Page 74 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood (Tales So Wicked #2)

Harrow

M y wings sweep outward, flitting with joy when I’ve finished with Catreena.

I held my word. Drusinnia was thrilled. She won’t be collecting a damned thing from me or my kingdom ever again.

Renard has been ferried back to his kingdom where a joyous and highly carnal reunion is likely unfolding.

There’s a lightness in me. As if I were flying even though my feet are planted on the ground.

My walk to the courtyard is one filled with satisfaction and excitement for the future.

The sound of flapping draws my gaze down the path. Mytha shifts, her voice sharp. I’m by her side in an instant. “What has happened?”

Her Serpien body takes shape as I scoop her into my arms. She’s covered in bruises and open wounds. “I tried to fly to you. Lenore needsss you. Courtyard.”

“You must return to the Underworld at once and heal,” I command. Mytha nods, turning to smoke in my arms. She’ll heal faster once she’s back in our domain.

I don’t waste a moment more. Shadowing forward, I manifest on the edge of the courtyard.

Remnants of a fight to the death appear all around me.

I should have hurried here. I was too confident in her safety.

The stones have been sprayed in blood. The pattern spreads across the courtyard as far as I can see.

Angel’s doing, no doubt. He loves to make a spectacle of his kills.

Aside from the bloodstains and bits of flesh, the courtyard is empty. Where is my lost Lenore ?

Heightening my senses, I seek out any sign of her. There’s the soft sound of water, directing me toward the well. My chest seizes. Lenore lies face-down at the bottom. My shadows spring forward, scooping up my little raven and dropping her into my arms.

She’s cold, wet, and very, very still.

“Lenore, wake up, little raven. Wake up.” My hands brush along her face and arms. I place a palm on her chest. No heartbeat. Something hard protrudes from her stomach.

Her dagger. It glints in the moonlight. It’s embedded several inches into her abdomen. Cassius. That son of a bitch .

There’s no blood. I need to remove it now. I slide it out with as much grace as I can manage, and the wound seals shut. The resurrection has begun.

Lenore sputters, spewing water. Her heart starts to thrum beneath my palm.

“My love.” I bury my face in her shoulder.

“Harrow,” she croaks.

“I’m here.”

She’s quiet for a long moment. “I thought, I was hoping…” She swallows.

Tears well in her eyes. “I was hoping I wouldn’t come back.

I don’t know how many more times I can take it.

Each death gives a glimpse into your world.

Such a lovely star-filled sky. So much brighter than the stars here. I wish I could stay.”

Her burden makes my heart ache. “I could try and take you myself, but?—”

“But you risk the sanctity of all those under your care. Including my parents. I couldn’t stand to know I was the cause of their suffering.” Her lip quivers. “There must be another way.”

Animals emerge from the shadowed corners, stepping into the rising light of day. They come to Lenore, laying muzzles and paws across her body.

The peachy hues of the dawn are soft against her pale skin. “Are you sure I’m alive? I can’t feel my heart.”

“It’s beating.”

Lenore stares into the sunrise. “Show me.”

Laying my hand above her chilled chest, I soak in the rhythmic thump thump thump of her heart.

“Right here. Just beneath my fingertips.”

“It’s yours. My heart.” Lenore leans forward, pressing her lips to mine. Tears are streaming down her cheeks when she pulls away. “Please make sure I don’t come back this time.”

Shock delays the registration of pain as the dagger slices through my fingers and plunges into Lenore’s heart. “No!”

The animals scatter, their screeches and chirps of alarm breaking the quiet of the dawn.

My other hand flies to the hilt. What do I do? What do I do ?

Lenore lies perfectly still. An instant death. Shadowing my hand, I remove it from where it’s impaled on the blade. She stabbed right through me. Daylight glints against the jewels embedded in the dagger.

If I remove it, she will come back. When she does, I’ll be forced to take her soul in order to ensure she stops rising.

Think, Harrow, think . Honoring Lenore’s wishes will require great sacrifice.

I can take her soul. If it’s ferried to the Underworld upon her death, I am certain she won’t come back.

But there are consequences for stealing souls.

Reaping her after she comes back is tantamount to dooming my domain.

What spirit will be set loose to destroy the mortal world?

What dark creature from the in-between will fall down to torment my land of the dead?

That’s not what she would want. The ruin of her world and the destruction of my peaceful gardens below. Lenore is too good. Too kind.

I hold her in my arms, hating the sight of the dagger protruding from her unmoving chest. The right thing to do wars with my deepest desires. My hand rests on the hilt, and an idea slams into me.

What if I don’t remove the dagger? A blade buried deep in her heart will surely prevent her from coming back. How long will it take for her body to fall permanently still if it’s not allowed to resurrect itself?

If I leave it in, she will remain dead. Which means her body will follow the natural order of death. Decay will take root in her tissues. When her organs are gone, there will be no way to resuscitate herself.

Yes, this could work.

Her body must remain undisturbed. But so lovely a trinket as the jeweled dagger is sure to catch the eye of a greedy grave-robbing mortal. I need to hide her body somewhere no one will find it. She’s special. It could take centuries for her to decompose the same way a normal human would.

The question is, where can I hide her?

I have visited many places in my time as Ruler of the Underworld.

One of the most memorable being the island of blue trees.

My hunt for a soul cheating death led me to a small but beautiful island.

Its sandy beaches gave way to a forest of fragrant trees all bursting with blue blossoms. A strong protective spell had been laid across its borders.

The man who resided there, an old fisherman, had discovered one of the many mysterious mirrors of the mortal world when he pulled it up from the sea in a fishing net.

I’ve encountered six magic mirrors in my existence, with the most recent being here in Roseheart.

Most are homes to entities, like Catreena’s, or curses, like Renard’s.

This mirror was unique in that it contained three wishes.

The man’s first wish was to quit aging. His body had been overworked and he longed for a reprieve from the aches and pains that age continued to bestow upon him.

The second was to stay hidden from the outside world.

The protective barrier was locked in place.

No one would be able to see the island, even if they were sailing right in front of it.

He lived out several decades in peace, enjoying the beach and the blue-flowered trees.

But the man grew lonely. His many years in solitude became unbearable. A feeling I can strongly relate to. For his third and final wish, he wished for company.

Something mortals never quite seem to learn is the lesson in specificity when it comes to manifesting your desires.

Magic is tricky. Your choice of words when making bargains with any kind of magical being is key.

Opening himself up to company is what allowed me to seek him out.

He did indeed remain hidden from the outside world.

Which meant the magic could only grant him otherworldly company without contradicting his second wish.

In a cruel twist of fate, I was the one summoned.

He had not aged a day since setting foot on that island, but not aging, and living forever, would have been two very different wishes.

It’s been close to a hundred years since I spirited him from that tiny island and ferried him below. An island still hidden from the outside world.

That is where Lenore will rest until her suffering has ended for good.

Taking her in my arms, the dagger still embedded in her chest, I fly. Sparkling seas coast past as we travel. My heart swells when I see our destination.

Brilliant blues appear on the horizon as the island comes into view.

The flowering trees stand as beautiful as ever.

This is the perfect final resting place.

Gently laying Lenore on the beach, I summon six stone slabs from my domain.

The pieces are carved from the obsidian mountainside.

Using magic to seal them together, I create a sepulcher overlooking the sea.

My lovely, lost Lenore looks more peaceful than I’ve ever seen as I seal her inside.

I will return when she’s nothing but bones to ferry her skeleton to my domain. Until then, it is time to return to the Underworld. My beloved awaits me in her new home.