Page 68 of A Cursed Heart
My Choice
Malacoda
Theworldaroundmewas dark until it wasn’t. A shaft of light illuminated whatever place I waited in. There was a vast, empty feel to this space. Was this the end for me? I didn’t want it to be. My worries over Ryan’s safety kept me on the spot rather than exploring the place I found myself in. Had I done enough to protect the man I loved? What if I had left him when he needed me most? I would never forgive myself.
“Hello brother. It has been quite some time.” Dagda’s face came into view, looking exactly as he had just before the attackwhich had ultimately killed him. He was sitting in what could have been the concubine’s palace back home at the height of his power. Reclining on one of the plush divans, he was the picture of a powerful king.
“Am I dead?” While I wanted to speak to him, to ask him why he thought to keep me locked up for so long, I found I didn’t care. All I wanted was to get back to Ryan. To see if he was safe.
“No. Your lover is healing you right now. He is how we are having this conversation.”
“He is?”
“Yes. Will you thank him for this chance to apologize? I am so sorry, Malacoda, for the torture you endured. I realized my mistake after Velandra took us, but it was too late. Far too late. I could not undo the magic in time.”
“You are sorry? Sorry?” I raged. Ryan’s face flashed in my mind, then my little darling Freya. I calmed instantly. “It does not matter, what was done is done. If I had not been trapped there, I would not have met my Ryan.”
“This is true, though I wish you did not have to wait so long to gain your freedom,” Dagda said, regret etched on his features.
“Am I? Free, that is?”
“Yes.” He gave a faint smile. “When you jumped in front of that bullet, you proved you loved someone more than you loved yourself.”
The long years of my life had been a punishment I had to endure alone. Now, finally, it was done. “It’s really over.”
“Yes.”
“How are you here?” My brother had died so long ago in that palace. I’d watched him die.
“When we were with Velandra, I tore a piece of my soul and placed it in the gem with you. Our blood connection and with me being the source of the spell, meant I could cleave a part ofmyself to it. You were never truly alone, brother. I was with you all this time.”
“You were?”
“I was. And I am so extremely proud of you. My final act, with the magic I have left, is to return you to Ryan. You will be changed, but I hope you will be happy.”
“I’ll be with Ryan, so I will be. Thank you, Dagda, for staying with me. For meeting me here.”
“Does this mean you forgive me?” he asked hopefully. He stood, coming close enough to clasp my elbows.
“I do,” I said honestly. Knowing he had forgone resting just to be with me healed something inside me. It was easy to forgive him after making that sacrifice. “May we meet again when my soul is called home.”
“Farewell, Malacoda. Enjoy your human life.” Dagda kissed my forehead, then was gone.
When I came to, Ryan was sobbing over my body. My thoughts were only of him. The relief I felt at being back by his side tempered the feeling of wrongness inside my body. With difficulty, I focused on the moment with my lover. His sweet words were especially lovely given everything we had just been through. I wished to heal him, to take his pain away. The sight of his bloody and beaten face angered me. Only hearing that Scythe was dead calmed me.
It felt like we were only given a second before more chaos surrounded us. Yet there, in the middle of the storm, was Ryan telling me he loved me in return. My feelings for him had onlygrown since our relationship had turned physical. My love for him had worked wonders. It had set me free.
They whisked him away before I could tell him anything. At least I had time to link us. It felt different with my new magic.
Follow my lead,he urged me.
His story was easy to follow. He told them we had feared Salvatore would come for us. Once Freya was sleeping, I had taken her to Lydia’s place. When I returned, Salvatore had broken in, demanding his revenge on Ryan for giving the FBI proof of his crimes.
Trying to save Ryan’s life, I had tackled Salvatore. We had tussled, and in the process, he had knocked me out. Then Salvatore had turned the gun on me. Fearing for my life, Ryan fought Salvatore. He wrestled the gun away, but not before it went off. Fearing I had been shot, Ryan knocked Salvatore to the floor. The man was reaching for the gun again when Ryan took it and shot him, knowing there was no way to ensure our safety while Salvatore lived.
Ryan believed Salvatore’s shot had hit me because of the blood covering my body when I was only unconscious, hence his emotional state and reasoning for killing the intruder.
Open and shut case,Ryan explained.Did you get the pieces of the ruby?
