“No!” she sputters out, stumbling a few steps towards me, shaking her head so hard her pretty blue-green hair flutters out all around her. “No, Junie, don’t make me go! I want…I want to stay here! And help! I mean…” she bites her lip. “It will be nice to be able to visit home. But I want to stay wit
Soldiers carry two caskets ahead of me into the Goddess’s temple, but I only keep my eyes fastened on the one that holds the body of the only man I’ve ever loved. The only man I’ve ever kissed, even. I was supposed to marry him today. The wolf in my soul raises her snout to the sky and gives a l
My breath pants from my lips as the wind and darkness rips around us. We only travel for a few terrifying moments before my feet hit hard against stone and light returns to the world, however dim. I groan in horror at what I see – at the black sky that stretches for miles in all directions over t
I jump and blush when the bartender clears his throat, because I’d been so busy staring at the tall, broad-shouldered stranger that I didn’t even notice that the bartender arrived. “All right, little lady,” the bartender says, smirking at me and leaning against the bar. “What’ll it be?” “Um,”
I groan when I wake up in the morning, immediately clutching my pounding head and rolling over in the blankets that are spread beneath me on the bathroom floor. I pant a little, working my sticky tongue in my mouth, desperate for some water – but god, every time I move it’s agony – I moan, disgu
“Who the hell are you!?” I shout, horrified, stumbling back. “I’m – I’m the wolf!” the boy sputters, gesturing at his tall, lanky form which is indeed made up of the same shining blue and white light as the wolf. “You’re a guy!?” I gasp, appalled. “I…yeah?” he responds, giving an awkward sh
And then, to my distinct pleasure, he sighs and turns around. “Good boy,” I murmur, making him laugh and shake his head again as I drop my wedding dress to the ground. The moment I get into the bath, I take a deep breath and duck underneath the steamy water, sinking all the way down to the depth
Anton murmurs. “Whatever this is, you agreed to it – you should have gotten more details.” I glare over my shoulder at Anton and see him obligingly covering his eyes with his hand, intuiting that I’m going to get out. I hesitate for a second because…I mean, his hand is transparent.So, what the hell is covering his eyes going to do?But Anton’s eyes are shut, so I sigh and turn, climbing out of the tub, trusting his intent more than the details of his physical form. “Tricked or not,” Anton sighs, “you’re in a competition to marry a guy and you don’t even know who he is?”I wrap my towel around me as I step out of the tub and knotting it high above my breasts before I reach for another one and start to dry my hair. “But that’s all I’ve got. I mean, you’re dead – doesn’t that give you insider information or something?”“No really,” Anton says, dropping his hand and looking up at me as I continue to towel off. “I think the Goddess kind of…snatched me before I got to wherever dead people
“No!” she sputters out, stumbling a few steps towards me, shaking her head so hard her pretty blue-green hair flutters out all around her. “No, Junie, don’t make me go! I want…I want to stay here! And help! I mean…” she bites her lip. “It will be nice to be able to visit home. But I want to stay wit
“I’m sending you home too,” I say quietly, doing my best to look each in the eyes. “I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed that you didn’t get the wish.” They murmur a variety of responses back to me, most of them relieved. One by one they step forward and I take their ha
“Does…” I whisper, my eyes still fastened to Orion as my eyes move over him, feeling the powers that radiate from him now. “Does that mean you have all of the powers of Darkness too? From…from the wish?” “No,” Orion murmurs, looking down at his hands and flexing them, experimenting with the feel o
Beatrice is the last to go, staring at me in shock, realizing finally that she bet everything on the wrong horse. I bare my teeth at her, fangs extended, and Beatrice’s eyes go wider as she trembles and finally submits, going to her knees and bowing her head. “Good,” I say, my voice returning to n
Laila’s knife sinks deep between Death’s shoulder blades and the final scream of a God fills the air as Death falls to his knees. The magic stops mid-stream, like a tap being suddenly turned off. I groan and tilt forward against Anton, who catches me and holds me against his chest. “Shit, June,”
“Just a little longer, June. She’ll do it.” But what if she doesn’t? What if…what if I’m inches from oblivion, and this is it? My heart strains in my chest, my wolf shaking like a leaf from snout to tail. But still, I will myself to hope. To trust in my friend. “I know,” I reply, letting my ey
I gasp, my shoulders trembling under the sheer weight of Death’s magic that flows over and around us, my shield barrier straining and buckling under its might. “June,” Anton breathes, eyes wide as he looks up at the magic streaming over us in an unending torrent. “Shit – are you –“ I crouch besi
The wish presses against Death for a moment and then sinks into him, dissolving into his chest. He sighs with happiness and what looks like ecstasy, tilting his head back to the sky as the magic disappears into him. Beatrice steps away, tucking her hands behind her back, beaming at the God she jus
Before I can get more than three steps after Laila, Anton lunges forward, his paws landing on either side of me as he snatches at the back of my gown with his teeth, holding me back. His fierce growl reminds me that I need to stay here – that Death took Laila because he wants me to come rushing onto