Page 59 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood (Tales So Wicked #2)

Lenore

T he fog has the castle grounds feeling foreign. I was so sure the door would be in the bone garden. Now I’m questioning everything. Where could it be?

I’m tired, sore, and still occasionally coughing up blood.

My experiences with Harrow in the in-between have been mind-blowing, but I’m ready to go home.

Sex is fun but the fear of being eaten, maimed, skinned, or killed while in the thralls of passion dampens the overall experience.

Not that I was thinking about those things when Harrow was wringing orgasm after orgasm out of me earlier. I should have been.

The castle’s hedge maze comes into view. I have so many memories between those leafy walls. There’s a tug in my chest. A spark lights within me. All at once I know beyond a shadow of a doubt.

“The door is at the center of the labyrinth.” Grabbing Harrow’s hand, I run toward the entrance. Finally, I can get the hell out of here. We race into the first corridor and I stop. The way through the maze is changed. “This is not the route through the labyrinth.”

“Of course she wouldn’t have made it easy.” Harrow sighs. “There’s a faster way.”

Hooking his arms beneath me, he lifts me up and shoots skyward. The air rushes from my lungs. I’ll never get used to the feeling of my stomach plummeting to my feet when I’m flying.

Harrow flies until we’re high enough above the maze to see it in its entirety. Now that I have a good look at it, I’m not even sure there was a path to the center. On top of the maze’s complex pathways, there are monsters inside the labyrinth. At least ten monstrosities roam various corridors.

“How was I expected to make it to the door?”

“She doesn’t really want you to leave. I expect she’ll be furious when she realizes we’ve cheated our way to the center. I’m sure she never expected you to be accompanied by someone with wings.”

The eyes of every creature in the labyrinth lift to where we hover above it. “They don’t look too happy about it either.”

As we descend, the monsters rush toward the center of the maze. They’re going to try to stop us from getting to the door. “Harrow?”

“Looks like we’re on a bit of a time crunch,” Harrow says as he speeds toward the door.

My hair whips behind me as we dive. His boots hit with a thud that leaves a mark on the ground. My stomach is still somewhere up above. Let’s not do that again .

I squeal as he sets me down. “We did it!”

The door out of the in-between is an exact replica of my bedroom door. I place one hand on the doorknob, holding Harrow’s hand tightly with the other. Turning over my shoulder, I give him a grin that’s so wide my cheeks hurt.

The feeling of falling returns even though I’m still standing in place. Something changes in that moment. Harrow drops my hand.

No, I drop his. Wait, my hand falls through his. My body has become translucent. “What’s happening?”

An unseen force grips my center, yanking me backward so hard and fast that I can’t breathe. Harrow’s mouth is open, eyes wide with shock.

His distraught face vanishes.

The in-between fades from sight.

And then I wake up.

Someone is screaming inside my head. The scream comes again, ricocheting off the walls of my mind, fighting to break free. Are those screams mine? I’m trapped in here, alone in the darkness of my hollow skull. Where is my body? How do I get out?

The faintest sensation brushes past me. With a whoosh, I’m slung back into my physical form. Darkness still surrounds me. Awareness trickles in like water through a cracked vase. Pins and needles skitter up and down my arms and legs.

Warmth envelops my mouth. I gasp, my lungs expanding for what feels like the first time ever. There’s pressure against my mouth, preventing me from taking a full breath.

An overpowering symphony of cheers assaults my sensitive ears. Why is everyone so loud?

“True love’s kiss!” someone cries out.

“The prince has broken the spell!” a man’s voice yells.

“True love! True love!” the crowd begins to chant.

As my eyes adjust, I find Cassius bent over me. His tawny eyes are hyper-focused. When we lock gazes, he releases a breath of relief.

“Thank the stars, I thought you were lost to us.” The warmth in his voice melts through the edge of my shock.

“Cassius?”

“It’s me.” His fingers caress down my cheek.

The fuzziness clouding my thoughts dissipates. “Catreena.”

I sit up too fast. My head swims, and my stomach threatens to retch up whatever acidic bile has been culminating in my gut since I bit the apple.

“The queen?”

“It was Catreena.” My words come out thick and slurred. “Catreena poisoned me.”

Cassius shakes his head. “That was just an illusion brought on by the spell. The magic must have tapped into your distrust of the new queen and used it against you. Catreena has been working tirelessly to find a cure since you fell ill.”

That sounds like bullshit. “No. It was her. She gave me one of my mother’s apples.”

“Your mother’s apples?”

“She had a golden apple tree in the castle.”

Cassius’s frown deepens. “Nothing has grown in the castle since your mother passed.”

“It wasn’t really a golden apple.”

He purses his lips before speaking. “She didn’t give you a golden apple?”

Ugh, what part of this is he not understanding? “No. It was an apple, but it wasn’t gold. It was red and then black.”

“A black apple?”

“Why are you looking at me like I’m crazy?” My fists bunch in my skirts.

“You’re not crazy, you just need rest,” Cassius coos. “That witch cast one hell of a curse. We don’t know what the after-effects may be.”

“What witch? Catreena is the one who did it. She’s the witch.”

“The witch who cast the spell confessed. She was hanged for her crimes just hours ago. Her last words were true love’s kiss .

That’s how we knew to break the spell.” Cassius blushes.

“I hadn’t realized how deeply our feelings for each other ran before that moment.

It was Catreena herself who encouraged me to try.

You waking up is proof of our love.” He raises my hands to his chest.

“True love’s kiss?”

Cassius grins and presses another kiss to my dry, swollen lips.

The room fills with cheers once more.

My head throbs. Every sound is like a sword clanging against a shield mere inches from my face.

My fingers press against my temples. “I need quiet. I can’t think here.”

“I’ll take you to your room.” Cassius grabs the nearest servant, whispering orders, then swoops his muscular arms beneath me, lifting me as if I’m a child.

“I can walk.” I squirm in his hold but Cassius just tightens his grip. “Cassius, put me down.”

“Save your strength, Princess. I’ve got you.”

The women in the crowd practically swoon at the sight of Cassius’s chivalrous actions. Their faces may be lit with joy but I hear their scrutinous whispers as we pass.

“He’s such a catch.”

“She came back crazy.”

“What a shame.”

“He could do so much better.”

“The best we can hope for after so many tragedies.”

I try to tune them out but something about the tragedy statement sticks with me. Am I the tragedy? Are they talking about my mother? Or is it something else?

“What happened while I was asleep?”

“Much. You were out for six days.”

“No. There’s no way.” How long was I in the in-between before Harrow found me? Was he away from his kingdom for that long? He told me bad things happen when he spends too much time outside his domain. If something did happen, it will be my fault.

My chest tightens. Harrow didn’t follow me through the doorway. No, I didn’t even get the chance to use the door. What happened to Harrow? Was he able to get out? Panic sizzles through my nerves.

My gaze sweeps from face to face as we pass guards and servants, hoping to glimpse a mysterious figure lurking about. Harrow is not here.

“You’re safe now,” Cassius whispers, mistaking my searching as fear of something else.

The safety and silence of my quarters welcomes me as we stroll through the doorway. All I need is for Cassius to leave me in my room so that I can wait for Harrow to show up. He’ll come to check on me. Then I can ask him how he escaped.

“You’ve done enough. It would probably be best if I was left alone for a bit.”

“Don’t be silly. I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.” Cassius smiles. Usually, I like how nice he always is. Right now, I find it suffocating.

“I could use some space to process.”

“I’ll give you all the space you need.” Cassius sets me down and relocates to an armchair by the fire. “You can let me know if you need anything.”

Scowling, I consider what unladylike thing I can say to get him to leave.

There’s a small bit of guilt. Cassius did just kiss me awake and save me from a literal hell.

Technically I was about to get out without his help.

He doesn’t know that though. No one knows about Harrow or any of the horrific things I’ve just endured.

“I need to see my father.” He was in bad shape the last time I saw him. “Now.”

Cassius’s expression shifts. “I’ll take you to him, but first you must eat and rest.”

“Is he well? Why wasn’t he present when you woke me up?”

“I know you have a lot of questions. You need food and sleep. Then we can address all of your concerns.”

The door opens again and several maids enter. I don’t recognize a single one. They fill my bath and set a tray of tea on my bedside table.

“Where is Melly?” Now that I’ve thought of her, it seems horribly wrong that she hasn’t come rushing to my room.

“She’s been called away. We’re here to assist you in any way we can in her absence, miss.” One of the girls smiles. It’s a dead smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

That doesn’t feel right. “Called away where?” I snap defensively.

“We weren’t privy to that information, miss.” Another girl bows her head.

“When will she be back?” I do not want these strange women in my room.

“We weren’t told. We’re here to assist you in any way we can in her absence, miss.”

“Yes, you’ve said that. Stop calling me miss.” The women don’t even flinch at my biting tone. “Leave me.”

“Your bath, miss.”

“I am capable of bathing myself. Thank you and good day.” When the women don’t move, I stomp to the door, opening it and pointing toward the exit.

They exchange glances before curtsying and hurrying out. I slam the door, jumping when the sound reverberates through my already-aching skull.

Cassius is silently watching me. “I don’t want to hear it,” I bark, storming to the bathroom.

I don’t want to accept any help from those women, but if I’ve been under a spell for six days then I haven’t showered in six days.

Self-consciousness awakens in me. I probably smell like the living dead and Cassius carried me, nestled into his chest, all the way up to my room.

Ditching my burgundy gown, I slip into the tub. After several steam-filled breaths I realize I’m no longer coughing. My lungs don’t even hurt.

True love’s kiss broke the spell but did it heal my lungs too? Were my lungs ever really injured? I try to think back to when the spell took hold. I was sitting with Catreena. She gave me the apple and the guards chased me. Then I escaped out the servants’ quarters and ran into the dark forest.

You never left the castle .

Harrow’s words ring in my thoughts. If I never left the castle, then the effects of the spell started before I went outside. Was it while I was being chased? Maybe even before Winnie helped me into that panel in the wall. My headache intensifies.

Did I never even leave the table? There was a moment after I spit the apple out. My head slammed against the wood and everything went dark. Was that when I entered the in-between?

What if Cassius is right? Maybe I never got out of bed that morning. If some random witch really is the one who cast the curse, then I never even had that conversation with Catreena. Which means the poison apple was a figment of my imagination too.

Thinking back on the spider, the goblins, even the kraken.

Each monster had its own territory to haunt.

Maybe Catreena with her poison apple was the monster ruling the castle territory of the in-between.

Did I turn her into one of my nightmares because of my inability to accept my mother’s death and her presence here?

Cassius said the spell fed on my mistrust.

I woke up so confident. Now, everything feels muddled.

Sinking deeper, I let my face disappear beneath the water. Even in the quiet of this room, my thoughts are too loud.

Closing my eyes, I hold my breath. Under the water, my heartbeat overtakes all other sounds. Maybe I can stay here. It’s the first peaceful moment I’ve had in days.

What will happen if I drown? I’ll magically spit up the water when I come back to life. What a burdensome blessing.

My contemplations cease as I’m jerked upward. “What the hell?” I sputter, choking on water I sucked in when I was grabbed.

Cassius’s fearful gaze finds mine. “I, I’m sorry. I knocked and when you didn’t answer I was worried maybe we hadn’t broken the spell. That my kiss wasn’t enough. I feared you may have fallen back asleep. I saw you under the water and panicked.”

Wiping the water from my face, I sigh. “It’s alright. I was just thinking. You did break the spell. I’m no longer asleep.” A tight smile is all I can manage.

“Maybe we should be sure. Another true love’s kiss couldn’t hurt.” Cassius gives me a small smirk as he leans in to kiss me. I flinch. He notices my reaction and instantly backs up.

“I’m sorry. It’s not that I’m not grateful for your help. It’s just, today has been a lot,” I mumble.

There’s a stagnant silence before Cassius clears his throat.

“There’s no need to apologize. I’ll leave you to finish up.” His movements are stiff as he closes the door behind him.

“Why are you such a bitch, Lenore? He saved you. Stop acting like an ungrateful brat.” I pause. “And stop talking to yourself or they really will think you’re crazy.”