36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

C haos broke out around me as my father and Jesper ordered their men to kill me. My hand reached out toward Cassius. His eyes locked onto mine as his shadows burst out, encircling everyone from Crimson. My eyes focused on the black shadows in front of me. Cassius was all I could think of. Images flashed through my head of the life we once had: getting to be with him every day, loving him, then on to having heirs of our own, having my own family that loved me, having him love me more than anything else in this realm.

A sharp pain hit me as I stepped into the shadows, making me call out in pain.

As the darkness moved from my vision, I realized we were already back in Crimson. We were all surrounded by the royal guard and family in the castle gardens. A loud eruption of happiness spread through everyone when they saw us. An arrow protruded from my leg, but it wasn’t a fatal wound. Cassius’ frantic eyes looked around for me, and relief spread across his features when I stood twenty feet from him. I couldn’t believe my plan had worked. I ripped the arrow from my thigh.

My eyes took in his handsome face. Something like pain flickered across his features, and he stumbled forward.

“Thea,” he whispered.

“Cassius!” I was running to him instantly. I tried to release my fire mist to cushion his fall, but the barbs prevented it. Luckily, Haden caught him. The crowd had stopped talking, their murmurs dying down as I slid on my knees to cradle his head in my lap. His normally bright gold eyes were dim in color. His father and mother cried out loudly when I ripped the clothing from his chest and saw the arrow wound.

“My love,” he choked out.

“No, I’m not losing you,” I sobbed. My hands frantically tried to rip the barbs from my wrists, but they wouldn’t come off. Why wouldn’t they come off? Blood poured from my wrists as I ripped my flesh to get them off. “Please, Cassius. I’ll heal you once these come off.”

“What did you do?” Haden’s anger made me look up. He was yelling at Kace. Kace’s face paled at Haden’s confrontation.

“It’s been you! You’ve been feeding Cerithia information about Crimson. You’re the spy we’ve been searching for. You disappeared last night to warn them, and then you disappeared before they attacked today.”

“You don’t understand…” Kace started to speak, but Haden was too enraged to listen.

Without hesitation, he grabbed his dagger and impaled Kace. I didn’t have time to process Kace’s betrayal. I looked down at Cassius when his hand gripped my hands, stopping me from tearing at my skin.

“It’s alright, Thea.” His eyes focused on me as tears poured out of me. I shook my head violently because I didn’t want to accept this fate. How sick and cruel were the gods? He wouldn’t come back, and I would never know about my life with him. I would die too. My heart could not live without him. His eyes shifted over my shoulder, and I glanced to see Wisp floating close by, her color a dark gray.

“She’s here to take me, little viper.”

Shock ricocheted through me. Tears fell down my face as I shook my head violently.

“No!” I yelled at her so loudly that the ground shook. Her color turned white at my anger and pain. “You can’t have him.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t have more time,” he whispered as his hand rubbed my face, his pretty eyes tracing over every part of me. “Maybe the next life will be kinder for us.”

“I can’t live without you,” I stuttered frantically as I felt death creeping closer to him.

He frowned before saying, “You’re a lot stronger than you think, my love.”

“I don’t want to be strong. I want you not to die. Stay with me,” I begged.

“Maybe not having memories will make living without me easier.”

I pulled his chest into my face as sobs fell from me. Nothing would make this easier. Everyone watched us as Cassius tried comforting me, and I fell completely apart. My eyes flickered over everyone sobbing, and my mind raced as I tried to rip the magic barbs from my wrists again.

“Thea, my love, it’s alright.”

I leaned forward and kissed him. The smell of rain and forest surrounded me. I would not let this happen. It was my stupid plan that got him hurt and killed. My mind raced with anything I could do to save him.

Then it hit me. I pulled away from him and met his eyes with my own.

“Forgive me,” I whispered.

“W-what…”

I turned to Wisp, her flames still burning with white-hot sadness. Cassius grabbed my hand as if to stop me.

“Della!” I called into the sky in anguish. As if sensing my panic, Della appeared within a moment. Her star-colored eyes looked at Cassius dying on my lap and frowned.

“Take me instead. Take me and spare him,” I pleaded. Wisp’s color turned an odd shade of purple before turning back to white. Then there were more wisps surrounding us, all smaller than the one that followed me constantly, my soul.

“Thea,” Cassius pleaded. “Don’t.”

“I will bear his wounds and die for him; just do not take him from me!” I could feel the darkness swarming frantically inside of me, trying to break free. “I will burn the whole realm down if you take him from me. Even the gods will not be safe from my wrath,” I warned her. “I will destroy everything if you take him.”

A sense of pride filled the space between us. No one else could see her as I argued with her. I’m sure they all thought I had lost my damn mind. Maybe I had, but if it saved him, then it was worth it. My breath held as I waited.

“You’d give your life for his?” Della’s voice rang out like a song I had forgotten long ago. My heart hammered in my chest at the sound—so perfect and peaceful. Her dark dress complimented her bronze skin as she watched me cradle Cassius in my lap. Her star-like eyes showed the sadness she was feeling at the sight of us.

“Yes,” I cried.

She came and stood next to me. At first, I thought she was going to deny me. I thought she was going to take his soul right in front of me, so I shielded Cassius from her. If gods could die, I would kill her right here if she even tried to take him.

“Well, Thea Valeska, if you wish to take his place, then we will accept that trade.”

Cassius was looking at me when I turned back to his face. His tanned skin was pale. He was so close to death. He opened his mouth to stop me, but I cut him off.

“Did you hear that? I will take your place. I’ll come back again; you won’t.” He frowned and opened his mouth like he would argue. “Please don’t argue with me. I would destroy the whole realm without you. We will have another chance, but only if I take your place.”

“Della,” Haden breathed out. My focus shifted to Haden and Della staring at one another for only a moment. My hands ran through Cassius’ hair before I leaned in and kissed him softly.

Tears gathered in my eyes as I pulled back.

Then suddenly, pain was spreading like wildfire through me. My body collapsed to the hard ground next to Cassius, shaking as the magic burned through me.

“My love?” Cassius whispered as he sat up, his wound healing as his death was passed on to me. He wrapped his arms around me and cradled me. Something like white-hot fire raced through my veins, and the pain caused me to cry out as I took a shaky breath.

I looked down to see blood seeping through my shirt from an arrow wound.

His hands gripped me tightly against him. My head was swarming with blackness. I hardly felt the pain anymore.

“Thea, please,” he cried out as he rubbed my curls from my face. His eyes glanced over my face and widened when he saw my wound. Fear laced his features. His hands worked quickly to get the barbs off me, trying to not hurt me with the frantic movements he was using.

“Maybe you can heal yourself, my love.” But the barbs wouldn’t come off.

Nothing was stirring in my chest. Neither magic nor darkness. The wisps floated near us, their color almost white. A color that I now knew meant hurt, anguish, and sadness.

“I can’t feel my magic,” I choked out as blood filled my lungs. “F-for you.” I tried to hand him the bloodstone, but it made Cassius sob loudly.

“You did so good, little viper,” he whispered. “But I can’t take it right now.”

Confusion spread through me. It would break my curse, and I would finally be able to remember us, remember him. Confusion closed in on me. It was difficult to remember what was going on or what had happened in the last few minutes. My eyes shifted to the faces surrounding us. Haden, Leer, and Zade all watched with silent tears streaming down their faces. Understanding washed over me as I met Cassius’ golden eyes.

“I’m going to die again.” Flashes of my pleading with Della only moments ago reminded me of what I begged for. Death was coming for me, and I was oddly at peace with the thought. If Cassius was spared, then all was right in the realm.

A painful sob escaped him. If I gave it to him, I wouldn’t come back. Tears gathered in my eyes as understanding settled into me. Death was looming close by. Wisp watched me closely, but so did Della. I could feel her waiting to take me back into Exile with no memories of Cassius. But I was stubborn, so I ignored the pull and focused on Cassius, gripping him tightly.

“I love you so much,” I whispered.

“I love you too, my love.” He rested his forehead against mine. “I don’t want you to go. I’m so lonely without you, so lost. I thought this time was it.”

I reached up and wrapped my arm around him.

“We are two halves of the same soul, Cassius. I will always come back to find you.”

His body shook with silent sobs.

His hands gripped me to him tightly.

“I love you beyond the moon and the stars, Thea Valeska, my wife, the future mother of my children, the future Queen of Crimson.” He pulled back and pressed his strong lips to mine. The warmth spread through my body, coating over the coldness of death.

“I’m sorry,” I wheezed out as blackness closed in more. “I’ll do better next time.”

“Please don’t leave me, Thea.” Cassius’ frantic voice pierced straight into my heart. His pain laced every word he muttered as he prayed to the heavens and stars to let me live, but it was for nothing. “Don’t take her from me!” he yelled at Wisp and Della, but they had no choice. His hands squeezed my face and moved it so I could see him. “Stay, my love.” His hauntingly beautiful gold eyes made my chest tight with love.

“D-don’t hide our marriage bonds next time.”

“Please, stay,” he begged me with everything he had.

Before I could say anything in return, though, it all went silent and black.

★★?★★

My eyes flickered through the darkness that now surrounded me as I was met with myself in my wisp form, her color still a bright white. Then, there were dozens of them surrounding me, and I finally understood why the wisps were always lurking; it was like my own army of the dead, here to protect me.

“You love him so much.” Della frowned next to me. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t just let you stay. I’ve tried to stop the rules my brother put in place, but I can’t.”

“He’s going to be so alone,” I cried. “What if I remember nothing about him next time, no memories?”

“I always get some memories through... I’ll make sure to send you some without my brother knowing.”

“Haden.” I glanced at her. “He’s the other death-marked soul. He could see you.”

It was her turn to blink away tears.

“Yes.”

Della. My mind flashed to the trials when the sirens had been in front of us, showing us our biggest desire. Haden had said her name. That was why it sounded familiar.

“He will always be my biggest regret. He will hate me as long as I exist, and it is the worst form of torture.”

Tears filled her pretty eyes as she looked over at me. I went to ask her what she meant, but my wisp form reached out and touched me.

The touch ignited a cascade of falling stars to take over my vision. It was so beautiful. Then I saw flashes of mine and Cassius’ time in this last failed attempt to free myself. Grief struck me before everything faded to nothing.

★★?★★

I jolted up in bed, waking from a terrible dream I couldn’t remember. Fogginess swarmed my mind as I stood up and headed to the kitchen. When I stepped from my room, Sybil’s bedroom door opened violently. Her blue eyes were frantic until they met mine. Her confused face fell when she looked at me.

“Good morning, Sybil.” I smiled.

Then Sybil burst into tears. I went to comfort her, but our front door burst open, making me stop. The force of it shaking our small home. The twins stared at me like they were seeing a ghost. My eyes shifted to Sybil when she muttered something about being trapped in Exile again.