Page 90 of Between Soul and Vessel
I turned toward her. She was beautiful, just as all the immortals were. She held a wine jug in one hand, a circular tray with four goblets balanced on the other.
“Why not,” the empress said, plucking two goblets from the tray. She handed one to the emperor. “Here, love.” The endearing word sounded dead on her tongue. How the emperor didn’t notice was a curiosity to me.
“Thank you,” he said, taking it.
The empress grabbed a third and handed it to me. “You might as well have one too. The games are far from over.”
I nodded and took the goblet. The sweet, smooth liquid bloomed on my tongue, and I realized I was tasting the nectar of the gods. It was divine, and before I knew it, I had downed one glass and accepted another.
Boots struck the floor behind us, and I turned to see who it was.
There was no mistaking that sleek, black armor or the mighty, dark god behind it—Nockrythiam.
“Your Majesties,” he said, but he did not bow. He didn’t need to.
He removed his helmet, and dark, endlessly black eyes met mine. His hair was cut short on the sides but left longer on the top. The tousled raven strands were tossed carelessly back, one piece falling over his forehead. His face was angelic, although his sinfully shaped mouth suggested he wasnothing of the sort. He was the epitome of devastation. The kind of immortal who sunk his fangs into you, spread his venom into your system, and then left you for dead.
I knew because that’s exactly what he had done to me.
“You!” I exclaimed, jumping up from my seat, charging at him.
Before I knew what I was doing, I tossed my wine at him. Red splashed across his tanned skin. It dribbled down his face, dripping off his strong, sharp nose and steel-cutting jawline, down onto his armor.
I stood there, my lungs heaving, my world feeling as if it were caving in on itself. I could feel the emperor and the empress’s eyes very much on us while Nockrythiam’s remained locked on me.
“I deserve that,” Nockrythiam rumbled in his deep timbre. His tongue brushed over his bottom lip. He pulled it in, sucking off the wine. “Despite the wine to the face, it is good to see you again, Little Mortal.”
My mouth fell open, and I grabbed the fourth goblet from the tray, tossing that in his face for good measure. “Don’t you dare call me that, you bastard!” I snarled as I stormed through the doorway and out into the hallway, my fists clenched. My teeth felt as if they might combust under the iron clench of my jaw.
Unbelievable. This was unbelievable.
Had the empress known? Was that why she’d set this up? For him?
I hissed at the thought.
“Sage, wait,” Nockrythiam called out from behind me.He grabbed hold of my arm and spun me to face him. “Please.”
“You told me your name was Von!” I hissed.
“Technically, it is. Nockrythiam is the name the emperor gave to me upon my creation. Von is the name I have chosen for myself.”
“You told me you would come back for me.”
His voice was like granite. “I had planned to.”
I scoffed. “But you didn’t.” I tore my arm from his grasp. “Do you have any idea how long I waited for you? How broken I was when I realized that you were not coming?” My voice shook, my words chopped apart from my emotions, as violent as the ocean tide in a storm.
“I’m sorry, for all of it,” he said, his hand reaching for my face.
“No.” I shoved his arm away and pulled back. “You lost the privilege to touch me.”
And then I turned and walked away from the male I had been a fool to entrust with my heart. Tears brimming, I wiped at them as I turned the corner, walking right into the empress.
“Explain everything,” she snarled at me. “Now.”
Von
Through the swaying canopy of leaves, I would catch glimpses of the crescent-shaped moon. It didn’t matter what realm I was in, all moons reminded me of Sage and the day I’d first felt her presence call out to me. And like a ghostly vessel lost at sea, finding land for the first time in centuries, I’d gone to her. Thatday stood at the summit of my memories, above all the rest, because it was the day I first saw her. She had stood behind Aurelius, peering over his shoulder with eyes full of fear. I couldn’t blame her for her reaction to me—it was as strong as my reaction was to her.
