Page 3 of Monstrous Grave

“Your words, please.”

It’s the first time I’ve heard him ask for something.

The sense of urgency emanating from him sparks a desperate impulse in me, an overwhelming desire to claw at his hand and keep him close to me forever. As if I could anchor him to my side by sheer force.

Somewhere deep within my subconscious is a voice telling me this is it.

This is goodbye.

And that makes me want to scream my throat out until there is nothing left within me to fight for.

This is all too cryptic. My throat is clogged with untold emotions that feel like a tumultuous sea, and I am a boat fighting to stay afloat against the lethal waves of death.

I swallow. “Yes.”

Nodding his head, he accepts my words for what they are while his fists clench. “Close your eyes.” His request is barely a whisper, yet it commands compliance, and I obey.

With my eyes closed tightly shut, my heart pounds hard within me, each thud mirroring the seconds that slowly pass. With a pulse spiking into unnatural heights, it’s as if I’m going to pass out at any moment from the anticipation alone. The unmistakable scent of his sandalwood cologne, along with leather—coming from the glove he uses to cover his scarred hand—permeates my nostrils.

My nerves taking over, I glance at the clock standing on my nightstand beside him, noticing that it’s 11:59 p.m.

In my periphery, I sense him drawing nearer, and my breath quickens at his closeness. The clock ticks, signaling the start of a new day—midnight.

“Happy birthday, Arcane,” he whispers in a hoarse voice that sends butterflies slicing up my insides.

It’s a strange concoction of emotions, one entirely unwelcome, with dread seeping through to my marrow and the other inciting a flutter of something visceral within me, akin to a teenage crush.

Without a second to comprehend what’s happening, the warmth of his minty breath brushes against my lips. My heart combusts when he presses his lips against mine, punishing in its hold. It’s intimate, stirring a storm deep within me.

I allow myself to get lost in the kiss as his tongue prods the seam of my lips, pushing inside, tangling with my own. He’s brutal in his kiss, demanding and pushing, never leaving me time to breathe. One hand slides to my throat, encircling it with a pressure that tightens with each passing second, silently demanding my submission. He restricts the air entering my lungs, and a whimper escapes me.

It’s a bruising kiss made of lies and deceit.

My eyes close automatically, wanting to savor the feel of his lips on mine. Then, he slips away, his hand leaving my throat and lips leaving mine, and I don’t open my eyes. Even long after I hear the balcony door closing and his fragrance subtly fading away from my room, I cannot bring myself to reopen them.

For a short moment after, I find myself smiling, until his strange composure comes back to me, and the weight of that small kiss sends a jolt of despair through my entire being, akin to what I imagine being infected with a flawed vaccine feels like.

It was a wordless and bittersweet farewell etched with tenderness and cruelty as he took my heart in his hold, along with my soul, shredding it apart with his bare hands.

And as dawn breaks, the painful truth hits hard like an unrelenting storm, mercilessly tearing through my fragile peace of mind. The word “dead” lingers in the air, heavy and suffocating coming from my foster parents’ mouths.

A train wreck.

He steered me away from an impending crash against the cliffs and the tempting waves that whispered promises of a tranquil descent. In doing so, he spared me from the suffocating yet alluring embrace that could have plunged everything into a serene silence. Ironically, he never followed his own path of advice.

Now, he is gone.

Chapter 1

ARCANE

Age 26, Present day

Relentless waves batter the steadfast cliffs, wearing away their surface and briefly drowning them in splatters of rain. Their rhythm reflects the chaos within my mind—a state I’ve been trapped in for years, never finding solace in the twisted world that plagues my being.

Like an unstitched wound, my heart is bleeding out without anything preventing it from withering away. Soon, it will stop beating completely.

I never thought I would come this far, nor did I think it’d be like wading through waves, preparing to submerge until I’m drowned underneath their strong force.

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