Page 27 of A Realm of Fire and Ash

He sinks into my lap, wrapping his arm around my neck. "Do you doubt me?"

"Forgive me." I take a shuddering breath, my voice thick with emotion. For not trusting him,andfor what I'll be forced to do.

Agony bleeds into my chest. I grip his face, and we meet in a clash of teeth and tongues, desperation radiating out of us both. He kisses me long and deep, as if it's the last time, and he weeps into my embrace, knowing exactly what he's asking of me.

And for the first time in my life, it's me who will need to earn his redemption, even if it destroys us both in the end.

* * *

The soft roseglow of the setting sun casts long, even shadows across the tiled floor. The sharp smell of metal and dying flower petals drift through our windows, carried on a slow breeze.

I lift my head from the pillow and yawn, bracing my weight on an elbow as Caius stirs in his sleep, his dark, silky hair flopping into his eyes. His breathing is steady and deep, a soft snore sawing through the night as he slips deeper into dreamland.

I slide out of the covers and pad my way to my desk, a piece of furniture I crafted myself from the old timber on the North end of the island. The heavy table lamp, with its hand-painted shade, bathes the room with a warmth over everything it touches.

The second drawer from the bottom creaks as I ease it open, the smooth wood whispering with each turn. Buried at the very back is an old parchment with a name written in script I'd recognize everywhere, in any language.

Morte.

The long-burned wax seal cracks and flakes away as I carefully read the scroll, my last hope to re-interpret the words. A mercy, I pray, but my stiff heart won't allow me the luxury of such an emotion.

When a virgin phoenix falls,

Her blood does hold a hidden call,

To those who taste its flaming hue,

Their bond forever true.

But not all who taste her flame,

Will feel this bond and take its name,

Only the chosen few will see,

The bond that's meant to be.

Loathing consumes one lover whole,

And he plots to take control,

He schemes to end her fate,

With a wicked, malevolent hate.

As he's distracted by this strife,

His enemies plot to take his life,

Leaving him to face the fight,

All on his own, with all his might.

I never believed in what was written here; it sounds too far-fetched, but the implications of the words horrify me. Here I am, ready to betray the one person I love. The dark truth of what must be done sends a chill through my bones, my chest hollow, and my soul, dry and brittle.

I grip the edge of the desk with my hand, sinking under the strain of my grief. Each of my sobs rises like a tempest and I can barely breathe. I can do it; for I must do it. Such is the way of life in the underworld, where everything comes with a price.

Not even I am immune.

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