Page 49 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

In all his years, Caiden had never seen Lucius drink; especially not before he went on a hunt. “Is everything alright?”

“The mission in the Land of Myst—far on the other side of the continent. It will take me ages to get there. And… it’s where I got my curse from.” He leaned his head back and extended his long legs out in front of him, practically laying in the chair.

Caiden, Roderick, and Amolie all paused to stare at their friend. He’d never talked about the source of his curse before, only that his mother gave it to him and then abandoned him.

“Is that where your mother is from?” Caiden asked.

He stared at the ceiling, his hands intertwined, resting on his chest.

“I do not know where my mother is, but my father is… alive and well there. He is the reason wraiths exist at all. The master of their power. The keeper of the souls, the one who created the curse.”

Everyone blinked at him.

“Wow, everyone is just coming out of the woodwork with secrets today. First, Roderick and his ability to read ancient sylph, and now you with your weird father… er, maker?”

Lucius pulled his lithe body forward as though it was made of lead. Reaching for his glass, he drank deeply, until it was empty.

“He does not know of my existence. But if he did, I assume he would try to pull my strings and make me a servant like turned wraiths. But I am… as far as I know… the only born wraith on this continent.” Lucius wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

Caiden downed his wine.

“Are you going to see him? Can he reverse it? How did it happen in the first place?”

Lucius shook his head.

“I’ve been asking those questions to myself my whole life.” He drummed his long fingers on the table. “I was looking through some old books to see if I had anything on the Trinity Wells, and I came across the packet the orphanage sent with me to the military academy. And they had what is akin to a birth certificate, where my mother’s name was, and next to Father, she wroteThe Master of the Myst.So that’s how I found out.”

“That’s brutal,” Roderick said. “No wonder you’re drinking. I would be, too.”

Lucius pushed a stray piece of white hair out of his face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin the special occasion.”

“What special occasion?” Amolie asked, tossing noodles in a hefty amount of butter and thyme.

Roderick shot his friend a look that said,I will kill you later.“Well, I guess there’s no time better than the present.” He gently took the bowl from Amolie’s dainty fingers and placed it on the counter before falling to one knee.

Amolie’s freckled cheeks flushed. “Oh, uh. Is this what I think it is?”

“If you want it to be.” He pulled a ring on a silver chain from his back pocket. “It’s an emerald, your favorite.”

Amolie gasped at the ring. “I don’t know what to say.”

A bright smile cut his face in two. “Say you’ll be mine. Forever. Say you’ll have children with me. Say you’ll sleep next to me every night until we take our last breaths.”

“Yes. Of course, yes!” She wrapped her arms around Roderick, and he lifted her. Their mouths met in a passionate kiss.

Caiden and Lucius could only smile at their friends. They’d loved secretly for so long and would now start a family together. Caiden couldn’t help the ache in his heart. He’d once asked the love of his life to marry him on a beach in the Court of Scales in early spring. It had been unusually cold that day, and Cassandrahadn’t wanted to go to begin with, but Caiden begged her for a walk. He had it all planned out. He’d propose where they first met. It seemed only fitting. He could still remember the look on Cassandra’s jovial face when he’d gotten down on one knee and asked her to be his for an eternity. His heart swelled and shrank all at once. He doubted he’d ever feel that way again.

Setting Amolie down, Roderick fastened the necklace around her neck, as was customary, until the couple’s hands were bound.

Lucius and Caiden cheered, hearts full for their friends.

“Do you think your father would perform the ceremony tomorrow? Just us,” Amolie asked.

“I’ll send a messenger over first thing after dinner. Now… about dinner…”

“Of course,” Amolie said, passing him a bowl of chopped tomatoes in olive oil. “Let’s eat!”

12CAIDEN

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