Shadow's Grace, page 24
“Yea?” She looked at him with pleading eyes.
“Yea,” he said. He kissed her forehead. Her breasts grazed his arm. She leaned into his kiss. Vio lowered his lips to her temple. She shifted her body to his. He kissed her cheek, and she whimpered.
“Ariel,” he started, his breath ragged, “it’s been a lot. If you just want to rest, we can rest.”
She pulled away and met his eyes. She wrapped a hand around his neck, and the other moved down his chest. “I don’t want to rest. I want to do what I’ve wanted to since I met you.” She kissed him.
Vio moaned. Her hand tugged at his pants. “Ariel, what about –”
“Shut up,” she said. She pulled his shirt off. “Can we have one night in paradise?” She straddled him and looked into his eyes. “Can I have one moment where everything feels right?”
Vio wrapped his arms around her. “You can have whatever you want right now.”
“I want you,” she said. She kissed him.
Vio’s grip on her tightened. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her from the pool. He laid her onto the grass and tore off the rest of her clothes. His lips returned to her skin, and he inhaled her scent of winter death. She was so different than any woman he had been with. He wanted to show her how much he appreciated her. He opened her legs and slid down her body.
Ariel moaned. Her fingers threaded through his hair when he took her in his mouth. He moved gently, his tongue teasing and fingers exploring, allowing her climax to build. His name was a chorus on her lips, and he loved hearing her say it. He loved everything about her.
“Vio, there, please don’t stop,” she breathed. Her body tensed and her nails dug into his shoulders. Vio brought her over the edge. Ariel screamed in pleasure, and it was the best thing he had heard in centuries.
He kissed her soft thighs, her smooth stomach, and planted his lips on her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and grinned. She radiated joy.
“It will be okay, right?” she asked, her breathing still heavy.
“I’m not sure, love.”
“Right,” she said. “Of course we don’t know. But I’m glad I’ll be with you for whatever happens next.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Ariel met his eyes. She touched his face. “I want to be beside you. For as long as you’ll let me.”
“Ariel –”
“I know what’s coming,” she said. Tears slipped from her eyes. “I know. I know you want to die. I know this isn’t forever. But can we just be together for as long as we have?”
Fucking hell, he thought. He lowered next to her and rolled her to him with her head resting on his chest. This was as close to perfect as he had ever felt.
“You know,” he started, gathering his thoughts.
“What?”
“Fine print is an interesting thing.”
“Fine print?” she asked.
Vio stroked her hair. “My contract says that I’ll be able to die. It doesn’t say I will die immediately.”
Ariel jerked up and met his eyes. “You mean –”
“I mean maybe I’ll get to grow old. Maybe Dennis can start my mortal clock when we finish this. But maybe if he does, I turn into a four-hundred-year-old man, and that will probably kill me. But if it means I turn mortal and get the chance to grow old. . . maybe I’ll get the chance to love someone without being afraid.”
“That’s all I’ve wanted, too.”
“I know,” he said. He kissed her. Every part of him passed through that soft touch of his lips on hers. “We’ve both been given a bad hand when it came to love.”
“Do you think Dennis will give us a chance?”
“I guess that depends on whether or not Death is a romantic.”
Ariel’s face fell. “I guess so,” she said. She rolled onto her back and pulled him on top of her. Vio found himself between her legs. Her hand found his hardness and guided his tip to her soft opening.
“Oh, Ariel.”
“We won’t know what will happen for a few more hours. Let’s make the most of this time, in case he’s not a romantic.” She guided him inside her. Her eyes widened when he filled her, and she bit her lip. Her breathing turned heavy again, and his matched.
She was the perfect fit for him. If there was any justice, Dennis would let him have this little piece of heaven to grow old with. Afterall, what was forty years stacked up against immortality? Hardly anything, yet everything, too, he thought, before he lost himself to her.
Chapter 30
Ariel
Ariel smiled, a true, carefree smile, for the first time since her aunt died. She woke from sleep with Vio’s heavy arm around her. She inhaled his comforting scent. For a second, she pretended they were on a soft bed, waking slowly to a lazy morning, perhaps headed to a café for breakfast. The thought was painfully seductive, and stole her smile. They were not having a lazy morning in bed. They rested on the grass in a land of the dead, about to go into battle against a necromancer. The reality made her want to weep.
“Ariel?” Vio asked. She rolled over to see him awake. She forced a smile for him; one of many she had forced for so long. “How are you feeling?”
She grimaced and he gave a mirthless chuckle. “I suppose you’re right,” he said. “You don’t have to come with me to the cave.” He rolled away and sat up. He tossed her dry clothes and started to dress. Ariel watched him, not knowing if she would get to behold his beautiful body again. When he pulled on his boots, she dressed quickly.
“Of course I’ll come,” she said. “You know that.”
“I know, little witch.” She moved to her feet and he took her in his arms. She wanted to melt into this moment. Could they remain here in the world of the dead? It was better than the world of the living. Yet, she knew they couldn’t. Their presence here wasn’t natural, and they were only meant to be guests.
“May I enter?” Lenora’s voice hit Ariel like a hammer against her chest. Her moment with Vio shattered. She had no idea if she would get another.
“Of course,” Ariel said, moving away from Vio. Did he wince at the loss of her touch? Was he wondering the same as her, that this might be their one and only night together?
“I am pleased to see you well rested, as you will need your strength,” Lenora said.
“You know how to get us to the bell?” Vio asked.
Lenora nodded. “I can transport you to where the bell is, but I cannot remain. The magic of death binds me here.”
“Thank you for getting us there,” Vio said, his tone brisk and business like.
“Thank you for your protection, and assistance,” Ariel said softly. Lenora smiled and reached out. Ariel took the woman’s hand.
“It has been an honour. I see great strength in you, but be careful. Your task is dangerous. You must not betray the dead.”
“I won’t.”
“Take my hand,” she said, holding out her hands. They each took one. “I will transport you now. Brace yourself for the experience. I wish you strength and success.”
Ariel blinked, and darkness surrounded her as they tore through the realms. They landed hard and fast, always faster than she expected. Her heart pounded from the landing. Her mind reeled at the sight before them. She thought she felt Vio’s arm wrapping around her, tugging her away from the immediate danger, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. She stumbled.
“Ariel!” Vio hissed. Ariel blinked and took it all in. Leonora had transported them into a deep, high cavern, where they were supposed to find the last pieces of Death’s Bell. But that’s not what loomed before them. Of course, it couldn’t be simple. Nothing about this had been simple.
She and Vio stood on a narrow cliff overlooking a sea of bodies. Thousands of corpses lay on the stone floor of the massive cavern. Their feet aligned to the front, where a natural stage had formed in the fallen rocks. Bright lights illuminated the stage. Standing at the centre was Lucian and a man Ariel assumed was Klassen. His tall form was stooped slightly from age. His hair nearly white, and eyes sunken. His necromancy powers had given him an unnatural long life, but he appeared to be nearing his end.
A long line of their thugs, nameless, faceless hired muscle, stretched out to each side. They were armed, but stood casually, as though not expecting a threat from the bodies that lay before them.
Ariel looked over her shoulder. To the back of the cavern was what Lenora must have meant was the Bell of Death. A crumbled tower, broken under the weight of the changing world, climbed towards the stone ceiling. A doorway, chipped and half blocked with debris, opened to stairs that disappeared up the tower. At the top, flickering in the torch light from the cave, was a smooth black piece of stone that looked like the top half of a bell. They only had to ring that, and Dennis would come.
The ghosts from the corpses in the room hung in the air, taking up the space of the cavern. Their chatter grated on Ariel’s soul. She tensed and her hands went to her head. As though sensing her pain, Vio wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her backwards, trying to find shadows to hide within. Ariel slipped and pebbles tumbled down their cliff edge. She winced as the eyes from the stage turned to them.
Even from the distance, and through a haze of ghosts, Ariel caught Lucian’s eyes when he looked up at her. He smiled like a wolf.
“See, I told you she would come,” he said to Klassen. The cave acted as a sounding board, sending his voice across the wide space.
“We are so happy you have joined us,” Klassen said. Ariel cringed as a ghost hovered near her. Vio’s arm tightened around her. “Bring them to us,” Klassen added. Apparently there were more thugs than the ones on the stage, because a dozen armed men were suddenly at their side. She heard Vio’s teeth grind in frustration as they were herded. Ariel couldn’t help but wonder where the Vio who had stood up against a pack of werewolves was. Why isn’t he fighting back?
“She doesn’t need to be unspoiled to put the crown on my head,” Lucian said. Ariel winced. That’s why. Vio must have known that instantly. She didn’t know what unspoiled would mean to men like Lucian and Klassen, but she didn’t want to find out. But she could betray the dead?
You don’t betray the dead, Lenora had said. What would happen to her if she did?
“Don’t worry,” Vio whispered just loud enough for her to hear. His hand on her shoulders eased her trembling nerves, but only just. They walked through the sea of bodies. Their shoes snagged on arms and feet, but their pace was not permitted to slow.
Finally, with ghosts in a rage and circling around her, making it almost impossible to concentrate on anything, they reached the stage. Guns pressed into their backs to guide them up the naturally formed stairs of crumbled rocks.
Atop the stage, Ariel noticed what Klassen and Lucian were up to. On a slab of marble rested a smooth, black skull, slightly larger than natural, as though it was meant to be worn over someone’s head. Reassembled, there was no trace that the skull had been once shattered. The smooth black stone had knit perfectly together.
“Vio, what a delightful pleasure,” Klassen said. He stood before Vio, who’s muscles bristled with rage. Ariel wanted to reach out to him but fear stayed her hand. “I hear you’ve been looking for me.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Vio growled. Klassen smirked but didn’t feel the need to respond. His eyes turned to Ariel.
“Ah, you brought me the greatest gift of all.” His hand shot out. She had thought age would slow him down, but his bony fingers were as strong as a vice. He dug his hand into her hair and jerked her head back.
Ariel grimaced in pain. Vio’s hand shot out to stop Klassen but was smashed down by the butt of a gun. Klassen pulled Ariel next to him. “My spirit healer. With you, we’re going to bring these bodies back to life. And that’s just the beginning,” he said, sweeping his hand over the sea of death.
Ariel shook her head. “I won’t betray the dead.”
Klassen slammed her against the marble table so hard the skull tilted slightly. Her eyes flickered to the skull, to the item that was at the heart of all this. On a man like Klassen or Lucian, it would be a harbinger of death. They would use it not as a tool to resurrect those who were taken early, but to resurrect all the dead and control them as a weapon. She couldn’t give them that power.
“You won’t have a choice,” Lucian said. He nodded to someone Ariel couldn’t see. Vio was forced to his knees before her. Her mouth ran dry with fear. A set of hot pokers were brandished before Vio’s face.
“No!” Ariel cried. Her eyes met Vio’s. Why wasn’t he fighting back?
“It’s up to you now,” Vio said, as though reading the questions in her eyes. “And Ariel, you are a badass bitch.”
“Speak again and you’ll lose an eye,” Lucian said. “Now.” He turned his attention to Ariel. “You will put the skull on me. I will reanimate the dead. Once they are alive, you will command the dead to return to the living. We will be the first to completely resurrect the dead in thousands of years.”
Ariel’s throat tightened. She couldn’t. The dead floated around her. The heat from the irons wafted over the bare skin of her arms. Sweat ran down Vio’s face as one of the thugs hovered it beside his face. Vio was only a step away, but she couldn’t do a thing. Lucian stood beside him, the order to torture Vio on the tip of his tongue.
“The skull, pick it up. If I ask you again, we will see if his eyes grow back,” Lucian said. Ariel’s breath heaved in her lungs. With trembling hands and a cave of souls watching her, waiting for her betrayal, Ariel picked up the skull. It was cool and heavier than she expected. Lucian eyed it with the eyes of a predator. He took a step forward.
Ariel moved towards him. She didn’t dare look to Vio, on his knees before her. Ghosts swirled around her, but were silent for the first time. Everything was suddenly silent as she moved towards the man who would become a necromancer.
Ariel took one more step forward. Without looking at Vio, she slammed the skull onto his head.
“Bitch!” Lucian screamed. The noise from the ghosts returned in a burst of sound that was near deafening. Ariel’s body jerked with the impact of the noise, but she forced herself to concentrate on Vio. His hands clamped on the skull that was now fused to his head like a crown of death. His mouth opened in a silent scream before he fell to the ground and writhed in pain. His back arched and his feet kicked out as the skull fused to him.
“Vio!” she cried. She dropped to her knees and reached for him. Someone pulled her away. Her arm brushed one of the hot irons and she screamed as she was jerked to her feet.
“What have you done?” Lucian breathed into her ear. He wrapped his arm around her neck and squeezed.
Vio roared and Lucian’s grip slackened. Vio stood on trembling legs and the room went silent again. Everyone held their breath and watched as he stood and turned to face them. Blue flames danced in his eyes. His veins pulsed midnight blue as a corrupted power radiated from him.
“Vio?” Ariel croaked. His head jerked to her and his eyes narrowed. Lucian released her and took a step back.
“Vio, your strength!” Klassen said. Ariel had a sinking feeling Klassen shouldn’t be near his creation, but his eyes glinted with the glow of a mad scientist. “I knew no others after you would ever be as strong. Look at you. We can rule together!”
Vio smirked. He raised a hand towards the bodies. Ariel followed his gesture to watch with dread as the dead twitched awake.
“Vio, no!” she screamed. “Don’t betray the dead!” She ran at him, but he flung her away. Ariel fell off the stage. Her shoulder and hip took the brunt of the force. Gasping for air, she looked up at the stage to see Vio’s hands outstretched as he manipulated the dead from a distance. Around her, the bodies reanimated and bowed to his command.
“Tear him to pieces,” Vio ordered, his voice now a gravelly wave.
Klassen’s eyes narrowed in confusion before he realized what was about to happen, and started backing away from Vio.
Bodies nudged past Ariel as she pushed to her feet. Fear struck her stomach and twisted throughout, weakening her knees. Maybe he’ll just kill Klassen, then release the dead, she thought. He hadn’t asked her to return the dead to a conscious state. Maybe he would let them go.
But she couldn’t risk it. Especially not with Lucian still on the loose. Without thinking, her eyes darted to Death’s brother. Their eyes met as the dead climbed up, tearing apart the thugs who tried to defend themselves with useless bullets. Hatred burned in his eyes. Ariel turned and ran.
She pushed through the bodies that waded towards the stage like mindless puppets. Klassen screamed, guns fired, flesh was torn, bones broken. Ariel pushed herself faster. Bodies nudged her and pressed against her. They weren’t trying to attack her, but they were a wave of power under Vio, following his orders to come to the stage and tear Klassen to pieces. From the sound of the fading screams, she thought they may be finished their brutal task. She dared a look back to see Lucian following her.
Ariel pushed faster through the sea of the living dead. She gave a faint cry of relief when she breached the wave, and reached the path for the tower. She sprinted now that she was free of bodies and ran with everything she had at the crumbling tower door. She launched inside, forcing her legs that burned to climb the worn stone stairs. Behind her, Lucian panted and ran after her.
Ariel’s feet pounded around the spiral staircase. The light from the stage only grazed the tower, leaving her in near darkness. Onward and upward she ran, the footsteps of a monster gaining on her.
“Ariel!” Lucian screamed. His voice echoed on the walls. He was so close. She didn’t dare waste a second to look behind her. But his footsteps grew closer and closer.
Still running at full strength, Ariel stumbled when she expected a stair, only to reach a flat landing. She burst into the bell tower. In the near darkness, she saw the shadow of the bell. Somehow, Death’s Bell still hung from a broken wooden beam, though it was badly tilted. She leapt for it, her fingers grazing the cold stone, before she was torn away.
