Page 71 of What Lurks Between the Fates

I’d never been to this part of the palace, ventured this far into the earth of the rolling Faerie hills that comprised the landscape of the capital of the Shadow Court. Even in the brief time I’d spent outside, even in the moments I glimpsed the terrain outside through my bedroom window, all I saw for miles was the distinct rolling and rocky hills covered in jagged stone.

We ventured down, and the gradual slope of the hallway gave way to a rugged staircase. The sconces on the wall lit the way, the Summer Fae waving her hand casually as she came upon them.

“This feels wrong,” I said, glancing over my shoulder as we walked.

Malachi met my gaze, lifting his brow at me as if I meant to run away. The very air in this place was tense, as if it lacked anything living; as if only death existed within the narrow passage.

“Cradthail non Beathorisn’t something to be taken lightly. It is said that this is where life first began. That this is the placewhere Khaos stood when he created the moons and stars in the sky, when he created life itself, and the Void for all souls when they die,” my mate said, leaning down to murmur the words against the top of my head as we made our way down the steps carefully.

The Cradle of Life.

I grasped the skirt of my gown in my hands, the red fabric fading into a taupe color as it approached the stone floors. It wrapped around my chest, binding my breasts and leaving my stomach bare to the distinctive chill in the air that I couldn’t seem to place.

“It smells like death,” I said, contradicting his words about it being the cradle of life. It didn’tfeellike anything living had touched this place in centuries.

“Mab has forbidden any from entering the Cove since the construction of the Veil. This is where the Shadow Fae complete their mate bond, and without human mates…”

“There’s been no reason to come here,” I said, understanding dawning upon me.

Whether it was the Cove itself that smelled of death or merely the passage of time, I didn’t know.

Mab led the procession, pausing at the foot of the stairs. The passage was just dark enough that it was difficult to see through the small group of us crammed into the narrow path, but I watched as she raised her hands above her head. She grasped the crown, lifting it from her dark hair as the air seemed to ripple around us.

The others seemed unfazed, unflinching as she bowed her head forward and held the crown out in front of her. The mist swirling in front of her faded, swaying in a breeze before it vanished entirely. The dark gem placed at thecenter gleamed. Candlelight playing off the surface, snagging my attention.

The passageway faded into the background, and the image of a woman with gleaming green eyes shone back at me from the center of the gem. Her hair writhed in the shadows, her lips twisted into a scowl as she pinned me in place. There was a slash across her neck, a deep, jagged wound that seeped blood as if someone had severed her head from her body and then sewn her back together once more.

Only when Mab raised her crown to her head did the connection sever. Caldris nudged me forward as if he was completely, blissfully unaware of the woman I’d seen trapped within the gem. Unaware of the woman staring through from the other side, robed in darkness and bathed in serpents.

I shook off my disorientation, stumbling forward at his urging and trying to make sense of what I’d seen. But as we approached the opening at the bottom of the passageway, I stared into the lushest forest I’d ever seen. The waters of the Cove glimmered like the brightest turquoise I’d ever seen, surrounded by pink sand and small rodent-like animals that carefully dug through it.

They scurried into the woods as our party of the Gods stepped into the clearing, disappearing into the tree line that surrounded the Cove on three sides. The trees were taller than any I’d ever seen, enormous, towering things that created a shaded canopy. A glimpse through them was rare, the inside of the Faerie hill looking like white limestone as it curved overhead to protect the Cove.

The Cove waters drew me forward, compelling me to approach their depths. My insidesburned, that hollow within me shifting as if the creature could rear her head, sensing whatwas close. I stepped forward as if in a trance, the sounds of the Gods around me fading into the background. They existed as if I were in a bubble, only the glimmer of the water penetrating it. The rising deep called to me, summoning me toward them as if they pulled at that golden thread that existed within me.

Come home.

The voice was the whisper of a caress, slithering across my skin. Another step brought me closer to it, the pleasure in the woman’s voice sliding over me like a warm embrace. Her voice was a song, a melody that begged me to join in and become part of the music of the Cove.

But Caldris gripped my hand tightly and shook his head. The bubble surrounding me burst, the sudden penetration of sound making me stagger as I blinked rapidly up at him. He tilted his head to the side, reaching up to cup my cheek with a silent question in his stare.

My mouth dropped open to answer, to ask what he felt when he looked at the waters themselves, and if he heard the music too, but I couldn’t seem to find the words to describe that haunting melody.

I couldn’t find the words to explain why I felt as if my soul had been torn in two—that part of me belonged to him, my mate and other half, but the rest of me…

The rest of me belonged to those still waters.

The others veered into the treeline, disappearing into the lush forest and the massive palm leaves that hung low. One of Mab’s personal guards held the leaves back, revealing a path that was slightly traveled in comparison to the rugged, natural overgrowth of the rest of the trees.

“I want to see the water,” I said, my legs refusing to move as Caldris tried to follow.

I glanced back at the Cove, wishing for that connection to snap into place once more. I craved the beauty of that song, the feeling of belonging that had washed over me—consumed me—the moment I heard it.

“As pretty as it may be, stay away from the Cove,” Caldris commanded, stepping onto the path through the trees.

He gripped my hand more fully, pulling until I had no choice but to follow him. I couldn’t tear my eyes off the Cove itself, even as the glimmering waters disappeared when we stepped into the forested path. The leaves blocked it out, the ferns stealing the view.

Emptiness settled inside me with every step, that creature within me sinking deeper into the well than she’d ever existed before. She paced in a circle, settling down with a huff of disappointment.

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