AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Then there's the way her eyes lit up when she discovered that Valeria stabbed me with my own blade. Alice is incredibly intelligent and deductive. She’d put the pieces together and had known I hesitated because Valeria wasn’t just some random woman. She was my soulmate.
It’s why she left Valeria a letter. It's why she fought to keep her here. Why she kept her secret from me. She didn’t want history to repeat itself. Only this time it wouldn't be my spellbindingbreaking or some accident. Alice thought I'd kill her to get back at the Elf Lord.
At least with Jade, I know it wasn’t entirely my fault. I still hold myself accountable, but I know some of the circumstances were out of my control. Had I killed Valeria out of spite, or revenge, there was no one else to blame but me. Her death would’ve weighed ten times as much on my soul.
My mind spirals as I stand in the same spot until the day draws to a close. Bringing the whiskey bottle to my lips, I find it empty and curse under my breath. It’s been hours since Kai left. We’re past the deadline, and it won’t be long now until the rest of the servants and castle staff that live in the village and not within the servant’s quarters return. I’m not sure what I’ll say to them when they stroll by, happy as can be, mumbling hellos, oblivious to the hell I've unleashed upon myself.
Kai should be back by now.
I have to do something, but there’s no right move. If Valeria leaves Vanderlyth, I die. The treaty will be broken, and my life will be its penance for going back on our word. Until I find a loophole, she has to stay there, but I can’t even examine the wording until he returns. That’s saying I can find a loophole at all.
The only thing I know for sure is there’s no way in hell I can go through with this. Valeria deserves to be happy, and seeing as she’s Jade reincarnated, Jade damn well deserves the world after what I did to her.
Valeria won’t remember her past life. No one ever does, but I do. Fuck, I’m certain my heart recognized her… I should’ve noticed. I should’ve listened to it.
But I can’t take back what’s been done, so how do I fix this? How do I keep her safe?
If she can’t come here, then I’ll have to go to her, and the only way Elcrys will let me be in his brand new kingdom is to not bea threat. The puzzle pieces fall into place, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt what I have to do. Standing up from the stone step, magic swarms around me, making Hell Hold disappear and Grim’s Keep come into existence.
I barely make it through the front food before Griffin is gliding down the stairs. “What happened?” He looks past me, his brows drawing together when he doesn’t find what he’s looking for. “Where's Valeria?”
Digging the folded parchment from my pocket, I hold it out to him. “ I need you to come with me,” I say, brushing past him on the stairs. I don’t stop until I’m on the second floor, digging through the drawers of the desk in my office.
My fingers graze on rough stone and I pull the tablet from the drawer, placing it on the wooden surface of the desk. Grim did this for me. Now, I’ll do it for him.
Yanking my dagger from the sheath on my hip, I reopen the wound on my hand and clench my fist until my blood pools on the desk.
“What are you doing?” Griffin asks, breathless as he reaches the room. “And what the hell? Why would you let her go back there?”
“It wasn’t my choice.” The words are cold, emotionless, but it’s what I’ll need to be. What I have to be to save her. “Come here.” With a single finger, I draw a sigil, using my blood as ink, and write Griffin's name on the stone face.
“What is that?” he growls, leaning away from the desk like the tablet will bite him.
The blood turns into a bright yellow light, illuminating every stroke I made, then fizzles out and the stone wobbles before disappearing all together.
“It hid itself. Only you will know where it is. It should’ve spoken to you.”
Griffin swallows hard, his face pale as he nods. “It did.”
“Don’t be scared of it. It sounds meaner than it is.” I cross the room, gripping his hand and pulling up his sleeve. The moment my fingers meet his skin, the sigil I drew scars on his wrist. The smell of burnt flesh fills my nose as Griffin yelps and jerks his hand back, eyeing the shape that matches one of the various scars on my chest.
“Gods, Asmo. What is going on? And what was thething?”He stares at me, his chest rising and falling with every jagged breath.
“It’s a titan. Its bones support this keep, and its spirit is what enchants the wall. It lives below ground, existing just like the gargoyles. It’s how I knew to tether them. Should something happen, you can call upon it. It’ll wreck the keep again, but it might save you should someone invade, buy you time to get everyone out.”
“Why are you telling me this? What happened at the meeting?” He tosses his hands, storming toward me. “Just spit it out.”
“Valeria went to the Elven Islands so that a treaty could be made, but she’s my soulmate, Griffin. She can’t come back, and I won’t live here without her. So, the keep is yours. Congratulations,LordMorningstar. Please look after it.”
Griffin hasn’t moved—hasn’t blinked.
“Did you hear me?”
He nods, slowly trying to regain his composure. “I don’t want to be a lord.”
“Well, you became one the moment that tablet disappeared.” Stepping closer, I rest my hand on his arm, shooting him a flatline smile. “I’m not sure what’s going to come next, but I trust you to look after the gargoyles. I wouldn’t have left the keep to you if I didn’t.”
“But Valeria… How?” He shakes his head, his mouth opening and closing as if he’s trying to form the words.
