Chapter 42
The Final Act
BLAKE
Iwatched the final scene of the play from the side stage, covered in Queen Adara’s fake blood. It was just Anna and Caelan on stage now. Anna was stretched out, fake blood spilled across her chest, the fake dagger stuck strategically to her dress.
It was bizarre to watch. Logically, the awareness was there that none of it was real, but the deepest parts of the brain responded as if it were real anyway.
Caelan’s screams were agonizing, his portrayal of King Daodyn visceral and alarming.
Unease was coursing through my veins as I watched him shaking Anna, begging her to awaken.
I had seen this play in parts across the cities of Valyria. It was quite popular, with dozens of versions ranging from tragedies to comedies to mysteries. Naturally, with characters rooted in our own Realm’s tragic existence, we were fascinated with them.
As the scene ended, the audience was silent. No one moved as the lights on the stage dimmed. I held my breath, still stunned by their performance as Queen Adara and King Daodyn.
After several moments of sorrow-filled quiet, the crowd erupted in cheers. The curtains were drawn closed. Eli and several of the stage crew rushed onto the stage.
“That was amazing!” Eli said.
Caelan stood up and I was surprised to see how concerned he looked.
I understood what he was feeling, though.
No matter how many times I had heard it, there would always be something very personal about this play, given that it was about our own ancestors.
Eli slapped him on the back and hugged him as the others congratulated him.
Several of the others also approached me with their congratulations.
I smiled politely and nodded but my attention was still on Caelan and Anna.
“Everyone, hurry to your places for the bow!” Professor Elara called.
There was commotion across the stage and I brushed past the others, trying to get to Anna. I watched as Caelan turned around and looked at her.
“Anna,” he called. “The curtain is closed. You can stop pretending to be dead now.”
She was still lying there as if she were asleep. My pulse quickened and I accidentally knocked into someone rushing past me.
“Sorry,” I muttered, stabilizing them and moving on.
As I neared them, Caelan kneeled beside her, gently shaking her.
“Anna,” he said. “Did you fall asleep or something?”
He shook her harder, and still she did not respond. My heart plunged into my stomach. I reached for her, pulling her into my arms.
“Anna,” I said. “The show is over. Time to wake up.”
Dread took hold within me as I rested my hand over her heart.
It was beating furiously. I let my everi flow into her, trying to steady the rhythm of her body.
I didn't understand what was happening to her.
I tried to harness her quickening everi, but it was out of my control. Her breathing was erratic.
“What’s going on?” Isabella asked, her voice alarmed as she appeared at my side.
A stillness fell around us, and the commotion and excitement quelled as whispers sounded in the background.
“She is not waking up,” Caelan said, his voice hollow.
She was shaking, and whatever was happening in her mind was setting her into a frenzy. I forced more everi into her and sent it throughout her body everywhere I could reach but I couldn't gain access to her mind.
“Damn it.”
“Blake, what’s happening?” Isabella asked.
“I do not know.”
I pulled her close to my body, holding her tightly and infusing her with as much of my everi as I could. She was whispering, her skin feverish.
“Please,” she muttered, “please stop.”
My chest seized. Why would she not wake up?
I touched her cheek, letting my everi oscillate into her body, blending with her own. A wave of relief came over me as I saw her eyes flutter open. They were glazed over and she looked at me like she was a thousand paces away. I pulled her against me, shielding her from everyone around us.
“Okay, everyone,” Eli called. “Anna's awake. Give them some space.”
Isabella sat down behind Anna, her hand on Anna's back, her face solemn. We shared a look of concern before I lifted Anna into my arms.
“Send for me if you need anything,” Isabella called.
I nodded and glimpsed Caelan. He was pale.
I held Anna close to my chest and carried her to my dressing room. I locked the door with my everi and rested her on the chaise lounge.
Her eyes were more focused but her skin and lips were still pale.
I put water to her lips and she took a small sip.
“You do not have to talk about it if you are not ready,” I said. “But I want to know that you are okay.”
When she looked at me, she shook her head slowly.
“I don't know what happened,” she said quietly. “As soon as I finished my line and closed my eyes, I was so tired. And I dreamed. I could feel her, Blake. I could feel Adara in my dreams. She was dying.”
I watched her, wondering if somehow her anxiety about the play had triggered everi exhaustion. It seemed unlikely, but what else could it have been?
She stared blankly into her lap. “I can’t remember what happened, but it’s not right. Something was wrong.”
I sat beside her and pulled her close.
“Anna,” I said, gently stroking her hair. “I think perhaps the intensity of the role resonated too much with your own experiences.”
She frowned as she thought about it.
“You think this was about my mom?” she whispered.
“I do not know, but I swear I will protect you, Anna,” I said. “I will do whatever it takes.”
She touched my face, her action resolute and without the hint of apprehension she usually had.
“Blake,” she said. “I’m…”
Her voice strained.
“I’m so in love with you,” she said, her voice breaking. “I don’t want to lose you.”
I could feel her energy. It was radiating around her. Something was different. I was not sure what, but it was more potent, raw.
“Anna, I am right here,” I said.
She nodded, her face full of sorrow and passion. “May I kiss you?”
Something about the way she asked me for permission stabbed deep in my chest. I leaned down, securing myself around her on the chaise lounge.
“You need never ask my permission,” I said.
Her wide eyes glistened as she relaxed, pulling me closer to her.
I kissed her, gently at first, to which she eagerly responded.
Her lips were saying all the words she could not get out.
Whatever she experienced had put her on edge—her desperation, the need to live every moment she had, the need to feel everything she could.
She was insatiable—she even tasted of need as her mouth moved against mine.
Her feral kisses were deep and long, like she was enjoying making me wait.
Her hands braced my neck, sure to never let me get too far as I shifted to free myself of the belt restraining me.
She moved with me, her firm thighs gripping tightly at my waist. The skirt of her dress was already at her waist; her thighs wet with need as I removed her undergarment.
Usually, I maintained some form of control, but right now, there was only her grinding her hips against mine. Her mouth was my sanctuary, her body my art, and her entryway my drug of choice.
Her entire body was braced to receive me, her back arched and supported by her elbows pressed deeply into the velvet emerald of the chaise lounge when three deep raps sounded at the door.
“Come on, you two! Everyone’s waiting for you!” Isabella called.
“Hmmmm,” I growled, against her throat.
Anna was a picture of grace and sexuality as her thick lashes fluttered. A small smile formed on her lips. I smiled, kissing her, then her throat, and her lips again, before I traced the curve of her jaw to her ear.
“Anna,” I whispered. “You must never seduce me when my guard is down again.”
Her lips glided against my throat, making the ache for her painful.
“What makes you think I’ll let you put it back up?” she whispered.
I ground my hips against her one last time. “Make no mistake, the next time I take you there will be no restraint.”
If she kept this act up, she’d be in control of not just me, but the entirety of Falls Kingdom one day.