Page 92 of A Kiss From Death
“This is my nice,” he shoots back.
Rolling my eyes, I pinch the bridge of my nose, letting out a dramatic sigh. I go to respond, but Winston beats me to it.
“She’s all yours, sir.” He turns to look at me, a slight sheen glazing his eyes. Pulling me into a tight hug, he whispers into my ear, “Good luck out there, little lady. I believe in you; you just have to believe in yourself. Give them hell so we can make some more happy pangs together.”
I squeeze him back, holding in the emotions threatening to rise to the surface. I step back from his embrace, and he leans down to plop a wet, citrus-smelling kiss on my forehead.
“I’ll be watching from the sidelines,” he says softly before spinning on his heels and disappearing down the long corridor. I spot the slightest round bulge in his pocket and let out a breathy laugh, realizing he has another orange stashed away for later.
“We need to talk!” Hade rushes, a slight nervous tick to his tone. Before I can respond, he grabs my wrist and pulls me intothe nearest room so fast, I stumble over my feet. He slams the door behind us, pushing me against the wall as my eyes adjust to the dark closet.
“Does this conversation need to happen right this moment?” I hiss. “I kind of have somewhere to be, and I would rather not be late and piss off the Empress more than I already have.”
Hade presses forward, trapping my body between his and the wall at my back. I lift my chin defiantly, looking up at him with narrowed eyes. I attempt to ignore my racing heart and glare at him, waiting for whatever important thing he couldn’t wait any longer to tell me.
“Yes, this conversation is important, and yes, it’s happeningright now. Whether you want it to or not is irrelevant to me,” he grits out before softening his eyes, looking slightly pained.
I try to stay angry at him, but it all melts away the second I see the emotions swirling in his entrancing eyes. I used to think his light eye looked haunting, but now, I recognize it for what it is.
Strength and resilience.
“Okay,” I say softly. “Speak.”
His chest rises with a deep breath, desperation taking over his face. He looks on the verge of dropping to his knees and begging me for something, but instead, grunts flow from under his breath.
“You need to fight harder than you ever have today. I cannot help you. Today is permanent,” he pleads, his voice strained. “I cannot save you from today’s events, Nyxi.”
His voice almost quivers, but he keeps himself together, and I can tell he’s panicking. I wish he would give me the real him all the time—every ounce of him, the light, and more importantly, the dark. The strongandthe weak. I would take it all with open arms. Nothing he could ever do or say would scare me away or be too dark for my battered soul to handle.
“Every trial is permanent, Hade,” I remind him. “I will fight today as I have for the last twenty years of my life. I will doeverything in my power to stay on this side of the stars. You don’t need to start worrying about me now, big guy,” I tease, giving him a soft, reassuring smile, but he still looks so desperate, it sets me on edge.
What did he know that I didn’t?
His arms lash out, crashing onto the wall on both sides of my head, caging me in. He looks at me, and all I see is a broken man staring back. Leaning down, he presses his forehead to mine, letting out a long, defeated breath.
I relish in the feeling of his warm skin on mine, fortifying the tether running from my soul to his. My hands move instantly, reaching up to rest softly on each of his muscular shoulders.
“You don’t understand,” he says under his breath, more to himself than me. “I cannot help you, and I’ve never felt so helpless in my life.”
Giant, warm hands grasp each side of my face as he drags my head up to look at him. I’ve never seen him this worked up, and it’s starting to scare me. He looks like he has seen a ghost. His brows plunge low, a crease forming between them as he fights to keep himself under control.
“Promise me,” he whimpers. “Promise me you will fight for your life today and come back to me.” His voice cracks, and a part of my heart crumbles along with it.
“I promise you, I will do everything in my power to fight to stay alive.” Leaning forward, I press my lips softly to his, sealing that promise. “I will not make a promise to you I cannot keep, so that is all I can promise you for now, Hade.”
A deep sigh leaves his lips before he leans forward, pressing one last desperate kiss to my lips. He holds my face close, showering me with his desperation to be close to me, and I melt into him. He tastes like heaven and a second chance at life.
Our lips part, but his hands remain on my face, his gentle thumbs stroking my cheeks. He nods, accepting my promise forwhat it is. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, he whispers, “I’ll always bet on you, Nyxi.”
“Welcometo the fourth round of theReaper Crucible!” The Empress’ voice is amplified by an Enhancer, ringing out to the citizens of Lunaria watching excitedly from the sidelines.
“Before the fun begins, I must have a private word with my competitors. Fear not, though, for today’s events will be full of enough excitement and gore to satisfy your needs for a lifetime.”
The Enhancer next to her cuts his magic, making her voice dull to its normal volume. Tsking sternly, she slowly eyes Tank, Jade, Carwell, and me standing in front of her. “I’m truly wounded by your lack of brains,” she says dramatically. “And here I thought this would be the year one of my competitors would finally complete my riddle.”
She acts as if the damn thing is common knowledge, not some foreign language I’m sure she made up in one of her drunken stupors.
Her words strike home, though, as disappointment in myself seeps through my body. No matter how many times I’ve searched the library, or how many journal entries I’ve flipped through, nothing seems even remotely close. If I gave up every time life was tough, I would have died a long time ago, though, so I won’t stop my search, because I know the answer lies within that library. I just have to find it. My gut tells me toseek out the journals.
