Page 97 of Evermore

“You’ve met Death. He’s okay. A little moody when he’s hungry.”

She inched toward the crumbling stone bridge. “Well, this looks perfectly safe.” Her head jerked to the side suddenly, a sharp, unnatural movement. “No one asked you,” she muttered to whatever voice had interrupted her thoughts.

I forced myself to stay still, to not reach for her even as she swayed closer to the edge. Centuries of decay had eaten away at the stone until it was more air than substance. Far below, that dark liquid continued its relentless assault against the rocks.

“I don’t suppose any of you know which way we should go?” Paesha asked the air, her head tilting again. She barked out a laugh that held no humor before turning to me, rolling her eyes. “My drove of past lives are apparently terrible with directions. Shocking for a group of Huntresses, really. Who knew death could make you so useless?”

I looked beyond her, studying the parapet across the ravine before watching the buildings. “If there are people over there, one could be Irri.”

“Wow. Thank you. I hadn’t considered that at all,” she deadpanned before stepping onto the bridge without hesitation.

Even here, in this nightmare realm, she moved with a dancer’s grace that stole my breath. Her feet found purchase on a stone that looked too fragile to trust, her balance perfect despite the crumbling surface. The Remnants swirled around her ankles, more agitated than usual, but she paid them no mind, glancing back at me, a challenge in her mismatched eyes. “Coming? Or are you waiting for a pretty invitation from that weaver thing?”

I followed and found myself watching the elegant line of her spine, the confident set of her shoulders, the way she seemed to float above the danger. A hard set of my jaw and fists at my side were the only way I could keep from reaching for her. The way I wanted to yank her back to the safe side of the ravine practically fucking consumed me. The bridge swayed as we reached thehalfway point. I dared a look over the edge, but the fog had grown so thick below us, I couldn’t see beyond it.

“Not scared of heights, are you?” she asked, taking another confident step, though I could see the slight tremble in her legs.

“Immortal, remember. Death isn’t a fear for me.”

“How about pain? Or like an eternity stuck down there?”

I moved closer to her. “Thinking of pushing me in, Paesha darling?”

She spun back to look at me. “I would never.”

A sudden gust of wind came up in an instant. Her foot slipped, sending her forward. I lunged to steady her. Holding her to my chest, her hands gripped my shirt as she regained her balance. For a heartbeat time froze, the howling wind and grinding stone fading away until there was nothing but her, the warmth of her body against mine, the slight tremor in her fingers, and the way her breath caught.

When she turned to look up at me, the carefully constructed walls were gone. No seduction. No hatred. Just her, vulnerable and real. Her mismatched eyes held echoes of the woman who’d kissed me in the rain, who’d trusted me enough to let me stay with her through the nightmares. Who’d believed in the possibility of us before she knew everything.

I memorized every detail of that unguarded moment, the slight part of her lips, the way her pulse fluttered at her throat, the softness in her gaze that made my ancient heart ache with longing. But I didn’t dare trust it, didn’t dare believe it was anything more than instinct that made her cling to me. She needed her walls right now. Needed that armor to protect herself from this place. From me.

“Slow and steady,” I whispered, helping her regain her footing. She did so with that innate grace, carefully extracting herself from my arms. I hated how much I preferred her there. Hated how dependent my life had become on these smallmoments. Loving her was so much fucking harder than losing her this time.

We pressed on in silence until we reached solid ground. Blissful, unwavering solid ground. Voices drifted through the mist, actual voices, not the whispers of this damn realm.

“I’m going to defer to your ancient and general know-it-all annoyingness, high and mighty god. There are definitely people past that wall. Do we blend in, or try to avoid them?”

I dropped my chin, gesturing to her entourage of shadows. “Have you seen yourself? There’s no blending in unless you can control those things.”

“Right,” she said, drawing the word out as she held back a smile and the Remnants crept up her body. Though she wore long black sleeves and leather trousers, I knew without asking where they’d gone. They were like Alastor’s, likely swirling over her skin like tattoos.

“Might’ve been helpful to mention you’d learned how to control them.”

She pressed her lips together. “Might’ve been helpful to mention you were some ageless, all-powerful deity treating mortal lives like your own personal board game, but alas, here we are.”

I stared at her for longer than I should have, holding back the repetitive apology. She didn’t need it, didn’t want it, and was likely baiting me to see if I’d deliver another.

“If things get bad, I’ll open the door back to Stirling. You go through it no matter what. Agreed?”

“Question. Real quick. If you can open a door back and forth, why wouldn’t you have agreed to come here sooner? Why leave Irri trapped in the Forgotten when you’ve known she’s all Alastor wanted?”

I ran a hand down my face, already hating this conversation. But she deserved the truth, even if it burned coming out.“Something will happen while we are here. I’m not meant to leave the Forgotten, Paesha.”

Her eyes doubled in size. “Come again?”

“Ezra saw it. Any path where I entered the Forgotten, I would never return. He warned me centuries ago. All of the gods learned of it. It became taboo to even speak of this place.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And you didn’t think that was worth mentioning before I decided to tag along?”