Page 64 of The Forgotten Life of Ella Moon
He inhaled a sigh of contentment. “Ilove you,Aurora.Neverdoubt that.”
“AndIyou, my beautiful darkness.Nowsleep.”Auroracurled up next to him, trying to think of a way to stop this.TostopDeathfrom usingThaneagainst her.
Above her, on the ceiling, was an unfinished painting of an embracing man and woman.Thewoman cried tears of gold.Painwas etched across the man’s handsome face.Auroracouldn’t tell who had made the woman cry or caused the man pain.Hadthey done it to each other or was it some unforeseen force that hadn’t been painted?
LikeDeath?
CHAPTER31
AURORA
“Aurora,”Cadelcalled softly, pulling her from her sleep. “Painis here.Shehas the next names.”
Aurora sat up and stretched the soreness from her muscles.Thanewas asleep next to her.Asoft smile tugged at her mouth.Evenin his sleep, he looked a bit broody, and his mouth held on to its pout.Ifshe didn’t love him so much, she’d dread the third name on that list.Theone whose heart needed to break.Sheslipped from the bed, rubbing the warmth back into her arms.
“She’s in the throne room.”Cadellooked atThane.Hisbrow furrowed. “Whydidn’t he tell me?”
Aurora grabbed a wrap and slipped it on. “Whatwould it have changed?”Evenif she knew ofThane’scurse, she still would’ve fallen in love with him.That’show love worked.Therewas no rhyme or reason to it.Notalking oneself out of it onceLovewrote your name in her book.Youwere bound to be with that person or god no matter whatFatetried to change.
Aurora followedCadelout into the hallway.Awarm breeze carried with it the scent of lavender and freesia.Manerewas quiet, the sky filled with grays and indigo.Thenightingale waited like the rest of the kingdom for its master to awaken.
Cadel paused outside the throne room. “Iwouldn’t have felt so stupid.Ithought she was waiting for me.”Hepaused. “Ifyou need anything, call someone else.”Cadelslipped down the dark hall.
Aurora watched him fade into the darkness, just another shadow.Ifher father andDeathonly knew how much powerLovewielded, they’d be more afraid of her than each other.Inthe throne room, she foundPainpacing the floor. “Didyou come here to gloat?”Auroraasked, walking over to the liquor tray.
“No.Sorrowsent me to kill you.”
Aurora poured a shot of whiskey into the glass.Sheheld it to her nose, inhaling its sharp scent.Itreminded her ofThane. “Canyou do that?”Auroraset the glass down. “Ifyou could, we can end this all right now.”
“I can’t.”Painlooked down at the floor. “Ihave the next three names.”Painheld out a piece of parchment.
“I don’t even get a day’s rest.”Auroraturned and took the list.Oneof these would be the heart she needed to break.Therewere only two names.QueenSoveandMarcusMcCoy.Thelast name simply readX.Thatwas the mortal whose heart needed to break.Therewas no name, no location. “Whereis the third name?Ineed the third one.”
“You need to be more worried about the queen.She’scursed,”Painblurted out.
“Of course she is.”Aurorafought the tears of frustration.Shecouldn’t even deal withThane’scurse now.Shehad another to break. “Yourfather’s again?”
“Not this time.Thisis an old curse.Onefrom when there were only four gods andDeathwas still young.Hewas outsmarted by a witch.”
“Not the witch from the woods?”
“No.Theyhappened to be sisters.”Painshrugged. “You’llneed to break the curse in order to reap the queen’s soul.”
“What is it with curses?Isthere nothing else?Hasthe plague and scurvy gone out of fashion?”
Pain shrugged. “Youare asking the wrong god.ThisisDeath’soldest debt, and no one has been able to collect.NotevenThane.”
Aurora laughed to keep the tears at bay.IfThane, the god whose duty it was to reap souls, couldn’t do it, how would she? “Thiswas what you wanted.Right?Forme to fail.Deathwill get what he wants, and you will getThane.Godsbelow,Pain,Ididn’t know that you lovedThane.AndifIhad,Iwould’ve never?—”
“What?Fallenin love with him?”Painsnapped. “Youthink you can control that?Itwas already decided.Itwas already written in my mother’s book.Myfather had already woven him into your life.”
“Then why are we here?”Aurorayelled. “Ifyou knewThanewas not yours to have, why the curse?Youare the daughter ofFateandLove, the two gods who decide all our futures.”
“Because!”Painyelled back. “Hewas my first.”Painwalked over the dais and flopped down on the steps. “Iknow,Iknow, how very mortal of me to think sex and love are the same thing.Inmy defenseIwas a young god, and my mother left because she couldn’t face what she and my father had created.Doyou have any idea what it is like to be raised by two gods who never should’ve been together?”
“You think being raised in the shadow ofLifeandMoonis any easier?”Aurora’sfather was the creator of most things in the mortal world.Andhe made sure everyone remembered that.
Pain looked up atAurora. “Yes.Youhave the power of the stars.Mortalsdon’t curse your name.Youhave beauty.Youare the brightness after the darkness.YouhaveThane’slove.Iam the consequence of two gods who thought they could retie their own threads.”
