Kost spoke to Emelia, but his gaze lingered on my face. “I’ll help in a moment.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
With her face angled toward the interlocking branches above, Emelia leaped. Tree leaves floated to the ground with the force of her jump, and she launched around branches, finding height and a point of lookout with lethal precision. Calem did the same, disappearing without words.
“All right, let’s clear away some of these vines so we have a place to rest.” Ozias clapped his hands together and ushered the assassins to his side.
Kost took a small step toward me. “How are you holding up?”
“Not great.” I gripped the back of my neck and stared at the wood. Leena was out there. Somewhere. And I couldn’t get to her. “How did this happen? How the hell did we end up here?”
Kost adjusted his glasses, avoiding my gaze. “You fell in love. That’s how we ended up here. At least she’s alive, Noc. It’s not like before. You have a chance to be with her…” His voice trailed off. Beside us, assassins worked to uproot vines from the depths of the earth. Occasionally, they’d snap a root in half, showering the ground in a vile purple substance. Their grunts punctuated the silence that stretched between us.
“I’m sorry, Kost.”
His shoulders tensed. “For?”
“For not reciprocating.” My hands fell to my sides. He’d been with me for so long. Too long, he’d waited for something I couldn’t give, something I’d refused to see, only to watch as I fell for someone else. “After you got sick the first time, I didn’t dream of expressing myself at all. I think that made me blind. What I’ve put you through… It’s not right.”
Finally meeting my gaze, he offered a strained smile that did nothing to mask the hurt. “You did what you had to. The sacrifice you made to keep me alive… No one has ever done something like that for me. Your love is complex, Noc. Leena is fortunate to have it.”
A lump formed in my throat. If my emotions were complex, then Kost was a riddle I didn’t have the dexterity to solve. Had timing been different, had my curse never come into play, perhaps I would have found myself enjoying an entirely different puzzle. “I love you, too, Kost.”
“I know.” He cleared his throat to hide the dip in his tone. “We’re brothers, and your curse is gone. I’m so glad.”
I pushed off the tree and wrapped him in a hug. He smelled of mint and leather, and even though he stiffened against me, I couldn’t let go. We’d been through so much. For decades, I’d kept my feelings beneath a layer of ice, and now I could finally tell him everything.Showhim. I hoped he could feel it. I hoped he understood what he meant to me. What he’d always mean to me. My grip tightened.
Slowly, Kost melted, and he pressed his hands against my back. Voice thick, he spoke in a whisper. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t do anything.” I released him, and he stepped back, a slight flush to his cheeks.
“You’ve done everything—and then some.” Idle hands smoothed his vest, and he looked away. “I’m going to help Emelia. I’ll let you know if we see anything.”
And with that, he disappeared.
Sighing, I went back to leaning against the tree and staring at the hidden wall. Mist plumed at the base and crawled upward. The surrounding air rattled like mucus trapped in lungs, and I shivered. If I were in the business of erecting barriers, I’d block out the Kitska Forest, too. Cruor technically resided in the enchanted wood, but we were close enough to the edge that we only experienced the occasional disturbance. Nothing like this.
A shrill wail screeched in the distance, and there was no escaping my thoughts of Leena. Of the beast realm and the quiet love she showed all of her creatures, regardless of their abilities and subsequent consequences.
Consequences.My fingers brushed against Winnow’s bronze key in my pocket, and I hesitated. Even if she’d been the conduit, she wasn’t responsible for what had happened. The fault was all mine. I held out the key. My last tie to Leena. A groan much warmer than the errant calls pealing through the night scraped through the air, and my Gyss appeared at my feet.
I didn’t expect to see you any time soon.She pressed her arms to her chest and studied me with guarded eyes.I’m not responsible for the payment.
Slumping to the ground, I rested my hands on my knees.I know.
She tilted her head, some of the unease escaping her frame.Then what do you want? I can’t give you another wish. Not for six months.
Reaching out my palm, I beckoned to Winnow. She was more important to me than any of my possessions because Leena had gifted her.Comfort. You’re here for comfort.
Sadness touched the corners of her eyes. She floated toward me, her wispy tail bleeding through foliage as she went, and she nestled into my hand.
Despite everything, it was because of Winnow that my curse was gone. That I was able to embrace Kost and express my devotion. That I could acknowledge my love for Leena without fear of losing her. As dangerous as Winnow’s magic was, it was the very thing that had saved me.
Winnow and Leena. Together.
For a while, we simply sat in silence and stared at the wall. Her tail was a different kind of mist, a gentle warmth rolling down the lines of my future, and my eyes grew heavy. I hadn’t slept in days. Leena made it impossible. Every minute of every day was spent devising a way to save her. To prove that none of this was intended.
I’d told her about my curse, and she’d witnessed the darkness of that firsthand. It wouldn’t be a stretch for her to believe I’d give up anything to rid myself of that.
