Page 33 of Kiss of Death
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because I’ve lived long enough, so if I die tomorrow, it’s fine.”
“But if you die, you don’t pass on.”
“True. But I made my peace with it.”
“If you could do it all again, would you have made the same choice?”
After a long pause, he answered. “Yes.”
“You think the chance of immortality in the mortal world is better than an eternity in the Realm of Caelum?”
“I don’t know what lies beyond the veil, so I’m not sure which is better. But I think the time we’re granted on this earth as a mortal is far too short. We don’t live long enough to appreciate death when it comes for us.” He turned to me, his features hard to see in the starlight. “What would you choose? Live forever as a vampire or die as a mortal after a few decades?”
“A mortal life,” I said simply. “And not because of children.”
“Then why?”
“I wouldn’t want to feed off the blood of mortals. Wouldn’t want to feel dead even while alive. Wouldn’t want to forfeit my soul.” Not when I knew Callum had given up his and would suffer an eternity for it.
“You’re lucky you get to have both.”
“Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought. My father wanted me to wait to fuse with Zehemoth until I was a few years older, because your appearance becomes preserved in time once you do. But I fused with him on the eve of battle for his power and focus. Didn’t really consider the fact that I’m officially immortal.”
“Once the battle becomes a memory and your father is healthy once again, you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on that decision. But if your mother, father, and brother are fused, it’s the best decision for you. Any mortal in this world would wage war on their own family for the chance to have what you have.”
“Yeah.”
Silence fell between us, and we listened to the sounds of the wilderness around us, the hoot of owls, the chirp of crickets, the snap of branches when a bear passed through the trees. Immersed in the darkness, it should make my hair stand on end, but the sounds of nature were comforting, in their own way.
“You should get back to sleep.”
I shook my head even though he probably couldn’t see me. “I’ll sleep when this is done.”
Hours into the flight, I saw the hazy outline of the cliffs across the sea.
“We’re almost there.” I gripped the horn like I expected Zehemoth to sprint the rest of the way. “I can’t believe it. We made it.” The sea beneath us was empty of galleons and sailboats, the surface of the water appearing calm at this height.
It took over an hour to reach the cliffs where the castle had been erected as a pinnacle in the sky. The courtyard came into view, and then Zehemoth made a slow descent, gently landing on the stone before he folded his wings into his body.
I unhooked the pack with the platinum then slid down to the ground.
Hawk and Mom were already there, waiting for me when I’d sent word to them I was close.
I held it up with a shaky hand as I approached them both. “I—I think I have it.”
Hawk took the sack from me and opened the flap before he pulled out the box.
My mother was silent and pale, her hands folded at her chin like she was afraid to get too excited.
Hawk removed the lid and examined the contents, turning it to catch the light and watching it reflect the sunshine in flashes. “This has to be it.”
“How do we administer it?” Mom asked. “We can’t cut off a piece and insert it into his wound. He’ll just bleed more.”
Khazmuda joined us, streaking across the sky before he came in for a landing beside Zehemoth. He quickly rubbed his cheek against his son’s in an affectionate greeting before he stretched his neck and inserted himself into the conversation.It shines like our mighty scales.
Viper was the only one who stayed outside the conversation, like he considered it a family meeting that didn’t concern him.
