Page 66 of Bride of Death

Sera

“Omegas are creation Goddesses,”Morpheus says as we reach a colossal entrance hall that seems to stretch up into the sky above. Literally. The ceiling is adorned in decorative clouds thatmove.

Nothing about this palace seems real. It’s all so dreamlike. Which makes sense given that we’re in Morpheus’s palace.

In the Mythos Fae Realm.

Which is… I don’t know where. I’m pretty sure Alina hasn’t even been here.

I should be scared. Nervous.Something. But all I feel is intrigued.

This place hassun. I can see it streaming through the frosted windows. And now we appear to be heading for the doors.

I can’t wait to go outside. To feel the warmth on my skin. To revel in the burn that follows.It’ll be like home.

“That’s what makes Alphas and Omegas so exquisitely paired,” Morpheus goes on. “Alphas are beacons of energy, and Omegas manifest energy. They createlife,and Alphas guard that precious gift. It’s a symbiotic marriage between souls, a balance that helps Mythos Fae thrive.”

He pauses by a set of massive doors, his palm resting on an ornate gold handle.

“Is it safe out there?” Maliki asks, his tone holding an undeniably serious quality to it.

“No.” Morpheus opens the door. “It hasn’t been safe here for a very long time.”

With that ominous pronouncement, he steps through the threshold.

Maliki glances at me. “If I grab your hand, don’t let go.”

I swallow. “Okay.”

He nods once and follows Morpheus.

I squint before joining them, the abundance of sunlight brighter than I anticipated. It seemed natural through the tinted windows. Now I realize that tint serves a grander purpose.

Shielding my eyes, I move outside and gasp as intense heat bathes my exposed shoulders.

Yet in a second, that heat shifts into icy pricks.

I frown, not understanding what I’m feeling.

It should be warm. The sun is too bright to be this cold. But my teeth begin to chatter.

Until suddenly I’m swathed in a thick wool coat.Morpheus’s suit jacket. I can’t see it, but I feel it.

And I’m suddenly engulfed in his scent.

Fae.He smells like fresh cotton sheets. Or maybe that’s simply his detergent. It’s just so clean. Silky. With a hint of… of lavender.

I inhale deeply, my shoulders loosening beneath the jacket as every part of me relaxes.

“As I said, Alphas and Omegas create a utopian harmony, one that benefits all of Mythos Fae kind,” Morpheus says softly. “But Omegas haven’t existed for quite some time. Without a nurturing counterpart to steady the Alpha intensity of our world, our realm has become severely imbalanced.”

A flash of light nearly blinds me despite my still-closed eyes.

And suddenly, everything goes dark.

“Fuck,” Maliki breathes.

My nose scrunches as the stench of decay overwhelms my previous blanket of gentle scents, and my eyes open on instinct.