Page 49 of Queen of the Wicked (Afterlife #1)

Alessia

T he following morning, Alessia awoke to an empty room.

The spot beside her on their palette of blankets was vacant, but it was half past noon when she sat up to check the clock.

The lord likely left her to sleep, and she was thankful for that.

She hadn’t had a night’s rest that deep in… hardly ever.

She was still only in Erebos’s shirt, so she quietly padded through the castle halls until she reached her room. Some called it the walk of shame on Earth, but Alessia didn’t feel ashamed about what transpired between her and Erebos last night. Sore? Very. But not ashamed.

“I was starting to get concerned,” her mother mused from where she was perched on her bed, “but now I understand why you slept in so late.”

Alessia clutched his shirt tighter as if that would make her disappear, jumping ten feet in the air at having been caught. “I didn’t realize you had returned from the camp,” she breathed with a hand over her racing heart. “You scared me.”

Her mother smiled, overjoyed at having caught her in her post-coitus state. “We returned yesterday, but I understood you had a lot of preparations for the ball. I see they paid off.”

“ Mother.”

She held her hands up placatingly. “I am not insinuating anything. It’s just good to see you happy with him, Alessia. Things are developing quickly, I see.”

Staring at herself in the reflection of the floor-length mirror, Alessia found herself grinning at what she saw. A permanent blush stained her cheeks, and her entire face glowed. It was like new life had been breathed into her after last night, all because of Erebos.

It made her want to get ready as soon as possible to seek him out.

“Thank you,” Alessia whispered. “I’m still grieving and learning how to navigate the loss of Mom, but I’m finding that Erebos has been a positive addition to my life. He lessens the burden of all this knowledge placed on my shoulders as of late.”

Her mother shifted uncomfortably, wringing her hands in her lap.

“I am relieved to hear the connection between you and Erebos is developing, but I would not be a maternal figure to you if I didn’t at least ask if you are being safe.

We never…” She sighed, glancing out the window that overlooked the gardens.

“Your mom and I never discussed sex with you, but if you have any questions?—”

Alessia grimaced. “I don’t have questions.” A beat, and then, “We’re being safe, so you don’t have to worry about having the talk with me or anything. I’ve read enough on the subject to understand the dos and don’ts.”

Relief seemed to wash over her mother, a smile taking over her face. “Oh, good. I am glad to hear that. Believe it or not, this will make your?—”

Knocks sounded on the door before Isla poked her head into the room.

The handmaid was now free, so Alessia expected an extra bounce in her step this morning.

She was overjoyed that she had chosen to remain in Hell, so she assumed Isla would showcase the same reaction—instead, a slight pinch formed between her brows.

“Is everything okay, Isla?” Alessia asked.

The handmaid strode into the room, hands clasped at her stomach. “His Majesty is a bit under the weather. I’m sure he will be fine, but Ambroz and I are still concerned. It is unusual for an immortal to catch an illness.”

But Erebos wasn’t immortal anymore.

At least, that was what Alessia assumed. He was powerless, but her mother wasn’t aware of the odd power exchange, and Isla seemed to remind herself of that, too, when they exchanged a knowing glance.

“Give me a few minutes to bathe and I’ll check on him,” she replied.

Isla flicked her eyes over her bare legs showcased by the lord’s shirt before quirking a brow. “Perhaps you should take more than a few minutes,” she mused. “I will return for you shortly.”

Alessia didn’t take Isla’s advice. How could she when Erebos was ill? It was all she could think about as she quickly washed her body just long enough to be considered clean. The handmaid followed her instructions and left her hair in a wet braid, and together, they fled to his room.

Her heart was in knots as they navigated the corridors, unable to see straight until she laid eyes on him and could determine the state of his illness.

Perhaps it was just a cold. Many mortals on Earth got them and overcame the sickness in a week or two.

Erebos had no powers, so of course he would be susceptible to bacteria and immunosuppressant diseases.

“I will wait for you here,” Isla said when they approached his rooms. “Ambroz is gathering herbs from the infirmary that might help, so I am taking his place for now.”

Alessia almost put up another fight about being followed around like an insolent child, but Erebos’s health was more important. She gave Isla a curt nod and stepped alone into the lord’s room for the first time, her eyes drawn to the blood-red walls and gothic-like decor.

Black Victorian-style picture frames lined the walls of his room, the photos depicting the works of artists she’d never seen before.

War, barren landscapes, states of melancholy…

This aesthetic reflected the lord’s most inner thoughts.

He surrounded himself with anguish because that was how he viewed his life, and the sight was like a gut punch to her stomach.

Erebos lay in a four-poster bed, the red comforter tucked to his chin. He was unnaturally pale, with a damp cloth across his forehead, and Alessia sucked in a ragged breath at how weak he seemed.

“Erebos,” she whispered shakily as she approached his side. He cracked an eye open, offering her a weak smile. “I heard you were ill.”

“My staff is dramatic,” he replied. Attempting to sit up, he erupted into a fit of coughs. “I will be fine in a few days. No need to worry.”

“Well, I’m going to regardless.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” He grabbed her hand with a clammy one of his own, reassuringly squeezing it. “I apologize for not being there this morning when you woke up. This cough was rather distracting, so I retreated to my room before it interrupted your sleep.”

“That’s a relief,” she replied with a teasing lilt. “I was afraid you regretted last night.”

“Impossible. I have done nothing but replay it in my mind since it happened.” He pulled her closer to the bed until she sat beside him, his fingers toying with the end of her braid.

“I have asked Eryx to accompany you and your mother to Allegra’s.

He is unaware of the reason behind the trip, but I wasn’t feeling well enough to explain it.

” At the disappointed expression on her face, he added, “I cannot predict when I will recover from this illness, and we don’t have any time to waste. ”

“Where is Izara?” she asked.

“On another soul-catching trip. She will return tomorrow. ”

Alessia nodded slowly, thinking everything through. “Okay. When do we leave?”

“I would leave as soon as you can. If Bastian is aware of the amulet, we must act now before the decree is up and he can infiltrate this realm. Speaking to Allegra to see if she has a hint to the whereabouts of the gem in Hell is one thing, but finding it will be another task entirely.”

“No, you’re right, I just…” Her eyes softened when another flurry of coughs erupted from his throat. “It doesn’t seem fair to leave you like this.”

The lord swiped his mouth with the cloth on his forehead, sighing, when he said, “I have been through much worse than a cold, Alessia. This is merely an inconvenience.”

“Are you sure?”

He ran a large hand down her waist before playing with the ties on her dusty blue dress.

Since last night, their relationship seemed to have shifted, but Alessia couldn’t figure out why.

Where she had reservations about falling for him before, they didn’t exist now as she stared in those onyx eyes she’d grown to adore.

She had heard stories of girls falling too fast for their first, so maybe it was that.

Perhaps she was a love-stricken fool because she lost her virginity to him.

Whatever the case, she didn’t want to leave him.

“It will only take a day or two at most,” he reminded her. “Eryx can Travel you or instruct you how to do so. Your choice.”

After a few moments, she relented, pushing a stray curl off his forehead. “Okay. I’ll have Isla pack me a bag and leave first thing, but I’m making this a quick trip so I can return and mend you back to health.”

Her heart fluttered at the shit-eating grin that appeared, causing a dimple to poke out on his right cheek.

“My imagination will run wild in the meantime as to how you’ll make that happen.

” Reaching up to caress her face, he lingered longer than usual.

It only caused her to lean into his touch and nuzzle against his palm. “Return to me safely, Little Mortal.”

“Shouldn’t I technically be calling you that?’ She waved a hand over his sickly state. “As I’ve told you, I am no mortal, Lord of Hell. ”

“No,” he mused. “You are not, but as I’ve also told you , I’ve grown rather fond of the nickname.”

Feeling energized and buzzing from his affection, she rose from the bed and left him with something to look forward to. “ Perhaps when I return, you can show me just how fond you are of it, Erebos. I will see you shortly.”