Page 49 of King of the Damned
My abdomen burns when I move, and after I slip my robe over my shoulders, I lift the hem of my nightgown to find that the werewolf’s deep claw marks have faded into a thin layer of healing pink skin. There is little evidence of the grueling injury that may be fading on the surface–but is forever burned into my memory.
To know that such pain and suffering preceded the slow deaths of my father and brother makes my stomach ill. I swallow the bile creeping up my throat and leave my room. My body aches as I walk, so I have to slow down my pace to ease the discomfort. It does little to help.
I feel weak and feverish, hot and cold. Waves of nausea and headaches pass through my system one after another, giving me no reprieve.
Finally, I see him.
He’s on the balcony, hunched over the thick stone railing, standing in the pouring rain. Lightning dances across the sky and thunder booms over the palace, shaking the floor under my bare feet. It must keep him from hearing me.
When I step onto the balcony myself, the cold rain instantly soaks me to the bone, making my aches worse and my shivers nearly unbearable. I reach for him, resting my hand gently on his shoulder. He spins, clutching my wrist tightly in his as he faces me, looking as if I’ve genuinely startled him.
“Adelasia,” he breathes, almost with relief in his voice, though his face shows concern. “What are you doing out here? You should be resting. You–”
His train of thought is interrupted by me throwing myself into his arms. I begin to sob into his chest. He doesn’t embrace me back, but he allows me to hold him in the dense rain. “You came for me…” I whisper into his neck, so afraid that this is a dream and I’m still in the forest. Still cold and alone and an inch from death.
Finally, he wraps his arms around me, matching my embrace. He very gently lifts me and carries me through the doorway, shielding us from the rain. He holds me against the cold wall of the hallway so I no longer have to stand on my weak legs.
“Of course I did,” he breathily whispers as he presses our foreheads together. “If there was ever a moment where you doubted that, then I must spend the rest of my days restoring your faith in me.”
The strands of hair that frame his face drip cold water onto his cheeks, and I brush the hair away so I can see him in all his vampiric, splendid beauty.
“I’m sorry I ran,” I whisper in shame.
His shoulders seem to melt away centuries of tension at my apology. “Please never do it again. I’ve lived for over a thousand years and nothing has ever terrified me more than the state I found you in.”
“How did you know I was in the river?”
He doesn’t answer me, but I watch his jaw tighten at my question as if he’s trying to find the answer himself. But then, he gently presses his lips to mine. The pain melts away, as does the fear and my conflicting feelings for him.
He gently breaks the kiss, because we both know there are fractures in our story that cannot be fixed with intimacy. I need truth. I need trust.
“Do you still intend to kill me?” I ask softly.
“No,” he whispers absolutely. “I made a deal with the Dark Goddess to ensure you would remain breathing. You will not live a short life, Adelasia.”
“You…made a deal withEternity? You spoke to a goddess…to spare me?” I ask. He shows me his arm and I gently pull up his sleeve to see the lines of the blood vow interwoven with the black line of a broken promise he once showed me. “What was the deal?”
“A soul for a soul.”
“Whose soul?”
He uses his hand to cup the back of my head, holding me up with the other. His lips ghost against mine. “So long as it’s not yours, I do not care.”
I swallow. Is there really no one else he cares for that he would make such a deal to save me? “What about Amatisi? You would defy her and remain cursed for me? Why?”
Kaius’ face suddenly hardens into a stoicism I haven’t seen in weeks. But within that mask, I see vulnerability, too.
“You know why, my sweet agony. Do not pretend otherwise. She will come for you. For us. She will use her wicked magic to try and tear us apart. She will torture us with our greatest horrors and drown us in the fear of being apart. But she will never take you from me. Do you understand?”
“But what if—”
“Shhh.” He quiets me with a soft kiss on my cheek. “Do you understand?”
I nod my head, and Kaius has to hold me steady, as I still feel lightheaded and weak standing on my own. One of his arms wraps around my torso, so we are chest-to-chest, and with the other hand, he lifts my hand to his mouth, pressing his lips to my knuckles.
“I have a favor to ask,” I start.
“Anything.”
