Page 47

Osiris was gone in a blink, fading away as the Sage at his side took him through the door. There was a sharp burst of power, a wave that washed over us before the dust settled. Osiris was gone , and he took a piece of my heart with him.

To the dungeons, the Pits , wherever that was.

I'd wanted to protest, to do whatever I could to keep him here, but something in his eyes told me that this was exactly what Osiris wanted. And if he thought he needed to be there … then I trusted that. My heart ached at the thought of him alone, though, just like it had when Darius had looked at him. Had licked his lips like he might reach out for a taste.

Eirik's arms wrapped around me, holding me to a warm chest as his cheek rubbed against mine. The slight bristle of his beard tickled my neck, and I let my shoulders drop. There was a low rumble in his chest, one that vibrated up my spine, and washed away some of the tension of the moment.

"Let me guess, don't do that again?" I whispered, looking up to find Eirik's eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Oh, no, please do it as many times as you'd like, love. Darius looked ready to piss himself," Adrian butted in, shaking his head.

"I didn't expect Osiris's prediction to come true so soon," Eirik said, grunting as he dipped his head to my neck again, seeming far more interested in the little divot there than wherever Osiris had been dragged to.

"Will he be all right?" I asked, unable to look away from where he'd disappeared.

"He can't die down there, though I couldn't begin to tell you what it's like," Adrian said, looking confident. "Trust me, Osiris can handle himself."

The room around us grew quiet, everyone a mangled mix of emotions. It was exhausting, my head throbbing as my body seemed to riot at the fact that we were awake again. The others seemed to follow, varying mixes of dread making it hard to even breathe.

Prince grunted, holding his head, shivering as Fallon went to his side and held him up. His face went pale, his body somehow seeming thinner, the muscle mass that had made it up just yesterday seeming to have faded away. There was a gauntness to his cheeks, a sickness that only got worse on his next Rend.

He was ripped out, his entire weight dropping onto Fallon's shoulder as he sucked in a breath.

I couldn't watch him suffer like this. I wouldn't lose him; I wouldn't lose any of them. Osiris leaving … just solidified that. I knew what I needed to do, even if it scared the shit out of me.

"I want to go to the Void," I whispered, pulling out of Eirik's arms like it might distance me from their shocked expressions and quickly building protests.

Silence for one beat, then two.

"Please, for the love of all things holy, tell me you're joking, trouble," Fallon bit out through gritted teeth as he shuffled Nero's arm over his shoulders. It came heavy with a sharply pointed stare, the disappointment behind his words so blatant I almost broke under them.

They all tensed around me, stress bleeding from them one forced breath at a time, but this had to happen.

I'd thought about it a lot while watching Prince Rend … whatever I'd done when I brought him back had broken something. His soul wasn't steady, his life literally fading away with every memory he'd had to string back together so far.

I needed to figure out why, so I could fix it.

"I understand why you're worried, I do, but I'm doing this." I tried to force as much confidence into my words as I could. "Mags said Prince needs to make it to First Rights. I might be able to help."

"Ali, we don't know what could happen if you go to the Void again. You've been on a thread ever since the shit with Sebek. It's not worth the risk," Fallon pressed, shaking his head, his expression seemingly cold, closed off in a way that would make others take a step back.

Fallon could act as high and mighty as he wanted, but at the end of the day, I'd grown very used to picking up on his more subtle cues. Like the flex of his hands when he wasn't in control of a situation or the hitch in his breath when he was scared.

The way he looked at me like he might lose me, the same look that had been cemented on his face after he'd found me that first time in the middle of the forest, after the Rend .

I'd never forget the tears in his eyes. Which was exactly why I couldn't back down now.

"It is to me," I said, gripping my hands tighter as I tried to level my breathing. Prince jolted back to his body, pulling in a haggard breath. His eyes rolled back, and Adrian had to go to his other side to keep him standing.

Never again.

"I can't sit idly by anymore." It wasn't a matter of fighting what I was, or being scared to face the reality that I was a Reaper . This was bigger than that, bigger than me. Prince was dying, and if I had the ability to help slow it down until Mags could stop it, then I would.

Eirik huffed, moving so fast I hadn't even realized it until he was hoisting me into his arms like he did. His eyes were clear blue pearls, his expression savage as he watched me. I felt him hunting for what I was worried he might find; indecision or fear . He sank a little when he didn't find it, leaning in to rub his nose against mine. "Are you sure?"

"I am," I said back, lifting my head as Prince's eyes cracked open again. They took a moment to clear, his head tipping forward as he coughed. I expected his protests to ring the loudest, but when his lips curled into that familiar Cheshire smile, I melted.

I loved seeing the colors that made him up. The copper tints in his red-brown hair, the flecks of soft blue in his silver eyes, which glowed so brightly against the tan of his skin. His moment of lucidity warmed me.

The pink of his tongue as he licked his lips, chuckling when I blushed.

Then I was stuck between him and Eirik. The warmth to my back, Prince to my front, caging me in. Someone made a noise in the background, likely to try to stop him from moving, but Prince wasn't one to be held down. Not by something as silly as death .

Though it was obvious Eirik was holding most of his weight, too.

"Stubborn," Prince whispered, his voice cracking a little. The first brush of his lips was a teasing caress, one I tried to chase as he pulled away.

"Maybe … but I can't just watch you die," I pressed again. The protests were more muted this time, even Fallon sighing. I was going to do this either way, but having them on my side helped to take some of the weight from my shoulders. "Please, trust me."

"I don't think it could hurt," Prince said, and I felt Eirik's growl before I heard it. "Hey, let's not turn on me like some bad guy. I really do think it'll help. Trust me on this since I am also, you know, deadish. Aaliyah can do it, and besides, this isn't a Rend ."

"No, I've gone before," I said, thinking back to the few times I'd found myself in Void while not dead. With Osiris after Kri'Valta's Gala … and with Eirik sitting across from me, his eyes closed softly. The memory made me smile. "In the training room. I'll do it the same way I did before. See if I can get in touch with Azer."

I wasn't able to speak then, to interact with the Void. I'd have to find a way to go back in person, like I had the last few times. The only problem was I had no idea how. I'd only ever gotten out on purpose.

Eirik's eyes filled with recognition, his head tipping back. "You want to meditate?"

I nodded, and the tension seemed to drop. Prince brushed his hair back, shaking his head with a slight flinch. When his nose bled, I reached out. He got there before me, wiping it away with a harsh swipe.

"Are you going to be all right?" I asked, my heart sinking even as he smiled.

Because I felt the same pressure in my head. The Rends wouldn't stop coming, and I saw that same pain in Prince's gaze as he covered one of his eyes.

"One step at a time, Aaliyah. I'm fine," he responded, cupping my cheek in a cool palm.

I hated seeing it, knowing that we were waiting for a cure. It was just another push to get me moving. Eirik grunted, leaning in as Prince peeled away from me, Fallon taking his side, hauling one of his arms over his shoulders again.

It was shocking how quickly Prince sagged against Fallon, his entire body deflating as he closed his eyes. Always acting stronger for me, even now.

"We'll put him to bed, then be right there," Adrian whispered, and I shook my head.

"Stay with him? I won't be able to focus if he's alone." Fallon's jaw clenched as I spoke, and I quickly followed it with, "Please."

It was a long few seconds before they nodded. Fallon was slow to turn, his eyes lingering, another hint of protest caught behind the bite of his teeth as Prince was ripped out of himself again.

"I'll watch over her," Eirik affirmed, eyes a stormy sky as his face grew sharp. His nose brushed against the top of my head, and the rush of his breath tickled my temple.

Fallon's head dipped, and he said nothing else. All too soon, the door to the back room was sliding closed, leaving only Eirik and I here.

The beast part of him huffed, searching the room for threats. He was tense, his teeth flashing in a snarl as his eyes grew darker, the partial shift forcing his face to shudder.

In the next instant, I was in Eirik's arms. He stalked to the far door, the one nearest to the kitchen, shouldering it open. The last time I'd been in it, it had been a bedroom, the sheets a silken softness that had left me wrapped in warmth. Now, it reminded me of home in an entirely different way.

It was the training room, or close to it. As close as the Eternium could replicate. From the soft white floors to the tall windows on the far side of the room. Though, they didn't show the outside, the gentle moss gardens that I'd grown used to. It was just stone, as if the mountain was all it could see, hard and unyielding.

There was a brush of cold against me, the subtle hint of Red as I was set gently on my feet. Eirik's hands brushed over me, lingering on my exposed skin, my arms and neck. His face twitched, and he pulled in a steady breath, jumpy as his eyes bounced back and forth between sky and stormy blue.

This moment reminded me of something, of a time when I'd been just as pent up. I stepped away from him, jolting a bit when he held on to me. I sank to the floor anyway, turning so I was facing him.

"Sit," I whispered, and Eirik tilted his head, more beast than man.

He watched me like a hunter would prey, and I shivered. It was intoxicating, if not intimidating, the way his muscles flexed, the ripple of muscle against tanned skin. His tattoos, the dark marks that seemed carved into his flesh, flexed as he followed my lead in one swift movement.

"Do you remember when we meditated before?" I asked, and it took a second before Eirik nodded.

" Yes ," he whispered with a distinctive growl to his words, one that sent a shiver down my spine.

His hands flexed on his thick thighs, his chest rumbling in a gentle purr. He didn't move, even though I could see the need to in the flex of his muscles, but he did inch closer to me, until our knees brushed against each other.

"Then close your eyes," I said, and Eirik huffed, his head shaking softly as he followed my direction.

" You cannot escape this one just because we can't see you, smár Valkyrja ," he purred, his eyes staying dutifully closed.

He leaned forward, his hand finding mine in an instant. I gasped when he lifted it, running his nose along my wrist. I knew this was his beast, that Eirik was there somewhere, but that didn't stop the thrill of the unknown that flooded me.

There was an air of mystery and danger that surrounded this version of Eirik. Like he'd try and devour me whole.

"You're ours ," he said, resolute as his hands settled.

His nose flared, his teeth flashing bright white. His tongue traced them slowly, and I was hooked on the move.

"And you're mine, Eirik," I said back without any hesitation.

" Always , my beautiful warrior," he whispered, then he was tugging me forward.

I landed in his lap, his firm chest to mine. I blushed when his hips pressed into me, but he didn't go any further, just held me close as he ran his nose over my neck. He was so large that I felt dwarfed completely by him, safe in his arms. The heat of him was addictive. "I'm with you, every step of the way."

He held me tightly, like he might shoulder this burden for me, his strength keeping me steady as I smiled. I took a deep breath, feeling a burn in my lungs as I focused on what I could feel, like he'd taught me before.

"I'll be back soon," I whispered, closing my eyes, using his heart as a guide. It was steady under my ear, a consistent thump I could feel in my bones. A purr caught in his chest, his arms squeezing tighter around me, preparing for what was coming.

I had to get to the Void.

One breath in, and I felt the world around me. The push and pull of Eirik's heartbeat, the subtle shift of the shadows under our prone forms. Azer's instructions came next, and I thought of that endless expanse of silver, saw Azer's lavender eyes, and tried to push the Void to let me in.

The shadows pulled around me, a frozen chill sinking down over the top of us, and I shivered against Eirik.

One breath out, and the air around me snapped taut, and magic so rich I could taste it flooded my senses. It was metallic, like the sour hint of iron buried in ozone, but as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.

When I opened my eyes, I expected to find the Void, maybe Azer, looking on with mocking irritation. Or at least something like what I'd thought of.

Instead, I was alone in an empty hall. It had the same feeling as the rest of the Eternium, the same red accents and gold flare … but it didn't move. There was no guiding force pushing me forward.

Just me and a singular door at the end of it, one that seemed to call to me.

The hair on my arms stood on end, and static clung to my skin, so different than when I'd tried this before. I could feel, looking down at my hands that were in full color, which meant I was here .

I just didn't understand how.

My entire body flushed with a steady fear that pooled like the sweat on the back of my neck. I'd felt hunted before, when Curtis had found me on the way to Fellow Manor and at Ascension when Nilus used to watch me through the glass of my cell, but nothing had felt quite like this.

My eyes never left that door, stuck in a fight-or-flight mode, my breath catching. Silence was suddenly my only goal.

Never make noise.

" Aaliyah ," a voice whispered.

It was soft, a breathy sound that was meant to entice. A normal, rational person would turn around, try to force themselves back into that room with Eirik. I could only imagine how panicked he'd gotten when I'd disappeared. I'd planned to do exactly that before I took a step forward , drawn like a moth to a raging fire.

Toward that door.

Every instinct in me warred, trapped between turning around and reaching the voice that called to me. It was like it was ingrained, like everything had led to this moment, to whoever was waiting on the other side.

"Hello?" I asked, the echo of my voice jarringly loud, ringing in my ears as it bounced down the hall.

There was no answer.

I walked until I was in front of the old oak, the barest whisper of a breeze sliding from underneath it. It cracked open as I got close, as if beckoning me in to play.

Inside was a tree, one that towered over the space, the rustling green leaves spread out along branches that spanned the entire cavern. They swayed as if caught in a soft summer breeze. Light filtered in from the cracks and fissures along the jagged rock face that made up the roof. The moon was out, illuminating the entire area, and the budding flowers and foliage that swallowed the floor.

"How did you get here?" I asked out loud, drawn inside.

The door clicked closed behind me. I shuddered and kept moving. Whatever this was, it wanted me here. The Eternium must have done something, interfered with my attempt to reach the Void.

The more that I experienced it, the more convinced I was that the Eternium wasn't taking us where we wanted to go. It seemed too alive for that, too pushy in the way it directed everyone to move.

It took us where we were needed, where it saw us being … and this felt no different.

I walked to the tree, setting a hand against the aged wood. Its touch felt like that of a friend, a companion. I sank down to its roots, finding a seat in them. "Well, I hope you don't mind me stealing your space."

There was a rustle of leaves that lulled me into a comforted stupor as I closed my eyes. The ground, wet with a light mist, pulsed beneath my hands, and I felt it in the marrow of my bones, as if it was singing to me. It was almost like sending a ghost on, like the soft whisper of someone's last emotions before they passed through. It felt like the Void .

I took a steady breath, trying to hold on to that feeling. Trying to catch it. There was a pinch behind my eyes as my hands shook where they'd planted into the ground, digging into raw earth.

One more breath, the feeling ragged in my chest. A chill found its way into my blood, the reminder of Nero's fading body like a bucket of cold water, Crustava's face a movie that played behind my closed eyes.

My gifts danced along my skin, pushing me, the Void more insistent now. I just had to fall into it …

So, why did I hesitate? Why was I so terrified now?

"Curious," a voice called, and I snapped my eyes open with a choked gasp.

A man sat cross-legged in front of me, one I'd never seen before, and I'd likely never see again, if he could even be called a man.

Broad twisting horns sprouted from his head, so much like the branches of the tree at my back. He had no face, lost under the cracked ivory of a clean skull. The rest of him was hidden by a cloak, only bits of dark black fur to be seen tucked underneath, peeking up toward his neck.

And he was huge, a literal beast that even sitting would tower over my standing form. Tall enough to reach the leaves that stood so far above my head, a wicked tail flicking behind him.

That feeling of being hunted grew so sharply I held my breath, as if trying to convince my body I was already dead. Whoever this man was, was the same person who'd called my name.

The same one that even my soul recognized as dangerous.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The Void pulsed again, and I almost listened, if only to escape the blank gaze of the skull. The pockets where the eyes should have been were deep black, endless pits of nothingness. Then, in an instant, they were filled with fire, a red so deep it might as well have been blood.

"Fear is unbecoming of death. Don't you think?" he asked. His voice was smooth, a gentleness to it that betrayed the precarious aura that surrounded him. "Tell me, Aaliyah. Why do you fear what lies on the other side of this life? Why does the Void burden you?"

The tree rustled again, leaves falling gently to the ground around us. The Void stopped pressing for a moment, as if listening for my answer.

The same one I'd been simmering on for days.

"Because it killed Prince," I whispered, flinching when his head tipped back up.

He didn't have emotions, the skull giving nothing away, but I could almost feel the disappointment in his gaze, the fire dimming in his eyes. He hunched lower as his tail flicked agitatedly behind him.

"He seems rather alive now," he whispered. "Yet your fear still lingers. The truth, this time."

I swallowed, rubbing my arm where the marks of my men lingered, the three that remained. I shouldn't have felt compelled to tell him … but there was something curious about the way this beast spoke, the way he moved.

My mind didn't trust him, but the longer I was here, the more my soul did. The hunted feeling slipped by, lost in the sweat that clung to my skin, now cold. Again, I found myself opening my mouth, speaking. "I can't see it as anything other than the thing that has ruined my life. And … it speaks. Dark things. It makes me want to hurt people."

I still couldn't rid myself of Crustava's face when I'd ripped out his soul. When I'd destroyed him. I never wanted to be in that position again, that overwhelming sense of power, the flood of it addicting and dangerous.

I didn't want to hurt anyone, and that had always been the problem.

"You fight the balance that comes with the dark. You fight when you should wield. The Void is an extension of yourself," he whispered, almost mirroring Osiris when he'd first tried to bring my gifts out.

"It's all here." His large hand, fingers tipped in deadly claws, reached up. He tapped at my chest, the spot where my heart was. I flinched when he got close, unable not to. He didn't react, just kept speaking. "Close your eyes, feel for it."

It was like a flood, something that I'd avoided as I shuddered under the Void. It washed through me from where his claw touched, and when he pulled back, I was left alone with that feeling.

Everything about this felt like a dream. The room, the beast. Yet, I didn't feel scared anymore. There was no fear clinging to me beyond the first burst that had come from being watched. Something tied me to this man, told me he was safe, even if he didn't look like it.

There was a drift of something in the air, a flower, I realized, as he plucked it out of the sky. He held it between his claws, showing me.

"For every light, there is dark. For every death, there is a life. Hold on to it, Reaper. It's not trying to hurt you," he said, just as cryptically as he set the bloom in my palm. It floated above my skin, a white bud that fell open as it twirled. "It is you."

The flower turned to dust in my hand.

"It is yours . Use it," His words came as a whisper, filling the room, the space, even my head. His chest expanded, a tender purr that someone without their own beast would likely be terrified of. "You are so much like I imagine she ."

She?

"Thank you," I whispered as I took in his words. The calmness with which he spoke settled my resolve.

I sank back down to the ground. This time, when I breathed in, I let the Void sink deep. It filled my lungs, settled in my pours. I didn't struggle against it, forcing myself to let it linger. When it pricked at my skin, I didn't flinch at its touch.

"You never told me your name?" I whispered, peeking at him one last time as his head tilted again, mouth opening to show rows of jagged teeth as a rough chuckle spilled from him. I couldn't place what he felt like beyond that safety. My blood called to him, the Void slithering around our feet even now, as if caressing.

As if it knew him.

"My brothers favor Than," he said, dipping his head.

The tree moved with him, the branches swaying, the Void singing praise as his hand dipped back toward the earth, skimming over the shadows. He didn't move again, just looked up at the tree, at the branching light that had filtered in. I closed my eyes.

One breath, then the next.

The Void was to be my shield and my hope, and I would use it to protect the men I loved. The next breath I had, I opened my eyes to find an endless silver room.

"Well, I'll be," a voice called, the sarcastic crack to his words familiar.

I looked over my shoulder, from where I sat on the rippling silver ground. Azer smiled at me, pride shining in his lavender eyes. He tsked, shaking his head as he walked over. He extended a hand, and I took it, letting him drag me to my feet. "Didn't think you'd make it here. I'll give you one thing. You have spirit."

I panted, exertion already weighing down on me.

"Teach me?" I asked, thankful when my voice found itself, watching as his lips curled up in a pleased smile.

"Teach you what?" he pressed again, insisting I say it.

Thoughts of what this power had done to me, thoughts of everything else fled. The only thing that mattered was understanding, was learning how to use, not be used by the powers that my mother passed down to me.

The Void was my domain, the gifts parts of me that I needed to stop avoiding …

"Teach me how to be a Reaper," I asked, keeping eye contact as Azer's eyes were slowly overtaken by an inky black. The shadows flexed under our feet, and the Void lit up. "Prince is dying. I need to know how to save him."

"Ah, looking for help on the soul side of things?" he pressed, a goading to his voice. "You know what you're asking, then? You understand that these aren't nice little tea party powers?"

I swallowed before nodding. I'd spent a lot of time thinking about what it meant to be a Reaper, about the powers I knew I held. They could destroy—they would destroy — but they could be so much more.

I'd like to think I was more.

Azer laughed, his head tipping back, before he nodded. "I was wondering when you'd get there. Get ready, little Imperial. This is going to be fun."

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