Page 24 of She Who Holds My Wrath

“The war with The Divine Six.” Her eyes don’t waver. “We all know, sweetheart. We all feel it in the air.” She squeezes my hand tighter. “I can’t imagine the weight that is bearing down on you.”

The tea trembles in my grip, so I set it down before I spill it everywhere. Marta takes both my hands in hers, her thumb stroking over my knuckles with such tenderness and warmth, it sinks straight into my bones.

“You changed him,” she says softly. “In so short a time. You changed him more than anyone else ever could. He was lucky to have found you.”

A tear slips down my cheek, despite my best efforts to hold myself together. “No. I was the lucky one. He saved me, Marta. In every way that matters.”

She hesitates, her mouth twitching as if she’s unsure whether to speak. I tilt my head urging her on. “What is it?”

Her voice drops to a whisper. “Is it true? That you’re… her?”

A laugh slips from me, despite my fragility. “It’s true. I am her. But I’m also me. Both. Neither. Someone new entirely, I suppose.”

She nods thoughtfully, accepting it with the same ease as she’s always accepted me. We talk a little longer, her words equal parts comfort and steel. When I confess about the tour today, she squeezes my hand again, offering me her reassuring words. “The kingdom is lucky to have you, Daisy. Do not ever forget that, my sweet sunshine child.”

I sob all over again, and she just lets me, gently shushing me and comforting me as I ride through the wave of emotions. Despite only knowing her for a brief amount of time, she’s grown into somewhat of a motherly figure for me, just as she had for Korithax. Her presence is something I hadn’t realised I’d been craving until I saw her bright smile behind the counter.

When we return to the bakery front, I find my guards looking utterly guilty—and full. Boxes are empty, and there’s crumbs dusting their armour. “I hope you left some for me,” I whine, pouting like a child.

“There are always tarts for you.” Marta says, pressing a box into my arms, warm and fragrant. Emberfruit glistens beneath crystallised sugar, the scent so sweet and rich I almost moan.

“Gods, thank you, Marta. You’re an angel in disguise.”

She scoffs, swatting my arm. “Angel, my ass. Now go, you’ve got work to do. And you buffoons—” she levels a glare at the guards “—remember my face next time I try to see my sunshine. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they echo in unison, looking chastened.

I hug her one last time, basking in her sweet scent as I squeeze her extra tight. And then we’re off again, the box of sweet treats cradled in my arms like treasure, bound for Gehenna.

Chapter 13

ARAN

Daisy is a natural.

She was born to be a queen. And I don’t just mean because she’s the reincarnation of the first queen. I mean because people love her. The flamebeast, Theodus, Marta the village mother. Every soul we have passed has looked at her with adoration, and she hasn’t even noticed. Even the guards are softening to her. Especially after she pouted over the tarts like an overgrown child. She isn’t like other rulers that Hell has known—distant, untouchable, shrouded in ceremony. She’s just herself. And it’s working.

Despite Daisy’s wish to walk, likely to delay Gehenna a little longer, I convince her to let me open a portal. The path skirts too close to the wastes, and the creatures that crawl there… I shudder at the thought. They are vile things that are so rotten even Gehenna spits them out. Decaying husks with hollow eyes, wandering like carrion with no purpose but hunger.

Before I get the chance to start opening a portal, Daisy dives into Marta’s box of tarts and pulls one up to her mouth, taking a large bite. I swipe one before she can stop me, shoving it whole into mine.

“HEY!” she shrieks, trying to snatch it back, but it’s too late. I groan dramatically as the sweet heat of emberfruit melts over my tongue, rolling my eyes back for effect.

“You asshole,” she mutters, snapping the lid shut. But her frown crumbles and she laughs.

“You weren’t going to share,” I grin. “I saw the fire in your eyes when she gave you that box. It’s every man for himself.”

She huffs and wipes at the corner of my mouth. “Animal. You’ve got crumbs everywhere.”

I fake bite at her hand. “Aright, mother hen. Back off.”

“Ready to visit the biggest pain in my ass?” I ask, dusting off my hands and ensuring my suit is still pristine.

“I thought that was me?” she teases.

“The second biggest,” I wink.

She polishes off her tart, sucking the sticky sugar from her fingers while I conjure the portal. The gates of Gehenna blaze on the other side, a land of smoke and ruin that always feels like stepping into another universe. I take her arm in mine, holding a breath as we cross over the threshold together.