Page 82 of All Hallows Fate

I drifted closer, scanning her face, her body, marking every fresh bruise and injury, noting the way she held her shoulder stiffly and wasn’t resting any weight on her ankle. All things that made me want to rip Violence from true death and beat the shit out of him. But he was dead. It was over.

“You did it,” Pain said, shell shocked and pale. “You—got my heart back.”

Cat’s shoulders slumped in relief. “I didn’t know if it would work, or if he’d see what I’d done and—”

Pain wrapped her in a tight hug, his face pressed to her shoulder. “It worked. I’m whole again.”

“Bye, bye motherfucker,” Madde crowed victoriously and kicked Violence’s dead face.

I moved closer, a strange looseness in my chest at the sight of Violence truly dead, at the stillness that settled over the lake. At least until the other gods figured out what Cat had done and burst into noise.

“I’m so fucking proud of you,” Miz breathed, stealing Cat from Pain and folding her into a hug.

“We’re still branding this prick with all the bad things he’s done, right?” Madde asked, kicking Violence one last time and joining their hug and peering around.

I drifted closer, stroking my fingers through Cat’s hair—

She shivered. And I realised with a punch to my gut that I hadn’t had fingers minutes ago. Hadn’t had any limbs; the decay had turned them to mist. But now I could run my fingers through Cat’s hair, squeeze her shoulder, and I thought she’d done it. A kiss to save Death. I thought she’d saved me.

But a small, twisted sob burst from Cat, and she covered her mouth with both hands.

“Where is he?” Miz demanded, searching the banks of the lake over and over. “Where’s Death?”

I’m right here.

But they couldn’t hear me.

56

Cat

“No,” I snapped, shaking my head. “No, I did everything right. The scales, the gates, the creatures, Pain’s heart, and I killed Violence with a kiss. I did everything right. He can’t be gone.”

But there was ice in my soul where there’d been calm and patience and warmth. And I felt it, a brush of cold to my shoulder as if—as if a spirit had touched me.

Another sob scraped up my throat, and I wiped hastily at the tears on my cheeks, looking up with crippling hope when a shadow fell over us. But it was Passion and Hunger, with Wrath, Neglect, Fear, and the others. And my dad. The second our eyes connected, I broke, sobs crushing my chest.

“Out of the way,” he barked at my husbands, and pulled me into a hug that almost convinced me everything would be okay. “I’m so sorry, Cat. I’m so sorry.”

His hand brushed over my head and down my hair, and deja vu made me shudder. As if someone had just done the same thing…

“He’s gone.” My breaths came in sharp, stunted gasps. “He’s gone. My husband is gone.”

Dad held me tighter when my knees gave out, and even though I was filthy and shaking so hard my whole body rattled, he didn’t let go.

“Fuck,” Tor said thickly. I lifted my head in time to see him turn away, both palms pressed to his eyes. “The stupid fucking bastard. He couldn’t have waited another goddamn minute?”

Miz wrapped his arms around Tor from behind and said nothing, staring at the lake.

“I thought he’d make it,” Madde said miserably, pulling both me and my dad into a hug.

“Cat.”

It was the tone of Pain’s voice that made me lift my head and wipe at my eyes until I could see him.

“What can you feel in the bond?”

I swallowed, the lump in my throat choking my words. “Cold. Like it’s frozen over.”