Page 33 of A Kiss From a Revenant
“Yes. I’m afraid you're stuck with me.”
Eryx chuckles before breaking off on a harsh cough. The air around us turns frigid as his whole body tenses. I pull back to look at him and cry out—his pale skin begins to dry and flake off his bones. The fire in his eyes dulls into embers.
“Eryx?” I ask, panicking. “What’s going on?”
He coughs again, falling onto his back as more skin begins to wither and crumble away. I crawl over him, smoothing the dampness from his brow. In the dying flames of his eyes, I see a variety of emotions. Anger, sadness, and finally longing—each one encases my heart in ice. The organ gives a painful squeeze as I take in the sight of him.
I need to call for help—I need to?—
“Fate is cruel—if I had more time, I’d tell you everything.”
His voice is a broken whimper, and tears blur my vision.
“What’s happening?” I demand.
His smile is small. The skin rips from his cheeks and jawbone.
“I’m out of time. I—” He breaks off with a cough. Lifting a trembling hand to my cheek, the bones of his fingers press into my skin. “You were my gift, Nory. To have you, even if it was toobrief, was more than I deserved. You are good, beautiful, and kind. My heart is yours. So is my soul…forever.”
A haunting death rattle falls from his mouth and shakes the ground. Color leeches from his skin until it is all crumbling and ashen. The flames of his eyes flicker in the night breeze before extinguishing. Despair punches through the ground and drags me down into its depths.
“No!” I scream. “This can’t be it—there has to be another way. Please!”
I scream up at the moon, my hands falling to his chest as if I can hold him in this world.
“This can’t be happening. We’ve barely had any time, you can’t take him!”
Tears fall in hot streams down my cheeks. My fingers tunnel through his thin skin until they brush the smooth bones underneath. Bile floods my stomach as I look at him. This can’t be it—our story can’t be over—not when there are still so many things left unsaid.
“Please,” I whimper. “Don’t take him. I love him.”
My confession echoes around us in the empty clearing. It is the truth—I love Eryx. Now that I’ve admitted it, I can’t pinpoint the moment I fell in love with him, perhaps from our very first meeting or when he agreed to help me. Whenever it was, it’s been building all this time, consuming me with its ferocity. I love him, Ilovehim.
If he is not in this world, then neither will I be.
A pale blue spark kindles in his gaze, but is extinguished with his next breath. His chest does not rise again. Anguish floods me as I fall to a heap atop his crumbling body. I sob into the darkness. Painful, beseeching cries of anguish rip through my lungs. I’m cold—so, so cold. Every inch of my body is in pain. My heart has stopped beating, and my soul reaches for the one it was tied to.
I don’t know how long I cry over his corpse until I finallyhear it. It’s soft at first—a distant humming that rises into a loud crescendo. Metal coats the air and burns my throat. Looking up, all I can see through my tears is pale moonlight. It burns brighter and brighter until it floods through the thicket of trees around us. The light makes my tender eyes burn as it illuminates the clearing.
Eryx’s still body becomes even more visible. The state of his decay tears at my heart, and a sob chokes me. A breeze whispers over my wet cheeks, soft as a touch. Before me, the bright light condenses into one form. Neither male nor female, it is just a pulsing being of dazzling light.
A voice that is both loud and quiet echoes from the trees.
“He’s done it—my final child. I knew he was special from the moment I crafted him—it’s why I named him. Gentler than the others—he felt deeply, longed for companionship like none of the others had before. He was my last hope for them to be more.”
This otherworldly being’s words are nonsense.
“What—what are you?” I ask.
“A demon to some, a god to others. Titles are so fickle. What matters now is that I was right and that I keep my promises.”
Confusion steals my voice, but the being doesn’t seem forthcoming with answers anyway. Light flows from their form and covers Eryx’s body in glittering brightness. I gasp as I watch his skin return, thicker than before. The sharp angles of his face are smoothed out. Eyelids form over his sockets, framed with dark lashes.
Eryx is still monstrous—only now a bit more solid. Glancing up at the figure, their words tickle my ears.
“He will sleep for a time. When he rises, he will be like he was, but not completely. Neither alive nor dead, but a third thing. Immortal but with the soul of a human.” Their light grows brighter, and I nearly have to look away. “Have him feedfrom you if you wish to join him in eternity. The choice is yours, Norella.”
With that, the figure is gone. Shadows overtake their light. Staring down at Eryx, I watch his strong chest rise and fall. Hope threads my broken heart back together. I lay my head against his tear-soaked chest. Wrapping my arms around his middle, he is warmer than ever before.
