A Dream of Fate & Flesh (Courts of Malice #2)

Epilogue

Rainer

“ W hy do I feel like you’re not sticking around for long?” Kenisius stabs a corkscrew into a wine bottle’s cork. He twists, driving it deeper.

I sigh, locating a couple of clean glasses for us. “Because I need to go to Dovenak.”

“Human’s realm?” The cork comes out with a pop, and the rich, fruity aroma hits my nose. “Ex-realm, I mean.” He scratches his neck. “Ex-human? Half-human? Gods, what do I call her?”

I chuckle at his turmoil over Alessia’s nickname.

“It’s been two days, Kenisius, we’ve dallied long enough.” Just long enough to celebrate. Long enough for Yvanthia to find us and rub it in our faces that her health is no longer failing and her power is stronger than ever.

Long enough for Alessia to… I would say shatter my heart, but considering my shortcomings brought us here, it’s unfair.

Kenisius pours two healthy servings of wine and passes me a glass. He doesn’t even wait for me to accept it before chugging his own to the dregs.

“We need the humans’ iron.”

Kenisius strokes his beard contemplatively .

“If it’s true that Wyetta is planning a war… we need to stop it.” Queen Yvanthia might be loathed, but Queen Wyetta of Dovenak is arguably an even more significant threat.

I was foolish not to see it sooner.

In the prison, Sheila told me about the mines, and there’s only one reason I can think that would make sense for them to harvest iron on a large scale. To create weapons able to neutralize fae magic.

I always thought it was strange that the human queen would send assassins and messengers at random intervals, always to get picked off. But now I realize it was a smart tactic on her end. It was purposeful—to give us an illusion of safety, to let us believe humans are incapable or ignorant.

Pride, arrogance, and ego are often the downfall of the fae, and she’s preying on that. If we fall for her tricks and leave our defenses down, she’ll have the advantage when she strikes.

Not if we catch her unaware and steal her iron from under her nose.

I chuckle at the thought. It’ll be utterly satisfying.

“You need an army, Rai. If not for you, for the little human.”

A dark smile crawls onto my face. “She has one already.”

His bushy brows scrunch together like two furry caterpillars.

“The spirits,” I explain and sip my wine. “The darkness that remains of them… their shadows, they bend to her whims.”

Alessia and I haven’t openly discussed her power yet… I’ve given her space to process the past few days.

He leans forward, brows raised. “Necromancer?”

I shake my head. “Spiritcaller. ”

Kenisius’s eyes widen, and then he breaks into a hearty laugh. “No shite.” He slaps his knee. “Little human is—well, a little demon?”

My smile grows as my mind replays the first moments I met her compared to now. She’s come so far in a few short months. As I knew she could. “My soul-bonded is a feckin’ spiritcaller.”

“Why didn’t you tell her about the bond?” Kenisius asks, then chugs his goblet of wine. He reaches for the bottle, and instead of pouring another glass, he brings it straight to his lips. “I had a hunch since the moment I smelled you two together.”

Scowling, I melt into the chair and rub my forehead. “She was healing from her trauma, learning who she is.” I drop my hand to my lap. “I didn’t want to influence her. I wanted her to focus on herself. Find her strength.”

“Love is complicated.” He takes a deep swig. “I’ll stick to good ol’ boning, thank ya very much.”

I chuckle, feeling the soft buzz of wine working its way into my system.

“It is,” I agree. “But she needed to be free without feeling tethered to me. Any more than she already was.” I finish my glass and reach for the bottle. He hands it to me, and I take a gulp. “I will not let my love be a prison sentence for her. I will not let it hold her back.”

Regret’s sharp thorns still pierce my insides when I think about how I acted when I first met her. It was different then. I was different.

I’ve changed—because of her. Because she sees me for who I am, and she accepts me.

Perhaps a selfish part of me didn’t tell Alessia because I wanted her to choose me.

Or maybe, subconsciously, I didn’t want her to choose me at all. I wanted her to choose herself.

Kenisuis throws himself onto the chaise across from me. A resounding crack tears through the room. He crashes to the ground in a heap of splintered wood and velvet fabric.

“Shite on my balls,” he yells, scowling. He jumps up, rubbing his arse. “I need more of this.” He yanks the bottle from my hand, chugging the last of it.

“Sláinte,” I say sarcastically, eyeing the broken furniture with amusement.

“What is it that little human—er, the little demon says?” He pauses, deep in thought. “Ah, yeah, sorry !” He throws his hands up. “I need more drink to deal with all this. The little human is not even human. You’re leaving me again. I feel left out. I have a bruised heart and now a bruised arse to match.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” I mutter, but I can’t help but grin. My old friend never fails to humor me. “Who said I was leaving you behind?”

His eyes light up, and he looks more like a dog than a bear shifter. “I’m coming?”

“I don’t know yet,” I say honestly. “I would like to say yes.”

“Then say yes!”

“We’ll work out the details.” We need a plan before we dive into anything.

He punches the air with a holler. “Since little demon is avoiding you, are we getting pickled to the gills tonight, Rai? ”

My grin melts into a frown. “She’s not avoiding me. I’m giving her—” Ah, forget it. “Will getting drunk make you feel better?”

“Yes, it will.” He toes the collapsed chaise with his boot, then spins toward the door. “Let me fetch another bottle. Or ten.”

My heart swells with the prospect of being back in my home, drinking with my best pal.

Tomorrow, I must figure out a plan for many things in life. But tonight? Tonight I drink.

I drink to forget. I drink to numb the feelings.

But not even ten bottles could do the job. I will never relinquish my love for the female with eyes as grey as her steel spine—the one with a wholesome heart and clever mind, possessing mercy, morality, and magnanimity.

She’s an exquisite dream on her own, but together, we are the deadliest of nightmares.

Alessia is a creature of utter magnificence and unparalleled spirit. My heart beats in her hands only.

She’s my soul-bond.

My beloved.

My fate and flesh.