Page 52 of Kiss of Death

She’d made the right choice. “Good.”

She knew I loved her. She knew I didn’t abandon her. And she knew I loved her still, because she still had my strength.

His smile began to fade.

“I would never want this for her.”

13

LILY

I climbed into Zehemoth’s saddle and grabbed the horn. “Can you make the journey, or do you need to rest?”

I could never rest in a haunted place like this.Zehemoth took off from the beach, propelling himself high above the water until he cruised just below the clouds.What happened, Lily?

I hadn’t shared Callum with Zehemoth at any point. I’d tried to keep him a secret from everyone as long as I could. “It’s a really long story…” But the truth had finally caught up to me. I told Zehemoth the entire story, starting at the beginning with the island and then everything that followed.

The god of the underworld was in your company the whole time…and none of us knew.

“He revealed himself only to me.”

You had an intimate relationship with him and never told me?

“I couldn’t tell anyone, Zehemoth.”

You could have told me.

I didn’t engage.

You should have told me.

“What’s done is done.”

I don’t understand why you didn’t confide in me,Sunieth.

“Because I didn’t want anyone to know.”

I wouldn’t have told anyone.

I said nothing.

Why do I feel like you’re keeping something from me?

“Let’s discuss this later.”

When? We’re flying across the ocean for the next day. What better time than now?

I didn’t want to confront Zehemoth about this. I always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt, and I was certain he hadn’t meant to deceive me…but he did. “I told you I didn’t want to be queen, and you told your father, who told mine…who confronted me. I guess I’ve always been wounded by that.”

Zehemoth didn’t respond right away, continuing to glide under the clouds before he flapped his wings a couple of times and glided again.So, you don’t trust me with your secrets.His tone had only changed slightly, but I could hear the hurt in his voice.

“It was just too big a secret to risk.”

Because you can’t trust me.

Now my heart broke like I was the one in the wrong. “I wouldn’t put it like that.”

But that’s how you feel.