Page 55 of Destined to the Reaper

Calling it unpleasant would be quite the understatement, but once again it worked wonders. A shadowy smoke rose out of the wound even as the dark tendrils receded and faded. It was as if the toxin was being burnt out at the same time the spark was pushing it out. The cleansing spark vanished as soon as the last of the toxin was removed. Without thinking, I pushed my regeneration spark in there, and it instantly sealed the remaining wound.

“Well done, my mate,” Pharos said approvingly. “You will need to practice this one more as poison and toxins can cause debilitating pain that makes it harder to focus. If you receive copious amounts of poison, trying to push it out might be too slow and could allow it to spread too far before you can tackle it. Do not try to heal while you are poisoned. It will only seal it inside. If there is too much, trap the poison in a container shield.”

He burst out laughing at my gaping expression. I could only imagine what I looked like. But what in the world did he mean by ‘container shield’?

“It is the same thing you just did,” he explained in an amused tone. “The difference is that once your cleansing spark reaches the infected area, harden the glow so that it forms a wall that will prevent it from spreading further in. It will grant you a bit more time to focus on the battle before you can properly expel it and heal. We will need to practice that quite a bit,” he added apologetically.

“No need to apologize. This is amazing. Poison away. We have the rest of the day!” I said excitedly.

“Not quite, my darling. I have a lot more to teach you after that,” Pharos said in a smug and mysterious fashion.

“More? Do tell,” I said with blatant curiosity.

“I did say that you have access to a lot of my Death Magic. I’m going to teach you how to use it all.”

“Blast it to Hell! Why didn’t you tell me I would get all these perks? I wouldn’t have played hard to get as much as I did!” I said in a playful tone.

“I wanted you to choose us freely, not because of any incentives. Then again, those perks only came from me giving myself to you because I’m crazy about you.”

The silliest grin settled on my face as I fought the urge to give him a bone crushing hug.

But train me, he most certainly did. We spent the rest of the afternoon practicing combining his Death Magic to my Bone and Blood Magic. I had never felt so powerful in my entire life. Showing off for him also made me tingle in all the right places. Pharos did not practice Blood Magic. However, as he had mentioned that his mother said there would be great power in combining them, I freely experimented, blowing both of us away by how potent it was.

That night, despite feeling properly exhausted from the intense training, we lost ourselves in each other. Our love making was passionate and borderline desperate. Tomorrow could be the end for one or both of us. I refused to accept that possibility, but my mind had a will of its own.

Chapter 15

Pharos

Morning came too soon. A part of me rejoiced that this horrible chapter of my life would finally end, one way or another. But another part of me was terrified at the potential outcome. As much as I didn’t want to die, it was my mate I worried about.

Her life thread glowed with greater intensity. It had steadily increased since she voluntarily gave me her soul. The seriousness with which she trained all day yesterday further strengthened it. Although it gave me hope, there was still too great a possibility that things would not work out the way I wanted.

It tore me to shreds knowing that bringing her with me put her in harm’s way, but that going without her also guaranteed my demise. The thought of taking my chances alone popped into my head multiple times. I systematically cast it aside. Beyond the fact that it would be suicidal and stupid, my bride would never consent to be left behind.

It warmed my heart to see how sincerely she cared about me and my welfare.

My farewell to Myress proved quite awkward. I did so while Kali was packing the handful of items she needed for the battle. She didn’t need to witness this.

“If I do not return, you are to seek out my mate and teach her how to cross the Veil so that she can come here at will,” I said in a factual manner. “This home and everything I own will be hers for as long as she lives.”

“Yes, Master,” she replied obediently. “Will she cast me out?”

I recoiled. “No, of course not. This is your home as well. She may be the mistress, but she will never leave you homeless. In fact, she will likely need your support to get through the first few months.”

“I understand. But it will not be necessary. You will return. You always do. That mortal necromancer will never be allowed to slay the son of the Weaver and of the great Lord of Death Azrael. I didn’t wait five hundred years for you to come home only to bury you. Make the necromancer suffer for all his wrongdoings. I will have your favorite meal ready when you return,” she said with a conviction that oddly gave me a spark of hope.

Without waiting for my response, she just turned on her heels and went back to whatever duties called her. I snorted and shook my head before returning to my mate.

“Ready?” I asked softly.

Kali gave me a stiff nod. Pride filled my heart as she held my gaze with an undaunted determination that commanded respect. Most people would be quaking with fear.

After further consideration, instead of flying to Sageville, I decided to teleport us at a far enough distance from Glocker Manor to avoid landing in a trap. It would only have been an hour flight, but I preferred to save every ounce of energy Ipossessed on top of granting us additional time to survey the perimeter.

We ended up in the woods about half a mile from the mansion. To my delight, my mate withstood the teleportation without any discomfort. Humans sometimes felt queasy or disoriented for a while after it. The fact that we were bonded certainly played a part in making it easier on Kali.

She immediately went on the prowl, looking for a bird to ensnare. A raven would have been ideal, but there was none to be found in the vicinity. Luckily, she found a magpie. They weren’t as powerfully aligned with magic as crows or ravens, but they served perfectly in this context.

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