Page 67 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood (Tales So Wicked #2)

Harrow

T he Underworld is in chaos when I arrive back.

I knew the damage would be extensive. It surpasses the destruction I was expecting.

Serpien are fighting with everything they have to protect the remaining gardens.

There’s so much fire, so many innocent souls corrupted.

Without me here to relocate them to the river, the Serpien were forced to trap them in the deep fissures that form beneath each ruined garden.

Their hands reach up from the fiery cracks in the earth as they wail.

The mountain itself is glowing green. A tinge of relief chips off a bit of my stress when I see a steady stream of Serpien appearing from within the mountain.

I’ve never been allowed to know exactly how they’re formed or why they’re brought into existence when they are.

But if the Underworld is releasing new Serpien, it must be in a dire state.

The river is bone dry. Before I can throw the damned back into its waters, I need to refill it. My palace comes into view and rage lights my blood. There are cursed souls within the walls of my home. Several lurk about, tracking sludge across my throne room.

Never before has a cursed soul roamed my halls. My own sanctuary has been violated. The pool in the center sits black and bubbling. I need a new plan. Something fast and effective. I cannot leave my world like this, but every second I’m down here, Lenore is at risk above.

Instead of entering my palace, I shift my gaze to the sky.

Will this work? I can’t be sure. It’s worth everything to try.

My focus shifts above. The stars are blotted out by the mass of billowing dark clouds I summon.

Once they’re in place, I imbue them with as much magic as I can spare.

The clouds shift from black to a glowing green.

When they’re near rupturing from fullness, I release the rain.

The Serpien dive for cover. A dam breaks and the wall of water that falls hits the ground like a tidal wave.

Anything not shielded by the walls of a silver garden is swept away in the flood.

Guiding the water, I send it rushing back into the empty riverbed.

Souls tumble head over heel as they’re sucked back into the choppy waters.

Full. The river is so full. Dropping to the wet ground, I imbue the earth itself with power.

The river rumbles as soil shakes loose on either end.

The rough quaking only lasts a few moments, but it’s enough to erode the sides of the river away and carve a new, wider path.

That should help to accommodate all the new souls.

It’s surprisingly effective. My ravens point out any stragglers, those who are clutching onto a garden or crack.

Once I’ve dumped them into the now-full water, I clear out my castle.

I flush out the pool in the center of my throne room, imbuing it until the water clears and familiar bioluminescence takes hold.

When I finish, I look out over my domain. The Serpien are lined up below, staring up at me. Disappointment burns into me through their glowing eyes. With the land cleared of cursed spirits, the true scope of the devastation becomes clear.

Guilt swallows me whole. So many have been lost. The burned black of such extensive ruin scars the land.

I did this. I let this happen when I entered the in-between to find Lenore.

Lenore . The faces of her parents flash before my eyes. Speeding toward the ground, I aim for the garden that is home to the King and Queen of Roseheart. By some sheer stroke of luck, their garden is still intact. So many others were not so lucky.

I’m exhausted. I need time to recover and restore my magic.

My love for Lenore will not allow it. Ignoring the judgmental looks of the Serpien, I fly straight from the portal to the mortal world all the way to the front door of her home.

Energy ricochets back at me, halting my flight.

Someone has warded the castle. This is not what I expected to encounter.

With what I now know of the castle’s current inhabitants, I’d bet everything it’s Roseheart’s new dark queen.

How long has she had this place locked down? My escape from the in-between came hours ago but my duty to my domain demanded I visit home first. My amulet had burned so hot it left a blister beneath my armor.

I wanted to come straight to Lenore, but what good would be saving my love, only for her to eventually join my realm and find it overrun with dark entities?

A new barrier around the castle complicates things. Sending my shadows out, I prod the wards for weakness. They’re solid. I am not used to such power from a human. I am a god, an immortal. This type of magic should not exist to humans.

I’m still weighing my options when a sudden awareness zaps through me like lightning. Lenore .

“Harrow!” Her voice splits the skies, and my heart leaps into a gallop. Her small frame appears in the window of the castle’s uppermost tower. In the same moment I spot her, she jumps.

My wings snap out, pumping once then shooting me through the air like a loosed arrow.

I ascend so quickly the world blurs. All defining features of the castle and its grounds vanish.

All I can see is Lenore, the way her body is limp as it plummets toward the earth.

Each second stutters past me. Closer, closer…

Lenore’s scream catches in her throat as my arms pluck her from the sky. Banking hard, I swoop around, landing in the courtyard.

My little raven’s face is incredibly pale. Her breathing is so hard and heavy she can barely speak. “I knew…” She gasps. “… knew you would catch me.”

A sharp metallic scent sharpens my worry. I keep her in my arms as I assess her for wounds. Her legs can’t hold her up at the moment. Too much adrenaline, too much blood loss.

“Where are you hurt?”

“Harrow.” She grips the raised edges of my shoulder plates. “Are we in the in-between again?”

“No, this is real.”

“Oh god. That thing in the mirror is real?” Lenore quivers in my hold.

Whatever she saw scared her badly enough to believe she was trapped in a hellscape. “What thing?”

“There’s something in there. A monster in her magic mirror. I saw it.” Fear glosses over her blue eyes as she envisions the creature.

I clutch her tighter to my body. “You’re safe now.”

“No, I’m not. She said it will hunt me and find me. It’s tasted my blood. I only had an hour before it was going to come looking. How long has it been?” She jerks on my shoulders, shaking me. “Don’t let that thing get me.”

“It won’t get you.” I’ll make sure of it . “Where are they keeping it?”

“My mother’s room.” Her voice is broken. “Catreena has taken her quarters. There are so many bodies. I think everyone but Melly is dead.”

“I’ll handle Catreena.”

“And Cassius,” Lenore blurts out, tears streaming down her cheeks. “It was him. He’s Catreena’s brother. They made the dark forest all those years ago. It was him all along. I’m so stupid.” She sobs into my chest.

“No. You are not stupid. There is powerful magic at play. Even I didn’t sense his true nature.” A fact that unsettles me more than I care to admit. “I always hated that bastard.”

Lenore laughs through her tears. “You’d better not be about to say I told you so .”

“I wouldn’t dare.” My thumb swipes across her cheek. “Now, where are you hurt?”

“It’s just my arm.” She lifts her slender wrist to reveal a gash that runs the length of her forearm. There are bloody rope burns on her wrists. She was held captive. Again. My fury builds. They’ll pay for their treatment of my raven.

I wrap the forearm gash in shadows, apologizing when she winces. “You’ll still have to heal on your own, but this should help staunch the blood and mask your scent if anything is using your blood to track you.”

She touches the dark band. My shadows shiver in response. “Thank you.”

“I need to get you somewhere safe while I handle this.” Taking to the air, I fly us up and over the crumbling walls of Lenore’s small sanctuary. Memories of the replica in the in-between flash across Lenore’s haunted eyes.

“Don’t leave.” Her voice is quiet.

“This is not the in-between. I promise. You’re safe here.”

“I don’t want to feel like I’m helpless, but back in the castle, I couldn’t do anything. My training was useless.” Shame darkens her cheeks.

“Stop that. You were outmatched by not one, but two powerful beings and a demon. The fact you survived, escaped, and were smart enough to find a way around the wards proves you are far from useless. You’re resourceful, cunning, and if something happens again, you won’t be alone. Mytha?”

My faithful right-hand materializes in her human guise. “Yesss, sssire?”

“Stay with Lenore. Protect her at all costs. Keep her hidden and alert me at once if you sense any danger.”

Mytha’s eyes flick to Lenore and back. I can see the retaliatory, I’m not a babysitter manifesting in her glowing green glare.

“This is important, Mytha. Please.”

Her gaze softens. “It will be done.”

My fingers bury in Lenore’s thick hair as I drag her lips to mine. The kiss is one that speaks volumes in the small space between us where words are not enough. Our mouths mingle in a desperate language that’s all our own.

There are so many things I want to say, so many ways I wish to reassure her, but the right phrases won’t come. Only three words make it past my frenzied lips. “I love you.”

Lenore breaks again, a quiet sob spilling into my mouth as she kisses me with twice as much fervor. “I love you. I can’t lose you.”

Her words physically impact me. Something swells and tightens in my chest. Pulling away, I memorize the details of her face. “I’ll be back.”

She takes my hand, squeezing. “The mirror monster. Are you sure you can kill it? And Catreena. She’s too powerful.”