way. He gives my hand one firm, supportive squeeze before gesturing me up to join the Empress.

She reaches out for me, pulling me up next to her. Weirdly, her grip feels warm and comforting, which I find odd, but I don’t pull away.

Swinging my arm above my head, she announces, “Ladies and gentleman, this year’s Reaper Crucible winner, Nyxi from Vagrant Sector.” Another round of shouts and whistles ring out, louder this time, and I look out over the crowd, feeling a pang of pride for once.

We did it, Theo.

Dropping my arm, she continues. “Now, the fun part. The blessing. As you all should know, I’m an Impart, meaning I can pull from the very ground below me and grant someone the ability to wield magic.

While I can grant magic, I cannot choose the type they are blessed with.

That is solely decided by who they are at their core and what the universe deems they can handle.

” Pausing for dramatics, she says excitedly, “Shall we see what magic the universe has decided to bless our dear Nyxi with?”

The crowd goes silent, and I close my eyes, committing this last moment of peace to memory.

Opening my eyes, I feel steadier than I have in a very long time. The Empress points her palms down towards the ground, closing her eyes. Her fingers curl as bright light erupts from the ground, her hands moving slowly as if she’s plucking the magic through the floor.

The light grows until it snaps from the ground and forms one giant, glowing orb. Opening her eyes, she floats the orb in front of my chest. “Nyxi, it is time to see what fate has destined for you.”

In one, swift movement, she shoves the orb into my chest. It clashes harshly with my body, knocking me back slightly until it becomes one with me. I feel a heavy pressure in my chest as it slides inside me, learning its new home.

It’s an uncomfortable pressure at first, until it slowly seeps into every inch of my body, a heavy hum beneath my skin.

I’m vibrating, and it’s overwhelming as my body fights this foreign entity inside it.

I breathe through the pressure, air seizing my lungs each time I try to take too deep of a breath.

My eyes burn, and my body becomes heavy and dizzy with the sheer power running through my veins.

Whispers of anticipation break out, but I can’t hear any of them as I fight to stay conscious. My fingers tingle and itch, as if they are begging to release an ounce of this heaviness within me. My back aches, a pressure sitting between my shoulder blades, begging to be released.

Without thought, I flex my buzzing hands while closing my eyes, startling when deathly screams rupture my eardrums. My body feels light as a feather, the buzzing under my skin now a manageable hum, and the ache between my shoulders has dissipated.

Opening my eyes, I panic when I notice the entire ballroom is plunged in pure darkness, nothing in sight. Something feels like it’s nudging at me…no, at my magic , as if trying to wrangle it into submission.

The darkness surrounding us is coming from me .

The nudging feels cold and dark…familiar in a way. I stop fighting it, letting it invade my senses and brush against me, urging me to fall under its command. It pushes against my magic, and my magic responds, easing its way back inside me where it belongs.

When I feel a single tendril snake across my cheek, I realize why it feels familiar. It’s Hade, helping me gain control, coaching me through it. I close my eyes again and open myself to him fully, allowing him to take control.

Gasps ring out, making me open my eyes once more. I’m met with hundreds of stunned eyes staring back at me. The room is no longer plunged in darkness, and my feet are no longer touching the floor. Every citizen drops to their knees, bowing before me.

Looking to my left and right, I realize why the ache between my shoulder blades has resolved.

Two beautiful black wings jut out from my back, flapping lazily to keep me afloat.

My gaze sweeps to my right again, and I can physically feel all the color drain from my face when my eyes land on the giant black sword from under my floorboards grasped tightly in my shaking hand.

My head is thrown back as I’m assaulted with a flashback that has my body convulsing.

A young Hade kneels in front of me, presenting me with his personal black sword with owl eyes carved just above the handle.

He stares at me with knee-wobbling intensity, promising it will protect me in his absence.

It is imbued with his magic, and as his Eternal, it will recognize a part of him within me.

I’m launched back into the present, gasping for air as my wings vanish, and I fall to the floor. Getting to my feet, I snatch my dress up and take off, sprinting out of the ballroom.

My whole life is a lie.