The King's Cursed Bride

Goodnight

She managed to stay away from him for ten minutes. In those ten minutes, she'd found nothing. No Reapers that she could negotiate with—or Tervalyn to kill—or plants that could help Elon.

With each step, her heart felt heavier until she feared it would rip through her chest. She finally turned back and sprinted to Elon, branches and leaves whipping at her face.

Elon was where she'd left him, his eyes closed.

"Elon?"

He blinked and glanced up at her.

She fell to her knees beside him. "Oh, lands. I thought you were—that you might've—" Grief unspooled within her, and she pressed her fist to her mouth to trap the sobs there.

Elon's expression softened with compassion—compassion for her when he was dying. Though she'd loved him more than anyone, she couldn't help thinking she hadn't loved him as much as she should've. And now she was too late.

As her cries spiraled out of control, Elon murmured, "Lay beside me, Carissa. Let me hold you."

With nothing else she could do for him, she did so. His arms held her close, though she felt him tense in pain when she came in contact with his chest.

She lifted her head, strands of hair plastered to her wet cheeks. "I'm sorry I can't do more. I'm so sorry."

Pain thinned his smile, but it was genuine nonetheless. "Don't be. Right now, there's nothing more I'd like to do than hold you."

Her body shuddered harder with sobs, but for Elon's sake she tried to soften them. With each jostle of her body, she felt him flinch. She closed her eyes, felt the rise and fall of his breath, roughened with pain. Elon was going to suffer and die, on behalf of one who wasn't worthy enough to look upon him much less wed him.

He'd paid dearly to marry her—by taking on her many wounds, wounds that she'd deserved, and now by dying in her place. Elon could have lived a life free of suffering if not for her. Instead he chose to sacrifice everything because he loved her.

She would have told Elon that she was unworthy of his love and begged him, if he could, to undo what had been done, to let her die instead. But even if he could, she knew that he wouldn't.

She thought of Tervalyn, the Reaper she should have killed. In that moment, instead of trusting Elon, she had trusted herself and her own instincts. She had let this happen. Regret knifed through her, grief swelling within her chest at the thought. If she had trusted him enough, she could have prevented this. It almost felt as if she were the traitor.

Elon had said she was his weakness; now she was about to become his downfall.

Elon set his chin atop her head, his scruff pricking her scalp and his warm breath stirring her hair. His hands moved up and down her arms in a caress, though she knew such movement likely pained him. He began humming, and slowly, the hum melted into a song:

"You are my starlight,

My shining starlight.

You light my way, love,

With your bri—"

A cough seized him, leaving him wheezing and his body clenching with pain.

Carissa drew a breath and finished the song,

"With your bright.

I wish you knew how

Much I loved you.

Now I must bid you goodnight."

It felt like the pain had knotted somewhere within her heart, forming a rock-hard lump. She wiped her wet face against her shoulder and interlaced her fingers with Elon's. It was a wonder how such a small intimacy could feel so significant.

When Elon's coughs settled, he continued to hum, his chest vibrating against her back. Carissa branded this moment into her memory: the warmth of Elon's embrace, the callouses on his fingers brushing the back of her hand, the hard press of his body against the softness of hers.

Carissa closed her eyes, determined to make this moment last an eternity. Because she couldn't lose the only man who'd truly loved her.

His lips grazed her ear. "Goodnight, Carissa."

***

Only the lightening of the gray sky signified morning. Carissa blinked against the sleepy grit in her eyes, wondering why she still felt so tired and her heart so heavy.

Elon.

She turned in his arms and cupped his cheek in her hand. But he didn't open his eyes. Her breath caught.

"Elon?" She pressed her lips to his cold ones. "Elon, wake up."

But no matter how she caressed or coaxed him, he remained motionless. She finally sat up, her cheeks bathed in fresh tears. She grasped his hand, rubbing her thumb along his knuckles. Her heart refused to believe what her head knew:

A new day had begun, and she was alone. Elon had bid her goodnight for the last time.