Page 118 of A Kiss From Death
“I’m right here, you know. I can answer for myself.”
“Shhh, not now. Is. She. Okay?” she asks Hade with a deadly seriousness I’ve never heard from her. I sigh, rolling my eyes and trying to pull away, but she just moves along with me.
“She’s okay,” he says thoughtfully, and I swear, a silent conversation passes them.
Satisfied, Des scoops me up into the tightest hug that threatens to remove the air from my lungs after Hade made it his life mission to make sure they stayed filled. “I knew you would come back to me. You’re too much of a badass to die. That would be so beneath you. Plus, who would dress you to perfection in the afterlife? That would be truly criminal.”
“I missed you too,” I giggle into her hair.
“Don’t ever give me a heart attack like that again,” she threatens. Peeling her body from mine, she pins me with her pleading stare that hurts my heart a touch, spotting the pain I’ve caused her. “Promise me,” she whispers.
“I promise. Always and tomorrow, remember?”
She grips my pinkie in hers and then tugs me forward, plantinga sloppy, wet kiss on my cheek. “I have to catch you up on all the castle drama!” she exclaims excitedly, back to her over the top, chipper self. “Oh, Empress, what is that god awful smell?” She pinches her nose, making a show of it, and Hade takes it as his cue to dismiss himself to the ensuite washroom.
Sinking back into the bed, Des slides in next to me and strokes my hair while she spills all the drama. We laugh, we cry, she tells me about the romance book she’s reading, and we just enjoy each other’s company and this life we are blessed to live. I feel happily content.
“I almost forgot,” she screams. “I have a surprise for you we’ve been working on!”
We?
My knees threaten to buckle at the reflection staring back at me. I don’t even recognize the woman in front of me. It’s me, but it’s also a fighter. A warrior. A symbol of perseverance and defiance.
I’ve never felt more beautiful and powerful in my life.
“Des…” I breathe.
Smacking my arm, she warns, “Nope, I told you, no crying. You’ll ruin my masterpiece, and I’m not humble enough to refrain from saying this is my best work to date. So keep it together for the both of us, because I did not just slave away for hours for nothing.” She harrumphs.
No words could describe the immense pride I have at the outfit Des has created. It’s truly a work of art, hands down the most beautiful thing I have ever laid witness to. It embodies every emotion I feel, and I feelunstoppable.
I glide my hands down the material, snaking through my fingers like liquid gold mixed with an airy embrace, sending chills down my spine. I don’t know how she got him to help, but Hade is woven into every inch of the outfit.
The night sky stares back at me, glittering and swirling in a hypnotizing madness gloved to my body. When Des told me Hadegiftedher a portion of his shadow magic as a material to weave and work into the very fiber of my Blessing Ceremony outfit, my ass about hit the floor.
I had no idea one could even give away a chunk of their magic. Des told me it is not something she has ever seen anyone do, but it is possible. It can be painful, like losing a part of your very being, a limb. For most, it could be draining and detrimental, but Des assured me Hade is one of the strongest Magicals in all of Lunaria. His magical reserves are practically endless. To him, it would feel like losing a single hair from his head.
Each detail is hand woven and designed to utter perfection. The entire outfit floats about like a fluid wave, swirling around me in a veil of sparkling obsidian. Long, tapered, wispy sleeves drape to the floor like torn, shadowed fabric.
The bodice is made from sparkling black shadows, woven together to make a lacey pattern over my chest and stomach, letting parts of my skin shine through. A waterfall of black fabric swooshes out from the bottom of the bodice, layered with shadow magic to create a wave-like flowing mass around me. They fall to the floor but float just an inch above, slithering like restless snakes. There’s a slit on each side where each leg slips through, almost all the way up to my hip bone, where a sheet of fabric drapes between them.
Every inch of the dress glitters like a million stars. I feel safe and protected with him wrapped around me, as if he’s actually here.
A long, black shadow-infused veil drags behind me on the floor, attached to my long black curls that cascade down my back.Des used her Luster magic to paint my eyes dark and glittery to match my dress, making my steel-forged eyes glow in harsh contrast. My porcelain skin glitters subtly, making my glittering black lips stand out like the dead. To finish the look, Des marked the center of my forehead with an abstract, black glittering moon and star symbol.
If the night sky was a person, I would be her, and I feel like I could take over the world in this outfit.
“Oh, one last thing.” She reaches into my vanity, pulling out a dainty black necklace. The air whooshes from my lungs. I haven’t worn it in a week, and my neck has felt naked without it.
Standing behind me, she drapes the dagger necklace over my front and easily clasps it at the back, letting it flow down my cleavage. Now, the outfit feels whole, having both the men who saved me with me.
“I thought you said no crying,” I scold playfully.
Biting her quivering lip, she shakes her finger at me. “I said you couldn’t cry. I never made any promises about myself. Now, give me a spin and let mama see her masterpiece in its full glory.”
Giggling, I twirl for her as she smiles and dabs the tears from her happy weeping eyes. The material floats like waves crashing against a cove with no rhyme or reason, just shadows slithering around me.
“Perfection,” she chokes out and scoops me into a hug.
