Page 84 of The Forgotten Life of Ella Moon
“You have to ask?Forlove!” she cried.Thetears fell, leaving their glittery residue on everything. “Foryour love.”Itwas happening again.Shecould feel the break, his anger, his fear.Theyhad not made it a night before the curse took root.
“God’s teeth,Aurora, this has to stop.Whycan’t you just leave well enough alone?”Thanepaced a couple steps.Heran his hands over his face and through his hair, the stardust clinging to the muscles of his back and shoulders.Helooked so much like a god right now.
“Leave well enough alone?Whatpart of this is well enough?Iwished my life away because of this stupid curse.Awhole year away from you and the heavens.It’snot just yours.It’smine too.”
“No.”Thanepointed at her. “Inever agreed to that.”
Aurora laughed. “That’snot how this works.IfIlove you, then?—”
“Then stop.”Thanerecoiled at his words.Theyhung in the air between them.Sharplike a knife ready to cut them and let them bleed out. “Ican’t do this.”Thanebrushed by her.
“Where are you going?”Aurorawatched as he dressed.Hehad pulled all his emotions in.
“I need some time to think about this.Ineed…”
Aurora knew what he was not saying.Heneeded to be away from her. “Howlong will you be gone?”
“I don’t know.”Hepulled on his pants and a shirt. “Ithink it best you stay away from me for a while.”
“Why?”Shewatched him finish dressing.
Thane said nothing as he tugged on his boots.
“Thane.”Shestepped closer.Shestopped when he stepped away. “Whyare you doing this?’
“Me,” he yelled. “Youmade a deal for something that you cannot give up without it destroying you.Iwould rather rip the flesh from my bones than watch you suffer.”Hegrabbed his jacket and headed for the door. “Ican’t do this right now.Ican’t sit here and pretend thatIam okay with this.Withyou.”
Aurora recoiled, fighting back all the words she wanted to say to him.Sometimesthe curse would cause them to scream at each other and other times were like this one.Itwas a quiet goodbye. “Pleasedon’t go.”
Thane looked at the bed and the tangled sheets. “Ishould’ve stayed away.”
Those were the last words he spoke to her.
AllManerelet the breath out it was holding.
CHAPTER41
AURORA
Aurora dressed quickly, not in the black ball gown but in a dark riding habit.Shewas sick.Sickfrom heartache.Forwhat still needed to be done.Itwas an illness that could be felt in her bones and in the matter that connected her to those bones.Thanewas right about one thing: this had to end.Andshe was going to end it.
She made her way toThane’shall.Thesky above her shone with the first blush of daylight.Thestars whispered. “Whereis he?” she demanded of them.
“Waiting,”the stars whispered back.
“Death!”Aurorayelled. “Iknow you can hear me.Showyourself, you coward.”Thesouls cowered in the corners, shivering as the air became thick withDeath’spresence.
Death appeared beforeAuroralike smoke. “Coward?Isthat the best you could come up with?”Hefilled out his form until he was there.Fleshand bone.Hisfeatures shifted and twisted as he walked up to her.Hestood before her with eyes likeThane’s.
“It worked, didn’t it?You’rehere.”Aurorastuck out her chin.Shehad survived a frozen queen, a year in the mortal world, and ten lifetimes of broken hearts.Shecould face a god.Becausethat’s whatDeathwas.Agod like her.
Death smiled at her. “Youyoung gods must do better at hiding your emotions.Thane’swere written all over his face.”
“Thane was there?”Shelet the words slip out before she could stop them.
“Yes.Igave him the night off.Thereis only one soul that needs to be collected tonight.”Deathstalked about the hall. “Hedoes this because of me.”Deathmotioned to the unfinished floor and ceiling. “Hethinks if there is no end to this,Iwill stay away.”
“I don’t care if you don’t like howThanedecorates.That’snot whyIsummoned you.”Aurorastraightened her spine.Thiswas it.Thiswas what she wanted.Anend.
