Page 84 of The Dark Prince
I sobbed. It was beautiful, but none of it mattered anymore. Tyr was dead. My heart, my life, and my soul. The curse lay broken and his people safe, but at what cost?
A dead queen.
A dead mistress.
A dead bastard.
A dead witch.
Grit and dirt filled my mouth, and I screamed my sorrow into the earth. I tried to imagine Tyr calling to me, but he’d said my name so few times when we were together it was hard to imagine it, let alone hear it. How cruel to fall so deeply in love so fast, and yet have so little time together. PerhapsIwas cursed.
Remember how he said your name. Isadora. Isadora.
“Isadora.”
There! I heard it, clear as day. I sobbed in relief, my nails digging into the dirt. Time would march on, and one day I’d forget what it sounded like. But not today. Today I—
“Isadora!”
I jerked, my head jerking at the sound. My mind really was playing tricks now. I knew I’d only look like a fool, but I looked up.
Only to encounter the hard wall of a man’s chest. Heavy arms came around me, and large hands picked me up off the ground. The smell of spices and leather filled my nose, with a hint of vanilla around his face. I cried out in dismay and disbelief.
“Tyr—”
He silenced me with a kiss, just as passionate as he’d ever given me, yet different. Instead of feral need, his lips and tongue gently explored mine, as if he were committing each indent and line of my flesh to memory.
I had to see him. I had to see it was him. I had to see him whole.
I pulled away and just drank in the sight of him. His unmasked face was just as it had always been, puckered skin and all. Never had I seen such a more beautiful sight.
Wildly, I looked around for his mask to give to him. That was foolish, though. It was likely back in the castle where it had fallen when he’d first changed.
“Isadora, be still. It’s fine.”
I stopped short. It wasn’t just his words, but his tone. He cupped my face with his hands, happiness stretching his features as I saw him smile with joy for the first time.
“You did it. You fucking did it. You did so well,” he praised, burying me in his chest.
A bubble of hysterical laughter welled up in me. “Well, when you live every moment with anxiety, you find yourself oddly calm when the worst thing you’ve been imagining actually happens. It was a bit of a relief to get it over with.”
His furrowed brow told me he didn’t understand a single word I’d said. That was alright. He lowered me to the ground and swayed.
“Arne!” I cried out in alarm, but the man was already there, easing Tyr down on the ground. Toke was there next, helping Arne support his shoulders. Rolf and Leif grabbed his legs, and then suddenly there was a flurry as the townspeople herded toward us to wish us well and touch our shoulders.
“Bless you Lord and Lady Black!”
“Does anyone need anything to eat? Breaking curses is hungry work!”
“Ales all around for Lord Black’s loyal men!”
There was a chorus of cheers for the last one, but I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. Sadness, exhaustion, euphoria … I couldn’t tell the difference.
“Isadora. She’s been calling for you.”
I whipped around to find Maddeus behind me, Aella still in his arms. Her eyes fluttered weakly at me, and one hand reached out toward mine. Her face was a mess of torn and blackened flesh, much worse than Tyr’s.
I clutched onto Tyr’s arms, refusing to let him leave my side.
