The ghost opens his mouth, but suddenly, a new partner sweeps me away, and the temperature around me shifts from deathly cold to wonderfully warm. The contrast is so stark it makes me gasp.
“Did I interrupt something important?”
That voice. I peer up at my new dance partner, and my heart nearly stops. The eyes staring back at me behind a black plague mask are green. Green and bright and dazzling with life. Surrounded by so much death, the vitality in them is almost shocking.
Tears brim in my eyes. “You’re here.”
Peering out at me under a leather plague mask is the man I love. The corners of his eyes are pinched in that way I know means he’s terrified, but he doesn’t want me to see it. It’s him. It’sreallyhim. I grip his strong shoulders. He’s not just a figment of my imagination.
Despite the craziness of this situation, I find myself leaning into him, breathing in his scent, resting against his heartbeat as we dance. I need to get back to finding Fynn, but for some reason, I can’t stop myself from dancing a few more steps. A few more beats. When I close my eyes, I can almost imagine we’re dancing at our reception.
My eyes burn, and I grit my teeth. We should be wrapped in each other’s arms, gearing up for the best day of our lives. Instead, we’re here. Because of my damn mistake. I take a deep breath and force the feelings down, burying them. If I let myself sink into the violent sea of what should be, we won’t get outof here in time to get married. And I will. This wedding will happen, and it will be perfect.
I start to smile. But if he’s here, in Mictlan, then he’s in danger.
“You can’t get rid of me so easily.”
“It isn’t safe for you here.” It’s not safe for any living being.
“You’re here,” Wilder replies, his voice tinged with an edge that makes my heart ache. It’s a vulnerability I’ve rarely heard from him. “Are you saying it’s safe for you but not for me? Did I miss the part of your past where you also had Blade training?”
I swallow hard. No. But I am a Lunar Witch. This realm affects me differently. “That’s where you should be. With them. The Blades. They need your help. I can handle things here. Ravi is looking for a way to close the portal. I’m close to finding Fynn and getting back.”
“Jax and Soter have it under control.” Wilder looks side to side. “And if you were so close, what’s with this party?”
I sigh. “Kosac didn’t give me details, but I am playing along. It’s my leverage to get Fynn back.”
“Kosac told me you didn’t want me here.” His hand tightens on my waist, as if he expects me to push him away. Once I save Fynn and close the portal, I plan to never let him go.
“I don’t.” My tone is unconvincing, even though I desperately need to handle things on my own. I caused this mess. I put us in danger. I wish he’d let me fix it. If something were to happen to him, I would never recover.
Hurt flashes behind his eyes. “Ouch.”
“I can’t risk something happening to you.”
“Can we talk somewhere more private?” Wilder asks. “I feel like art in a museum.”
I search for Kosac. He’s still not here.
Taking Wilder’s hand, we slip out of the ballroom, through the double doors, and back into the deserted hallway.
“Wilder, you need to listen to me?—”
He rips off his mask. Relief and desperation flicker across his face before he cups my cheeks with both hands and kisses me as if he’s been starving for it. I melt into him, gripping his shirt. Despite everything with the portal and the Dullahan, he came for me. A tear rolls down my face.
If our roles were reversed, I wouldn’t hesitate either.
“You lied to me,” he says breathlessly.
I shake my head. “I know. I’m sorry, but you weren’t supposed to find out this way. If there’s any consolation, I have it handled. Fynn is somewhere close by, and as soon as I find him, I’m coming home. Ravi is working overtime to find the spell to close the portal. I didn’t want to tell you because I wanted this weekend to be perfect.”
Wilder laughs, but the sound is shaky. “You can’t sneak away in the middle of the night and claim you have it handled. All I’ve done is worry since Ravi told me you went through the portal after Fynn. A portal you openedmonthsago. What would have made this weekend perfect is if my fiancée had trusted me with the truth. Lying isn’t protection, it’s omission.”
I wince. It sounds even worse when he says it.
“Aradia is here because of me,” I say. “I was trying to get her back. Opening the rift wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to cause unnecessary stress. Marrying you was the light at the end of a very dark tunnel, and I didn’t want anything to change that.”
Wilder pulls me close, wrapping his arms around me like a life preserver. I cling to him as if I’m lost at sea. We’re being reckless for staying out in the open for so long; Kosac might come looking for me. But everything in this world feels cold and distant, while Wilder is warm and real. He’s my reminder that I have so much waiting for me at home.
