“Minerva may be the goddess of fate, but her predictions are more sporadic. Eventually, if my father didn’t kill me, she probably would have put the pieces together, but she couldn’t force her visions to come. Minerva only saw what the stars allowed her to see.”
Because why wouldanythingbe that simple?
“He kept me hidden for a time as my mother waged her war on their world, but he knew he needed to get rid of me—get rid of thebothof us. So, unable to actually kill me, he passed off that responsibility to both Kaiden and Dez. Kaiden was meant to lure my mother to the bridge that she had created, and Dez would be waiting there with me. I suppose I was meant to be dead by the time my mother arrived, so that Kaiden could finish her off, thus ending the war.”
“But youdidn’tdie,” I noted. “Wait… The bridge… The one that Azrael and I had found?”
He nodded grimly.
“Your mother did that? She created this place?”
“A part of me feels like it’s been here this whole time. I don’t think she necessarilycreatedit, but more so… her pain tore through the wall separating your world from mine. And I believe that Ryuk used that to his advantage, making this world a place of torture.”
“What happened at the bridge, then?” I asked.
“That’s the one part Idon’tknow. Her journals ended with the knowledge of what their plan was, but she never had the chance to write anything past that. I know that my mother took me here, to this castle. Mara told me of when their paths crossed—the desperation on my mother’s face, like she knew she was going to die. She passed me off to her, begging for Mara to take care of me and keep me safe, then placed her wards. It was the last time she held me in her arms, and the last time she ever set foot in this world. I don’tknow what happened when she found Dez waiting for her, Morrigan. But I do know that she died the second she stepped back on that bridge. Malakai had learned of her death the second Kaiden and Dez returned to Ryuk’s side.”
Tristan turned his hand over, and black smoke circled his wrist until a small, familiar dagger lay on his palm. It was the same dagger I had tortured Aamon with.
“It’s the only thing that can kill a god—an obsidian blade. It has to pierce their heart,” he said, handing it to me. “There’s a lot of that kind of material here. That’s why I think this place has existed far longer thanyourworld has.”
Staring down at the blade in my hand, I tried to imagine what could have transpired between Dez and Rosina. He always spoke so highly of her. I pictured this blade in his hand, but… I just couldn’t believe that he would do it. He never would have been able to hurt a child like that. But what truly pained me was Kaiden’s part in all of this. It was the fact that itdidn’tsurprise me that seemed to hurt the most.
I leaned into his shoulder, the only way I knew how to comfort him at that moment. “I’m so sorry, Tristan.”
Letting out an exhausted sigh, he squeezed my hand. “Even if Kaiden and Dez thought that I was dead, they kept this secret for themselves.”
So much information for me to take in… I felt like my head was going to explode. But one thing I knew for certain was that Tristan needed me just as much as I needed him. There are always several sides to a story. Tristan had his, one filled with pain and rejection, but I wanted to knowtheirsides as well. And I planned to make them tell me when I saw them again.
Iwouldsee them again.
And that time? Tristan would be there, too. I would find a way to get him out of here.
“We should probably get you cleaned up,” he mumbled with a nervous chuckle.
Looking down at myself, I realized I was still covered in Aamon’s blood. We had sex… while I was covered in blood. That was either a new low or a new high for me. I wasn’t quite ready to decipher it, yet.
“Come on,” he said, standing with his hand outstretched toward me. “We’ll go for a swim in the spring.”
I felt clearer after our impromptu bath together.
We mostly held each other, enjoying the stars shimmering above the cave. I couldn’t wait to show him real ones. I knew I would stay awake the entire first night, enjoying the painted sky side by side.
When we were finished, we got dressed and decided to walk back to the castle. I didn’t hesitate to slide my hand into his. He was mine.Mine. And I was his. My heart was more than big enough to share a piece with more than one person.
But as we walked through the daisies, Tristan stopped and stood deathly still. I turned with my brows furrowed, wondering what was wrong. “Are you okay?” I asked him.
His head turned to look at the horizon, the blistering fire still bright, its embers rising and fading into darkness. But just as I was about to turn away, something flashed. The light grew brighter, like someone had blown into the flames, fueling it even higher. It only lasted for a couple of seconds and then returned to normal.
“What was that?” I pried.
Suddenly, rushing footsteps sounded from behind me. I turned to see Malakai and Mara walking toward us. Malakai’s face looked concerned for some reason. But Mara… She looked more determined than I had ever seen her.
“Are you ready to keep your promise?” she asked Tristan. The tone in her voice made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
When I faced Tristan, he was looking atmenow. All of the happiness from seconds before was now gone—replaced with a distant stare that seemed to pass through me.
“Whatwasthat, Tristan?” I asked again.
