Page 142 of Crown of Wrath

“What happened?” a voice that I can’t quite believe is real says.

I whirl to face Cole, and he’s just as beautiful as ever. The sharp lines of his face, the warmth of a smile that he only ever gives me; they’re exactly the same as the day I watched him burn. My heart breaks all over again as I stare into his eyes, and even though I know everything I’ve done has been to bring him back to me, I still can’t believe it. He’s the same. Cole Cyrus, my love, is here again.

It's like nothing after Gethin got a hold of him happened. He’s wearing the same clothes. He even has the same bits of ash and soot that I saw on his cheeks when he’d fallen from Gethin’s arms.

“It worked,” I whisper and wrap my arms around him, pulling him to me. He doesn’t resist as he takes a deep inhale of my hair. “I had hoped, but…”

“Maeve, what happened?” He pulls back from me, and I realize his eyes are still bright orange, just like when he’d died. “I feel strange. Like I’ve been sleeping, but…”

“You died,” I whisper. “I watched as Gethin stabbed you, and you died. I…” My words stumble as I try to come up with an explanation, but Cole doesn’t interrupt. “I convinced Calyr towake up the gods. Lysara, the Goddess of Death, brought you back from the Realm of the Dead to me.”

Cole runs a hand through his raven-black hair. “I don’t understand. Why would Calyr wake the gods up? What did you offer him? I’m sorry, Maeve. My head is all stuffy like I’ve got cotton between my ears, and my mind isn’t working like it should. Didn’t you say that Calyr and the rest of the dragons put the gods to sleep to keep their magic from drawing the hunters?”

I give him my best smile. My hand runs over his cheek, and I stand on my tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the lips. “I forced him to do it. He didn’t want to, but I didn’t give him a choice. I wasn’t going to allow anyone to keep you away from me.”

He pulls me closer to him, and I finally take a deep breath, really letting his scent wash over me, and I know it’s truly him. I know that the spiced amber scent that floods me is him. A tear runs down my cheek, and he whispers in my ear, “I love you, Maeve.”

“I love you more,” I whisper back. For the first time since he fell, I realize that seconds have passed, and my soul hasn’t ached. I reach out to the frayed pieces of my soul and realize it’s no longer shredded. It’s not even torn any longer. A deep scar runs where the separation was, but it’s a scar, not a wound. Through the bond, I whisper to him, “I never let you go. You’re mine forever, Cole Cyrus.”

I can feel him wanting to ask about everything that’s happened, but he doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he just breathes me in. He holds me so tight I know he recognizes how long we’ve been apart.

For the first time in a little more than a month, I feel whole again. Even after everything, the only thing that makes me feel right is feeling Cole’s hands on me.

Because without Cole, I’m nothing, and if he’s here, then nothing can ever really be wrong. What’s the worst that canhappen? We die? He already did, and I would have followed him even into death. As long as we’re together, we’ll find a way to be happy.

And that’s what matters.

Chapter 73

Find the other worlds, and you will learn about the one who created it. Go to the lands of Erelith, and you will understand the flame of her followers. You will know what the sword feels as it is tempered, and you will understand the unbreakable determination of her followers. It’s a good thing she doesn’t believe in large armies. Otherwise, we’d all have our hands full with just her.

~Rhaskar Thorne, The First Book of the Priests

Maeve

The Darkness stares at me with hatred, even without eyes. “Ready to go back to the void?” I ask. Hours have passed since I trapped The Darkness in Valinar, but it doesn’t seem to have helped The Darkness relax any. “You would have tried to trickme into consuming this entire world, so let’s not pretend like I’ve betrayed something.” The words feel far too similar to Gethin.

Daughter of Stone, you think you are so very clever. You are not.

I smile at The Darkness. “I specifically told you I didn’t think I was that clever. I couldn’t have done this on my own. My mother and several of my friends are how I captured you. I just listened to clever people and let you think I was weaker than I am. It’s exactly what I’ve done since I was forced to wear the Painted Crown. Now, if you’re ready to go, I’ll be happy to take you back to the void. Remember that I’ve done nothing to harm you. All I did was inconvenience you for a few hours with no intention of any harm coming to you. The arrangement you had with Vyran still stands.”

The Darkness gnashes its teeth in anger.One day, I will feast on your bones.

“You’ll have to get in line. I have it on good account that I’m bringing ruin to this entire world, so you may want to find another world to spend your days around.”

The hunters?

A smile crosses my face. “Is that a question? Yes, the hunters. I guess it’s my turn now to ask questions, but I’m not wondering anything in particular right now. I might come to visit another time.”

Your soul is marked by her, Daughter of Stone. She has hooked her claws into your soul, and there is no escaping her now. Do not believe the stories you’ve been told. The Goddess of Death and Beauty is as cold and cruel as any god, and she isthe cleverest of them all. Be wary of what you agreed to.

I don’t say anything as The Darkness speaks, giving me information to terrify me. I know what I did. I gave Lysara control over my bloodline.

“Are you ready?” I ask again.

Yes, Daughter of Stone. Take me home.

I glance at my mother and suddenly everything becomes dark. In an instant, I wrap my shadows around The Darkness and pull it into the single opening to the void. As soon as we’re there, it swims a short distance away.

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