His eyes shuttered, betraying raw, desperate emotions clawing for attention. “I’m not.”
I shook my head. “Youare. And because of that, we’re getting out of your bedroom and leaving this castle. Immediately. We can comeback to this”—I gave him a searing kiss of my own—“later. When we’re free.”
He thrashed, but the shadows held firm.
“Don’t make me drag you downstairs. It’s a long way down.”
He laughed, the sound deliciously rich and mirthful. It made my face burn. The shadows slid from his shoulders, drifting to his feet. “I’d like to see you try.”
Erebus willed the shadows away as if they were as insubstantial as smoke, storming toward the door to his bedchamber. His robe slipped away as he walked, quickly replaced by his usual armor of liquid night and overlapping scales. He looked back at me, expectant, as an onyx crown slid into place, threading into his hair.
“What?” he asked, mouth twitching up into a half grin. “I wasn’t about to face our fate in a robe. Unless that’s what you’d prefer.”
I decided I quite liked him like this—smiling, irritatingly beautiful, andalive.
I did my best to mirror him, willing my robe to change into a dark, flowing dress with scales like his and a crown to match. Adding a slit to the front gave my legs greater range, partially exposing a pair of slim boots, pointed and sharp, which swept up my calves like a second skin. The only things I didn’t like were the gloves he’d attired us with. I formed a new pair over the old, their clawlike fingertips reminiscent of the ones he used to wear.
Catching him looking at me, I clicked the taloned fingers together. “I wanted to feel what it was like to be sharp and untouchable. I think I like it.”
Identical claws stretched from his gloves as he reached for me. As soon as our hands made contact, the metal covering our palms shifted into black leather. This was surprisingly pleasant; even with the harsh metal on top, I could feel the shape of his palm and the length of every finger.
“What a pair we make,” he murmured. Shadows spun around us ina slow dance. “Claws, scales, and onyx crowns. A wicked king and queen who can perhaps use their darkness for good.”
The castle vestibule was as I had remembered it, candelabras twinkling from their grooves in the walls and extravagant furniture beckoning from the shadows. Claw marks still gouged the walls, and most of the tapestries and paintings were hanging loosely in snakelike tendrils, but beauty remained. The castle was surely a ghost of Erebus’s original creation, but pockets of wonder and artistic intent were apparent. The iron doors were as I remembered, too; colossal and brimming with hundreds of meticulously carved figures.
We stopped just shy of the castle doors, silent as the weight of what we were about to attempt slid over us. The Light Bringer had forbidden me from doing what I was about to do, but what power did his warning truly hold? The “monstrous” Shadow Bringer wasn’t a monster after all—and the demons had already escaped, rendering my initial promise useless. I’d deal with Mithras and the repercussions of my actions later. I had no other choice; thiswasthe path forward.
So long as the doors opened.
“Go first,” Erebus directed, taking a step back. “You should have no trouble stepping free of this place.”
“No. You have every right to go first. Or we should go together,” I told him.
Erebus made no motion to move, arms stiff at his sides. “Please. I insist.”
His uncertainty unnerved me. If the curse hadn’t lifted, then what hope did we have? I steeled myself, taking a deep breath. If he couldn’t leave, I’d have to carry on by myself.
There is no other path forward.
“Fine,” I said, quickly grabbing the handles and trying to hide my fear. The metal was cool underneath my palms, and the carvings, though shadows curled over their forms, were eerily still. “But I’m taking you with me the second I make it over the threshold.”
I pulled.
Surprisingly, it was as effortless as pushing aside a curtain—one fluid motion, silent and smooth as the doors slid across the stone. Then, before I could dwell on what happened to Erebus when he temporarily left the boundaries of his castle, I took a quick step over the threshold.
No burning, no melting armor. No skin peeling from my bones.
Nothing.
“Come on,” I beckoned, immediately turning back toward the castle and holding out my hand. Erebus was still partially hidden in the shadows, firmly rooted in place. “I’m not leaving here without you, Erebus.”
He took a step forward, the toes of his boots dusting the threshold. They did not smolder or catch flame; still, when he grabbed hold of my hand, his was shaking. An ugly, unwanted part of my mind screamed at me, a violent, desperate warning. It hissed at me to drop his hand—to push him back inside the castle and slam the door. But I shoved the voice away, pulling him toward me instead.
I wanted him to be free. Ineededhim to be free.
Erebus flinched, silver eyes narrowing, but he allowed himself to be guided forward. And, most importantly of all…
He didn’t burn.
