The Crimson Snow (A Realm of Chaos and Void #1)

Chapter 32

The Bloody Fox

Keys are devilish things,

Forged in steel, if you’re fortunate,

Triggered by blood, if you’re bold.

In realms of chaos, blood runs thicker than metal,

But blood is also a charm—dangerous,

Addictive.

Retrieved from Encyclopedia of Ruins & Blood

by Varian Galehowllow, Ch. 13, p. 56.

Seraphine Ashcroft

Seraphine took the book and pushed Evren back onto the couch with a slight huff. Still straddling Evren, she opened the book. It was filled with so many sketches and notes.

She heard Evren laugh. “Wow, not even my kisses get you like that. Should I be concerned?”

“Of course you should. I just found the most interesting thing in this whole place—no, in the whole realm—and I get to read it,”

she said, excited about the discovery.

Evren pulled himself up while still holding Seraphine. Delicately, he fixed her dress and pulled up the fabric on the front side. The tenderness of his touch made her consider leaving the journal alone for a couple more minutes.

Considered and rejected.

“Aren’t you excited about this?”

she said, looking at Evren, who was the image of decadence—his shirt half-open and torn, his hair all over the place, and his eyes somehow sleepy.

Oh, I did that.

He cleared his throat and smiled. “Are you asking me if I am thrilled to check the thoughts and secrets of one of the most powerful beings in the world? Without a doubt!”

As Seraphine went to read the first page, Evren cut her off and took the book from her hands. While she wanted to fight, the book disappeared. “I’ll transfer the book to our chambers. I think we might want to get comfortable,”

he said, this time sliding an arm around her legs and carrying her to the pond at the center of the forbidden section. “I am hungry, so let’s have something to eat, and if you behave, I will give you those dazzling berry roses you love so much.”

Seraphine let him carry her, and he sat down at the pond’s edge, his legs in the water, ready to dive deep with her back to the main library building. “Wasn’t the kiss enough to get me one of those?”

she purred at him, hugging his neck so their noses were just a breath apart.

“From you?”

he said, caressing her nose with his. “It’ll never be enough, and I want it all, Crimson Eyes.”

Her heart was once again melting and flying. Somehow, after her last visit—an unpleasant one, thanks to Max—to the human realm, she decided to give in to whatever she felt for Evren. For once in her life, she felt cherished, and while she would never admit that to him, she knew he knew.

“We have a lifetime, don’t we?”

she said, and Evren kissed her one last time before diving deep back into the library.

Seraphine picked one final berry rose from the plate. After a long discussion, she convinced Evren to have supper in their chamber while reading the journal. There was so much insightful information, and she couldn’t put it down. Thankfully, Raggart had brought them plenty of food.

Evren was lying on his side, trying to peek at something from the journal. They had been sharing the same bed since she arrived from the human world.

“Don’t be like that, Crimson Eyes. I want to read it too.”

He pouted. She needed to use the memory canvas artifact on him to capture the memory of him making that face.

Seraphine moved so she was comfortable between his arm and neck. “Look here,”

she said, pointing out one entry in the journal. It was dated a couple of centuries ago, just around the creation of the veil.

“The part about the argument he had with Nemera?”

“No, here: ‘I tarried for her days, months even, but she never returned to us. She vowed to find a means of escape from her household, and then we would meet near the Valley of Nightsiths. We envisioned a life together, a family. But alas, she never came back. What a profound sorrow it is to endure existence without my beloved Sorrowspring.’”

Seraphine felt a pang of sadness. “It seems like unrequited love,”

she muttered.

“Didn’t you mention that there was a book showing a peculiar family tree with a descendant of Aurum?”

Evren asked, and she nodded.

“He says in that part that whoever it was left them alone. Them.”

Evren paused and then pointed at the last part. Aurum had written as if it was not only him. “And here, I think I know who they are referring to—the Sorrowsprings.”

Seraphine looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

He moved closer, their legs brushing, and took a black leaf from his shirt pocket. Seraphine had asked him about his leaves, and he mentioned that those were one of the remaining gifts he could hold before the veil’s creation and the curse his father bestowed upon him. He could still use leaves as a conduit for his magic.

Evren eyed her knowingly. “You paid no attention to me when I explained the meanings behind the colors, did you?”

She smiled at him, feeling the warmth of his body so close.

He sighed. “Black leaves are for note-taking.”

He manipulated the leaf, which started to drop some black ink, and pulled out a paper, moving the leaf without touching it and drawing what seemed like a map. His fingers brushed hers, sending a small jolt through her. “This was the territory before the veil’s creation. Each portion was handled mostly by the human realm and the Otherworld, while the Underworld had always remained separate. And here… This area was ruled by the Sorrowspring lineage.”

Seraphine marveled at the detail of it. “Those are… keepers of water creatures?”

“Correct. Now, before the veil’s creation, the ruler used to have three children: Elowen, Galen, and the youngest one, Lyra Sorrowspring.”

“I see. So, you think one of them was Aurum’s lover and the one who bore him a child? Wouldn’t that be problematic? I mean, is it even possible to be a half-blood from the Underworld and Otherworld?”

He made a face, somehow nostalgic. “I was close to Galen, and I remember Lyra very well. She was always… different. She was prone to destruction and always in trouble.”

Was. As if she no longer exists.

“Anyhow, Lyra was sentenced to death. She was imprisoned during the veil’s creation, and decades later, I found out about her death. No one knew the reason, but if my reasoning is correct, they probably found out that she was getting closer to Aurum and perhaps that she gave birth to a forbidden being. That might be why Aurum never saw her again. The timeline fits.”

“That is so incredibly sad.”

Seraphine inhaled the words, her hand finding Evren’s for a brief squeeze.

“That it is,”

he said. The paper and the leaf disappeared in flames. He stretched like a cat, and Seraphine noticed Scarlet bouncing from one corner of the room to another. “What if we take a break and continue tomorrow?”

He sounded a little tired.

Feeling guilty, Seraphine moved so she was looking at him, their faces inches apart. “I was very pushy today, wasn’t I?”

“Of course not. I am—”

She hugged Evren, silencing whatever he was about to say. She felt the steady beat of his heart against her cheek. “Let’s sleep. This time, let me tell you embarrassing stories of how I once ended up cursing a cottage in Coldhaven.”

He laughed at that. “Ah, that sounds like a very good story.”

Seraphine watched him fall asleep and wondered if she was mad for loving these little moments as much as she did. Energy buzzed in her body. She no longer felt forced to help him—she wanted to. She stood out of the bed, quietly enough not to wake up Evren, and took the journal.

Evren Wraithwood

A warm, delicious feeling tugged at his shirt, moving him from side to side. Evren heard the most beautiful sound calling out his name and couldn’t help but think about that cunning and sweet crimson creature.

“For Nemera’s wing, Evren! Wake up, you smelly wolf!”

He grunted, keeping his eyes closed. “I knew this was too good to be true.”

Seraphine pinched his side hard. “Evren, c’mon, this is important. I—”

Evren felt someone hovering over him. With his eyes closed, he hugged and pulled down Seraphine, muttering into her curly head, “Just one more minute.”

He opened one eye to find Seraphine standing at the corner of the bed. She was not the one in his arms. Her mouth twitched, barely containing a massive laugh. Beside her was Raggart.

“Well, Evren, I knew we were close, but I have to say, you surprised me with such gentlemanly treatment this time,”

the curly-haired person he was holding said.

“Should I give you two a moment?”

Seraphine teased him, and Evren kicked the ever-loving soul out of the body he had hugged so passionately.

He had made a fool of himself so thoroughly that he thought about covering his face with the bed covers.

The curly man chuckled. Evren looked at him: green eyes dotted with yellow, blond curly hair, and a face full of freckles. I will never hear the end of this.

“Ah, do not be shy with me, prince! I am delighted to know I am to your liking.”

He heard Seraphine laugh, and just this once, he promised not to kill him.

“What do you want, Theron?”

“What a hard head you are, Ren. You called me! Raggart sent those terribly detailed letters,”

Theron said, and they both looked at Raggart, knowing the creature had sent mere drawings.

Theron moved while Evren finally decided to step out of his bed. Although he knew Theron would never harm Seraphine, Evren positioned himself in front of her.

“Either way, I’ve been trying to communicate with you for decades! Where in Nemera’s wing have you been these past 26 years? Do you know how many times I tried to send something and—”

Theron stopped himself, realizing now might not be the best time to open a discussion, given Seraphine’s presence.

Seraphine moved closer to Evren’s back and slowly placed her head on his shoulder, smiling. “Ren?”

she repeated.

“Yes, that’s his nickname, oh mighty Prince Wraithwood,”

Theron joked. Evren rolled his eyes at him, holding himself back from growling.

Seraphine hummed. “I like that nickname, Prince.”

Then, she moved to sit on the bed, looking at both men. “This, by far, has been the most interesting morning I’ve ever had the chance to witness.”

She giggled, and Evren noted that she was still in her nightgown and gloves.

He lightly covered her with quilts, noticing her pale and tired appearance. “What is going on, Crimson Eyes?”

She looked up at Theron. “I-I read the whole journal while you were asleep,”

she said, almost apologetically. “At first, I thought I found something, but then I considered it nonsense.”

His eyes widened at her diligence.

“I went to your—our chambers as soon as I found that little note in the journal. I thought you might know more about it, but I never got a chance to say anything because your friend was waiting outside your chamber to talk to you.”

Theron cleared his throat. “Now, the good thing is that we both have the same information for you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Evren said, eyeing them both.

Seraphine moved closer to Evren and took his arm, pulling him to the bed again. “At the end of the journal, Aurum wrote that a being from the Otherworld appeared or found its way into the Underworld. From what I could tell, that creature was cursed by Nemera herself.”

Theron continued, “I came across the same information. It seems there was a strong curse on that creature. There are no records of who that was or the curse, but if it came from Nemera, it must have been pretty strong and nasty.”

He glanced at Seraphine, sensing they needed to talk. Theron was surpassing his surprise at this point, and Evren could not be more thankful.

“For better or worse, the creature sought Aurum in the Underworld—which makes sense since he had ruled his own territory for years, unlike Nemera or Brannon, who are nowhere to be seen. Aurum offered to lift the curse.”

“There is no way,”

Evren said, standing up. “You’re telling me that Aurum undid whatever curse was done? Just like that?”

Seraphine sighed. “Not exactly. It seems like Aurum put some kind of trial in place, which the creature did not pass. It ended up dying.”

Her eyes lowered.

“But it makes sense. Aurum still holds the power of death, destruction, and also transformation. It makes sense that he could somehow kill or undo any kind of magic,”

Theron finally said.

Evren studied at Theron. “And how did you find out about this?”

For the first time, his friend looked a little ashamed. “I, well… I slept with a kelpie a couple of years ago, and she told me the tale, which sounded odd. So, I asked some sources and then came here after receiving…”

He looked at Raggart, who was smiling proudly as if he had done the most amazing thing. “Those strange drawings with no meaning.”

At that, Raggart’s ears moved, and he seemed offended.

What a lovely morning indeed.

Seraphine moved her hand and held Evren’s shirt. “This just supports the idea that maybe there is a way out for you.”

“And then what? Are you expecting me to go and offer myself to Aurum? There is no open portal to that realm, Crimson Eyes,”

he said a little too harshly and immediately regretted it.

She released him and somehow made herself small. “I was just trying to help, just like you always do with me. I’m sorry,”

she said, her voice breaking.

Evren looked at Raggart and Theron, both understanding that he wanted to be alone with her for a moment.

Evren moved to her side, wrapping his arms around her and whispering into her hair, “I am sorry, Crimson Eyes. I just—”

He breathed deeply. “I know you want this quest to be over and be free of me, but I am just so content with you here by my side that I—”

“No, that was not why I did it,”

she interrupted, hugging him closer. He could smell her, a soothing mix of vanilla and roses. “I thought it would be a great start for you to be whole again. I honestly don’t want the quest to be over, and don’t take me wrong, I wanted it to linger a little longer, but I also didn’t want to be selfish.”

Evren almost laughed at that. He had been the one who had pulled her into the most terrible situation, yet she was telling him she wished to stay with him.

Even after the quest is over…

“Selfish is a word I would never dare use to describe you, Crimson Eyes. And I am keeping you today, tomorrow, after the quest, and in the afterlife if you allow me to.”

He lowered his face to look into those beautiful eyes of hers. “I was the chaos in your life. I made your life miserable and tricked you, deceived you. I even made you immortal. But let me make up for that. We have all the time in the world. Not because your life clock is frozen or because of my nature. No. Because with you, I feel like I do not need to rush. I just need you and your giggles. Have I told you how much I want to bottle those and save them?”

Seraphine giggled after that, brushing her nose against his neck, her touch sending shivers down his spine. “I must correct myself. Words do take you everywhere,”

she said before looking up at him. “You can keep me if I can keep all of you too. Because I am selfish, Evren. I want it all: this library, this room, your smile, you.”

If Evren could capture another memory, it would be this one. “So, it is a deal, Crimson Eyes? I keep you, and you keep me?”

She smiled, and he wasn’t sure who moved first, but their lips touched. Then, there were no more words, just kisses and caresses and a million promises he intended to fulfill.

Evren felt her fingers tracing patterns on his back, her touch both gentle and possessive. He responded by pulling her even closer, deepening the kiss, savoring every second of their connection.

“I want to spend every moment with you, making you happy,”

he whispered between kisses, his voice thick with emotion. This time, things will be fine.