Page 34 of A Kiss From a Revenant
I can hardly make sense of all I’ve witnessed. Eryx’s death, telling him I love him, and now this being—this—I don’t even know what it was. I’m not sure I can handle any more surprises, but as my ear rests against his heart, I’m greeted by its rhythmic pounding for the first time. I can’t help but let out a watery laugh.
“Wake up,” I whisper. “Please, Eryx. Wake up.”
My pleas are whispered against his chest until the first rays of sunlight spill through the trees.
12
ERYX
For a moment, there was only light.
Stark, unyielding light. It was cold wherever I went. The only solace had been Nory’s scent—in this between realm, she was here. I greedily drank it down, even if I no longer had a body. I could still feel the weight of her in my arms—the softness of her skin.
I had been so close to getting everything I wanted, and now, just like the rest of my kind, I had been undone. This is all I will be now, a ghost in this forsaken realm. A dark shelf for my soul to be put on and forgotten about as my corpse rots away in the land of the living.
The nothingness stretched—maybe that was my punishment. To be trapped in this nothingness, forced to live through the fading of my memories, rendering me nothing but an empty husk.
I should be grateful that I can at least remember myself and remember what I had, even if it was too brief.
Nory. My life, my heart, my love—I had loved her desperately from the first moment I saw her. I recognize that emotion now. It was foreign to my kind, and yet I hadfelt it all this time. My maker knew it that day inThe Woods,and that’s why they had given me such an impossible bargain. I should curse them for making me different, for giving me the capacity to love, only for it to be ripped away.
Yet, I know that would be a lie. I would never be ungrateful for any part of caring for Nory. She was a gift in my final days—one I would give anything to experience just one last time. I long to run my fingers through her silken hair or hear her soft moans whispered against my ear. I can recall her voice and how she said my name. That is all lost to me now.
Still, her voice echoed around me, growing louder with each passing second. Nory’s presence surrounded me. My name sounded from the nothingness. I tried to call for her but I had no mouth. Was this to be my punishment? To feel her this close and yet be unable to reach her?
I fought through it, pushing through the light with every ounce of my wretched soul. I followed the sound of her voice. Each time she spoke my name, it got clearer—I could scent her. The taste of her skin overwhelmed me. Continuing to push through the light, the nothingness fought back. The searing pain burned at my flesh as I raced against it and towards Nory.
The white light grew and grew until—in a flash—it faded, and all I saw were the branches of trees and the first rays of dawn. Darkness enveloped me and then revealed the scene again. The world around me kept cutting out before I realized what was interrupting my vision.
I was blinking. I was awake—alive.
Looking down at my body, my skin was pale but not gray. It was peachy. My frame was the same, even if my veins were now green and blue. Healthy blood flowed beneath the surface of my skin, and I was warm. Something thumped against my ribs—my heart, beating soundly. Racing like it never had before.
I was different. Alive and?—
A gasp from beside me startles me. My heart thumps in mychest at the sight of her huddled next to me. Clad only in my old cloak, Nory sits like a goddess in the morning light. Golden sun illuminates her sparkling auburn hair. Red-rimmed green eyes and a pink-tipped nose tell me she’s been crying. Her freckles dance along her pale cheeks.
“Eryx,” she whispers, reaching towards me.
Happiness slams into me as I wrap her in my arms and crush her to my chest. I absorb her sobs of pleasure and inhale her scent. Our warm, bare skin meets, and I’ve never felt like this in all the centuries I’ve been in this world. My head falls to the crook of her neck, and I inhale greedily.
The scent of her blood calls to me—making my mouth water. That answers that. I am not human, at least not entirely. My hunger for blood comes roaring to the forefront, reminding me how long it’s been since I last fed. I’m something else now—still a revenant but changed.
Nory’s forehead rests against mine as she smiles. Has she ever looked so beautiful? The sight of her makes my heart squeeze. This new organ is quite active; I’ll have to get used to it.
“Your eyes,” she sighs.
I reach towards them and end up poking one. Moisture coats my finger as it begins to blur. The sensation is unpleasant, and I’ll have to remember how sensitive they are—Nory giggles before cupping my cheek.
“They’re beautiful. Bright blue like the base of a flame.”
I capture her hand, marveling over the softness of her skin and the calluses of her fingers. Each touch feels like a new exploration. Locking our fingers together, I stare into her gorgeous face.
“What happened? I was undone.”
Nory swallows before nodding. A shiver wracks her body, and I hold her close.
“I can hardly explain it myself. Once you were gone,” shepauses, eyes brimming with tears, “there was this light. Bright white light.”
