Page 23 of A Kiss From Death
“Hade!” I grunt and press the heels of my feet into the ground, trying to halt us.
“Fine, but only so you’ll shut up about it.” He rolls his eyes and turns to face me.
I cross my arms, but I can’t help the small smile blooming on my face. “Well, I’m getting older by the second, so get on with it.”
This alcohol has only emboldened my already-brazen personality, and I can tell by the anger spreading across Hade’s face that he’s almost to his limit. Well, too bad, because he started this little cat and mouse game, and I’ve never been known to shy away from a challenge.
To push him a little further towards eruption, I add, “What, does the mighty Cardinal have stage fright? Hopefully, little Cardinal doesn’t have the same problem.” I flash him a feral grin.
He smirks. “Oh sweetheart, I’ve never had a single complaint.”
“Insufferable,” I say under my breath.
Hade takes a step closer, almost pressed against my chest, then disappears completely into nothing. I extend my arm to feel for where he just stood, but my hand connects with a verylargebulge that drags a loud grunt from Hade.
“Fuuuuuuckkkkk,” he says in a hiss of pain, reappearing again. “A littlewarning next time.”
My cheeks flush, and I pray the hallway is dim enough that Hade won’t take notice. “Was that—did I just touch what I think I did?”
“Yes!” he wheezes. “And more like punched, not touched.”
I can feel heat spreading up my neck at the realization. “Well, consider us even now. You punched my face, and I punched your…” An embarrassed giggle makes its way up my throat, and I have no choice but to set it free into the world.
“Cock,” Hade says bluntly. “Are you foreign to the term, Nyxi?” His voice deepens. “Need a lesson on the human body?”
I squirm under his intense, heated gaze and forward demeanor. I should be used to it by now, but this feels…different. Another childish fit of giggles consumes me at the thought of Hade using the wordcockin front of me. This Fire Water has truly done me in.
“You think this is funny?”
“Very!” I cover my mouth with my hand as another breathy laugh escapes me.
“As you just discovered, I can turn myself invisible, but not fully disappear. I can use my shadow magic to blend into my surroundings and, simply put, reflect them back to you as an illusion.”
I shrug. “That’s all you got? Invisibility? And here I thought you were one of the most powerful magicals to ever exist.”
“Thatis just a party trick, a way for me to spy and collect information for the Empress. My true magic is muchdarkeranddeadlier. You should pray you never experience my true abilities,” he says condescendingly.
This man irritates me to my core, but I can’t seem to walk away from the wreckage that is this very odd but thrilling thing happening between us. I can’t put words to it, but I want to smack the ever living Empress out of him ninety-nine percent of the time. Still, the remaining one percent somehow has an even greater death grip over me.
I feel an unavoidable pull towards this beast that wants to eat me alive. Why does the thought of being slaughtered by this beast make me feel alive again? Like the first breath you take out of water after holding on until the very last second, walking the line of life and death as if it’s a challenge. Why do I yearn to know what this beast’s fangs would feel like if they ravished my soul?
The question is, will I survive this beast? Or will it devour me whole and drag me into the darkness? Both outcomes seem to call to my stone cold heart—one with the promise of eternal darkness and blissful peace, and the other giving it a reason to beat fully again.
“Wake up, sunshine! Today’s the big day.”
The mattress around me dips and lifts as I’m drawn to consciousness. My head is slightly groggy from last night’s Fire Water incident, and I make a mental note not to touch the stuff again for a while.
My memories come back to me in flashes, parts of the night now clear—including me touching a very unfortunate place on Hade. If I wasn’t hyped up on Fire Water at the time, I think I may have died of embarrassment. Alcohol is a wild thing.
A foot connects with my side, and the wind is knocked out of me. “Oww!” I glare up at the culprit.
“Empress, sorry.” Des smiles sweetly as she continues to jump on my mattress like a child.
After getting to know Hade more intimately than I would have liked to last night, he walked me the rest of the way to my roomand threw me on my bed…literally. The man has zero manners or chivalry—or maybe that only applies to me.
I remember most of last night, but some parts are still fuzzy. One thing I do remember is having the weight of grief lifted off my shoulders just enough to breathe for the night and loosen up. Today, though, that blanket of grief feels as if it’s doubled in weight.
“Not again,” Des grumbles and plops down next to me. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
