To fall from such a height—knowing what was to come, but not knowing when. I was falling now, and the terror had faded, leaving only the quiet ache of knowing the crash was inevitable, but when?
The door rattled slightly, and Grim’s voice broke through the silence.
“Tempest? Are you ready to eat?”
The soft hum of music drifted in from the dining room—a melody so haunting and bittersweet, it dripped of honey-sweet memory. It curled around me, a veil of fog, velvety and suffocating, each note laced with a sorrow that didn’t belong to this moment.
My heart thudded against my ribs, too full and too fragile, as if it might slip out of me entirely.
This song… I knew it.
The same one the orchestra had played in 1945, when I’d danced beneath crystal chandeliers in a black ball gown that shimmered with the ruinous beauty of spilled ink. When the air smelled of perfume and snowfall, and I spun in the arms of a stranger wearing a mask crafted of raven feathers.
That night, the world had paused.
And between the flicker of candlelight and the hush of winter, I had given Death a name. And he had almost kissed me beneath the soft fall of snow.
twenty-seven
Grim
How many times would I cave to the whimsical and beautiful creature before me? How many more times would I fall helplessly for the woman I could never have? If I had any integrity, I would tell her the truth.
All good things must come to an end. Yet with each day spent in her presence, I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to let go.
A century ago, I’d made the choice, knowing full well that the future me would struggle to forget it all. But what of the balance? It was easier if she hated me, easier to believe she was better off without me. But I couldn’t deny that it was hard—hard to stay away. One look at her across the dinner table, and my world tilted off its axis. I had no qualms about who I was, the shadows I cast, or the eerie lore surrounding my existence. Someone had to reap the fallen and guide them to the next world.
But Astoria… Astoria had a way of shattering the beliefs I’d spent a lifetime constructing.
It was maddening.
I was fucked. Completely and utterly fucked.
“Why Iceland?” she asked, breaking the silence. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and my eyes caught the glimmer of a necklace—silver chain glinting in the soft light.
“It’s quiet,” I replied, my voice steady, though I felt everything within me stir. “Not many pass on here. Not like other places.”
One hundred and seven humans die per minute, six thousand three hundred ninety per hour, and one hundred fifty-three thousand per day. I watched Fate take such joy in her solitude that I thought it might be nice to have my own space. A place to escape the endless parade of souls. Not that I had time for such idleness.
I had no time to squander, yet I found myself sitting at the table across from her anyways.
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the simple chain around her neck, wondering if I could get her to laugh just enough to reveal the charm hidden behind the neckline of her shirt.
“Does loud bother you?”
“It’s not the volume,” I said, taking another bite of food that had no taste. “Souls have a way of finding me if I don’t find them first. And sometimes, it can be…”
My breath caught as the memory of how torn I’d let myself become a few days ago clawed its way back.
“A lot?” she finished, her voice light, but her eyes sharp as she waved her fork, pulling me back into the moment. “Is that what happened the other night?”
I shoveled another bite of roasted carrots into my mouth, trying not to think about it, wondering if she’d always worn that necklace and I’d never noticed before. But that couldn’t be. I noticed everything.
“Grim!” she barked, her laugh vibrant and alive. “What happened the other night?” She was on her second glass of wine; I’d kept track because she hardly drank, and I wanted to be sureshe stayed sharp. Not that the damned curse would let her fall easily.
“When I linger too long, away…” I pushed my plate aside, reaching for my own glass, avoiding her eyes for a moment. “They grow restless. And there’s not much I can do to keep them at bay. I went too long ignoring my duty.”
A pained expression crossed her face, her nose pinching slightly. “Because of me?”
