I don’t know if the change is due to the violence I witnessed that day or the light itself. I don’t know if the emotions and thoughts I have are because of this light, if the gods chose to intervene to save Kane, or if the Nephilim simply leeched one too many souls. An endless list of questions fight for space in my head, leaving little room for much else. And, on top of everything else, Willem and Aiden’s plot to dethrone Kane. Guilt and something darker fills my heart.
Is there no one in Kane’s life who isn’t trying to kill him?
Even Lilith and his mother scheme and plot behind his back. The looks the two women exchanged the night of the ball were anything but subtle. It’s clear that Desona favors Lilith. Whatever bond they share is enough that Desona cares little for what her son wants. With a mother like that, it’s no surprise that Kane and Aiden have trouble expressing themselves. Aiden hides behind his sarcasm as much as Kane uses his anger as a shield.
The sounds of celebrations grow faint. I look over my shoulder at the walls that protect those within the city and wonder if I’m making a mistake going on this journey. I begin to doubt myself. Kane’s threat to my father and the mystery surrounding my purpose at his side don’t help matters. But an unsettling sense of destiny tethers me to the men ahead of me.
My attention returns to the road and Kane meets my gaze from where he sits perched in his saddle.
“Are you alright?” he asks.
I want to be defensive and toss a snappy comment out, but the realization that he has absolutely no one who wishes him well stays my tongue. Shame colors my cheeks and I duck my head bashfully. “I’m fine.”
It comes out as a squeak. I wait for him to berate me for lacking any form of confidence, but Kane nods his head as though he doesn’t believe me.
“We don’t have to talk about it now, but I want to know the real reason eventually,” he says, parroting words similar to the ones I said the day we returned to the underworld.
I nod in agreement and watch as his horse picks up speed, returning him to Willem’s side. My hand slides down to the horse’s fur, and I keep my eyes perched on the both of them as we make our way quietly through the shadows of the helm, surging deeper into a world I have never known.
Chapter 4
Kane
Briar falls behind for the second time. I feel the tension in my chest that often comes with my bride's worries. The questions I know she wants to ask dangle above our heads without any reprieve in sight. I slow my speed. We’ve ridden hard for hours and signs of fatigue already appear on her lovely face. If I can lessen her worries even a little, I would consider it a small victory.
“You asked if I expected you to befriend my former lovers,” I begin. “I don’t. I’ve lived a long time, Briar. I won’t deny that I’ve taken lovers in the past, but they don’t matter. Lilith and I are just friends. She is no threat to you.”
Her shoulders sag with relief. “She’s very beautiful.”
So are you. The words never leave my lips, but I feel the truth of them. “There’s no chance that Lilith and I will ever get back together. What I had with her was toxic at best. I have no desire to return to that point in my life.”
“What is it you want then?” Her words are gentle and curious.
“I want to hear more stories about your childhood,” I answer with a grin.
She chuckles and rolls her eyes, looking ahead as we ride. “If I tell you everything, you’ll grow bored of me.”
Ah, so that’s what this is about? Perhaps not all of it, but it’s an obvious worry of hers.
My lips twitch into a barely-there smile. “You continue to surprise me, Briar. Each time I think I have you figured out, you do something to throw me off. Put those fears aside. You won’t bore me. If anything, I might bore you.”
Her eyes widen comically and I resist the temptation to lean over and steal a kiss. I open myself to the bond just enough to feel the breathtaking essence of her curiosity as it mingles with her ever present yearning.
She lets her eyes fall as she shakes her head. “You rule the underworld. You’re Death, a god. Nothing about you is boring, Kane.”
Willem snorts, but wisely keeps his mouth shut.
My eyes glance to him and I hold back the irritation his response stirs in my chest. Turning back to Briar, her eyes quiet that anger enough to imagine as if it were never there. “My point is, some of the things that keep you up at night might bother me as well. You’re my bride, Briar, if I can carry some of your burdens, then I’ll do so without complaint.”
Her eyes roll. For a moment I think I imagine it, but the disbelief in her steely gaze frustrates me. Briar huffs. “I think I’m just tired. I don’t mean to be irritable.”
I nod my understanding, looking away as I search the tree line for any enemies hidden in the shadows. Gnarled, twisted trees cluster together in the tense forest. Red leaves and vines create an illusion of bleeding wounds. My power spreads across the ground, prodding for signs of life. “Let’s set camp. There should be a stream nearby. The trees will provide enough cover and the horses need to rest.” I tuck the map into the lapels
