Page 57 of All Hallows Fate

“I never knew what happened to the box, or the heart,” she admitted. “It didn’t matter, because Miz was safe. I’m so sorry.”

I shook my head, curls tickling my face. “Not your fault, darling. I can’t believe they gave it to you. And then stole it back, obviously.”

“Cruelty probably took it while we were focused on Nightmare.” Her breath was warm against my temple. “Pain, how did they take your heart?”

“Ambush,” I said bitterly. “Not long after I sensed you for the first time. All part of their grand, dastardly plan.” She hugged me tighter, probably because of the strangled tone of my voice. “I had my back to the door, working on a sleeping solution. They fucking tag-teamed me. I fought them, but it was useless. I tried everything, and they still overpowered me. That psycho ripped it out of me while her brother watched.” I shrugged, because how did you finish a story about someone ripping out your heart?

I fully expected to die, then and there, but apparently a death god can exist without one.

“I need to ask something,” she said, the hesitation in her voice kicking me in the gut. I folded my hand over hers and held on tight. “Please don’t lie. I can handle the truth. And I won’t be mad.”

She echoed that with another kiss, this time to my cheek.

“I’d rather lie,” I rasped, my voice low, full of gravel.

“Alfie.”

“Tor’s gonna hate me. Miz will probably try to kill me. Don’t even get me started on what Madde will do when he knows what I’ve done,” I laughed, forced. “I’ve thought about it in detail. It’d involve the skinning of at least one body part, then spoon-related violence, stabbings in a thousand places, and probably my spine ripped out of my body.”

She caught my face and turned it towards her, kissing a path over my cheeks, my nose, before gracing my lips with a benefaction in the form of a slow kiss.

“Can he use it to control you?” she asked.

I fanned my shadows further away, not wanting to see the look on her face, dreading her hatred, her rage, or worse—her disappointment. That was me through and through, Alfie the disappointment, the waste of a life, the fuck-up.

I choked down the lump in my throat and said, “Yes.”

“He made you tell him things—our plans, our location, the things on my list.”

My eyes burned, the sudden spill of tears down my cheeks surprising. “Yes.”

Cat inhaled a deep breath, slowly and bit by bit. Her hands shook. No, her whole body shook. But when she kissed my tear-stained cheeks, her lips were gentle.

“Thank you for telling me,” she said, with remarkable softness.

“Are you going to judge me?” I asked with a strangled laugh.

“I already did, my love.” She squeezed my hand and stood, magic whooshing from her like the ermine cloak of a queen.

“And?” I dared to ask. If I had my heart, I’d be having palpitations. It felt like I was having palpitations.

“And you deserve justice.”

I pulled my magic back in time to get an impression of the wrath on her face, the cold, burning rage. Her attention was on the gates. No, the failsafe stone as the tiny cross glowed, and spirits appeared on the other side of the newly forged iron.

“One task left,” she said in a voice of quiet, creeping death. “One task, and I can kill him.”

39

Cat

Everyone reacted to the revelation that Violence had compelled Pain exactly as he predicted. All except Madde, whose eyes grew so big, his mouth parted, shoulders slumped before he stalked across the misty courtyard and seized Pain in a hug so tight I knew it forced organs to rearrange.

“My lioness is going to make him scream and cry and beg,” Madde promised, patting Pain’s curly hair and planting a full kiss on his lips.

“Stop kissing everyone, you weirdo,” Tor groaned.

“Kiss more people?” Madde turned towards Tor. “Can do.”