Chapter 35 Rose
ROSE
When I opened my eyes, I stood in a dense, dark forest with trees covered in thick black sludge.
It dripped from leaves and corrupted the ground around me, turning the land into a nightmarish scene.
Shadowy creatures bared fangs at me from the branches and flew overhead, letting out shrill cries that made a shiver run across my skin.
There was no hint that this had ever been a living forest—it had been completely overtaken by the darkness, probably some time ago.
Something large moved behind me, and I spun around to face the beast my husband had become. “Raith!”
“You do not belong here,” his icy voice said. He towered over me, his shadowy wings flared wide, but didn’t make a move to attack me.
“I belong wherever you are.” I swallowed my fear as I took a step forward, confident he would never harm me.
Cold waves of darkness rolled off him and disappeared into the night, while his lightning eyes crackled with power. “You left me.”
The rough pain in his voice broke my heart. “Only for a few days, and it was a mistake I won’t make again. I’m here now and I’m not leaving, but I need you to return to me. Cast out the darkness and become the man I love once more.”
He let out a haughty laugh. “That man is gone forever.”
“He’s not. He’s still inside you.” I took a step closer, hoping he would see the love in my eyes. “Come back to me, Raith. Please.”
“No.”
I bit my lip as I moved closer to him, trying to show I wasn’t afraid, even though cold sweat dripped down my back.
“I’m sorry I left. Oren brought me a letter from my sister telling me my father was gravely ill.
When I teleported there, I discovered I was too late.
My father was already gone.” I bowed my head, the grief rising back to the surface, and my voice wavered with my next words.
“I would have returned sooner if not for that, and I missed you terribly the entire time. Even after everything you said. And now…” I drew in a breath and reached for his clawed hand, but he pulled away.
“Both my parents are gone, my sisters are far away, and I need you more than ever, Raith.”
“Rose…” He bent over as if in pain and then the darkness folded in on itself, rushing back inside his body until my husband stood before me, fully human once again. He stumbled forward, and I caught him in my arms.
He looked up at me and lightly touched my face. “What are you doing here? I told you to leave me.”
“And I ignored your order, as usual. I came back as soon as I could.”
“I’m sorry about your father.” He straightened up and pulled away from me. “But I wish you’d stayed away.”
“You remember what happened while you were in your shadow form this time?”
“I do, unfortunately.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I tried to stop it. I tried to protect my people. But the darkness broke free, and now everyone knows the truth. The things I’ve done…” He shook his head, and his voice held so much agony it made my heart clench. “I should give up the throne.”
“You will do no such thing.” I propped my hands on my hips. “Ilidan needs you as its king, and that beast back there wasn’t truly you.”
“You’re wrong,” he said, his voice hollow. “It was me. All of it.”
“I don’t believe that, and the important thing is that I’m here now. Together we can break this curse, cast out the darkness, and make the kingdom safe again.”
He scowled. “And how do you think we’ll do that?”
“I’m not sure yet, but we’ll figure something out. I know we can find a way to save you.”
“Foolish girl. That’s where you’re wrong.
” He leaned forward, pinning me with his cold gaze.
“I am made of shadows and ruin and nothing more. My heart is full of darkness, yet you wish to be its queen. You may think you can bring light to the dark corners of my soul, but you’re wrong. There is no saving me. Not from this.”
Once again he was trying to intimidate me and push me away, but I wouldn’t have it anymore.
I poked a finger at his chest, over his heart.
The heart I knew wasn’t as dark as he’d claimed.
“No, you’re the one who’s wrong. I am your queen, and I will find a way to end this curse, because I am never giving up on you. ”
I took hold of his shirt and yanked him toward me, then slanted my mouth across his.
He let out a low groan as he kissed me back, while his hands grasped my upper arms, his fingers digging into my skin.
Passion unfurled between us, along with something more, something that bound us to one another, tying our fates together forever.
“You’re the most infuriating woman,” he said, as his hands moved up to slide into my hair, pulling my mouth back to his for another rough kiss.
“And you’re the most impossible man.”
“What a match we are.” He gazed into my eyes, his thumb stroking my lower lip. “I love you, Rose.”
My breath caught. “You do?”
“Sun and Moon help me, but I do.”
Emotion filled my eyes with tears, and I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my lips. “I never thought I’d hear you say those words to me.”
“And I never thought I would say them again.” His breath rushed out of him, along with his confession.
“The truth is, I’ve loved you from the first moment we met, when you tried to use that feeble spell against me.
There was never any doubt I’d choose you as my wife and not one of your sisters.
When I asked for volunteers, I knew you’d step forward.
You’re the only one I want, and though I’ve tried to fight it this entire time, I can’t deny it any longer.
When you left, I worried I’d lost you forever, just as I’d lost Silena.
That’s when I let the darkness take over. I couldn’t fight it any longer.”
I took his face in my hands. “You can still fight it, and now you’ll have me beside you. Our magic is stronger together. And I love you too, more than I ever imagined.”
“Rose—” he started, but then his body tensed, and a ragged cry escaped his throat.
“Raith!” I cried, clutching his arm. “What’s happening?”
He looked at me with a tormented expression as darkness burst from his skin, smothering him in shadows.
No, I couldn’t let him turn into that beast again!
I summoned spheres of light in my palms, but then I hesitated, worried I might hurt him.
But as I watched, I realized the darkness was leaching from his skin, leaving his body and swirling high into the air.
As the last of it left Raith, it gathered above us and then rushed east through the forest, streaking across the night sky.
When it was over, I studied Raith, but he didn’t appear to be any different. “What was that?”
“I don’t know.” He smoothed a hand down his chest, and then looked up at me. “But I feel a lot…lighter. I think that shadowy part of myself is gone.”
“How?”
He frowned. “I’m not sure.”
I glanced east, where the forest was so thick with darkness it was hard to make out anything at all. “I think we need to follow it.”
Raith’s jaw clenched. “No. I can’t.”
“We’re near where Silena died, aren’t we?” I asked softly, causing him to look away sharply. “That’s when you said all of this started, after her death. The darkness must be going there.”
“I will not return to that place.”
“It might be the only way to stop this. I’ll be by your side the entire time. Together, we’ll face whatever we find there.”
He drew in a long breath and reluctantly nodded. It took him a moment to pull himself together, but then he stood tall and smoothed his hands over his black clothing, composing himself before setting forth toward the place where this all began—and where it would end tonight.