1
Death
My hands clench into fists at my sides. Pain unlike anything I have ever known claws its way through my chest, threatening to destroy my will to stay where I am.
To obey Hazel’s command, despite knowing that my very existence means nothing without her by my side.
My shadows crash around me, unable to hide the tempest raging within my soul as all I ever wanted leaves me behind.
But I stand my ground.
I willnotgo after Eros and Hazel, not before I have evidence of my innocence.
No matter how great my desire is to take her from him and into my own arms once again.
No matter how much it feels like my heart is being torn from me with each added step between us.
No, I will not go after her again until I can prove myself to her. Until she can be made certain that nothing will come between us again.
That I will stop atnothingto prove that my love for her is true.
I let out a ragged breath as I swallow the agony at the back of my throat and turn to look toward the gate and the souls beyond. Though my eyes move over them, my thoughts remain fixed on Hazel.
She was right about one thing; her father should not be here.
At least, not so soon.
Perhaps it is for this reason why I let her leave with Eros in the first place. Our deal should have protected him from dying for at least one moon cycle, even if his treacherous wife poisoned him again. Hazel’s sacrifice, her strength poured into him, should have been enough to temporarily sustain him against something so trivial.
Unless, it was not mere poison that killed him.
Stepping toward the gate, I watch the wandering souls beyond, and several turn to blink blearily at me. Just as quickly, their interest wanes and they turn away as if they can sense that I am not the keeper of this gate.
I furrow my brow in thought at this.
Though they can obviously sense my presence, they do not otherwise react to it. There is no fear, no desperation, no emotion at all … not a living body remains among them.
Never, in all my existence, have I seen anything like this. Unless a catastrophe has beset the mortal realm, most should still have some connection to their former selves.
And yet, these souls do not.
My jaw hardens as my eyes narrow on the crowd. There is something far more sinister at work here than I thought, and I fear this is just the beginning.
Shifting my attention away from the wandering souls, my gaze locks on Hazel’s father.
“You,” I say, closing the distance between us, “tell me, what happened to you?”
The man’s eyes are hollow and lifeless as he looks up at me. Slowly his head tilts to one side, but he remains quiet.
“How is it that you came to be here?” I press.
“Here,” Hazel’s father repeats, the word a garbled mess as it pushes past his lips. He blinks once, his head lolling to one side as he eyes roll in their sockets.
I let out deep sigh of frustration. There is little point to questioning a man with no answers to give.
Hazel’s father has no idea where he is, let alone what happened to him. He is too far gone, the ties between his body and soul severed, for it to have been mere poison that killed him.
Though I am quite certain I know which mortal creature is responsible for his untimely demise, I must find a way to prove to Hazel that I am not the one to blame. That I have kept my word, despite what it may look like.
