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The day will be restored when the darkness falls for the light.
It continued to loop around my thoughts, echoing in my head until it embedded itself beneath my flesh. I wished we could’ve fulfilled it, but luck didn’t appear to be on our side.
“So, are we going to talk about what the hells just happened?” Jake bent into a crouch, keeping a wise distance from where I cradled Kiara.
“Which part?” I laughed, the sound brittle.
“Well, there’s what Lorian said.” He cocked a brow. “The whole not-being-dead thing.” He held up a finger. “Oh, and the matter of you now possessing two of the threekeys.” When his eyes fell to Kiara, I growled.
“She will not die,” I snapped. Unlike Raina, who was a goddess turned human by the dagger, Kiara would die should the blade pierce her heart. I’d been lucky that Patrick had missed the first time, but Kiara would not.
Jake held up placating hands. “I don’t want her to die either, Maddox,” he assured me. “There has to be another way.” He looked to the Mist, to where Lorian had vanished. Maybe he thought we could seek out the help of the gods.
“Until I find another way, I must leave.” So that she didn’t do anything reckless. I wouldn’t allow it.
He nodded, seeming to know her as well as I. “I’ll give you a minute,” Jake said, rising. He positioned himself far enough away that I could say my goodbyes in peace.
I lifted her up, placing her cheek above my heart. My fingers stroked her hair, marveling at its softness. Such a fearsome thing, my little warrior goddess.
My arms tightened as I breathed in her scent. “I’m so damned angry at you right now,” I whispered, nuzzling my nose against her cheek. “You thought you would sacrifice yourself for me, eh? Give me all three pieces?” I shook my head, my eyes burning.
No one had ever looked at me like she did. Like I was a man who meant something. And apparently Kiara thought I meanteverything. Not only to her, but to every living person in our realm.
“WhenI find another way, I’ll come for you.” I pressed my lips against her brow. “And after we fight about who was right and who was wrong, I’m going to kiss you senseless.” I swallowed hard, memories of the glen flickering across my mind. If only we could have pretended for just a while longer.
“Thank you for seeing me, Kiara.” I kissed her cheek, the corner of her mouth. “Thank you for reminding me of the man I wish to be.”
Reaching into my pocket, I retrieved the note King Cirian had given me all those days back in his council rooms. Unpinning my golden Knight’s emblem from my jacket, I pierced the parchment.
Moving away, placing her gently upon the earth, might have been the hardest thing I’d ever done in my life. There had never been something to walk away from.Someoneto walk away from.
After arranging the note and my pin in her palm, I stood.
The Godslayer lay upon the ground as if it weren’t the most powerful weapon known to man. I bent over and seized it. I wasn’t sure what she’d do with the blade, but I didn’t want to take any chances with her life.
I didn’t look back as I strode past Jake and into the dense haze of the cursed lands. If I did, I might not have had the willpower to leave, and where I planned to go, I’d need all my strength.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Kiara
My old friend. As Kiara grows into a beautiful and strong young woman, my hatred for her destiny grows. I devoted years to the goddess, and giving her up feels cruel in return. She wasn’t born to die—that can’t be right. A part of me wants to keep her away from the boy, Raina’s true descendant, and never tell her the truth.
Letter from Aurora Adair to Juniper Marchant, Sun Priestess, year 45 of the curse
A wave of nausea struck me, startling me awake. Warm hands were on me in a second, soft shushing sounds murmured in my ear.
“It’s all going to be fine, Ki,” Jake’s voice said softly. “We’re going to figure this mess out.”
I blinked away the lingering shadows, my vision clearing. My body felt touched by both ice and fire, and my skin prickled from the conflicting powers imprisoned inside me.
“Jude?” I asked, scanning the clearing, finding nothing but those bone trees devoid of leaves. “Where is he?”
Jake shook his head. “He left,” was all he said, though his gaze dipped to my hand. I hadn’t realized what it held. My friend eased me into a seated position, and I took in the sight of a gleaming golden pin attached to a piece of frayed parchment.
Jude’s pin.
I knew what it meant before I turned to Jake. He nodded at my unspoken question. Jude was gone. He must’ve known why I’d placed that second piece in his chest and he…
