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Just under the howling of the wind, I can make out the screams of the unredeemables as they endure whatever means of torture I’ve devised for them. But even that is not enough to find peace from her.
It doesn’t matter where I go in my realm or what I do to distract myself; I can sense her presence everywhere. The slow, ragged sound of her breathing, the erratic beat of her heart, the dull ache from the wound in her side. I do not have as deep a connection with any other being, alive or dead. Not even Kaia, whom I’ve known as long as I’ve known my own brother.
It’s fucking distracting.
With a sigh, I shift and find myself face to face with the intricately carved door of her tower room. Waving my hand over the black wood hewed from Shadow Realm trees, I hear the thunk of locks give way and watch the shimmer of my power receding.
For now, I’m keeping her presence in my realm a secret from everyone save the soul I’ve tasked with her care. Until I know who this woman is or how she managed to crossed the veil alive, her existence is no one’s business but mine.
She’s asleep when I enter, her long brown hair fanned out on the pillow behind her, framing a pale face. She’s stunning, with her high cheekbones, elegant nose, and full upper lip. It’s the first thing I think every time I see her.
I drop into a chair across the room and watch her chest rise and fall from the shadows.
It’s been three days since I found her crouched over the River Axan with blood painting the ground where she knelt. Three days of being unable to purge her from my fucking thoughts.
There’s something familiar about her, even if I can’t quite put my finger on it. Like a long-forgotten memory that won’t sharpen into focus.
The chamber door opens, and a lanky woman enters carrying a silver tray. She nearly drops it when she sees me, fumbling into an awkward curtsy.
I motion for her to rise and nod at the figure on the bed. “How is she?”
The soul frowns, setting the tray on a table and choosing from a selection of vials. Palming one that shimmers bright purple, she removes the cork and cups the back of the unconscious woman’s head. Upending the vial down her throat, she lays her gently against the pillows and smooths her hair.
“Her wound was deep, but she seems to be responding to the potions I’ve given her so far.”
She pulls the covers back, exposing the long, lean lines of the woman’s body through the thin nightgown the soul changed her into. Reaching for the hem of the gown, she pauses, darting a look at me. When it’s clear I’m not leaving while she continues her examination, she eases the gown up enough to see the wound while leaving her charge mostly covered.
Probing around the edges of the cut that still looks fresh and angry, she murmurs something to herself about magickal wounds and their potential effects on mortals. But there’s more she wants to say. I can sense she’s holding back.
“What else?”
“I can’t say for certain because we don’t know how she was wounded, but I suspect whatever blade or beast did this was a magickal one.”
I cock my head at the idea. Being wounded with a god-touched weapon could explain how a living mortal was able to cross the veil instead of wandering lost in the forest. A tenuous possibility, but a possibility nonetheless.
“If you’ll permit me, my lord.”
I motion for her to continue with a nod of my head.
“Lady Kaia is the only one I trust with this. Her healing power is the strongest in the Shadow Realm. If anyone can examine the woman and know for certain there aren’t any lasting effects from the wound, it’s her.”
I fix my eyes on the woman’s sleeping face. “And if there are lasting effects?”
The nurse follows my gaze. “There could be any number of consequences. If power lingers in the wound, she might not heal properly. She could succumb to an infection.”
And die. The unspoken word hangs in the air, and the prospect of it makes me uneasy for reasons I can’t explain. Death is where I’m most comfortable. If this woman is to become a soul in my realm, I would welcome and judge her as I would any other.
But I don’t want her as a crossed-over soul for me to rule. I want her as something else entirely. And that fucking irritates me too.
Rising from my chair, I cross to the door and pause with my hand on the knob to look back at her. The soul tucks the covers back into place and smooths them with her hand.
“Do what you can to keep her comfortable. I’ll speak with Lady Kaia.”
The soul nods, bobbing into another curtsy before I sweep out of the room.
While Kaia has her own lands bordering the Shadow Realm, she spends most of her time in my palace. Every god in my dark court has rooms here, and they are free to use or not use them as they please. Unlike my brother’s high court, I rarely require them to spend a specific amount of time in my realm.
Kaia’s rooms are in the wing opposite mine, and I smell the scent of her power as soon as I turn the corner. She opens her door when I knock, but her smile quickly fades to a frown.
