“I know. But I don’t want you to die.” She brushes his hair out of his eyes and strokes his cheek with her thumb. “You have to let me go, and you have to know that I will always,alwaysreturn to you. He cannot have me, and he cannot keep me away.”
Wrapped in each other’s embrace, they stare out the window as the sun settles into the horizon. Darkness spreads over the world, and Claudia closes her eyes, falling fast into a deep, shadowy sleep.
This is not the Realm of Nightmares that Claudia knows.
This is what it was always meant to look like. This is the realm now that Sidarphion is free.
It is not a never-ending winter. There are no howls on the wind, no monsters at her back, no beasts chasing her down. The sky above is a swirling mosaic of rich navy blue and vivid violet.
It’s painterly. It’s gorgeous.
And it’s warm. So deliciously warm.
She’s no longer wearing a thin white slip like she usually is when she falls into a nightmare. She’s wearing a black evening gown with long lace sleeves and a tight corset ribboning down her back. There are slits in her skirt that stretch all the way up to her hip bones. Her legs show with every step while she walks through the glittering world. Her hair is down, left wild and untamed just how she likes. Her mother’s emerald pendant is around her neck.
Moonlight hugs the trees and haloes an onyx cathedral growing in the distance.
It looks like Cygnus, only darker. Stranger.
Better.
The ground is smooth beneath her feet. There is no snowanymore—only fields of white flowers that look like fallen stars. Instinct pulls her forward, toward the shining cathedral. Twin turrets crown the top, each holding arched windows with candles pulsing behind the glass.
He’s in there. She can feel him.
At the bottom of the stairs leading up to the entrance, Claudia takes a deep breath. Her steps are shaky as she ascends. When she reaches the top, she stands between two dragon gargoyles. The massive arched wooden door opens for her as if it senses her presence.
Slowly, she walks inside. Her heart throbs. Her hands tremble.
A long red rug lines the entryway, and a crystal chandelier hangs above her head. Along the walls, there are ornate silver sconces, each holding lit black candles that warm the entire room. Following the path before her, she walks into what can only be described as a throne room.
Upon a dais at the back, there he is.
Sidarphion.
He sits on an obsidian throne, wearing a dark crown of night, his wings stretched wide behind him.
Now she sees the truth of him—he is a god. A ruler. The most powerful being she’s ever seen. Powerful enough to hold Cassius’s life in his hands and use it as a weapon to keep Claudia under his control.
She’s never hated him more.
Beside him is an empty throne. He gestures to it with an open palm.
Her hands ball into fists at her side. “I just have to know why.” Before she takes another step forward, she says, “You once said that if I set you free, you would tell me why you killed Dracoemagyl and cursed his line. You owe me that.”
He stiffens, then nods. “And I will keep my word.” He stands, pacing the dais. “As you know, each god has different gifts. Orteslux has faith. Malevimus has truth. Caedisterra, chance. Dolericym, feeling. My gift is fate.” Slowly descending the stairs,he continues, “During our ascension, I saw all of fate unfold before me. Every soul’s eventuality. When I saw Dracoemagyl’s fate, I wanted it for myself, but the only way to get it was to stop Dracoemagyl’s ascension and ensure none of his ancestors could take his place. I cut him down, I cursed his line, and I fought for the fate I wanted.”
“What was it?”
In a blink, he’s standing before her, his claw hooked beneath her chin. “You.”
She gasps. Her pulse surges and her body shakes.
The origin and the end—that’s what Malevimus said. Now she truly understands what he meant. She is the reason for everything; every dream and every tragedy points back to her.
“I am not yours,” she growls. “I belong to Cassius.”
“A man cannot offer that of a god,” he says, stroking her cheek.
“You’re no god. You’re a devil and you always have been.”
He smiles. “That is why I won.”
