Page 75 of Between Sun and Moon

Ryker’s fists clenched, a potent darkness swirling around him, making the fire twin appear menacing. The muscle in his jaw feathered so violently, it was a wonder it didn’t pop out of his rich, brown skin.

She looked up from her hands but didn’t stop wringing them as she met Ryker’s gaze. “You must understand that at that time, I had been raised to fear the Cursed. It’s what had been ingrained in my mind since I was a child. Also, I had heard horrific stories of what happened to people who had the unconscious mind barrier broken. I feared what the Elderswould do, of the information they would find inside my mind relating to the king and the rest of his army—my brethren. So . . . I made a choice—I would protect my people, even if it cost me my life.”

The room was so quiet, you could have heard one of the dressmaker’s pins strike the floor.

“I didn’t think about it,” Fallon continued. “Before she could sink her claws into my mind, I just . . . moved. I grabbed the dagger she had hanging on her belt and sacrificed myself for something I believed, at the time, was the greater good.” Her gaze lifted. “Von was the one who collected my soul that night.”

We all sat there in stunned silence. Even Kaleb, who had most likely heard this before, looked distraught.

As for Ryker? He looked beside himself.

“And now you are among those who walk in the Spirit Realm,” Ryker said sorrowfully. “I never should have left you that night,” he whispered, his voice cracking apart, a direct reflection of what was happening on the inside.

“No!” Fallon dismissed his claim. “That wasmypath that I was fated to walk. My time in the Living Realm was meant to end that day. And even though I didn’t understand that at the time, unconsciously, I did. Despite what mortals believe, no one can outrun their fate. And that was mine. I have made peace with it, and I know it’s a lot to hear, but I—” her voice softened, “—I want you to do the same.”

Ryker shook his head. “How am I supposed to make peace with the fact I was the one that abducted you, took you back to the Cursed Lands, and ultimately, it was my actions that cost you your life?”

I swallowed. Hard.

I understood Ryker’s feelings because I had felt the same way when it came to Kaleb’s death—I had blamed myself for whathappened to him. I lowered the soaked rag and peered at the crimson that coated my fingers—my hands stained with blood.

The message was not lost on me.

“That wasmy fate, Ryker!” Fallon exclaimed. “It was spun by the goddess herself, and it was something neither you nor I could outrun. I have long since moved on from that day. Again, I ask you to do the same because it is not worth wasting breath on. What’s done is done.”

Ryker scoffed. “Not worth wasting breath on?You died. Because ofme.” He stood up, shaking his head. “I need a minute.” Without another word, he walked towards the balcony and then out into the blistering cold, shutting the door behind him.

The cool air swept inside, nibbling at my skin, turning it to gooseflesh. I tugged my arms around myself and got up, about to go after him.

“I’ll go,” Fallon sighed. “It’s between us anyway.”

I didn’t disagree, even though part of me wanted to comfort my friend. I nodded and watched her walk out after him, her departure causing the room to lower another degree.

I tossed the bloody rag on my bedstand and made my way over to the fireplace. Looking down, I stared at the blackened carcass of a fire-chewed log—one touch from the tip of an iron poking stick and the log would crumble into a pile of ash and embers.

Busying himself, Kaleb grabbed a few logs from an open chest and began to place them in the fire—the action reminding me of old times.

A lump formed in my throat, realization dawning that those simple cottage days had come to pass. Like Fallon, Kaleb was no longer a part of this realm. And like Ryker, I, too, blamed myself for it.

“I’m sorry, Kaleb,” I said, watching as he placed the last log on the fire. It didn’t take long for the glowing bed of embers to chew into the wood and make it ignite.

He dusted his hands and turned from his squatted position to look up at me. A blond brow hung curiously low. “For what?”

“If I hadn’t jumped up that day in such haste to get you to see me, you probably would still be here, in this realm,” I said, crossing my arms loosely over my chest. I chewed on a part of my cheek. Blame had been my initial reaction after Kaleb’s death. I had hated myself for what I had done. I had never really dealt with those emotions, I’d just put them in a box and tucked them away.

Kaleb shot me a look, like he couldn’t believe what I had just said. “Are you kidding me? What else were you supposed to do? Sit in the shadows and wait for me to run back into the camp where my life was probably going to end anyway? If things had been reversed, I would have been frantic to get to you.” He nodded his head. “I would have done the exact same thing, so don’t you ever blame yourself for that.”

I fell silent.

After a moment, he bumped his shoulder against mine. “Besides, you are not the asshat who fired that arrow.”

His playful action accompanied by his word choice stirred a chuckle from me. “No, I suppose not.” I paused, my smile fading. “Although I—”

“Sage,” he cut me off, leveling my gaze. “You arenotresponsible for my death. No more than Ryker was for Fallon’s. She’s right. The Goddess of Fate weaves our paths, and we have no choice but to walk them.”

“I don’t completely agree with that.”

“Which part?”

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