Page 64 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

Darius turned towards the cemetery. “We should take a look now before it’s too late.” He glanced at Alex. “Before Alex starts paying for his shiny new spell.”

“Thank you for the reminder,” Alex said in a flat tone. “I’d almost forgotten.”

“My pleasure.” Darius returned his attention to the hill. “The fog isn’t particularly dense on top of the hill for now.”

The only thing more frightening than a palace engulfed in snakes was a cemetery engulfed in snakes.

We left our relatively quiet spot to head for the hill. The humidity clung to my coat and soaked my hair as we trekked along the rough terrain towards the hill. Pale sunlight came through the fog but offered little comfort or warmth. I searched every flickering shadow, expecting a snake to coil around me, and the unnatural silence enhanced the eerie sight.

“Look at the trees.” I pointed to the cypresses.

Their scale-like leaves were yellow and dangled forlornly from thin branches.

“It’s not just the trees.” Alex nodded towards the ground.

The grass made a crunching noise when I trampled upon it. The blades were thin and papery like old parchment.

I pulled a face. “It’s like walking on biscuits.”

Alex paused in the middle of the steep path. His shoulders stooped as if he were carrying a heavy weight.

I stopped next to him. “Was it here that you collapsed?”

“For the first time, I’d wished for someone to stab me. I have never been that desperate, not even in the fever hospital.” He brushed my fingers for a brief second. “The only thing I don’t regret about what happened is that I was able to hold you and kiss you without fear. Although those memories are poisoned by my bloodlust. I hadn’t understood how difficult resisting the thirst is until I experienced it. I suppose the rogue feels like I did every moment. It must be horrible.”

“I almost lost you. If you hadn’t returned to your usual self, if you had gone fully rogue, we would have no choice but…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. A sickening lump swelled in my throat.

“It would have been the right thing.” He held my hand and ran his thumb over my knuckles. “I’d rather die than hurt you.”

Tenderness poured through our bond.

I stroked his thumb with mine. “You could have forced me, but you stopped. You didn’t feed from me.”

“Darius stopped me.”

“No. Before he entered, you were already withdrawing from me.” I rose on my tiptoes and kissed his lips lightly.

He drew in a deep breath. “Irene. There’s something I want to say⁠—”

“Alex? Irene?” Darius waved his arms through the fog to attract our attention. “Where was Carabosse standing when you saw her?”

Alex went ahead for a few minutes. The fog was thinner compared to the one enveloping the palace, but that was a small comfort. I kept checking my feet and ankles, worried that one of those snakes might coil around them.

Dead flowers, dry plants, and charred grass blades littered the path.

“She was here.” Alex stopped in front of a small marble tombstone. “It’s easy to spot because, aside from the grave of Irene’s father, it’s the only clean tombstone.”

Just the name Aurora was engraved on it.

“Who was she?” I ran a hand over the stone, noticing how sparkling it was. “Cara has never answered me when I asked.”

It’d been recently scrubbed, and the weeds around it had been removed.

“One of Carabosse’s sisters? She has many sisters. Florine, Crystal, Miette…” Darius counted on his fingers. “Miette… Who is next? They’re like Father Christmas’s reindeer. You remember Dancer, Prancer, Comet, and then nothing else.”

Alex shot his gaze skywards. “Your point?”

“Parents should give simple names to their children,” Darius said.