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Slowly, my feet walk over the blades of grass, feeling them tickle against my bare feet. Only now do I look down to notice I’m wearing a soft ivory dress that sweeps around my ankles. The linen is light against my skin, with short, flowy sleeves, a scooped neck, and two buttons donning the top.
I head over to the pond and crouch down to dip my hand in the water, feeling the cool kiss of it against my fingers. When I scoop some out, my reflection ripples before me, making my lips part on a silent gasp. The hue of my skin shimmers as if stars dance beneath it. My eyes are their normal silvery grey, but there’s a brightness to them. As if they, too, have stolen a star from the sky.
Gingerly, I touch a hand to my cheek in disbelief before a shadow casts over me, blocking the light of the sun. And when I look above my reflection, it’s only then that I realize who the shadow belongs to.
“Hello, Princess.”
I’m frozen in shock for a moment. My eyes and ears not believing who is right behind me, even though I know the deep richness of that voice as clear as day, and the endearing nickname that will forever be tied to him. The organ in my chest beats wildly, my lungs struggling to keep up with my shallow breathing.
Crying out, I spin around and throw my arms around Kye. Burying my face into his neck as his arms haul me up, causing my feet to hover above the ground. Tears spring to my eyes, absorbing into his white shirt as his sweet, musky scent I’ve known most of my life swarms around me.
I hold tight for a long moment, never wanting to let go. Eventually, I loosen my arms so he can set me down. It takes him just as long to let go of me.
“I’m so sorry,” I rush out. “You being here is all my fault.”
“Shhh.” He pulls me back into his chest. “Never blame yourself. I willingly stepped between you and Whiro’s power, and I would do it over and over again. There was nothing you could have done to stop me.” His hands soothingly rub circles over my back, and my eyes close briefly as my breath feathers against his sturdy chest.
My mind races, on the verge of spinning out of control. He risked his life to save me, and yet, here I am, fucking dead.
Tipping my head back, I stare into his blazing amber eyes that are glowing brighter than I have ever seen them. “But you should be raging at me, yelling at me, or something. You sacrificed yourself, and I still ended up dying with you in the end.” A single, lonely drop falls down my cheek, but he catches it with his thumb.
I don’t find any regret or displeasure creasing his face as I scan him over. His skin is smooth, his mouth curved in a gentle smile, and adoration swims in his gaze “There will never be a day where I could be mad at you.” His thumb catches another lone tear. “But there is something you need to know, Princess.”
“What is it?”
His eyes soften. “You’re not dead. Not fully.”
All the air rushes out of my lungs as I stumble backward. “How–how is that possible? I’m here. My body died. I felt it.” My hands shake, gesturing down my glowing frame, and to the colorful world around me.
Understanding glimmers beneath his gaze as he holds his arm out for me. “Come, let me show you instead.”
Without hesitation, I snake my arm through his, latching on. Because it seems like the whole world is about to be ripped from beneath my feet and I need something to hold onto to keep from falling.
Kye guides me through a waterfall that parts when we step through, with not one drop of water landing on us. On the other side, a small, cave-like tunnel opens up to a forest that beams majestically. The leaves seem to twinkle, the flowers blush warm with richness, and every step I take on the forest floor leaves behind a glowing footprint. I watch as my golden imprint shimmers before fading away, as if it never was.
“I never imagined this,” I breathe out as we step over a glittering, moss-covered root.
A low chuckle vibrates his chest. “I didn’t either, but I never truly took time to imagine what the afterlife would be like.” His head dips down to regard me with a raised brow. “What did you expect?”
“Fire? Maybe a deep pit of darkness that isolates you with madness or somewhere that makes you rip the pages out of a book, one by one, for the rest of your days. Both are equally horrifying,” I ramble until I find Kye looking down at me with both eyebrows raised in amusement. Just imagining those fates has chills erupting over my skin, making me shiver.
“Maybe for the true sinners. The ones that act on pure evil with no good intentions and only for selfish reasons. And that’s not you, Princess.” His words twist something in my stomach. So, I avoid his gaze and look ahead, following the path that looks walked on many times before.
Softly, though, I let my thoughts tumble out. “But you said I’m not dead yet. How do you know?”
A hand grasps my shoulder, pulling me back only to find Kye stopped in his tracks. “Because I only am loyal to those who are worthy. And you—” The tip of his knuckle taps the point of my nose with a small curve of his lips, the scar lining his face stretching. “You have the biggest heart I have ever known. Not even this place is good enough for you.”
“And what about you?” I ask, because if he believes I have the biggest heart, then he hasn’t taken a step back to look at himself. He’s the one who helped me survive in such a cold, cruel world. The one who showed me how to be strong when everyone else wanted to see me break.
This time, his eyes light up like never before. Small creases form at the corners of his eyes, mouth widening as his cheeks lift with a full smile. “I’m happy here.” He pauses. “You don’t have to worry. This was always meant to be my time, and I know that now.” I tilt my head in a silent question, waiting for him to answer as his eyes seem to get lost in a dreamy memory. “My mate is here. She’s been waiting for me.”
Burning builds behind my eyes as they well with tears, my mouth trembling with a smile. “Can I meet her?”
“You don’t even have to ask, Princess. But first, someone else is waiting to see you.”
Kye continues to follow the path beneath the trees, moving a branch out of my way as we step into a clearing. He stops when we reach an archway of stones, covered in an array of purple and white flowers. Green vines intertwine themselves around the perfectly bloomed flowers, hugging the stone while five pillars create a circle just beyond it.
“What is this place?” I step through the archway, waiting for Kye to answer me, but a familiar voice that I haven’t heard since I was a child fills the silence instead.
