Chapter 96

Oh, I can think of a thousand things we should do about it, my wolf responds, quite merry, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Like, kissing him, and figuring out how to take off his ghost shirt -

He’s incorporeal!

Sometimes, she corrects, stretching out her toes and then collapsing into a languid heap.

I groan, rolling over onto my couch so I can’t see Anton’s stupid perfect lips, and the way his eyelashes are all pretty and long, and how they cast just the cutest shadow over the pale skin beneath his eyes – which doesn’t even make any sense! Because how can they cast a shadow when they don’t exist!?

Anton’s breath hitches as I growl my discontent.

“Whass wrong,” he murmurs, and I can feel him shift across the couch from me, coming back to consciousness as a result of my growly discontent.

“Nothing,” I snarl. “You’re annoying me.”

Delightfully – horribly – he laughs. “How have I managed that, asleep?”

But I just grumble nonsense, because if I say “your eyelashes are too pretty and it’s making me insane,” he…probably will think I am insane.

Anton laughs again and I feel him come closer, and then the tingle of his hand over my hair, petting me, as he so often does when I’m upset. I bite my lip, relishing the tingle, hating it. Loving it. “Poor Junie,” Anton sighs. “Tough day already.”

“Yeah, first you’re annoying,” I growl. “And then I have to probably die later.”

He laughs again and I sigh, giving into my impulse and leaning more fully back, tilting my head all the way back until I’m looking at him upside down.

“You’re not going to die, June,” Anton murmurs, drifting his fingertips down my cheek. “I forbid it.”

I smirk and hate him a bit more – hate how lovely he is, and cheerful, and confident, and great.

God damn it. I hate it, this fucking crush.

“Who are you to forbid me,” I sigh. “I am a Princess and future Queen.”

“Yeah,” he sighs, leaning a little closer, smirking at me. “But even you need someone to straighten you out sometimes, little bat Goddess. And I will happily do the job.”

I sigh, letting my eyes fall shut, going all limp and languid and hoping to hell that Anton mistakes it for frustration or exhaustion with his nonsense. When really…it’s just a reaction to my wolf howling her head off, wanting quite desperately for him to be all sexy and in charge like he was yesterday, standing up to Orion, ordering our friend to respect Laila more.

Yes yes yes, my wolf pants, giving a ridiculous little pounce with each word. Tony can straighten us out any day – be all bossy boots – maybe he will smack our butt to teach us a lesson –

I clench my teeth to stifle my groan.

Tony’s laugh confirms that I may have just barely gotten away with my act.

“All right, Tony,” I sigh, lifting up my hands like a marionette. “Boss me ‘round. Get me ready for my day – we’ve got a trial to attend, after all.”

“Sure thing, kitten,” he says, laughing and getting to his feet, his fingers brushing against my cheek one last time. “Come on, get up. Time to get you all pretty for your date with Death.”

“No thanks,” I sigh, giving him a little glare as I open my eyes and push to my feet. “Already had a date with his son last night. Don’t need to try my luck with Daddy today.”

Anton bursts into laugher and wraps his arm around my shoulders as best he can. I conjure up a coffee and together we head to my wardrobe so that he can pick out something for me to wear.

I shiver as I look around the shoreline, conjuring a chunky black sweater onto my body and regretting my choice to wear a rather thin cotton gown. I glance up at Anton, miffed.

“Unfair,” I murmur, narrowing my eyes. “If I’m going to be freezing the least you can do join me in my misery.”

“The cold of death always haunts my bones, Juniper,” Anton replies, lofty and dramatic, raising his chin as he looks out over the dark ocean waves lapping at the shore.

“Good,” I growl. He laughs, and I sigh, and shift my weight to be closer to him.

“Who knew Death had a beach,” Anton murmurs, still looking out over the sea, at the waves glinting bright under the light of all three moons. Honestly, it’s very obviously still nighttime, but it’s brighter than it usually is. Bright enough to even pretend it’s day.

I laugh a little. “I know, right? We should have spent some of our free time studying a map. Or a globe or whatever. We don’t know much about this world.”

“Is this what the beach looks like otherwise?” Anton frowns, still studying the shore with more curiosity than he usually shows for new landscapes.

My shoulders straighten and I snap my gaze to his face. “Tony, have you never been to the beach?”

He smirks and looks down at me, shaking his head. “Orphan, remember? Not a lot of beach trips in my childhood.”

I gape at him, appalled and…well, very sorrowful. It’s not like Moon Valley’s beach is even very far from the city.

“Don’t you pity me,” he says, giving me a snarkly little snarl. “It’s just a big salty lake. I’ve seen plenty of lakes.”

I laugh, shaking my head at him. “When we get you back to life, Tony, I’m taking you to the beach for real.”

“When it’s warm, please,” he sighs, smiling at me. “I’m not sure your current shivering state is doing much to recommend this to me as a vacation spot.”

I laugh again, shaking my head at him as Laila and her Herald appear. She thanks and dismisses him, coming over to us, her expression much more cheerful than mine. But of course it is – she’s in the Top today, after all. Her life isn’t on the line. “Hi, Junie,” she says, giving me a soft smile. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay,” I say, shrugging. “You must be happy,” I say, nodding over to the sea. “This is your home territory, isn’t it?”

She grimaces a little, looking out over the waves. “I’m not sure the Sands of Eternal Night is my fantasy location,” she says with a shrug. “But it’s not…bad.”

“I think it’s pretty,” I say, turning with a frown towards it. “What do you think, Seal Prince?”

I look up at Anton for an answer, but before he can open his mouth a gong rings out, drawing all of our attention towards a platform built into the sand on which the majority of courtiers and contestants stand. At the center I can just make out Orion standing with his father. I sigh, glancing between my friends, who both grimace at me. The three of us make our way over in silence.

Not much to say, after all. We all know what’s coming.

We all know my fate balances in the hands of a God who is…not precisely predisposed to like me very much right now.

Together we climb onto the wooden platform and I look around, even as my breath draws short. Because while this looks like the last trial – with a central viewing platform and everyone gathered on it to witness – there are…no poles, or anything like that, which gives a hint about what this next trial might be.

What…are we going to be asked to endure?

My heart starts to pound and Anton steps closer to me, his presence a tingling reassurance at my side. Laila also reaches out and takes my hand. At the front of the platform Orion scans the crowd and finds us, his mouth a thin line even as he nods to me, silently acknowledging my fear and worry and letting me know that he’s still on my side.

Even if – god, even if I was stupid enough to cut our date short last night. I mean, I know we’re friends and all, but if my life depends on Orion picking me as his bride? And didn’t he say to me last night that that’s what he wanted to do?

And didn’t I rather blatantly throw my impossible crush on a dead guy in his face?

Inwardly I groan, but my wolf nips me. Pay attention, she urges. You know it’s more than that. We can feel it. We can feel it.

I set my jaw, putting an inner hand on her fur and digging my fingers into it, trusting her instincts.

“Contestants,” Death calls out to all of us, gesturing out to the ocean behind him. “Your next trial awaits. Those in the bottom will join me now. Here.”

I squeeze Laila’s hand, not wanting to go, but even as I try to cling to her I feel myself vanish, appearing a moment later at Death’s side. My eyes immediately finding Laila in the crowd, Anton at her side, his face shocked and suddenly terrified to see me so far removed -

I gasp, reaching for him, the link between us pulled incredibly tight –

I haven’t – I haven’t been this far from him in weeks –

I gasp, wanting him, needing him – but one glance at Death’s smug face makes me realize that…

That he’s doing this.

He’s keeping us apart.

Because there’s more to this trial than just eliminating one girl –

No, this one?

This one’s about eliminating me.

And that, for some reason, involves taking Anton away.

I cry out, still reaching for him, but my legs are locked, preventing me from moving any closer.