Chapter 34

34

KASSANDRA

T reyton created the black virus.

That realization sits like a boulder in my stomach.

Maybe created is too generous of a term—after all, it’s been around for thousands of years, since the time of Chaos, apparently—but he made it the insidious monster it is today. All of those fae who have been turned into hideous, mindless beasts…

It’s because of him.

My hearing loss…

My missing voice…

It’s all his fault.

Pain jangles my nerves, made even more prominent when I hear Treyton’s sobs from behind me. Has the Spring Prince ever cried before? I’m not sure. I force my heart to harden against him as I move to stand beside a still-pacing Blaze.

Through the knotted branches above, I see that the sky is riven with gray clouds that resemble clumps of iron. I suspect the last thing we want is to get trapped in the Forest during a thunderstorm.

I place a hand on the small of Blaze’s back to stop his pacing, and he whirls towards me, his mouth molded into a frown and a disarranged strand of reddish-brown hair falling into his eyes. I hesitantly push up on my tiptoes to swipe it away.

His gaze softens nearly imperceptibly, and his hands move to rest on my waist.

“Don’t think I forgot what you confessed to,” I tell him, a strange feeling arrowing through me.

Immortal.

That was what he said, wasn’t it?

Immortal.

How is that even possible?

I focus on his gallant face and that sensual mouth. It’s easier than staring into his brown and green eyes.

The silence is so fraught with tension that I actually begin to feel sick. It’s pressing down on me, suffocating me, encasing me in a tomb I can’t escape from.

“I planned on telling you,” Blaze says quietly. So quietly, I suspect he’s trying to keep our conversation private.

My heart beats dauntingly against my rib cage. “What did you mean when you said you’re immortal?”

“Exactly as it sounds.” One corner of his lips drags down slightly. “I don’t age, and I won’t die…at least from natural causes. I believe I can be killed, but no one has gotten close enough to try.”

“How is that possible?”

Fae don’t live forever. We live and die, just like any other creature that walks this world.

Up above, lightning flashes and thunder booms. Runt, who has been keeping watch, whines and paws at the ground.

Blaze glances up at the impending storm and curses savagely. “I promise I’ll tell you everything, little beast, but we need to get out of this damn Forest.”

I debate for a moment before nodding. He’s right. Now isn’t the time to have this conversation. It’s already unnaturally dark in the Forest, and with the storm approaching, it’s becoming even darker. The gnarled branches above have never looked more menacing, resembling the arms of skeletal monsters.

“We can find a place to camp for the night and then resume our journey as soon as the storm stops,” Aleksander pipes in, slinging a bag over his shoulder.

It’s covered in cobwebs and other unsavory substances, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

“All right,” I agree and then turn to face Blaze. “But we will be talking about this.”

“You have my word,” he vows solemnly.

I allow my gaze to drift over the males present. “Let’s go.”

Treyton clamors awkwardly to his feet and moves to stand beside me. Desperation lines his beautiful features as he reaches for my arm. “Kassandra, please?—”

I flinch away from him. “Not now.”

Despair flickers across his face before he nods once. “Okay.”

He moves to stand near the back of our group, his shoulders hunched and his head lowered. I want to feel guilt for my actions, but I don’t. What he did…

It’s unforgivable.

I thought I could find the good in everybody, but maybe I was wrong.

Maybe there are some fae too damaged for even me to save.

We’re only able to walk a short distance before the sky opens up, releasing torrents of rainfall. Blaze curses and quickens his pace.

“Look over there!” Aleksander calls from behind me.

I glance over my shoulder to see him pointing at a burrow hidden by foliage and swaying branches.

Blaze and Aleksander both duck down to check the tiny encampment before assuring us it’s safe. Then we crouch down and settle in for the night.

It’s a tight fit with all four of us, and the twigs and leaves do very little to keep out the rain, but it’s better than nothing.

I find myself snuggled between Blaze and Aleksander, with Treyton remaining by the entrance.

My eyelids feel heavy, drenched in molasses, but my brain refuses to shut off to allow me to sleep. A sliver of moonlight penetrates the twigs, allowing the males to see my hands move.

“I don’t know what happened with Mitchia,” I confess at last.

With everything Treyton revealed, it was easy to forget the monster’s death. But now, with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company, the memory comes rushing back with all the force of a battering ram.

Runt stirs on my lap, staring up at me with wide, guileless eyes, and I have a feeling he’s as invested in this conversation as the other three are.

“Mitchia? Was that its name?” Blaze asks.

“ Her name,” I correct instinctively, then purse my lips. “She was going to kill you, so I stabbed her in the eye.”

Blaze goes rigid beside me, and Aleksander slings an arm around my shoulders. I can’t see Treyton’s expression, not from this far away, but I have a feeling he’s listening just as intently as the others.

“You did what you had to do,” Blaze assures me, his voice a low growl. “But I wish you didn’t have to. We were supposed to protect you. You never should’ve been in that position to begin with?—”

I squeeze his hand to cut off his rant. “I don’t know what happened. One tick, she was about to attack me, and the next, she was killing herself.”

I shiver at the memory. I’ll be haunted by it for years to come. Even now, I can hear the squelching of blood and guts, the cracking of bones, her hissed voice as she referred to herself as bad, bad, bad.

Blaze translates for Aleksander—and Treyton too, since I doubt he can see my hands—and I wait in uncomfortable silence to hear their verdict. I wonder if their thoughts traveled down the same road mine did.

Aleksander’s fingers trail across the mark on my skin. “You think the Mark of Chaos did it?”

“What other explanation is there?” I sign.

Blaze once again translates.

“It would make sense,” Blaze muses after a pause. “It seems as if the mark was trying to protect you.”

I shudder. “By having Mitchia brutally kill herself in front of me? Gaia, the pain she must’ve felt…”

“She was a monster, little beast,” Blaze cuts in, his voice firm. “You have to remember that.”

“She wanted to hurt you because she thought you were bad,” I say.

And she wasn’t wrong. Treyton’s confession alone is proof of that.

“We are bad,” Aleksander quips. “We never said we weren’t.”

His shoulder brushes mine, shooting off sparks in my belly.

“I want this mark off of me.”

Gaia, how does it even work? Does it react to my emotions? Is Treyton in danger? I’m furious with him, yes, but I don’t want him dead . I don’t want any of them dead, despite my turbulent emotions. And what if it starts attacking innocent fae? The prospect sends panic spiraling through me.

“We will,” Blaze assures me, his voice soft. “If I had to guess, I would say we’re about halfway through the Forest. By tomorrow, we should reach my kingdom. It’ll be a short walk to my castle. Shorter still if we can procure a riding animal. We’ll be able to regroup and plan for the remainder of our journey.”

My hands tremble when I sign my next words. “I’m scared.”

Blaze leans down to press a kiss to my temple. “So am I, little beast. So am I.”