Page 37

CHAPTER 37

AURORA

W armth surrounded her. Warmth and softness. But neither cut the darkness she was lost in. A darkness that wrapped around her, crowding any thoughts or concerns. Aurora didn’t know how long she had been wandering in the darkness. Time seemed irrelevant. People moved around her just outside of the darkness. She heard their voices, and their anger and doubt pressed heavily on her chest and limbs. But she was content to stay here.

But the contentment slipped away as a pinprick of light danced in front of her eyes. The larger it got, the more it sliced through her head. Until it was so large, she feared her brains would spill out onto the softness beneath her. Aurora moaned as her eyes focused on the partially painted ceiling above her. The woman and the man embracing.

It took on a new meaning. Where once before she saw a man embracing a woman, now she saw the violence between the two. The sky was painted in reds, pinks, and deep purples. The man was tearing at the pale skirts of the woman as she welcomed the sun. It was the breaking of dawn.

“Aurora.” Pain appeared at her side.

Aurora tried to speak, but her voice was still hiding in the darkness.

“Here, drink this.” Pain slipped a hand behind Aurora’s back and helped her sit.

“Thanks,” Aurora croaked out as she took the tea. “ I thought you weren’t coming.”

“I almost didn’t make it. How do you feel?” Pain sat at the foot of the bed.

Aurora’s head was still a frozen mess. She took a sip of the tea, letting the warm liquid soothe the rawness of her throat. “ How …” Her voice was rough and hoarse. She took another sip. “ How long have I been out?”

“Few hours. You passed out right after I brought you here.”

“Is Thane awake?” She was a little surprised he wasn’t here.

Pain stood and walked over to a tray that held wine and food. “ He is. But you should get some rest.”

“I’m fine. I want to see him before I go and collect the last two souls. I want this to be done.” There were two left. McCoy and X .

“Things have changed, Aurora . Thane has said he will take care of the last two.” Pain’s voice was uncharacteristically soft. Between the words she said were all the things she wasn’t saying.

“Why would he do that? Then the curse wouldn’t be broken. And Death will…”

“Death got what he wanted. Thane hates you.” Pain turned her back to Aurora .

Aurora pressed her fingers to her temple. “ I don’t understand. Thane hates me? Why ?”

“Death showed Thane you kissing the king. He filled Thane’s empty head with lies.” Pain turned. “ I tried. I reminded Thane that this was what his father did. That you loved him, and this was part of the curse. But he’s Thane . He’s stubborn and pigheaded.”

Aurora slid to the edge of the bed, trying to understand what Pain was saying. Her thoughts were still covered in the white haze of what had happened.

“I called your mother. She will be here to take you back to your father’s realm, where you will stay for the rest of your lifetimes. You are to never return to Manere or the underworld.” Pain didn’t look at Aurora when she spoke.

“No, there must be some mistake.” Aurora felt for Thane . His hatred and anger burned hotter than fire. She had never felt this much hatred.

“Yes, the mistake is you’re in love with a god that is fickle and loves only himself.” Pain bit her bottom lip. “ He thinks you loved the king.”

Aurora shook her head. “ No . That was the curse. The king needed to love me, not I him. I didn’t love him. It was all part of the fairy tale. Why didn’t you tell him?” Aurora felt the tears fall at the realization of what had happened.

“I did. But there is still my father’s curse. I tried, Aurora . It was either fight with Thane or come and get you.” Pain sat down on the bed. “ I came and got you.”

“I don’t understand,” Aurora cried.

“What’s not to understand? You gave your love to another.” Thane appeared in the doorway. “ Pain , leave us.”

Pain stood. “ My father should have cursed you with a brain.” Pain stopped in front of Thane . “ Don’t do something you’ll regret because the consequences are far steeper than you know.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

Pain looked Thane up and down. “ Yes . You will regret this, Thane . I promise you that.” Those were Pain’s last words as she disappeared into smoke.

“Thane.” Aurora tried to swallow down the nausea his hatred was causing.

“Why did you do it?” Thane asked.

“I did nothing.” She stood.

“Yes, you did. I saw it. You were in love with him. I saw you two in bed. I saw you crying over his death.”

“You saw nothing. It was a fairy tale. A silly story made up of mortals’ hopes and dreams. It was nothing but smoke and wishes,” Aurora reminded him.

“Liar. You are just like your mother. You give your love freely to anyone who will pay you a compliment,” Thane said, pushing off from the door and walking into the room. He looked more like Death than Darkness . All traces of stardust had been wiped away. His silver eyes burned cold, and the mouth she once thought was made for her to kiss now carried a sharp smile made to cut her.

Aurora laughed. “ And you are your father’s son. Thane , please. Why after all this time would I love another? Did Pain not tell you it was a?—”

“Pain!” he yelled. “ She is a manipulative god, and you fell right into her trap. I have loved only you. But you, you are fickle. Some days you are warm and inviting, and others you are cold and calloused.” Thane poured himself a glass of whiskey. “ I felt it. I felt when you broke my heart. When you gave away your love so carelessly.”

The first wave of his anger hit her. Then loneliness. She breathed it in, happy to feel something other than hatred. “ I did no such thing. I still love you, which is more than you can say. I have reaped four souls for you. What have you done for me?”

“Everything!” he shouted. “ I would give you anything. My life. My last breath. I would have laid my kingdom at your feet. And you repay me by loving another man. A king of nothing.”

“You speak of your last breath, and yet here you stand, breathing, while another man gave his last breath to save me. You laid not a kingdom at my feet, but your ego. You have done nothing but hurt me.” Aurora let a bitter laugh slip from her lips. “ You are just like your father: selfish, heartless, and a coward. You are incapable of loving anyone but yourself. I was a fool for believing you were anything else.”

Thane clapped, shaking his head. “ Such pretty words from a poisonous mouth. Is that what Pain told you? You were stupid to trust her. And I was stupid to think you loved me. My father was right. Love has made me blind and reckless. A mistake I will not make again.”

He tore her into little pieces that scattered on the ground at his feet. They fluttered up in hope every time he paced the floor. Aurora turned from him. It was too hard to look into his eyes. All the love she had once seen for her in their silver glow was gone. It had died in the snow with Nieve . “ Why are you doing this?”

“Me? Why did you?” Thane stepped closer, tilting Aurora’s chin towards him, running his thumb over her bottom lip. “ I’m sorry I ever laid eyes on you. I wish I never met you.” Thane turned on his heels and walked out of the room, slamming the door.

Aurora sunk to the ground, shattering. Her pieces scattered around her in glittery shards. Sobs racked her body. The stars above her shuddered in the sky. They reached for her, wishing Fate would let them comfort her. But the air between them chilled. Aurora no longer wanted to be here with Thane . She didn’t want to feel her heart breaking. She wanted to melt into the stone and cease to exist. Just disappear, like the stars did each night. Forget Thane . Forget the hateful words Thane said. Forget the souls she reaped and the dark mark they left on her.

And she would. She called a star from the night sky, and it perched on her finger. “ Sorry , little one.” Aurora stroked it softly, causing the star to turn into a golden apple. Its skin was bright in the low light of the moon. I wish I …

“Careful, pet,” Moon warned. “ If you take a bite of a golden apple, you will forget everything.”

“I know what I’m doing, Mother . You heard him.”

“I heard a very angry god say some very stupid things. Things that you should be used to hearing from that wicked mouth of his. This is just the curse, Aurora . Now get up.”

“I’m done, Mother . I can’t live with this curse.” Each time Thane broke her heart, she could feel his sadness as he spoke the hateful words. There was none of that this time. And he had never wished her away.

“He will regret everything tomorrow. I guarantee in a few days’ time, Thane will be begging you to come back. Do you remember last time? Hel’s teeth, that boy sent you so many flowers we had to add a room. His mother is to blame for that. She thinks flowers are the way to a god’s heart. He should have sent jewels and drops from Jupiter . Come home with me. Spend some time with your father. He misses you.”

Aurora ran her thumb over the thin skin of the apple. It was a Forgetful Apple , the only way to forget love. “ Why , Mother ? We are gods. Why does this hurt?”

Moon sat down next to Aurora , pulling her closer. “ Oh pet, it shouldn’t. Your heartbreak is Fate’s fault. He’s a spiteful god. He hates your father and Death for no other reason than he’s male.” She pressed kisses on the top of Aurora’s head. “ But do not do this. If you take a bite, you’ll forget everyone. Me . Your father. Who you are.” Moon pulled away, holding Aurora at arm’s length. “ And it will change nothing. You will still love Thane .”

Aurora pulled away. “ But I won’t remember that love.”

“Yes, you will. You’ll remember scraps of him and this life. You will not hear your true name when it is spoken. Or be allowed to speak of this life, no matter how hard you try. And that will slowly tear you apart. Is that what you want?”

“Yes,” Aurora yelled. Thane’s words still cut into her skin. His hatred coated her mouth and throat. “ I’m tired, Mother , tired of fighting for a god who doesn’t want me. Who won’t fight for me. I want to live like a mortal without the heaviness of life’s burden.” Aurora held the apple to her lips.

“Fine. Take the bite. Forget all of this. But when you ask for Thane’s kiss, the spell will be broken.”

Aurora held the apple at eye level. “ Then I have nothing to fear because I’ll never ask.” Aurora took a bite. The juice ran down her chin as the magic took effect. The floor shifted, and the walls bowed in before fading away.

Her sight grew dim. She reached for something to break her fall. “ Let me forget.”

Moon caught Aurora , laying her head in her lap. “ Close your eyes and rest, my sweet daughter.” Moon’s silver tears touched Aurora’s mouth, washing away the stardust. The blush of a new morning faded from Aurora’s cheeks. “ I hope you find what you are looking for in your next life.”

As Aurora’s final tear fell, a different darkness greeted her.