Chapter 21
Alora
His form slowly crumples, his head hung low, his dark locks forming a veil over his face.
I settle in on the cold, frozen ground and watch the moons drift into the sky. Kina, Caym’s raven, flies gracefully in our direction.
“Tell me what to do.” The words I want to say get caught in my throat. The weight of them feels wrong.
Kina lands, perching on the distant wall of the stone alley. She just sits there, waiting, observing.
A sigh escapes as I watch the moons rise farther into the night sky, their dalliance in the stars the only escape from the moment.
“You know, my mother once told me a tale of two lovers, forced to flee from the one who was eager to snuff them out.”
I’ve lost myself to my turmoil more than enough times to recognize when it’s happening to others. I wish that had been my magic instead of the damned illusion.
His head lifts ever so slightly, his interest clearly piqued.
I begin again, “She would weave the tale so hauntingly beautiful it made my heart ache for the prospect of a love such as that. Devastating.”
I grasp the frayed thread on my sleeve cuff. I watch the gray fiber give way, not putting up much of a fight. Tossing it aside I begin to look around, not used to being open about my family with others.
When I look up, his green eyes are locked on mine. They’re not riddled with tears, but they look weary. Exhaustion is etched into the very framework of his body.
His hypnotic gaze bounces around my face, searching for something. He inhales a shaky breath.
“When I complete the Mors Finalem, it has some unwelcome effects.” His words catch me off guard.
He clears his throat and continues, “I can feel their pain, their memories, as if they’re my own.
So with every death, I grieve their life as if I were them.
It’s unescapable. She had a particularly hard life, and so much hurt. ”
“Oh.” It’s all I can manage. What else do you say to someone who’s dealt with lifetimes of pain?
His lips pull into a soft smile. “It’s hard to explain, but thank you.”
Shock tingles in my scalp. “For what?”
His whisper follows, “For treating me not as the monster you think I am, because I am not he.”
My lungs deflate with his harsh but true words.
“Not long ago, there were those who worshiped the mother goddess with such tales.” He changes the subject, a welcome reprieve because I’m not sure I want to criticize my complicated feelings just yet.
“I haven’t heard the goddess called that in a long time.” I eye him, waiting to see what he says next.
“Two lovers ran to the goddess one night, fleeing from the one who was fated to marry the woman. She hadn’t wanted to marry the nobleman, instead opting to give her heart to a soldier, a great protector.” He recites the tale I’d heard from my mother as a little girl.
I continue the story, picking up where he left off. “The jealous nobleman burned villages in his wake, searching for his betrothed. He didn’t love her, but wanted her dowry and the titles that came with her hand.”
The Devourer quirks his mouth, and something other than sadness peers through his eyes for the first time since moons’ rise. “Yes, he was quite angry with the soldier who was far below the woman’s station. Rumors were that the Lord had even lost a brawl with the soldier, so it infuriated him more.”
Swallowing, I wait for him to continue. The next part is too hard to speak, too saddening.
Kassiel shifts his head to the moons and takes a deep breath.
“But their happiness was cut short when the Lord caught up with them. He struck the soldier with his sword and left him for dead in the street, forcing his bride away.”
I close my eyes, the scene appearing in my mind. I swallow down more emotions. It’s too hard to hear the story, to withstand the memories of my mother stroking my hair as I lay in my bed with Hanin tucked into my side.
Kassiel continues on, “But the lady escaped in the wee hours of the night, fooling her guards. She ran to her beloved and saw he was dying. He told her to leave him, but she’d do no such thing. Instead, she cried over him, begging the great goddess to hear her. And she did.”
A gentle breeze caresses my face, its chill a balm to my flaming soul.
My eyelids flutter open as something warm pulses along my arms. A gentle glow of shimmering light rises off my forearms. My illusion magic glimmers in the dark, illuminating The Devourer and me in tiny flecks of light that bend to create little images of stars dancing and a couple intertwined.
He doesn’t shrink back from my magic like others have. Instead it seems to make his eyes glow brighter. His smile pops open and I think I could fall to my knees at how brilliant it is. It’s breathtaking to see him smile so freely.
“She came to the lovers and wept. A love like theirs was written in the stars. Though she couldn’t heal the soldier, she could make sure they were safe for all eternity, wrapped in each other’s arms.” His voice causes my magic to become more vibrant, warmer.
He leans on his hands and begins to crawl closer to me.
Kassiel sits directly in front of me, his breath landing on my forehead, lips lingering just out of reach.
“So she gathered up the lovers and made them a bridge of starlight, to join the other great tales in the sky. Always safe from the burning envy of the jealous lord. But that wasn’t all she did.”
My chin lifts in question. My mother’s version always ended there.
“She went to her equal, the God of Life, and had him punish the lord. The God of Life saw how much rage this lord had and knew it would only fester, so he placed him in the sky to chase the lovers for eternity, but never cross the barriers between night and day.”
A prickly sensation crawls over me. Obviously this wasn’t the child friendly version of events.
“Does he ever catch them?” I squeak out, suddenly self—conscious. My glowing magic begins to dull, only a soft aura remaining.
“There are tales from old oracles, ancient witches. In my version, no. He doesn’t ever catch them.”
“But?” The question lingers, and I can tell Kassiel doesn’t want to answer by the way he holds his lips closed. My teeth begin to chatter with the lengthening night.
His hands slide to my shoulders and he begins to rub down my arms in an attempt to warm me.
“The condition that the God of Life agreed upon with the Goddess was that every century, the lord would be able to cross the night and remind the lovers of his rage. So once every hundred turns, the soldier and lord fight in the sky until first blood is drawn, and then the lovers can return to their sanctuary.”
He raises to his feet, pulling me up with him.
Blood pools in my legs and I stretch them.
He leads us away from the muddy street. Kina caws and I watch her fly behind us as we make our way out from the labyrinth of streets.
We walk until there's no more bodies, no more cries, just silence and the sound of the night.
Understanding washes over me as I let my gaze linger on the sky, thinking again about the lore that moved Kassiel to his feet..
“You mean the Blood Moons? The great eclipse?!” I whisper—yell.
A chuckle leaves Kassiel’s mouth and he stops along the edge of a building that’s still intact.
His white teeth are revealed with a grin.
They’re a stark comparison to the darkness of the night and I soak up his dazzling smile.
It’s so welcoming I can’t help but raise my lips to his and plant a tender kiss.
Slowly easing back, I feel his hands come behind my head and wrap into my hair. He holds me there, grasping my hair taut and pulls my head farther back, away from him.
I’m stuck, caught like a mouse in his feline gaze. He raises his head, peering down at me over his nose. All I can see is his sharp features and sensual green irises.
“You’re tempting me, little warrior.” He brings his mouth to my ear, still holding on to my hair, exposing my neck to him.
“I thought I could resist you. That I could force you to hate me and it would make our existence easier, but it was inevitable.”
He whispers this and then kisses behind my ear, in the tender place that has my skin pebbling.
“We’ve been doomed to fall into each other’s paths from the beginning of time.” His kisses along my lower jaw until his lips crash into mine.
His hold on my hair loosens and I drag my hands into his. He breaks the kiss. His gaze ignites, sending a trail blazing down to my core.
He watches me like he’s starved and I’m the last meal that he plans to savor.
I glide my hands down to his waistband and grab his belt before looking back into his mesmerizing eyes.
“Tell me you don’t want this, little warrior.” His lips meet mine again, hasty and eager. “Tell me you’re not drawn to me the same way I am to you. Save us both from damnation because I’m not strong enough to do it for us.”
I could pretend that I was a smart woman who made smart decisions. I could pretend that I knew what falling for The Devourer would mean for me and the rest of those I care about. But the truth is, I’m a reckless woman and his kisses make the stars feel closer than they’ve ever been.
“You have me. You should be my perdition, but in these moments, you feel like my salvation. I’m yours.”
“May I touch you, Alora?” He stops, his eyes locked on mine. “I need to know it’s okay to touch the goddess of wrath.”
That damned nickname again, it causes my insides to curl and warm, leaving me wet.
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask.” I practically groan the words against his mouth.
The heady mix of arousal and eroticness of the moment is heightened with his need for consent.
Our teeth clash and our hands move as if on instinct to find the sensitive places, to claim our own truth. It’s exhilarating and frightening at the same time to reveal my vulnerability like this in the shadowed streets.