What Lurks Between the Fates (Of Flesh & Bone, #3)

by Harper L. Woods

“Only a ruler who does not deserve her people would think that she is better than them.” I stood, allowing him to come to stand upon the cage.

Instead, she chose to tailor her dreams to her reality, managing her expectations. She limited herself before anyone could ever tell her no.

“I wondered why I existed, if this is all there was for me. There had to be a reason my parents came together against the odds. There needed to be a reason I was a God when it went against the natural order of things. What good did that power do me when I was taken before I could speak?” “Caldris,” I protested, trying to turn my gaze away from him. He held me still, pinning me with that icy intensity as cold crept up my spine. The room filled with the vestiges of his power. From the corner of my eye, I caught frost sliding along the walls. “You are my reason, Estrella,” he said.

“I didn’t understand when you said you would let the world die if it meant I could survive the wreckage. I hadn’t let myself love you… not like this,” I explained, stepping toward him slowly. My bottom lip trembled, this confession feeling different from all the others. “But I do now.” I reached up, cupping his cheek as he stared down at me. “I would sacrifice everyone if it meant I had you,” I said, pulling his face down so that I could brush my lips against his. “So do not ever ask me to leave you. Never again.” He sighed as he pinched his brow between two fingers. “My star…” “Don’t,” I said, making my way to his bed.

“You are always my Goddess, min asteren. I worship at your altar with every breath—every moment of my existence,” he said, blue eyes blazing with intent. “Not only because you are my mate and the Fates determined we were made for one another, but because I love you. The person you have become is a sight to behold, and I am privileged to stand at your side as you embark on your journey.”

“You should not play games with that which you cannot control, and you definitely should not toy with the Fates,” I said softly, ignoring the frenzied whispers of all who lingered in the throne room.

I raised a hand, grasping the woman’s thread of life between my fingers and plucking it like a harp. She jolted forward the moment she felt me pull on it, raising a hand to signal the men back. They paused, hesitating as they studied me. “What do you want?” she asked, her voice dropping into the quiet of a whisper. I grinned as her cheeks flushed with humiliation. “I should think it was obvious. I want all of you to suffer for your part in your people’s suffering.”