Of Darkness and Crowns (30 page)

Caben’s hand caresses my arm soothingly, then slowly roams across my shoulder. I focus on keeping my breathing steady as he inches over my collarbone, his fingers finding the puckered seam of the glass casing.

“Have you thought about…?”

“Healing myself?” I finish for him, knowing this is difficult for him to ask. But it’s a good question. I’m glad he feels comfortable enough to broach it. “I probably could. Well, I’m sure I can. I could remove the clamp. And the casing, since there’s no need for my physician to have access to fix something broken.” A small smile tugs at my lips. “I’m no longer in fear of the mercury reaching my heart, right?”

His answering smile is almost sad. I wonder what’s really going through his mind.

“And I could heal the scarred skin,” I continue. “It’s just…I’m not sure I’m ready. Not yet, anyway. You’d think for all the grief this abnormality has given me, getting rid of it would be simple. Easy. Not even a second guess needed.”

His fingers continue to outline the rough skin around the glass. “That makes perfect sense, Kal.” I raise my eyebrows in an unspoken question, and he presses on. “Your abnormality never defined you. I think you finally understand this, but there’s still much to figure out. So it’s only understandable that you’d hold on to it.”

“Like a crutch,” I say.

“No.” He touches my jaw, lifting my face just enough so that our eyes lock. “Not a crutch, a keepsake. And when you finally get all your answers, then you can move forward. Decide for yourself when it’s time to let it go.”

A shot of mercury rushes my heart, firing a burst of warmth through my body. I try not to fear the severe love I have for Caben as it overpowers my senses. “Thank you. You’re so smart.”

He chuckles, and I scoot closer to him, relieved to feel the intensity of the moment taper with his light tone. “That’s a first,” he teases.

“Don’t let it go to your head.” I wink. Then, “I may have a starting point.”

His eyes widen, but he waits for me to continue.

“Teagan mentioned something when we were locked up together. She said I’m not the first to house Bale’s divine blood. That there were others before me.”

His brow furrows. “Then I’m sure not all of them had contraptions to protect it from their hearts,” he says. “You were meant to always access its full potential.”

I shake my head against the pillow. “Maybe. I don’t know…but I think it’s time to question her in depth on her knowledge about it. Because…” I trail off, gathering my courage. “I can’t hide from Bale forever. I know that’s what Bax wants me to do—”

“He’s not the only one,” Caben says in a firm tone.

“But I can’t, Caben. You know this. For one, whatever limited power I’m using to hide us is
her
power. She understands it better than I ever could. She
will
find us. Eventually.” His eyes shimmer, the glowing embers revealing his worry. “And I’d rather understand everything before that day. To be prepared.”

“You’re the bravest woman I know, Kaliope Rainym.” He places a soft kiss to my forehead, and I release the tears building in my eyes. “Until then,” he says, his determined gaze finding mine. “We run.”

We fall into silence, our mingled breaths the only sound between us.

As Caben’s blue eyes hold mine, I become brave and say, “Hold me. That’s all I crave.”

“That,” Caben says, wrapping his arm around my waist, his hand seeking the exposed skin of my back, “I can do.”

And for now, it’s enough.

Tomorrow, when the light breaks the darkness, and the sounds return from their reprieve, there will be goddesses, and monsters, and divine mercury, and beasts, and crowns, and enough commotion to drown out my uncertainties.

But tonight, locked in Caben’s arms, I accept what solace the man I love can offer. And I give what serenity I can in return. For there is nothing,
nothing
that I would trade in this moment if it meant losing us all over again.

Not even my fear of a doomed fate I’m nearly certain of.

The End

Acknowledgments

Hardest book I’ve written to date. There aren’t any words that can convey the struggle, so I dive right into thanking the people who kept me sane, while I attempted to create a world of maddens.

Thank you to:

My amazing critique partners: Rachel Harris, Shannon Duffy, and Patrice Michelle. I love you madly.

To my mother, my best friend and my rock. To my father, my support system and stress reducer. I love you more than words. And that’s a lot.

To my talented team of beta readers, early readers, and cheerleaders. You’re too amazing. In no particular order, thank you to Katrina Tinnon, Naomi Hopkins, Jessica Mangicaro, Mary Dizon, Jennifer Stasi, Brooklynn Gibbs, Tiffany Perry, Debbie Kellermeyer, Jaime Arnold, Kayleigh-Marie Gore, Lindsay Mead, Pavan Hansra, Valerie Fink, Amber Troyer, and Damaris Cardinali.

Thank you to the best street team ever, The Tuff Girl Legion! No one promotes and supports an author better than you guys. Simply could not do it without you!

To all the rockstar YA book bloggers! Without you, a lot of authors wouldn’t have a voice in the market. Thank you for rocking it so hard.

To the very talented ladies of YA Bound. No one swoons like we do! Thank you for your support.

Thank you to my husband, Daniel, for tolerating my ceaseless editing, writing, canceling of vacations, and talking to myself. My son, Blue, thank you for always being there when I need some input on the male POV. I love you both so, so much.

Steven Novak, thank you for creating a stunning cover for this story—again! You just amaze me when you capture what’s in my head perfectly. Cover Caben is scary, and hot! You combined both elements to bring readers a romantic and enticing cover.

Thank you to Jaye Manus for formatting the interior. You’re not just mad talented, like I always state, and which is true—you also always surprise me with the most beautiful graphics and layout, and I always look forward to working with you. Can’t wait till the next book!

To my awesome, awesome readers. You make it possible that I’m an author, and you make dreams come true. I’m beyond grateful to every one of you!

I owe everything to God. Thank you for everything.

About the Author

From an early age, Trisha Wolfe dreamed up fantasy worlds and characters and was accused of talking to herself. Today, she lives in South Carolina with her family and writes full time, using her fantasy worlds as an excuse to continue talking to herself.

Get updates on future releases and special bonus material at
www.TrishaWolfe.com

More Books by
Author Trisha Wolfe

Of Silver and Beasts:
The Goddess Wars Trilogy book 1
available now

Of Darkness and Crowns:
The Goddess Wars Trilogy book 2
available now

Untitled:
The Goddess Wars Trilogy book 3
coming 2014

Fireblood:
The Fireblood series book 1
available now

Unveiled:
A Fireblood Novella
available now

Astarte’s Wrath:
The Kythan Guardians series
available now

Destiny’s Fire:
The Kythan Guardians series
available now

The Darkest Part:
A Living Heartwood Novel
available now

Untitled:
A Living Heartwood Novel
coming 2014

With Visions of Red
Coming 2014

Buy links for available books can be found on author’s website at
www.TrishaWolfe.com