Through tears.
Through pain.
Yet she was here now. She was back, just like she had promised she would be. And she was stronger, much stronger than in her previous body. That soul I would forever know felt darker, heavier, and I knew it was the lifetimes that made her different. It was the five thousand years she had lived far away from me, never once stepping foot on this wretched island.
Rustling of leaves sounded behind me, but even without turning around I knew who it was. I kept my eyes fixed on the window overlooking Medusa's dining table, feasting on the silver-haired woman sitting there with a plate filled with food that would soon not be enough to sustain her. The food that was meant for mortals and for the creatures, but not for her.
"Was it you?" I asked as one of my oldest companions stood next to me, pressing against my leg with his head. "Was it, Grimm?" I looked down, seeing one of the brothers that missed her almost more than I did. The one that defied every single one of my orders, leaving the island on every October 31st, when the veil thinned and the creatures could roam the real world.
After Grimm and his two brothers spent more lifetimes than I could count searching for our queen, for the soul of the one I loved, and failing, I forbade them from ever leaving again. I forbade them from destroying what little humanity I had with each new failure and each new death she had.
"I thought I made myself clear."
And I thought I told you I didn't care, he said, lifting his head to look up at me.She's here and we're lucky I was there.
That, we were. "So when I asked if you took anything from the garden?—"
I lied,Grimm replied.I lied because I wasn't sure. I lied because that night I wasn't even sure if she would survive and I couldn't stay. I couldn't keep watch of her, but I felt her. I was following her for years, Hades. She's… different.
"How so?"
There's a darkness attached to her soul this time around. There's a darkness that never was there. A power I cannot understand.
I knew exactly what he meant, because I felt it as well. I felt it the moment I saw her. Hell, I felt it the moment she stepped on this island, hearing the wind whisper the name of the prophesied one. Of the one that would bring the end to us all.
Kaira had no idea what kind of power she wielded, and not only because she was the daughter of Thanatos.
But because she meant more to me than my own life.
18
KAIRA
My fingers drummedagainst the folded blanket I was sitting on, replaying the past two days and every piece of information thrown my way. Yet, the more I tried making sense and puzzling the pieces together, the less I understood what my role truly was.
I had expected to find out more during the dinner last night, but when I came down after my conversation with Elandra, my aunt refused to talk about "business". Instead of telling me more about the prophecy, about my role in this whole mess, Alyana spoke of my mother. And somewhere between my annoyance and curiosity, I remembered the real reason I had come here.
It definitely wasn't to find out that all myths and legends were true, but to actually get to know my mother. Or a version of her I was never privy to.
Daniela Vale was many things—an amazing mother, a loving partner, but seeing the love my aunt held for her sister even after all these years has healed a part of me. Her words, her stories, had painted the picture of the woman my mother was before life took her happiness away.
The sound of the wind slamming against the old bones of this house reminded me of my ride with the ferry, and deep down I knew I would never regret coming here.
But as I sat on the same bed I woke up in yesterday, my feet dangling inches from the floor as I stared through the window overlooking the dark forest looming behind Elandra's home, I couldn't stop myself from thinking ofhim.
Of the man I couldn't understand.
Of the God that felt familiar.
I wanted to hate him for the callous words he spilled last night, but I couldn't. His eyes never left my mind. His scent, his touch, they were beginning to be a necessity. They were starting to drive me crazy, especially when I realized he wasn't there at dinner.
My aunt said nothing when she saw me standing at the entrance to the dining room last night, looking around while my eyes searched for him, but Elandra did.
"He left," she simply said as she set up the table for the three of us.He leftkept ringing in my head throughout the dinner. I couldn't shake off the disappointment coursing through every part of my body. But I squashed the emotion before it could bloom in my chest, and sat down to eat, focusing on the stories my aunt was willing to share.
The fog outside the window covered the ground, slithering into the forest nearby, making it feel so much more sinister, almost forbidden. My feet landed on the cold ground, carrying me toward the window, and as I stood there, looking at the crows emerging from their nests, taking to the skies, I saw him.
A lone figure, just at the edge of the forest, standing far too still to be mistaken for anything else but an eternal being. A white cloud of fog covered his feet, reaching towards his knees. Those wide shoulders filled a different shirt now, and even though distance separated us, it felt as if he was right here, in front of me, staring into my soul just like yesterday.
