I almost feel sorry for him, despite having no warm feelings for my own mother, but my attention is soon diverted when my prince approaches, reaching out for my hand.
I hesitate. There’s blood on his fingers. Red and fresh.
But when I see the uncertainty in his gray eyes, all I want is to disperse it, so I take one more step down and grab his hand. I’ve been part of this execution. There’s no use in pretending otherwise. I chose between him and Vinia, and I don’t regret my decision. Maybe that makes me a monster too.
I can almost physically feel the relief my gesture brings him. And while I now see that blood stains my pin too, I close my eyes when Kyran leans down to kiss my forehead, at peace and safe with him as my protector. The coppery aroma of death is thick in the air, but it’s too late to overthink this, so I smile down at all the courtiers when Kyran holds my hand and addresses his flock.
“Justice prevails.”
He waits a moment for the initial applause to subside, and as disgusting as the Goldweeds are, cheering while their own blood lies dead on the floor, maybe this is a lesson I need to learn if I am to survive this next month.
Even family can’t be trusted.
Only Kyran.
No. Even that isn’t certain, but he at least has vested interest in keeping me alive.
Vinia’s blood is sticky between our fingers as Kyran kisses my knuckles before speaking again.
“This human will be my Dark Companion, and anyone who eventhinksabout hurting him in any way will suffer the full extent of my wrath. He is the blood pumping through my heart, my promised, and Iwillburn the Realm for him if I have to.”
It shouldn’t thrill me to hear it, but a shiver still runs down my spine. When I look up at Kyran, it’s as if he took some of Vinia’s light. He’s beautiful, he’s deadly, and set on winning me over.
I swallow and sense myself smiling despite my better judgment. My fingers itch to tremble, but he holds them steady. Kyran has declared his feelings for me in front of the whole court, and even though he’s made it clear to others before that I am to be his Dark Companion, the truth only hits me now, as everyone’s eyes are on me.
To him,Iam the prize. The one worth fighting for, the one worth avenging.
My trust issues are a thousand sirens blaring in warning, but I want to feel safe for a moment longer and indulge in the false belief that he might really care about me so deeply.
When Kyran reaches for the pin on his heart, I stop him, putting my hand over his.
“Keep it. Looks like you might need the luck,” I say, trying to be cool and cocky, but my voice still comes out shaky.
Kyran’s brows lower, and he rubs my cheek with the back of his bloodstained hand. Maybe I should be disgusted, but all I feel when he leans over and kisses one of my hands like some old-timey gentleman is bliss.
I know that to him my worth lies in my human shadow, with the novelty of sex adding a bit of spice to our relationship, but a toxic part of me doesn’t care that everything we share is only surface-level. I just want to be adored. This once. Even if it’s not meant to last.
“Are you certain? You said it’s important to you.”
Ihesitate, unsure if I’m ready to open up this much, but I’m already so deep into my… entanglement with him. “When I got to leave school, my mother didn’t come to pick me up, so I hitchhiked with this trucker. I mean that he gave me a ride. On the way, we stopped at this local diner famous for its lobster rolls. He bought me lunch, and got me this pin with the name of the place. I… really needed kindness at that point, and he wanted nothing in return. I kept it to remind myself that the world isn’t always out to get me. Maybe you need that too,” I finish in a whisper, feeling sillier than ever.
My chest feels heavy with emotion when Kyranis meets my gaze. “I will forever cherish this gift. Thank you for your help,” he whispers, seemingly unaware of all the attention we’re getting from our audience.
“All I did was stand up.” I shrug, not used to praise. I can’t even hold his gaze. What I’m used to is ‘do better, Luke’, and ‘you ruined my life, Luke’, and ‘I spent all that money, and you didn’t even finish school’.
But Kyran only has smiles for me. “I already think of you as my Dark Companion, Luke,” he says and sits me on the throne.
The sight of Vinia sprawled on the bloodstained floor makes me stiffen. Sylvan approaches her, pale as a ghost, but his own brother, the one with lush long hair, stands in the way. While their standoff is silent, I can almost see the sparks flying off their bodies.
That’s what this court is. Death is an integral part of the Nightmare Realm, and the courtiers all embrace the dark and morbid.
Kyran spreads his arms and raises his hands as if he’s a preacher. “I am officially announcing the beginning of my courtship with Luke Moor, a human from Blackwood in the state of Maine. We will marry on the day of the Blood Moon. I invite all of you to hunt the Stag of Sunrise alongside us in two weeks’ time. May the moonlight shine brightly upon this court for a thousand more years!”
Chapter 22
Kyran
Sunlight is a challenge for even the most experienced shadow-wielders. I’ve never encountered it, and its glow was as shocking as it was painful. It made my eyes ache, my ears buzz, and by the time nausea took over, I could barely keep track of Vinia’s movements.
