Between Soul and Vessel (Between Life and Death, #4)

by Jaclyn Kot

“If she is here, Nockrythiam might follow.” “Nockrythiam?” I asked, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of me. There wasn’t a soul alive who hadn’t heard that legendary name, regardless of how hard the empress tried to erase it. He was the greatest fighter in all of the lands, the bringer of death, and the last defender of Emperor Alaric. The Ender of Realms.

“It’s fine,” I answered, although I didn’t pull my hand away, quite liking the feel of her touch.

If this world was a free one where I could openly speak my mind, and someone was to ask me what my favorite scent was, I’d point to her. If they asked me what my favorite color was, I’d say her eyes. Favorite anything? Easy answer—her.

Moonlight spilled through the window, highlighting the beautiful copper hues in her hair—like the leaves in fall. Yes, another favorite of mine.

Those visits—something Aryx had warned me about—started when I was a young immortal, just a boy by human standards. I stole one last glance at Avriel and etched her face into my mind, just as I had done hundreds of times before, holding on to her image as I left the atrium and prepared for the next task. It was the one I hated most.

“Do you hear me? She’s not fucking here.” I blinked, the haze slowly clearing. I looked down at my tattered skin, raw and full of abrasions, completely covered in my ichor. Finally . . . I couldn’t see her hands anymore.

“Freely, I give you your child’s feathers back.” And then, the proudest goddess I had ever known bowed and pressed her head to the ground.

All that time, I had been so suspicious of him, mistrusting. Little did I know he was carrying my wedding ring with him, that he had for centuries— I would not make him wait any longer.

“Because this is how it should be when a husband commits himself to his wife. Bending the knee is how you show honor, respect, humility. This is how I want to enter our marriage, by surrendering all that I am, all I possess, and everything I will be to you.”

“Again,” I beckoned breathlessly in between kisses. I could feel his lips shift into a smile. “Wife.”

“Gods?” Von mocked, his fingers drifting into my hair. He gave it a gentle tug. “You pray to one, wife, and he is a territorial bastard.”

My gaze lowered to her plump lips. I wondered if they were as soft as they looked. She cleared her throat. “You can set me down now.” “I could. I definitely could,” I said, still mesmerized by her mouth.

Abuser against survivor. Narcissist against warrior. This battle wasn’t just for me, it was for those who were like me. For anyone who had ever been made to believe they were worthless. For anyone who had been beaten down and told they weren’t enough. For anyone who’d had their bodily autonomy taken from them, who hadn’t been given the chance to say no.