Page 137 of The Eternal Mirror
I get to my feet and hold out my hand. He frowns but takes it, and we’re both up. I peer at the pool; the water looks deep and welcoming; a myriad of stars reflected in the dark surface.
We dive in, scattering the stars. The water is cool and soft like a caress, and I swim beneath the surface until I feel the glide of a hand over my skin. I push up, gasping for air, and he pulls me into his arms as the world fades to nothing beneath his kisses.
Afterwards, we lie on a bed of moss and stare at the stars. Here, there’s no spinning mirror, just constellations that twinkle in the deep dark sky. I can see why Selene loves this world.
We lie together until the stars fade and dawn lights the horizon.
“We need to go back,” he says.
I’m glad he said it and not me.
“We have to go and stop my father. One way or another. But just promise me that we try to kill him first. We only destroy the Mirror as a last resort.”
“I promise.”
And I know what he’s saying: that we will stand together and do what needs to be done, whatever the consequences. I’m pretty sure those consequences are going to be bad, but I’ll do everything in my power to prevent the final outcome.
“You know,” he says, “they’re my family as well—Zayne and Josh, Grimlet. We will do this for them and for the rest of the worlds that will hopefully survive. They were failed by our people. They looked to us as gods, and we gave them devils.”
“Hey, that’s my dad you’re talking about.”
He chuckles. I love the sound of Khaosti laughing; I could stay here and listen to it forever.
But that’s not going to happen. I untangle myself from him, get to my feet, and hunt down my clothes.
The stars are fading. The world is waiting.
Time to end what others began.
Chapter 53
When I’m Given One Last Chance to be Queen
Ifollow Khaos through the mirror, but as I step back into the courtyard in front of my father’s house, I stop dead. The air tastes like lightning and old magic—sharp on the tongue, heavy in the lungs.
“What’s happened?” Khaos murmurs from beside me. “Something has changed.”
It’s still nighttime here, and the place looks the same, beautiful but somewhat faded. Everything is as it was when I left just hours ago. My tangled sheet still lies at the top of the steps. But something’s...off. Normally the place feels muted; now it’s charged with a strange sort of energy.
“I don’t know,” I say. “But something. Look over there.” I wave a hand to the north where the sky is rippling, like someone dropped a stone into the stars. At a guess, the stone landed just above the pavilion in the forest to the north—about two hours away on foot, minutes in flight.
And I’m guessing the hum in the back of my skull isn’t nerves or magic overload.
It’s the Eternal Mirror.
Khaos senses it too. He’s prowling the courtyard, restless and silent, golden eyes locked on the shimmer in the sky. His dragon stirs beneath his skin—I can feel it, like the air itself is holding its breath.
Shit. It’s happening. It’s here. Or part of it, anyway.
It’s too soon. I thought we would have more time to prepare. Or at least eat something—I’m ravenous—and go to bed, make love, and maybe sleep. I’ve been sleeping poorly recently, but I think sharing my bed with Khaos might cure the problem.
I can feel the panic rising inside me.
A silent scream—I don’t want to die.
And then he’s beside me, and his hand slips into mine. “You’ve got this,” he says. “We’ve got this.”
I turn into him and rest my head on his chest—it’s so wonderful to do that without the guilt and the dread. He smells like safety. But safety is an illusion. All the same, it calms me a little, and I give myself a minute just to listen to the beat of his heart. Mine slows so I can feelthem beating as one.
