“So now what? Are we in the Otherworld?” I asked, looking around at the dark, menacing forest.
Kaden shook his head. “Not yet. We have to cross that first. The Otherworld is on the other side,” he said, pointing toward what was once a beautiful wooden bridge. On this side of whatever veil we had passed through, it is a forbidding stone expanse. My enchanted forest was actually a forest of death. Torches rose at even intervals from the balustrades, the light from the flames stretching toward the darkness. Gargoyle statues sat at the end, guarding a towering archway marked in runes, their mouths gaping in a snarl and twisted wings flaring above them.
“What does it say?” I asked, staring up at the arch with narrowed eyes.
“Those who pass this threshold leave hope behind,” Kaden read out loud.
“All right.” I blew out a breath. “Not foreboding at all.”
Isaiah sighed in annoyance, and Samkiel chuckled. I stepped closer to the bridge, feeling Samkiel close at my back. I glanced down at the river. It no longer flowed clear and beautiful, but was a thick, undulating sludge. When I looked closer, I saw thousands of eels writhing beneath the surface.
“Okay then, let’s go,” I said, trying to force my feet forward.
“Ready when you are,” Kaden said.
I was a little surprised. They had been reluctant participants on this journey, but for once, it seemed we would not have to fight them. For a brief moment, I was thankful, but as I turned toward Samkiel to take his hand, I realized how wrong I was. Faster than he should have been, Isaiah grabbed Samkiel’s head from behind and forced his chin. With a brutal twist, he snapped his neck.
It was so unexpected that I stood frozen for a breath, but then I watched in horror as Samkiel dropped, his knees hitting the ground hard before he crumpled. Rage ripped through me, and fire erupted along my hands. I spun, ready to send Kaden to the inky river below, but found him already waiting for me. My hand shot out, but he caught my wrist and yanked me close.
“I’ll kill you,” I said, snarling up at him as my fangs extended.
“It’s the only way,” he said before his foot hit my knee hard enough to send me to the ground, and his hands snapped my neck.
49
DIANNA
“What if we just run away together?” I smiled at Samkiel as we lay on the floor. I loved the days we were able to spend a few more minutes locked in our room before facing what lay beyond our door. Plus, Samkiel had designed our room with enough soundproofing that even the old dead gods couldn’t hear me when I begged him for release. Our bedroom was a disheveled mess, but I didn’t care. He’d fix it like he always did, just so we could break it anew.
His laugh was big and joyous, his hair a tousled mess with small downy feathers caught in the curls from one of the pillows I’d ripped open during our play. This was one of my favorite versions of him, when his ghosts no longer haunted him. I was so glad I could give that to him. Sometimes he looked at me as if I were the only thing holding him together. Gods, I was a sappy, moronic fool in love, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
“Hypothetically, where do you want to go if we do?”
I tapped my finger against my swollen lip, my feet swinging behind me as I lay on my stomach on the floor. “Well, I do like our city, so I don’t want to leave it. Maybe we can just hide it and us from the world. You know, once you’re done saving it.”
My mocking tone on that last bit earned me a playful glare. He pounced, wrapping me in his arms. Laughter burst from me as his hands found the most ticklish spot on my ribs. He chuckled, and it was a chorus of happiness. I prayed to whoever was listening that I could keep it.
IGROANED ASI sat up, and I pressed my hand to my sore neck, the ache in it subsiding as voices flooded into the dimly lit room.
“… a fool to bring her here.”
“I had no choice,” Kaden said.
My eyes finally adjusted, focusing on Kaden through the gloom. Anything else he might have said died as I launched myself at him. Kaden hit the floor, his breath whooshing out of him as I rolled him over, straddling his waist. My fist connected once, twice, three times before he caught it, holding me there.
“I meant what I said,” I snarled. “I’m going to kill you.”
“If I die with you on top of me, at least I’d enjoy that,” Kaden said, forcing my body closer to his when he grabbed my other wrist and pulled my hands above his head. I struggled against him, and he grunted, his grin turning cocky as my body ground against his. My lip curled in disgust, and I growled, trying to lift myself off him.
A low chuckle came from the other side of the room, and I realized we weren’t alone. My head whipped to the side, and I noticed the dark, short-haired man for the first time. He stood before a wall of skulls, his pale yellow eyes with the slitted vertical pupils glowing in the dim light.
“Please, continue,” he said, waving a bronzed hand toward us. “Preferably naked, if you so wish.”
I tore my hands from his grip and hopped off Kaden so fast my hair whipped across my face. Brushing it back, I struggled to my feet, making sure to kick him hard in the ribs. I backed away and turned to keep both of them in view. Now that I was no longer on the ground, everything was a little clearer. My eyes darted around, and I swallowed, realizing we were in a fucking mausoleum. There were rows and rows of skulls, all different shapes, sizes, and species, tucked into every nook. We were in a catacomb of death.
“Figures. You never did take me anywhere nice,” I snarled, glaring at Kaden as he pushed himself to his feet. “Where is Samkiel?”
Kaden just cradled his ribs and tossed me a glare. I spun, searching the rest of the room for Samkiel. Torches sprouted from the walls, casting gold light into the room. The plush lounge I had woken on sat against the far wall, carved snakes twisting around the thick legs supporting it. Trinkets were scattered between his skull collection, and the prevalent color of the decor in the room was dark orange. I wondered if it was his favorite color.
