Page 61 of Ghosts and Ginger Tea

“I would order that the heiau be rebuilt. I would’ve ordered that as soon as I came back from the dead, if I were you.”

He nodded. “Anything else?”

“I’d gather the people and tell them we are surrendering to the warlord, but not to fear.”

Keanu nodded, waiting for me to say the part that we both loathed. When I didn’t say it, he said, “And how should I die?”

I looked away. How was I to answer that? I shook my head, then felt Keanu kiss my temple. “I will go and take care of the heiau and speak to my people.” He didn’t mention how he would die. I hated to think of him becoming one with the shadow. I held my breath in an attempt to keep my anxiety at bay.

I don’t want to lose Keanu. But I had to. This was the only way to solve the riddle and break the curse…

It was either break the curse this way, or undo it and not even try.

We have to try.

Keanu moved a piece of hair from my face, but this time, I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed him. I melted into him. I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help kissing him with every fiber of my being, wanting him. Aching for him.

He suddenly pulled away, a shocked expression on his face. “You kissed me,” he said, his voice quiet, a tinge of panic in it. The last time we kissed, at the cliff edge, we’d both been active participants, but this time I instigated the kiss.

I smiled. “Of course.”

I love you. The very thought caused my veins to throb. I shouldn’t love him. I had just told myself that it was a foolish thing to do.

But it’s too late. I had fallen in love with Keanu, which would only make everything so much harder to do.

But it must be done, for Kāne, the god of all gods.

Keanu looked a little pale at the fact I kissed him. “I should get going,” he said, and before I could ask why he acted so strange, he rushed out the door.

I squared my shoulders and tried to erase the memory of that kiss. The deadliest game had finally been played.

Now I have work to do. Work that scared me to death. And I had one person I needed to see…

I visited my sister and confessed everything to her. Kiki gave me a look.

“So you’ve both played the deadliest game,” she said, then sighed. “What I’ve learned from all of this so far is that Kāne knows what he’s doing.”

I didn’t want to think like that. Did Kāne know what he was doing? Did he even care about us?

“But death is no joke,” Kiki said, cutting off my thoughts. “Once he is dead, he’s dead and there’s no going back. He must become one with the night marchers, and light the way home for others.”

Her words echoed over and over in my head as Alohi and I walked to the dinner. I didn’t even hear the elegant music or enjoy the food. I sat next to Keanu, feeling so close yet so far from him.

I can’t lose him… This was so wildly unfair.

But all of this is Keanu’s fault. He must pay for his disrespect to Kāne…

A tinkling laugh finally drew away my distracted thoughts. I looked up to see that Pua was at the dinner.

She sat across the way, laughing so loudly as to draw attention to herself. Flames erupted inside ‌me. Why was she here? She kept looking at Keanu, but he only looked at me anytime she batted her eyes in his direction.

I should’ve been comforted, but my insides brewed with jealousy. She kept biting her blood red lips, as if secretly flirting with my husband. He paid her no attention, but I used this as an excuse. I had to think of something to brace myself against his inevitable death. Because the thought of losing him was becoming more and more unbearable.

When he caught my eye, he winked, but the sadness in his eyes was undeniable. He rested his hand on my leg, and heat coursed through my body.

Stop Oli! He had brought this fate on himself. I caught Peter standing to the side, his expression grave as he looked around. He wore that same sword on his belt… why? Not even Malakai, who also stood off to the side, had a sword hanging from his belt.

Unless… Was something going to happen?