11. Brom
ELEVEN
Brom
Footsteps on the bridge reach me and I dismount Death. I walk around the path’s corner and there she is. She runs into my arms, flinging hers around my neck as she holds me tight.
“He gave it to me,” she says. “I don’t know what staying with you means, and I don’t know what happens when I give this to you. I won’t keep it from you, but if you disappear . . .”
“I won’t disappear, sweet bird.” She beams at my words, and I take her in under the moonlight. “I want you to come with me, Iris.”
“Come with you where?”
“To the Underworld. My home.”
“I’d give up everything here . . .”
“Not even a bit, my love.” Her brow furrows, and I explain, “There are portals. Mine only allows me to come to Sleepy Hollow because of the curse. We are free to roam wherever you wish after I have the talisman.”
“Tell me what happens, please.”
“I understand your hesitation, little bird. There’s nothing I won’t do if it means providing you with a full life.
” I take her hand in mine and walk her toward the stallion.
He’s sleek and all black, a powerhouse. I rest her hand on his side, and she strokes him with care.
“This is Death.” He gives a snort and bob of his head.
“Death as in . . .”
“The fourth Horseman. Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. I will take over and fulfill my duties once I am freed of this curse.”
“Why?”
“I do not know. It was bestowed upon me after my murder. I imagine it is for just and righteous revenge, but I cannot speak for the gods.” She turns to me and her hand falls to her side.
“I thought the horse of Death was pale in the stories?”
“Mere tales. Our horses come in all breeds and colors as the Horsemen are chosen. Death was my warhorse when I was alive. He was with me when I died and came to me in the afterlife. The bond is unbreakable.”
“They killed your horse?” She’s appalled, rightfully so.
“They were evil people. Some still are and carry that hatred with them into the next generations.” She reaches up and takes a necklace off from around her neck, but before giving it to me, she opens it up.
“You really did love her,” she notes, but not with bitter jealousy or negative emotion.
“I did.” I let her admire it. The shiny silver calls to me to take it, but I don’t rush her.
“I’m sorry for all that you’ve endured for the sake of love.”
“It’s okay. I’ve been given a second chance it seems.”
“Katrina doesn’t walk with you in the afterlife?”
“Little bird,” I say, not wanting to voice the absurdity but needing to explain.
“I loved her in many ways, but she didn’t reciprocate all of them.
She chose family over me and with that, she lived a long life.
I watched over her still, kept my word and followed through on my curse.
But she found love in her arrangement, and I don’t hold it against her.
I simply want to rest. I want this to be over. ”
“The papers . . .”
“Show me the journal.” She reaches into her bag and pulls it out, handing it to me in a swift motion. I flip through the pages, knowing exactly which Van Tassel this belonged to. “This was Katrina’s.”
“Katrina? But I thought it was . . .”
“Many do, but no, this is her delicate penmanship.” I recall the letters we wrote to each other when we couldn’t see each other for days on end.
This exact script filled pages and pages with supposed love for me.
“What’s missing details our love for each other.
One of the bases for my beheading was that it was nonconsensual, coercion that I forced upon her.
All lies, but I couldn’t defend that. She chose to side with them and let them do their bidding for the sake of protection and inheritance.
She wouldn’t run away with me even after her father discovered the letters and journal. Those pages are long lost, I fear.”
“Why would they treat you this way?”
“Why would bad men treat anyone the way that they do?”
She nods in understanding and stands on her tiptoes to place the talisman around my neck.
It thrums against my chest and my eyes close.
I’m at peace. A ripple of wind pushes around us and out across the town.
It’s finally over. My reach is far and wide.
I can feel my soul stepping into its position as the fourth Horseman.
I capture her face in my hands and kiss her slow and deep. She tastes like the stars. She is my freedom.
“You won’t fall, but I need you. Now.” I lift the bag from her shoulders and throw it to the ground. Picking her up, I place her over my saddle and lay her back. I’ve been dying to taste her again.
With her legs spread open for me, she holds onto the saddle, and I lick through her center. She’s warm, wet, and delicious. She tastes sweet and salty.
I focus on her clit, licking slow circles while I tease her entrance with my finger. It’s even better than before, the way she writhes and begs with her body.
“Brom, I want to come. Please let me come,” she begs, a whine in her voice.
I plunge two fingers into her depths and her tight pussy squeezes around me.
I stroke slow and long as I bring her to the edge.
Her arousal is a sharp, sweet taste on my tongue, and I only want to eat her for the rest of her days.
“That’s just the beginning, little bird.
” I withdraw my fingers and lick them clean.
“We need to get you out of here before they come for you.” I reach up and help her sit on Death more appropriately.
I throw myself onto behind Iris. I lean down and kiss her head, catching the scent of her shampoo. She’s intoxicating all around.
I pull her close to me and take the reins, gently kicking Death’s side. I hear shouts from down the pathway, but there isn’t an angry mob, just a lone man. And when I look back, I see Kurt Van Tassel at the bridge.
“Wait!” he calls again, running across the wooden planks. “Wait, I need to say something!” Iris looks past me and sees him, too.
“Kurt, what are you doing here?”
“Mr. Van Brunt.” He’s winded and bends over to catch his breath.
“I need to apologize for my family’s actions.
For centuries, they’ve mistreated you, but more than that, they shouldn’t have killed you for love.
I’m sorry that I upheld their ways and kept you here longer than you deserved.
It wasn’t right.” Kurt stands fully as he takes in deep breaths.
“I’ll take the punishment of stealing the talisman from my father, but know Iris was what caused me to see the change I needed to see.
Beyond the town that I do care about, it was about the initial injustice long before today. ”
“Kurt,” I start, turning Death to face him. “Your apology is accepted, though it is not needed. I always knew you’d be the change. You’re different from your father and his father’s father. Remember that when it comes to making decisions for and about yourself.”
“You have to go. My father already knows it’s missing. I just needed to say that.”
“Kurt,” Iris says. “Thank you.” With her parting words, I rear back on Death and make for my portal. I’ll sweep Iris away from this cruel place and I won’t let anyone bring her harm, for I am the devil that rides at night. I am the feared Headless Horseman of Death.
We get to the edge of the forest when I hear him. Jacob Van Tassel yells for us, and when I look back, he’s on horseback and gaining on us. Kurt’s efforts to slow his father do little, and I kick Death into high gear. My portal isn’t far, but I fear we won’t make it in time.
Iris’s arms are tight around my waist and she’s burrowed into my backside.
“Don’t let him catch us,” she pleads to me.
“I won’t,” I promise her. I snap the reins hard and kick my feet against Death. Jacob Van Tassel will be lost to what lurks in these woods if he crosses the veil.
I can see the portal ahead, and Iris peeks out from behind me. Sensing my arrival, the tree begins to open.
“Don’t let go, and don’t look back.” My warning is met with a tight squeeze and her face burying into my shoulder blades. She listens well.
I pull up on the reins as we approach, and Death makes a leap for the opening. Through time, we travel into my world, and when I look over my shoulder, Van Tassel is kicking himself as his horse whinnies and comes to a halt.
“I’ll stop you one day, Horseman!” he shouts just beyond the veil. I say nothing as we land in my pasture and the portal closes behind us.
We are safe, but more importantly, we are home.