Page 49 of Until the End of Ever (To the Cruel Gods #2)

KLEOS

I considered my options. If it had been Vance,Timothee, and Castor alone, I might have tried my luck.

I wasn't the best of fighters, but I was a healer.

I could make those three jerks suffer. Cut arteries, stop blood flow, flood their lungs.

But the fourth man made me uneasy. Besides, Night has said there was something wrong with them, and I could sense it, too.

The air around them felt metallic, charged with extra energy.

From the tiny crack in the wall, I saw Castor's eyes shining with a strange hue. I would have thought it was merely the reflection of the tree, if I didn't spot the same thing with Vance.

Adrian threw a wave of darkness over the mouth of the tunnel to hide us. I could still partially see through it.

"There's a word for what's been done to them," he whispered. "They called it enthused in the old days. Sessona told us stories about it. But it's forbidden."

"Enthused?" I repeated.

I’d heard it somewhere but I couldn’t quite remember.

"Comes from theo—god. There's a little bit of a god put inside them. You can tell by their eyes and their auras. In the underside, there are plenty of demigods. The occasional minor deity, too. They don't feel like those things . Almost possessed."

"Are you sure?"

That was whenTimothee, still a hundred pounds soaking wet, tore a tree from the ground, roots and all, and tossed it across the gorge to the lower garden.

Definitely enthused, then.

"The bitch got away!" he screamed. "What is she gonna do to us?"

"I think the question is what he's gonna do," the stranger's deep voice rumbled. "Who cares what Zenya wants? We serve the King."

"Just because you don't care about anyone but your precious daddy, Hercules—" Castor snapped.

Hercules.

No. It couldn't actually be Hercules. That would be ridiculous. And terrifying. I tiptoed farther into the crack between the walls. They thought I already was in the manor.

"What now?" Vance moaned.

"I say we return for orders. She's marked. Pendros can likely force her to come back to her, if she's powerful enough and focused enough. We'd better head back."

We waited a long time after they'd walked off, just in case.

"Well," Adrian said, "things are definitely not boring with you around."

I laughed nervously. "Likewise. Come on, we'd better get going."

The kid shook his head. "Nah. You're safe now they’re gone. You go on. I’ll head home."

To Sessona’s, the orphanage, without being properly thanked. I couldn’t abide that.

"Look, they could spot you. I don't feel comfortable leaving you to deal with them after everything you've done for me. Didn't you see what the smallest of them did to that tree?"

"They're not after me. I doubt they even saw me up there. And if they did, they probably thought it was—" He stopped himself.

That was when it hit me. I knew that power. Or rather, of that power.I hadn’t seen it performed properly but there was only one family known for shadow magic and the ability to make people live their nightmares.

"You're a Nachtigall."

The kid straightened, bristling. "I'm a Night, full stop."

It was none of my business, and I owed him a hell of a lot, so I should drop it. But smiling, I said, "You know, that's what he calls himself. Ronan. He goes by Professor Night.”

Those golden eyes narrowed on me.

Ronan's eyes were green, and he was always smiling unless he was wearing that weird professor mask, but as I watched the kid, it surprised me I hadn't connected the two earlier. He must be a cousin.

I opted to stop mentioning Ronan as the kid clearly found that subject uncomfortable. “Come on. Let me feed you, thank you, and make sure you're safe for a while while these things are still in the underside.” As he didn’t budge, I added, “I'll bake your something."

He considered. "With chocolate?"

I nodded. "And I can make you a hot chocolate, too."

"Fine," he snapped, dragging his feet as I practically raced over the bridge.

I jumped into Lucian's arms the moment the door opened, hitting him hard.

"Oh, thank the Fates," Lucian breathed into my hair. "What the hell happened?"

I was too busy crying into his shirt again to manage a word.

I’d kept myself together just fine until now but the moment I was safe in his arms, I lost it.

"I saw her in the Hall of Truce," Adrian said with a shrug. "I recognized her from the town meeting, so I distracted the woman who was making her walk and got her here."

The boy explained the last hour.

Clever man that Lucian was, he removed my shawl, lowering my sleeve to look at my runes—his, burned, and the binding spell rewritten in black, angry marks.

" Fuck," Lucianbarked, making Adrian jump. "Sorry, kid. You did good. Great. I'm just…worried. Come in, come in."

Half carrying me, Lucian took us to the closest room, the drawing room where he'd greeted us that first day I spent in the manor.

He swore under his breath. "All right, we know what to do. Kid, what's your name?"

"Adrian."

"Adrian. Are you hurt anywhere?" I heard Lucian asked.

I honestly should speak, offer the poor boy the food I'd promised, but all the fear I had to swallow hit me with a vengeance the moment I was safe in Lucian's arms.

"Not a scratch," the boy replied.

Lucian's bottle of ink, metal quill, and pain potion floated on top of glowing blue runes.

"Hungry? Thirsty?" he pushed, preparing the bottles and flasks on the coffee table.

The kid's eyes widened. "I could eat. Kleos mentioned chocolate?"

Zazel ran into the room, rubbing against my leg maniacally, both confused and desperate to comfort me. As usual, his presence was enough to help me breathe, relax, stop fretting a little.

"Hot chocolate," I sniffled. "And chocolate cake. I owe him my life. I owe him my freedom. I owe him all the chocolate." I cried harder, bringing Zazel to my lap.

"Bloody fury, calm down. It was whatever."

Lucian presented the green flask to me, and I tilted my head to let him pour the contents in my mouth. And then he was destroying and rewriting runes all over again.

"Hang in there, kiddo. Kleos bakes the best—well, everything . We have leftover lasagna from yesterday, and as soon as she's better, she's going to make you the cake of your life," Lucian promised for me.

I'd nod if I could.

"Lasagna sounds good."

"Follow the rune to the kitchen, ’kay? There's some in the oven already. Help yourself."

"Wicked." Adrian ran after a glowing rune as Lucian kept working, steady and confident as ever.

Zazel opted to dash out with him.

"You gave me a fright," Lucian confessed as he kept working on my skin. "I expected you hours ago. I sent Ronan and my brother out, but I figured I should stay in case you managed to make your way here."

Done with the runes, he next attacked the burn, applying ointments and covering them in clean gauze, before finally offering me the potion that released me from the spell.

“I’m so sorry,” Lucian said. “I should have told you earlier. I figured you’d be mad, perhaps even ask me to remove it, so I didn’t.

” He ran his thumb over the freshly carved rune on my wrist, the Laguz , which used to be exactly there before, too.

“I spelled this one. It’s, first of all, monitoring your safety.

If your heartbeat fades, or gets far too quick, if your energy declines all of a sudden, I’ll feel it.

But it also doubles as a homing beacon like the rune I gave Gideon.

I should have told you. You only need to press it and think my name. I’ll come to you.”

The fact that from that very first day in his lab, he ensured I was protected to the best of his ability, that he could get to me if I was in danger, made me sob harder.

In truth, I’d never felt quite so cherished, by anyone. Not by my family, or even my friends. Everyone believed I could take care of myself. Lucian respected my independence, he wasn’t locking me up or preventing me from doing what I’d like. But he’d ensured I was safe.

Of course, it didn’t work. My vitals didn’t drop, when I was tricked and controlled by that woman. My mother .

The moment I could speak, I said the only thing that mattered. The thing that filled my heart with horror when I thought about a fate where I'd never get to touch him again. "I love you."

The silver in his eyes turned molten as he stared. "You had an ordeal. You're frightened."

"I love you," I repeated.

"You—"

"I loved you yesterday. I love you now and I'll love you tomorrow. And when they were about to kill everything that makes me me, that was the scariest thing. Knowing that I'd loved you and I never told?—"

I didn't manage to finish the sentence, his mouth crashing on mine.

"You beautiful, infuriating, amazing witch," he said, fitting each word between kisses.

“I adore every inch of you body, mind, and soul.

I love you more than I thought possible.

Enough to make me terrified of what I could be, who I could become for you. "

I half sobbed, half laughed, and repeated, "I love you first."

"I sincerely doubt that. I loved you so fast I got whiplash from the impact. You got me at the first word. Although I have no idea what you said because I was too busy thinking, oh. She's talking to me. And she baked cupcakes. I love her."

I managed an actual laugh. "I knew it was the cupcakes."

Lucian tore himself away from me to look straight into my eyes as he said, "I wanted to be romantic. I wanted to give you time, and space, and choices. Above all, choices. But Kleos? I'm going to need you to give me some of your blood now."

"Do you mean…" I brought my hand to his, twirling the ring on his index.

"Yes. Now. You were almost taken from me. Leaving this open makes you—us—vulnerable. I know it's a lot. I don't need to define it; I don't need to say the words that bind your soul to me. I just need to make you part of the house of Nyx so no one else can claim you."

I bit my lips. "Would you say the words?"

Molten silver flashed.

"Would you bind us together?"When he said nothing, I added, "Please."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You think you have to ask?

Witch, I've had to stop myself from doing it a dozen times so far.

"I watched him slice his palm, placing the wound right above his signet ring.

"This should be romantic. We should have guests, flowers, Champagne.

But I need you to be mine. We can do the rest after we've committed a little murder. "

"Matricide is definitely a big murder," I countered. "And I don't need guests or flowers or Champagne. Just you."

I offered him my hand, cutting it a little with a spell, and healing both of our palms once the signet ring's ouroboros was wet, glistening with black blood.

"Kleos Valesco, I vow forever night. I promise shadows and blood and ruin to your foes. Until the end of ever, I will care for, protect, and love you.I swear it upon the unending darkness. By Moros, may the Fates thread our lives together."

I'd said those words to Python, desperate to protect my friends, days ago. It felt so much longer.

I hadn't understood just how binding they were. Watching the red threads slither around our wrists, I knew.

"I vow forever night. I promise shadows and blood and ruin to your foes.

Until the end of ever," I'd said those words, too, without knowing they were part of the spell that could get Destiny to rewrite the rules of the world.

I'd meant them then as much as I did now.

"I will care for, protect, and love you.

I swear it upon the unending darkness. By Moros, may the Fates thread our lives together. "

The red thread faded, but still felt solid, like an invisible magnet pushing us together at all times. Lucian dragged his fingers along my skin, from my neck, to my collarbone, and settled on the spot between my breasts, pressing his signet ring right there.

My entire body felt alight with fire, desperately needing him.

"Where do you want mine," he croaked, rough, raw.

Somewhere obvious, where everyone would see he was mine. "Your neck."

He brought the signet ring to his own neck, eyes never leaving mine as he pressed the mark that would bind us together.

I was on top of him, my mouth demanding, commanding, when the damn house alerted us of an intrusion again .

"I will destroy whoever is disturbing us this time," he growled.

I chuckled. "Go on, then. We have all the time in the world."