Page 104 of Blood of Two Crowns

“Does anyone reside there now?”

“Palace staff. Some of Mors’ friends, if they haven’t all chosen to reincarnate already.”

“Does Mareina know?”

Another nod.

“And she doesn’t have any interest in living there?”

Lathrimos gave me a guilty look. “Nakoa only knew of this place, and he came frequently searching for her… I think she…”

Realization washed over me. My precioustessari mú.She must have been so heartbroken and torn.

“She was waiting for him…”

Lathrimos shifted a little uncomfortably as though the very idea of discussing Mareina behind her back made his skin crawl.

“Would you mind showing it to me?”

Lathrimos huffs. “You might want to shift into your drakonati form, though. Otherwise, I’d have to carry you.”

I gave a thoughtful hum as if I were actually deliberating which was the better option.

There was no fucking way I was going to risk shifting into my drakonati form and getting stuck in it again.

I failed to stifle my grin as an image of Lathrimos soaring through the sky whilst carrying me in his arms like a bride entered my mind.

Lathrimos’ jaw drops. “Youarejoking?”

Chapter

Sixty-One

MALEKAI

Lathrimos grunts through his laughter as he hefted me into his arms. “Gods, you’re a big bastard.” That causes my laughter to renew. “Hey, you offered. Though, I think even if I wasn’t terrified of being unable to shift back from my drakonati form, watching you struggle to carry me like a damsel is well worth it.”

Lathrimos’ wings gave a powerful beat, lifting us into the air and several more to keep us there before we’re finally soaring through the air. Silence descended between us for several moments as we glided beyond the meadow surrounding Mors’ humble home towards the mountains in the distance.

Admittedly, our journey was a highly welcome distraction from my worrying about Mareina, Nakoa, and Ataraxus since I was apparently fucking trapped here. Though I dared not vocalize my complaints, lest the universe somehow realize that my being able to share some part of life with Mareina wasn’t supposed to happen, and it was indeedtoo good to be true.My heart squeezed with gratitude for the male currently hefting me across Avernus.

“Words will never be enough to express my gratitude…”

His gaze shifts to mine, offering me a sad smile. “It wasn’t entirely selfless. Avernus was bound to fall apart with her in that state. And probably Bellorum with it if hersoulboundwas left to his own devices.”

I give a thoughtful but noncommittal grunt as my thoughts return to Mareina and my stomach gives a familiar churn of anxiety. As I’ve done a thousand times before, like when Mareina was a soldier in Zurie’s army or her Royal Irae, I repeated a familiar mantra in my mind to calm myself.

Mareina is the Goddess of Death and she will not be felled.

Chapter

Sixty-Two

MAREINA

After brieflyfoldingto the palace to drop Val off, Nakoa and I came straight to his mother’s. Though leaving so swiftly when Ataraxus was still unconscious had tension winding knots in my chest. Leilani, Nakoa’s mother, was already waiting for us outside with Pomona when we arrived, presumably having already anticipated our arrival thanks to her skills as a seer. Her face was splotched with red, her eyes puffy as if she’d been recently weeping. A choked sob escaped her when her eyes landed on Nakoa.

My heart squeezed painfully tight at the sight of Nakoa taking his mother in his arms and holding her against his chest. I could only imagine what she had been going through, considering Nakoa hadn’t spoken to her since before we’d overthrown Zurie, and he’d realized she’d hidden the fact that Zurie was his birth mother. And now, with Miroslav, hersoulbound,missing, potentially evendead,no matter how unfathomable, it was remarkable she hadn’t shown up at the palace herself.

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