Chapter 4
Briar
“You’re late,” Kane snaps, glowering down at me.
I cling to the strap of the pack I’ve thrown over my shoulder and swallow hard. I should be frightened of Kane when he glares like this, but there’s no fire behind his glare. I bite my lip and meet his gaze. I washed and packed as quickly as I could – and I ran the entire way to the courtyard. I have nothing to be sorry for. “I got here as fast as possible,” I say, feeling a little defiant.
Kane's lips twitch, and his eyes flash. There's the anger he was missing before. I feel myself shrink slightly in response, and I remember the way he so easily overpowered me. He wasn't even trying and acted like it was more a game than anything else. Kane's eyes cut through me like a hot poker, and I straighten unconsciously, preparing for the worst. But he simply turns away, back to Willem and Aiden.
“Hold on tight,” Kane drawls, stretching out his hands.
He reaches for me, hand behind his back and out of sight of the other two men. When I don’t take hold of it, he flashes an irritated glare over his shoulder. Quickly, I wrap my fingers around his, my stomach flipping nervously. His hand is cold, freezing even, and his palms are rough. I expected soft hands, the kind that have never seen a day of hard labor. Kane doesn’t hold tightly to my hand, as if he’s reluctant to touch me. Darkness stretches around us, obscuring my sight and I inhale sharply; afraid. Kane squeezes my hand once, quickly. A warm sensation blooms in my chest at the small gesture.
For all, I've tried to remember that Kane, Willem, and the members of Court I've met are not my friends, but rather my enemies, I can't seem to stop wanting Kane to show me kindness. And when he does show me even the smallest gestures, my stomach is filled with butterflies. He doesn’t squeeze my hand again, even though I’m silently begging him to. In the darkness, I keep my eyes fixated on where his head would be. I know if he turned around, he could see me. I want him to.
Suddenly, the world tips upside down for the briefest instant, but it's enough to make my heart skip a beat. I gasp before I can bite it back and my hand tightens around Kane's. I feel him go stiff in the darkness. Suddenly, light burns my eyes, and his hand slips away from mine. I cover my face from the yellow sun overhead and blink, trying to adjust. In the Underworld, the light is perpetual sunset, nothing more than a warm glow. In the mortal realm, the sun beats down on my overhead, yellow and deliciously warm.
I smile and drop my hand. From behind my closed eye, I can still see the flow of the sun as a fiery orange color. A gentle breeze rustles my hair and clothes. I inhale deeply, smelling the grass and soil. It’s only been a month since I left the mortal realm, but that was long enough to forget the way it feels. It feels like summer is ending here, but nature hasn’t quite caught up. I open my eyes and all I see is green and blue.
Kane has brought us to a hill overlooking a small village through the trees. Oak trees, still filled with vibrant green leaves, stand tall and strong. Puffy clouds float across the blue sky and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Summer flowers still bloom in the meadow, but I can smell Fall on the air. Around me, Kane, Willem, and Aiden take in our surroundings with bored expressions. I drop into a crouch and tug at a blade of grass, rubbing it between my thumb and fingertips. I trace the rough grains and even lift it to my nose to smell.
“What are you doing?” Aiden asks, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Have you ever smelt a blade of grass before?” I offer it to him. He shakes his head, eyes quizzical. “It smells like the Realms of Light.”
Aiden cocks a brow. “How would you know what the Realms of Light smell like?”
“It’s a mortal phrase,” Kane says, studying me. “Let me see that.”
“What?” I raise my brows in surprise. Surely he doesn’t mean the grass.
Kane waves his outstretched hand impatiently. “Let me see the grass.”
I rise, suddenly embarrassed, and place the broken blade of grass in his cool hand. Kane closes his eyes and lifts it to his nose, smelling it. He looks like a child, exploring a garden for the first time. His eyes snap open and he drops the blade of grass unceremoniously. “Smells like grass.”
“Of course it does, Kane.” Aiden rolls his eyes. “Let her have her moment of nostalgia.”
“Or perhaps it’s regret,” Willem notes slyly.
Kane’s eyes cut towards me at his words. I keep my face a careful mask of calm but I turn my eyes away. I know if he looked hard enough, he could see everything I try to hide. Willem’s words echo through my mind. Do I regret going to the Underworld? It’s not as if I had a choice. Of course, after three months I’ll be free to return to my family if I wish, proclaiming the match a failure – but no one actually does. It’s taboo. So, regret is never anything I considered. Except perhaps agreeing to my father’s request.
Will I regret killing Kane?
“Mortals belong in this realm,” Aiden says nonchalantly, breaking the tension. “They wilt outside of it.”
I glance at him, wishing he hadn’t spoken. Kane already sees too much about me as it is. But Aiden’s dark eyes are soft and sympathetic. I furrow my brows, confused.
“Let’s get going,” Kane says, his voice cutting through the silence. “We don’t have much time until sunset.”
Kane strides down the hill and we trail in his wake. Willem casts
