Page 99 of A Kiss From Death
“How come you’ve never asked me why I entered the Crucible?” I ask softly.
He hums to himself and then answers honestly. “It is none of my business, and I figured when you were ready to tell me, you would. I will never pressure you to tell me things you aren’t ready to share, Nyxi.”
My heart swells in my chest, the warmth spreading throughout my body like a blanket until it reaches the tips of my toes and fingers. I hum to myself happily at his response and then carry on.
“I guess I’m ready to tell you.” I respond in a sure tone.
“I’m all ears,” he replies and gives me a quick, reassuring squeeze.
“Theo,” I blurt, trying to decide exactly how to inform Hade of everything. He remains quiet, allowing me to sort through my thoughts. If I were a boat freely floating about a choppy ocean, Hade would be my anchor, allowing me to find solid ground and stability.
“When he died,” I continue, “I made a promise to myself that I would do anything to extract my revenge. I feel so guilty for not being there to protect him when he most needed it after years of him protecting me.”
Hade nods in understanding, a story written behind his eyes of similar pain and guilt, two souls forged from pain seeing eye to eye in familiarity.
“Rouge Necroshrieks are known to plague the skies of Vagrant Sector frequently. They mostly just like to taunt and scare us, but sometimes, they liked to take a life or two of stray drunks or abandoned children.” Choking on my words, I continue with pain laced in each word, painting them into existence. “I’ve never seen such violence and destruction from one of them, not like what occurred that day. The day Theo died,” I say defeatedly.
I spot Hade’s jaw hardening through my watery eyes as I fight to keep my tears from spilling down my face.
“It was pure chaos. Shattered windows. People screaming and running for their lives. Kids getting trampled by the masses. Goreand madness every turn I took. It was sickening, and deep down in my gut, I knew something was wrong. I raced home as fast as I could, but it wasn’t enough.”
Pausing to catch my breath and calm my heart, I finally say the words aloud.
“I found him dead and unrecognizably battered, sitting in our house, clutching a pail of purple paint he had been out fetching forme.I’d been begging him for so long to paint the house a pathetically bright purple, just to see if he would agree. I made a promise that day to myself: I would do everything in my power to make it up here and get justice for what happened to him.”
Sobs finally take over, letting my tears run free and purging my heartache out with them. Guilt vibrates through my body as I’m taken back to that day. The what ifs circle my mind like a never-ending tornado. If he hadn’t been out getting the paint I begged of him daily, would he still be alive? If I had not lounged about my work that day and had gotten home sooner, could I have saved him?
Theunknownis one of the most dangerous drugs in existence. Its addictive quality sinks its fangs far under your skin, becoming a permanent limb for eternity. It eats away at someone until they are left hollow, down to just their bones.
The unknown is a sickness, the only disease in the world with no a cure. It’s mind numbing and life altering, and it takes and takes until it drives someone to insanity.
The unknown was myundoing.
It changed me chemically and spit me out something completely different.
“I am so sorry, Nyxi,” Hade says sincerely, pulling me from my swirling thoughts. He leans up on his elbow so he can look down at me with his full, undivided attention.
“What happened that day is unacceptable, and I’m ashamed it occurred under my watch without my knowledge.” Resting hishand on my cheek, he pleads, “You have my word that I will personally speak with every Vanquisher under my guard and make sure they know an attack on any sector will be punishable by death. And once you win this competition, I will help you find who’s responsible, and you will get the justice that’s due.”
My lip trembles at his promise, a small whimper escaping my throat with all the emotions racking my body. I may not have been able to save Theo, but by talking to Hade, I may have just saved someone else’s Theo.
His death was not for nothing. My sweet Theo, always saving others, even in death.
“Thank you,” I whisper, pushing my cheek further into his warm palm. A tear slowly falls down my cheek, but Hade scoops it up with his finger, wiping it away and all the pain that came with it.
Hade, the man I never knew I needed but quickly learned I couldn’t live without. He’s no longer Hade to me. No, now, he’s myhome.
I ponder one last thought and decide now is the time to ask. “Are you bonded to a Necroshriek?” I ask him hesitantly.
He nibbles his lip, lost in thought before settling on his words. “I am…or was. My bonded is retired, so to speak. We are still connected, but I have not tugged on that thread in a long time. My Necroshriek grew unwell in her head, and I thought it was best to relinquish her of her duty.”
He speaks so intimately about the beast, as if they have thoughts and feelings. I’m curious to ask more, but exhaustion is coming for me with a tight grip as I let out a loud yawn.
Wiping the last of my tears away, Hade settles back into bed next to me and draws me into his embrace, making sure every inch of his skin makes contact with mine, letting me know he’s here with me, like always.
I feared after losing Theo, no other soul would ever truly know me. I think Hade understood me from the second we laid eyes on each other. Not every fact about me, but the essence of what makes me, me.
The pain. The heartache. The need to fight for survival every single day to keep the darkness at bay.
