Page 87 of Blood of Two Crowns

And, much to my absolute fucking dismay, the spare moments I found in between proved to be exactly when Mareina would show up.

I’d return to her father’s to find the bathtub wet, watery footprints lining the floor, and her night-blooming rose scent perfuming the air.

Still, I knew that one day, she would return.

Despite the bone-deep exhaustion weighing me down after slaughtering demons all day and visiting Ataraxus to give him my blood, I felt the familiar call to return to Avernus.

My heart nearly stopped beating as my eyes landed on Mareina curled in a ball at the edge of the bed in the spare bedroom I’d taken residence in.

Freshly showered, still damp hair curled around her face, and her skin looked even paler than I’d ever seen her.

Our gazes held silently as emotion swelled in my chest, heart throbbing in protest at the fact I hadn’t yet launched myself at her to simplyholdher.

Worry tightened her features as she rose from the bed, taking in my filthy, blood-crusted appearance.

“Are you injured?”

The word came out little more than a breath. “No.”

Her relief was palpable and that breadcrumb of love was enough to fill my heart to bursting. Emboldened, I strayed towards her, closing the distance between us to stand in front of her. I didn’t dare taint the bed with my muddy, bloody fighting leathers.

“How is Ataraxus?”

My chest tightened to the point of pain. “Still unconscious, but alive.”

Mareina drew in a deep breath.

“What happened with the Vassileons that breached the portal?”

“Most are dead. Or so we think. Though the ones that remain are… concerning. We’ve been working diligently to resolve the problem.”

I watched the wheels of her mind turn as guilt settled on her features.“I’m sorry that I disappeared. That I haven’t been upholding my duties towards… anything.”

“Don’t worry. I understand. If anything had happened to you, I would have been the same.”

My selfish heart gave a pitter-patter of relief when her eyes began to glisten. I longed to tell her how fucking sorry I was and how much I missed her. How much my soul longed for her, and life wasn’t worth living without her. My lips were already forming the words, but as I took in the gauntness haunting her features and the pallid hue of the normally sun-kissed rosiness of her skin, worry for her took over.

The steadiness I forced into my voice betrayed my tortured emotions. “When was the last time you fed?”

Mareina shook her head. “I don’t need to feed when I’m in Avernus.”

I shook my head in disbelief but recognized forcing her to drink my blood would get us nowhere.

Instead, I sat her on the edge of the bed and lowered to one knee, curling a finger beneath her chin to raise her gaze to mine. Her eyes squeezed shut, tears slipping down her pinkening cheeks as her lower lip trembled under the weight of all that she had been through.

Her eyes peeked open as she drew in another shuddering breath, and I reached forward, curling my arms around her, pulling her against my blood-crusted chest before sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Mareina’s body shook as she began to sob quietly against me. Grief burned my eyes at witnessing mysoulboundso broken. The most powerful female I’d ever known wilted and bludgeoned by life. Again, oh-so-selfishly, my heart ached when she allowed me to see her at her most vulnerable. That she allowed me to hold her and touch her.Console her.

Her delicate fingers curled to grip my fighting leathers, pulling me against her. The action had my own tears finally slipping free as my heart shattered all over again.

“I miss him too, lohane thili.”

Some hours later, I woke up from the dull ache forming at the back of my head from lying on the hardwood floor. Mareina was curled against my body, lying on her side, sound asleep. Carefully rolling to my side to face her, I wove my other armaround her and tucked her against my chest. A deep, soul-nourishing satisfaction poured through me when she gave a soft sigh and nuzzled deeper, burying her face in the center of my chest.

“You smell like stale demon blood,” she whispered, “Lots of it.”

A huffed laugh rumbled my chest. “I was drenched in it.”

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