Page 88 of Heirs of the Cursed

Naithea’s body shrieked, cracked and broke. She felt fragments of her essence escaping from her chest and threatening to be swallowed into the deepest darkness.

He wasabsorbingher magic.

Naithea screamed at the top of her lungs, rumbling through every part of her body with the voracity of a storm. And as if her cries and suffering invoked the goddesses themselves, the borealis gemstone that hung between her breasts unleashed a celestial burst that separated Naithea from Fawke until they both lay on the ground, locking the soldier in a disturbing blackness of nightmares.

Her eyelashes batted heavily. Her head throbbing from the effort.

The roar of enraged stars was the last thing Naithea Utari heard before she fell into the same darkness.

25

Dawnfall

For Darcia, waking up next to Caeli was like a dream. Opening her eyes and admiring her girlfriend’s face provoked thousandsof feelings within her; feelings she once thought were dead and buried.

Pulling the sheet away from her, she let the sunlight kiss her body and bent slightly to look out over the window.

The beauty of autumn would soon come to an end, drawing in the coldness and silvery colors of winter. The smell of snow had become more pronounced, as had the storms that swept across the city. It was a very different weather from what they had been used to in previous years, as if the goddesses were warning them of the future ahead.

Soon, the good days would be over. The circus’ profits would decrease, and she’d once again have to endure her stepbrother’s beatings.

Because, for Conrad, it was easy to blame her.

Darcia averted her boreal eyes to the bruises that graced her skin. Their purplish hue had become ghostly greenish blotches, which no longer hurt when she touched them. Not physically, at least. She walked over to the mirror to admire the huge scars that stretched across her back. The older ones were nothing more than white and red lines, while those she’d received during the last beating were adorned by scabs blackened by coagulated blood.

It was for that reason that she preferred to wear her hair down. That way, no one would notice her wounds nor see how broken she was . . . That way, no one would ask questions that led to more beatings.

Her life would be utter hell without Caeli. Unlike her fears, her girlfriend hadn’t judged her scars. She hadn’t turned away in rejection or made her feel bad about it. From that first time she’d seen her in the dressing room, preparing for her performance, she’d promised to be by her side to heal the wounds that destroyed her daily.

Caeli had always mended what others had broken, so Darcia had made a vow for herself: to protect her from everyone who dared to hurt her and to love her for eternity.

“What do you admire so shyly?” Caeli asked.

Darcia turned away with a smile. The morning breeze enveloped her as she walked to the bed and collapsed beside her.

“You, as always.”

“It’s nothing you haven’t already seen.”

“No, but it’s something I want to see for the rest of my life. Did you sleep well?”

Caeli nodded and leaned forward to kiss Darcia. The sheet covering her body slipped, revealing her breasts. Dressed or naked, she had a beauty that made Darcia want to get down on her knees for her. She brought a hand to her neck and pushed aside the brown hair that covered her shoulders to admire her at her own pleasure.

Darcia moaned as she kissed her lips. “Has anyone ever told you how good a kisser you are?”

“I like to be reminded of it.”

In that instant, they could afford to be themselves.

Nothing else mattered.

Every caress, every kiss and every smile bore the name of the other. The goddesses had united them in life, and not even fate could change that. They would follow each other even if it led to death. For when that time came, they would do it together.

The morning sun had fully risen, and the birds had begun to harmonize the awakening of the day. Darcia’s fingers caressed Caeli’s side, who kept her eyes closed, sighing with a harmonious calm.

“You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Caeli confessed in a whisper.

Darcia’s heart shrank. No matter how many times she heard those words, felt their truthfulness, she’d never believe them to be true. Not when Caeli had suffered so much to be with her.

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