Page 104 of Claim the Twilight
Heat rushes up my body. That voice…It can’t be. I turn toward it, toward the speaker.
Edwin stands by the side of the cottage. His clothes are rumpled, hair a tousled mess, and there’s dirt on his face, but it’s him.
My Edwin.
A sob claws its way free of my throat as my body finally catches up to my brain, propelling me across the yard toward him.
He opens his arms, catching me and crushing me against his chest. He smells of the sea, and earth, and him, ultimately him.
He buries his nose in my neck, breathing me in before pulling back to cup my face and crush his mouth to mine. I gasp, surprise melting as I fall into the kiss that’s been too long coming. Every sweet smile, every touch, every moment that he’s been there for me is rolled into one, warm and complete and whole, and in that moment, I’m truly home. I chase his lips with mine when he pulls away, not wanting the moment to end, andhe chuckles lightly, dropping a final kiss to my mouth before pressing his forehead to mine.
“Hey…”
“Hey.” I swallow a happy sob.
“I don’t know where the fuck we are right now, and I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re here.” He exhales. “I found it, Padma, I found the cure, and I need to tell you about it.”
There’s an urgency to his tone that has alarm bells ringing in my head, but Encantor interrupts my thoughts before I can question them further.
“How did you get past the wards?” he demands.
Edwin looks across at him with a frown, and I can see the questions in his eyes, but then he drops his gaze back to me, intense and focused. “I have a spell, a cleansing ritual that will remove the infection from your body.” He tugs a small book from the waistband at the small of his back and flips the pages. “Here. Read it. You have to memorize it quickly.”
Panic spawns hot needles in my blood. “What? I can’t…Edwin, what’s going on?”
“Let me.” Encantor holds his hand out for the book.
“Who is this guy?” Edwin asks.
“The entity, Encantor.”
His brows shoot up. “I’ve missed a bunch, haven’t I?”
“I can fill you in and?—”
“There’s no time.” Edwin hands Encantor the book. “Memorize it. Save her.”
“Edwin!” I grip his chin and make him look at me. “What do you meanthere’s no time?”
“He means that he must come with me now.”
A large ruddy-looking man stands by the side of the cottage. His eyes are hooded, his mouth sulky and turned down at the corners as if about to undertake a distasteful task.
I look from Edwin to the man and back again, heart racing. “Edwin. Who is this guy?”
“I have to go with him now,” Edwin says. “I made a deal to come back long enough to show you the cure. I have to take the book back with me, but you memorized it?” He looks to Encantor, who nods. Edwin exhales. “Good.” He lightly caresses my cheek. “I’m sorry. I wish we had more time. I wish…I wish I’d told you how much I love you sooner. I wish…so many fucking things, Padma, but most of all, I wish that you live a long and happy life.” He looks up at Encantor. “Take care of her.” He backs toward the waiting man.
“Wait!” I rush forward and grab his hand. “Where are you going? Why?”
Edwin looks at the man, a plea in his eyes, but the man shakes his head.
“We had a deal, boy. Your life is now mine.”
Life… “What are you talking about?”
“Edwin stole from the vault, a crime punishable by death. I broke the rules by allowing him to see you one last time, but now, his soul belongs to me. It is a price. A balance. A soul for each book taken.”
I stare at Edwin in horror. “You…No…I won’t let him take you.”
