“Wait,” Killian croaked.
Elyse paused. She’d reached the end of the corridor and was no more than a silvery sheen in the darkness. Killian could imagine the haughty smirk on her face as she awaited his next words.
“I saw another building out back. We can lay them to rest there, and you can burn that.”
He scanned Manny’s and Sera’s faces for affirmation. Sera gave a meek nod, which Manny echoed.
The triumph in Elyse’s voice was saccharine. “Finally, a bit of fun.”
It took over three hours to cut away the bodies and carry them to the building outside. Killian had ordered that they use nomagic. It had to be done by hand. Elyse had scoffed at that and hadn’t offered any help. She’d watched, utter boredom on her face, as one by one Killian and Manny retrieved the bodies.
The building outside was a quaint guest house. The weeds had overtaken it as well, but it wasn’t quite as menacing. Wide windows let in a soft, soothing light, giving it an almost cozy air. It seemed like a pleasant enough place to be laid to rest. Sera found flowers in the woods nearby and spread them across the floor of the little house, creating a lovely send-off for the deceased.
Finally, Elyse was allowed to use her magic. She lit a bit of kindling inside, then joined the rest of the group outside to watch. There was far too much enjoyment in her eyes as she surveyed her handiwork. Within minutes, the walls were ablaze, enhanced by her bewitched fire. The heat of the flames licked at Killian’s face and arms, banishing the chill that had enveloped him since seeing the mansion.
“Et stellae exurere,”Sera whispered as smoke billowed upward, blackening the sky.
From the corner of his eye, Killian watched Elyse. She had been the star of his life, the fire that blazed within him, the light that guided him. Yet, she seemed to have vanished altogether, leaving a darkness in her wake.
Elyse raised her chin, reveling in the fire before her.
Even the stars burn out, but not this one. Killian would find a way to bring Elyse back to him.HisElyse.
10
Elyse
Elysewandered through the streets of Vincennes, bored and agitated. Luckily, the pedestrians bustling about seemed just as eager to ignore her as she was to avoid them.
Burning down the little house had been a blip of excitement in an otherwise dull day. The others didn’t exactly make for great company. They stared at her like they expected something from her. And the way they’d fussed over those bodies—they’d wasted half the day with their pointless fretting. The rest of the day had been spent traveling back to the barren fields and telling the farmers to plant as many seeds as possible. It was no doubt faster with Elyse there to transport them, but a waste nonetheless. No wonder they had no leads on Lazarus.
Not that she’d had any more success…
Elyse meandered about the small city, debating her next move. She’d nearly decided to magick herself to Sevhella, find a grungy tavern to get stinking drunk in, and start a brawl. But as she strolled past a wide alleyway, something abruptly changed her mind.
Killian and Manny were in the alley, both shirtless, both drenched in sweat. Killian’s bronze skin glistened behind a shield of hard air, and Manny’s massive shoulders bulged as he shot off stunning spells.
Elyse leaned against the timber wall and took in the show. The training itself was uninspiring, but the rippling muscles more than made up for that. She bit her lips as she watched a bead of sweat trickle down Killian’s exquisite abdomen. Then her gaze flicked to Manny, and the way his strong legs filled out his trousers. The heat that surged through her had nothing to do with the summer air.
When Death had taken her soul, she’d taken many emotions with it. Love, admiration, sympathy. But not lust.
Neither of the men seemed to notice her as she continued to watch. They were both delicious in their own way. Killian was dark and lean and cunning while Manny was a broad wall of power. Elyse took one last long look, memorizing their figures, before heading into the inn. She savored the images, letting her imagination play as she sat down at a table and ordered three fingers of dry liquor.
Three fingers. The thought made her toes curl.
The patronage at the inn’s dining hall was preferable to the one in Domistad. Far fewer people littered the room, which meant fewer people to fumble about, drunkenly bumping intothings. It was probably a good thing, considering the delicate-looking knickknacks that lined the shelves on the wall, though Elyse thought it would be a blessing to see the hideous figurines knocked to the floor.
She slouched at the table, her thoughts lingering on Killian’s neck. She wondered how it would taste to lick the sweat from it, to bite it hard until she drew blood. She imagined Manny’s hard body pressed against hers, how his strong hands would feel grabbing her breasts, or handfuls of her ass. What would it be like for him to choke her? To make Killian watch? She was enjoying her little daydream, until Sera entered through the doorway.
Elyse didn’t acknowledge her presence. Maybe if she ignored her, Sera would leave.
She couldn’t be so lucky though. Sera hesitated, but she still ended up making her way to Elyse’s table. “Hello,” she uttered.
Elyse made no reply.
Killian and Manny entered the inn a few minutes later, their shirts adorned and their chests still heaving with exertion. Manny dropped onto the bench beside Sera, planting a sweaty kiss on her cheek. After a moment’s hesitation, Killian seated himself beside Elyse, though he kept a good six inches of distance between them. Elyse wanted to slide closer to him, if only to watch him squirm, but feared it might send the wrong message. The last thing she needed was the fool thinking she actually cared about him.
A young, doe-eyed waitress quickly hurried over to offer the men water, disregarding Elyse and Sera completely. Killianasked for dinner to be brought out, and the waitress reluctantly left their table to fetch the order.
