Page 145 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
“He is,” Death answered. “Fully healed although the wound will hurt for some time.” He paused to take me in and searched my face for something. “I suggest warning your fae friends to arm themselves against your kind. Today was a test to see how quickly the fae reacted and which bullet, each made from different metals, caused the most damage. If anyone was watching, they now know how lethal iron is to fae.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I shook my head. Not wanting to have to face another day like today, where my friends and my mate could die.
“Why would you warn me?” I asked.
He ran his long, slender fingers over his chin. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I . . .” I wasn’t sure.
“Death isn’t meant to be a punishment, Theodora.” His tone was gentle. “To many, the afterlife is a gift.”
He said it with such kindness, such patience. It made me wonder if, like he’d said, we were the ones who’d painted Death as the villain, when he was anything but.
“This, them.” I pointed toward the fae and thought of my human friends back home. “They’re a gift.” I put a hand to my chest and lowered my head. “Thank you.”
I looked back at him, wondering what else he knew. What else he saw from this realm. He’d already told me about the humans testing different metals, so I wondered what else he’d be willing to share.
Death raised his brow at me. “It seems you want more from me.”
I chewed on my lower lip. “I have questions if you’re willing to answer them.”
Death bowed at the waist. “It is my pleasure to be at your disposal, but first, allow me to fix your shoulder.”
“Why?” I asked again, curious as to why he’d take the time to answer me.
“Maybe I’m bored,” he answered. “I do get bored watching life happen from this realm. Or maybe I’ve come to like you. You’re different, Theodora, from every creature in any other realm.”
“Different, how?”
“You came here unprepared and willing to die for your friend and for your mate.” He paused to take a step closer to me and inspected my shoulder. “You fear the absoluteness of death, yet today, you pushed that fear aside.”
I watched in awe as the deep slice he’d made on my shoulder mended, only to be replaced by black ink. It stretched over my shoulder blade to my back, an intricate tattoo I couldn’t see.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Me.” He grinned. “I think I’ll add. . .” He inked two more spots right above my shoulder blade, these markings smaller than the other. “You do love to look at the stars, don’t you? Now you’ll have them with you always. You may use these markings as a portal to visit me should you wish.”
“How?” But more importantly, why would I want to visit Death again?
“It works similarly to how Elias bends space,” he answered. “You think of coming here and” —he snapped his fingers—“and you step into the astral realm. Only you can answer why you’d want to visit me.”
I swallowed, not sure what to say. He smiled, his gleaming white teeth on display.
“Right, so this whole soul mate thing—” I started, but he interrupted me with a hand in the air as he pulled out his sword.
He pointed that sword toward me. “Not so fast, Theodora. Had this been a real battle, you’d be dead, so we’re going to work on your perception and footwork. I will answer your questions, but you need more than just a history lesson. You need to know how to connect to your destined strength.Yourpower.”
Mydestined strength? I looked back at my friends, glistening in this realm but very real in another.
“Time moves differently here,” he said patiently. “We can take as long as you need, and I’ll return you to your realm before the fae try to kill the dragon.”
By the way my fae friends wrapped their magic around Adela, I knew he wasn’t joking. They meant to kill her.
“She only wanted to help,” I protested.
Death’s laugh was dark and husky. “She believed sending you here would result in one of two ways. You died, or you accepted the bond between you and your soul-bound mate. Either way, she’d get what she and the Elders wanted. Should you die, your death would decimate Elias, unleashing a fury like no other. Accepting your bond strengthens him beyond what regular fae are capable of. Regardless, Elias will become the most powerful fae in all the realms. Strong enough to fight your ancestor, Leanora.”
Wait, what? His words swam in my head, each thought fighting for dominance.
