Page 53 of The Forgotten Life of Ella Moon
These were the moments she missed the most when they were apart.Thequiet mornings watching the moon rise over the hills ofManere.Thenights falling asleep in his arms with his breath warm on her skin.Theyhaunted her dreams and kept her heart from healing even after months apart.Andthere were never enough of them. “Iwant more.”Sheblurted out the rest of her thought.
“Well,Ibrought plenty.”Thanemotioned to the bottle.
“Not wine.You.”Shedidn’t pull her feelings in.Shelet them tangle with his.Hersadness to his desire. “Idon’t want this to end.Idon’t want moments,Thane.Iwant lifetimes.Iwant centuries.Iwant your forevers.Iwant more of this.”Shemotioned to the space between them.
Thane pulled away, taking a breath and letting it out slowly. “Canwe not just enjoy these few moments that we have and not worry about what we cannot control?”
“Is that allIdeserve?”Sheturned to him. “Afew stolen moments?Skyat least promised me sunbeams.”
“You hate sunbeams,”Thanereminded her.
“That’s not the point.Heat least cared enough to try.”
Thane looked down at his glass.Nowshe could feel his sadness.Seeit in his mouth and the way he stiffened. “Youdon’t thinkItry?”
“No.Ifyou did, you’d fight for us.Forme.”Sheknew that was selfish and unfair.Shecould feel his guilt every time they were together.Itfestered like a sliver of glass in her skin.
“Nothing with my father is for free.Theprice would be high.”Thanefinally looked up at her.Inall her years withThane, she had never seen fear like this etched across his face. “Hecould want your beauty.Yoursight.Yourtongue.”
Aurora thought for a moment of all the thingsDeathcould want from her. “Wouldyou not love me ifIwas hideous to look upon?”Auroradidn’t want to think about losing her beauty.Withoutit she was nothing.
“You have to ask?”
“Yes?Ihave already paid too high of a price.Severallifetimes’ worth.”Once, she believed she would grow used to the heartache.Likea sore joint.Butthe heartache was never the same.Itcould be a mild misunderstanding and the next time a bitter betrayal.Eachtime the cut was a little deeper, and she bled a little longer. “Ifyou will do nothing, thenImust do something.”
“You thinkIhave done nothing?”
“Yes!”Shethrew it back at him. “Itwas me who found the witch.Iam the one who is willing to do what must be done.Yougive me nothing but excuses.”
Thane turned to watch another wish drop into the sea. “I’veprotected you from this.I’veknown how to break the curse since it was placed on me.Youwere never supposed to speak to that witch, and you wouldn’t have ifIhadn’t been arguing withPainthat night.”
Aurora flinched, letting his words settle over her like the smoke that followed the wishes.Allthis time he had known.Herfear turned to anger, then back to sadness. “Why?”
“Because she’sPain.That’swhat she does.IfIsay it’s night, she’d argue it’s day.”
“No, why would you keep this from me?”Thefact that he still spoke toPainwas another point she wanted to understand.
Thane narrowed his gaze. “Youhave to ask?Iknew you would try and break it.Youwent toCadel, then to my mother.Deceptioncouldn’t wait to tell me he had seen you.It’sa curse,Aurora.Theyare never as they seem.Youtake the life of a mortal to pay my father only to find thatFatehas changed the price.”
“So that’s it?”Godsabove, she was tired of gods.Theylied more than mortals.Atleast with mortals, she expected them to lie.Godsshould be above such petty things.Sheonce thought about wishing it all away, wishing she could live amongst the mortals like the witch had.Alone.She’dwish to forget this place or that gods ever existed.Includingthe one sitting next to her.
Thane ran his hands over his face. “Yes.”Hepicked up a coin and tossed it back into the sea. “Myfather’s price will be too high, and if you fail…”
Aurora wished he had brought something stronger than the wine that glimmered in her glass. “Whydoes everyone thinkIwill fail?”
“BecauseDeathnever loses.”
“I will be?—”
“Be what?”Thanestood. “Aurora,Ihave a realm full of mortal and immortal souls to prove no one beats my father.Thewitch you spoke to had lived two lifetimes and had seen things no mortal should ever see, and yet she couldn’t outsmart him.AFaeprince was not able to outsmartDeath.AndFaeare immortal!”
“There is the solution.IfIfail, thenI’llbe forced to spend my days with you inManere.Whyis that bad?That’swhatIwant in the end.”
“Tell me, my love, have you ever seen a god wandering my halls?”Thanelooked at her over his shoulder.
“I’ve never looked.”Aurorashrugged.Tobe honest she rarely looked at the faces of the inhabitants ofManere.
“Because there are none.Godsdon’t have souls, and if we did, they would be worthless to my father.Hewill want something that only you can give him.Thatis how he got my mother.Shewould have been your mother had things worked differently.Sorrowwas in love withLife.”
