He raised his glass, and I joined him in a toast. “One day, I will.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
My father and I had talked for hours when a knock came from the door. I was unsure how time worked in this place, but it did not matter. Nothing would ever be enough to make up for what we lost.
“It is time.”
A beautiful woman stood in the doorway, an ethereal glow outlining her generous curves. Long, fire-red locks fell to her hips, in stark comparison to her pale white skin. She wore resplendent robes of emerald, cinched at the waist by thick golden cords. They whispered across the floor as glided inside my father’s study.
“Of course,” he murmured, dipping his chin. His smile faded ast his gaze swept along the room, stopping on me.
It had always been impossible to know what he was thinking. Throughout my childhood I had seen his emotions kept carefully guarded. I had never understood why or how he could do it.
It was not until his passing that I understood how valuable of a skill it could be.
But the problem I found was not knowing when to let people in. I had become accustomed to letting them see what I wanted them to see, which was often the mirror to their own desires.
I set the empty glass on the floor before standing. There were details I had forgotten, intentionally erased to lessen the pain of his loss. Now that I had a second chance, I refused to leave without committing them to memory.
“Rion,” my father began, rising from the chair. He said nothing and shifted on his feet nervously.
Truthfully, I was just as nervous to walk out the door. I did not know what waited for me on the other side. What if, after everything, Calia had not made it? What if my blood had not been enough to give her the chance she needed?
Without warning, my father stepped forward and pulled me into his embrace. “You will be okay,” he whispered, holding me tighter than before. “And take comfort knowing Calia will be, too.” He pulled back and cupped my cheeks, pressing a kiss to my temple as he had when I was a boy. “I am so proud of the man you have become, son. You have surpassed every expectation or dream I ever had for you.”
“I do not want to forget this,” I replied, voice cracking.
He shook his head. “Nor do I, but I pray that even if you do, some place in your heart will remember the truth of what I have told you this evening.” He placed his hand over my heart. “You are worthy of love, Rion, but you must be the one to accept it. Otherwise, you will ruin your happiness before you can embrace it.”
My father stepped back, wiping a tear from his cheek. He slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Take good care of my son,” he told the woman.
In return, she offered him a dazzling smile that seemed to erase even my fears. Whoever she was, I knew I would be safe with her on my journey back to Calia. “As though he were my own,” she swore, extending her hand to me.
I took it, letting her lead me to the doorway. Stepping over the threshold, I turned and stared at the man I had reveredmy entire life. “This was a gift,” I said, hardly noticing how the woman squeezed my hand. “One I will be forever grateful for.”
My father dipped his chin. “Until we meet again, son.”
The woman tugged on my hand, and I followed her down a long, white marble corridor lined with ornately fashioned doors. Each was different; a collage of various materials, colors, and designs. Some towered over me, tall enough to fit a being five times my size, while others would scarcely fit a child.
“This is amazing,” I said, marveling at the unique differences in the gateways.
“It is,” the woman agreed, allowing us to keep meandering at the same pace as I satiated my curiosity. Neither of us spoke again until we stopped at the end of the hallway marked by a massive entryway.
It would have almost seemed plain next to the other doorways if not for the startling color. Crafted from pure gold, it seemed to change and shift depending on the angle at which you took it in.
“There is something on the other side that may upset you,” the woman began, gauging my reaction.
Immediately, my thoughts wandered to Calia, wondering if she would be waiting for me. I did not want to return to a life amongst the living if she was not there.
“It is imperative that you do not engage, no matter the lies it speaks.” Her tone was annoyed as she added, “And believe me, this particular soul will do anything to get your attention.”
She pushed open the doors, and I raised my hand to block the blinding light that shone through. Someone screamed my name, their voice raw and broken from overuse and agony. Chains clattered against the ground, intensifying my curiosity about what they might hold.
As the image came into focus, I saw a dirty figure chained to a hanging ring in the center of the room. They were naked,balanced on the balls of their feet as a woman clad in all black circled them like prey. She held cat o’ a nine tails in her grip, flicking the plaited leather to clean it of her victim’s blood.
“Goddess,” the woman in black purred, mockingly bowing at the waist. “Have you come to see my work?”
The goddess next to me smiled, though it did not reach her eyes. “I do not relish pain as you do, Lilith, though there are times I wish I did.”
