Page 42 of Kiss of Death
“You said that if you hadn’t met him, things might have been different for us. Well, now Callum’s gone, and things are different once more. I’m not ashamed to take advantage of the situation in my favor. I’m not afraid to fight for the woman I love—even with cheap shots.” He must have seen the red tint to my face and the way I boiled beneath the surface because he stepped away and headed toward the gate that led toward the village and the harbor. “If you loved a man I could see in the flesh, I would understand. If you loved an honorable man who raised his sword in your name, I would step aside. But this love is not real. It’s a shadow of a dream, a tapestry braided by a manipulative and evil god who shows you blue skies instead of abysmal darkness. It is a trick, and once you’re free of that spell, I’ll be there to take his place.”
10
LILY
I sat on the grass outside my old villa underneath the oak tree.
I hadn’t lived inside that villa since before the war, and while it had been home to me for years, it felt different now.
Felt haunted—by a ghost that I couldn’t see, touch, or feel.
I pulled my knees to my chest as I watched the sun set farther over the horizon, the breeze starting to cool as it danced over my cheek. A new wave of tears slid down my cheeks as my bottom lip trembled slightly. “Callum, where are you?”
Viper had left with his fleet early that morning. I watched them sail across the Great Sea until the last row of ships disappeared. Viper continued to force me to face the doubts that bubbled inside my chest, that Callum didn’t return by choice.
But I refused to believe that.
I refused.
Sunieth, what’s wrong?Zehemoth’s words came into my mind.
I loved being fused with Zehemoth because of the closeness we shared and the strength and focus he provided me. But I hated that my feelings were streamed to him every hour of the day, that he knew my despair when I tried to hide it from the rest of the world.I’m fine, Zehemoth.
Your despair is like a hurricane, Lily.
Just give me some space, okay?
You don’t need space. You need love.
I wiped my tears away on my sleeve, my private moment shattered by unwanted company.
Is it because the handsome vampire general left?
I closed my eyes because that couldn’t be further from the truth.Yes. Now, please just give me some space, okay?I lied to my dragon and felt terrible about it, but I needed silence right now. Needed my own thoughts. Needed to grieve for someone I still hoped would come back.
Okay. You know I’m always here for you.
I know, Zehemoth. Thank you.
The silence returned, and I felt my dragon leave my thoughts. Giving me the space I needed to untangle all the knots inside my heart. But then another dragon spoke to me, Khazmuda.
Zunieth, I just spoke with your father.
Does he wish to speak to me?
Your father’s memory has been unclear since he woke up. There are large gaps in time that he can’t recall. Your mother informed him about your ability to raisethe dead, so he questioned me about it. I told him what happened in the forest because he couldn’t recall. I’m sorry for my part in this, but I was obligated to tell him.
This day couldn’t get worse.He’s angry.
Extremely.
This is bad.
Your mother wanted to wait until he had fully recovered, but she felt too guilty deceiving him.
I don’t know if I should take Zehemoth and fly away for a while…or face him.
Khazmuda said nothing to that.
