Page 161 of Throne of Dreams

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Again, the might of his force wavered.

“Withdraw now and let them live, Aed!” Maeve continued to cut through the shadows, her magic an endless well, a never-ending source of power. She reached out with one hand, capturing the shadows that swarmed her, bending them to her will. “For if you do not, I will invoke the soul of the goddess Danua herself, and I swear I will destroy you. I will vanquish you from every realm, and you will never know another whose wrath is more unforgiving than mine.”

A gust of wind slammed into her, stealing her breath, and then everything fell silent.

The darkness ebbed. The shadows vanished. And the god of death stood before her.

He glowered down at her and clicked his tongue. “Threatening a god now, are you?”

“Not a threat.” She met the cruelty of his stare head on and glared up at him, her chin raised, her spine a rod of steel. “A promise.”

They stood like that, inches from one another, neither refusing to back down.

“It’s me you want, not them. I was the deal.” She glanced over her shoulder to where Tiernan, Ceridwen, Lir, Merrick, Brynn, and her father were all sprawled on the ground, pinned in place by Aed’s vengeance. “Let them live and I’ll go with you to the Ether.”

His eyes turned to molten silver, the power in them swirling. “The High King retracted his vow.”

The ground shuddered again, but she held firm.

“No.” Maeve smiled, baring her teeth. “He merely considered it. You, however, attacked first.”

Aed’s mouth opened to argue then snapped shut.

She arched one brow, daring him to contradict her.

His massive frame straightened, and he offered her his hand. If she refused him, he would simply take her. “It’s time, Your Highness.”

“This is not goodbye, astora.”Tiernan’s roughened voice filtered through her thoughts.“You are mine. I will destroy every realm and burn down this damned world if I must, until you’re in my arms again.”

She looked over at him, memorized his twilight eyes, committing every feature of him to her memory.“I love you.”

“Release them Aed, god of death.” She flicked her sword of sunlight and didn’t miss the way he hissed. “Now.”

There was no time to say goodbye. As promised, she placed her hand in his and Aed led her away from them. From her family. She thought she heard Ceridwen cry out. Desperate for a final look back, she turned, taking in their faces one last time. But they were blurred from her tears and before she could blink them away, she was smothered by a shadow of darkness and cold.

* * *

Ether wasnothing like she imagined.

The world of the in between, as so many often called it, was not rife with wandering souls and wails of despair. It was a glorious city in another realm, an alternate place of existence. There were cobblestone streets and brick buildings with shops and restaurants. Darkened woods lined the city, and in the distance stood a glittering palace of obsidian, presumably the House of Death. Mountains of silver cut across the horizon, their peaks already frosted with snow. The skies were overcast and the air was cool against her skin, like the breeze of Autumn. Beings, both mortal and fae alike, were everywhere, carrying on as though they continued to live. A few glanced their way, though many averted their gazes, not wanting to draw the god of death’s eye or meet his steely gaze for too long.

“Welcome to Ether, my lady.” Aed’s gaze slid to the ring on her finger. “Or should I say, High Queen.”

Maeve stiffened and her thumb slid over the band on her ring finger. “Am I dead?”

He laughed, shaking his head. “You are not.”

She stared up at him. Except for when he tried to rip her magic from inside her, Aed was far from a raging deity. He wore slim pants and a collared shirt, bracelets of silver hung from both of his wrists, and he almost looked normal. Save for the silver mist that seemed to haunt his eyes. He was actually rather…casual. Understated. Composed.

It set her nerves on edge.

He strolled along one of the cobblestone streets, and she followed closely behind, until he looked back at her, arching one brow in question.

“Do you need something?”

“I…” She stumbled, almost bumping into him. “I mean, you brought me here.”

“And?” He smiled and she shrank inside herself.