A Curse of Shadows - Page 107

Asher speaks softly to her and I stand quietly by, feeling lost yet at peace all at once. None of this seems real, maybe because I never would have suspected Gideon could hurt his family like this, or because I’m not ready to process that I’ve just lost my father. Either way, I stand there, numb to the world around me.

Malimorte’s auburn wolf arrives just a minute later. The lone shifter transforms to his human form and, without uttering a word, takes Sosheena from Asher and begins to walk from the bloody scene with her safely tucked against his side.

Asher turns to me and wraps me in his arm, muttering his apologies again.

I hug him back, clinging to the love he has for me like a lifeline. “I don’t blame you for any of this. Please don’t apologize for something that isn’t your fault. No matter how much I might grieve for my father in the coming days, I know in my heart that I’ll never hold you responsible, so you can’t, either.”

His head shakes against mine and his chest rumbles. “I forgave him because I didn’t want to be bitter like him, but I hate that you’re hurting, that none of this would have ever happened if I weren’t your mate.”

Pulling back enough to see his face, I look sternly into his sapphire eyes. “You have been the best part of my life. Even if our moments have been brief, that’s not your fault. You gave your father your forgiveness—now you need to give it to yourself. You’ve always been better than him and deep down, he knew that. It was his own insecurities that did this, ones that are likely responsible for whatever choices brought us to this day. Not you or me or us.”

He presses his forehead against mine and breathes me in. “You might need to keep reminding me of that as I’m forced to clean up the messes he’s made.” He tenses and holds me tighter. “Declan.”

Oh, hell. I forgot he’d gone on the run. What if Gideon already got to him?

“The dark magic lifted from his mind,” Asher explains before my thoughts can get too out of control. “He’s been hiding under a literal rock ever since he attacked you.”

“Tell him to come home,” I say, knowing there isn’t a single part of me that holds him responsible for the things he was forced to do.

“Already done.” Asher crushes me against his chest, the vibrations growing from deep within, moving from him to me. “Fuck, Issie. I almost lost you again.”

“Care to explain how you were wielding god energy?” I ask, keeping my head against his chest, listening to his racing heart, in hopes of keeping mine from completely breaking.

I can feel his cringe move through his whole body. “When I summoned the gods for a meeting, Aurora appeared. She might have kissed me before I left and temporarily transferred some of her power to me.”

Now, it’s my turn for my chest to rumble. My teeth grind together and growl. “I’ll fucking kill her for touching you.”

Asher’s hands smooth over my back as nothing but love flows through our bond. “I thought the same thing, but I don’t know that I would have been able to kill my father without her. Let’s just be grateful this is over now.”

Easier said than done, especially when I know this is far from over.

My mate takes my hand and together, we face the biggest loss of the day.

I’m not ready to say goodbye. I’m not ready to admit this is real, that my father is dead, but I know I don’t have a choice.

Though as much as I want to break down, I have a feeling that between Asher and Estee, that moment is going to have to wait for me.

I reach for my sister with my free hand. “We need to take him back to the castle.”

She shakes her head. “No, he’s going to come back.”

“Maybe,” I tell her softly. “But not in this body. He’s gone and we need to release his soul so he can make his choice.”

She looks up at me, her eyes swollen and red. “What if he stays with Mom? What if we’ve lost both our parents?”

Asher releases his hold on me, and I bend down to hug Estee. “Then we get to know how lucky we were to have them for the time we did and be thankful they’re at peace, together again. We’ll still have each other, no matter what happens next.”

She nods against my shoulder, her body shaking. “I don’t know how you’re being so strong right now, but I’m really glad because I don’t think I can be.”

“I know,” I tell her with a smile she can’t see. “You’ve been the big sister for long enough. It’s time I pulled my weight.”

“I love you, Is.” She sniffles. “We don’t say that enough, but I need you to know how grateful I am that I found you again and that we made our way back home together.”

“I know, and I love you, too.” I kiss the side of her head, then pull her upward. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

Asher is still right there beside us. He picks up our father without saying a word and we leave Gideon’s ashes behind. At least we won’t have to burn him ourselves.

His death, while welcome, is a disgrace and when he appears before the gods, they’ll know. I just hope they don’t give him a choice to come back and make up for the horrible things he’s done. Asher deserves to live the rest of his lives without worrying about his bastard of a father trying to interfere in our lives ever again.