“You looked like you needed to just get everything off your chest.” She smiles, stepping away from me.
Typical Mom. Taking my burdens from me, even now. I don’t understand how I’ve survived so long without her. Because I really did need to just get it all off my chest. And now I feel so much lighter.
“I promise I’ll come back,” I whisper.
“I love you, Daisy Duke.”
“I love you too, Mom. So much.”
Fat tears streamdown my face as I watch her turn and walk away, the soft golden glow swallowing her until nothing but the faint smell of her remains behind. A sob breaks from my chest, but this time it’s not one of pain. She’s okay, she’s happy, she’s radiant. And she’s still with me—even if I can’t always see her. Something inside me shifts, a crack I’d grown used to carrying feels like sunshine is slowly filtering through.
“Daisy?” I turn to see Sariya smiling at me from the garden arch. I rise from the seat I’d been sitting on with my mother and walk toward her, wiping away the tears from my cheeks.
“Can I hug you?” I sniffle.
She doesn’t hesitate. She pulls me into her embrace, stroking my hair with a tenderness that feels like home.
“Death is painful for mortals,” she whispers. “I hope seeing your mother and knowing she is well has lightened the burden of your grief. You are welcome to return here any time you wish.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “You have no idea how much that healed a part of me I thought was gone forever.”
She pulls back, her smile kind. “Come now, it’s getting late. You need rest before your wedding tomorrow.”
My stomach knots. The word wedding slamming me back into reality. I nod quietly, following her out of the garden.
I’m lying in bed,staring at the ceiling. It shifts faintly, mimicking the sky outside. The realm of Solara never truly darkens, but it feels dark tonight. Maybe it’s the silence, or the heavy weight on my chest. The shifting light reminds me of the orb Korithax got me for Christmas, which now sits in an abandoned apartment I’m not sure I’ll ever see again. I wonder if it’s already been emptied out by the landlord since I didn’t get a chance to pay my rent before being whisked away.
Seeing my mom felt like a fever dream. Part of me still doesn’t believe it really happened. But she was there. I felt her, and I can still feel her touch on my skin, her lingering scent still clinging to me. The soft vanilla and honey smell. A comfort I’d long forgotten.
Tomorrow, everything changes. A part of my life—my freedom, my identity—is going to shift forever. And that scares the shit out of me. I don’t have a choice anymore; I signed a contract. And I doubt Korithax would let me go back on it now. In fact, I know he wouldn’t; he made that very clear when he pinned me down to the bed, his voice cold and cruel. My mind trails back to my mother’s words:
“That’s not true, sweet girl. You’ll see.”
“Things are coming.”
“You’re going to change everything.”
Cryptic as ever. What had she seen? What could I do that would change everything so drastically?
I’m so tired of confusion, of the grumpy, towering demon whose every word seems to undo me. Could I ever have a happy ending with Korithax? Could I love him?
I think maybe I could. At least a part of me does. That kiss in the shower lit something inside of me. I let myself imagine being happy with him in that moment, let myself imagine a long lifetime of being by his side. How naive of me.
The door creaks open,making me jolt upright with a gasp.
Framed in the doorway, backlit by the hues of the sunset outside, stands Korithax. He doesn’t speak, he doesn’t move. He just stares at me, his face unreadable as he sways gently where he’s standing.
“Korithax?” I mumble.
He swallows so loudly I can hear it. Still, he says nothing. A silent, unmoving force that seems to be radiating an energy I can’t quite decipher. I slowly climb out of bed, my silk nightgown clinging to my skin. It barely covers anything, but I don’t care. Something feels off.
“Korithax… talk to me.”
He steps into the room, shutting the door behind him. Then another step. Is he… stumbling? I blink, taking in the mess of his appearance. His hair’s tousled, some of it half-wrapped around one of his curved horns. His eyes look exhausted.
“Are you drunk?”
“Well…” He gives me a crooked grin. “Gotta have a bachelor party, right?”
