Word Count: 1786

~Vaela

Kicking my feet up, I lean back, flipping the page of my book.

"You're strong enough now," I hear Hale say. I let my book fall onto my lap. It's been a couple days since we last talked about how my wound is healing. Admittedly, I'm feeling much better.

I grin. "Good, let's have sex then."

"Woah," he laughs, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. "We need to be thinking about what is going to happen once you step back into that pool."

I sigh, knowing this conversation was coming.

It's not like we can avoid it for much longer. Keo is lurking, waiting for my twelve days to be up before he can come and collect me for Relm. I need to make the transition to Immortal again.

"You'll have to kill me," I tell him. I'm not sure I could do it myself. I died once, I'm not looking forward to doing it again.

Hale frowns. He doesn't want this to happen, but what other choice do we have?

"You will be sent back to Death's Realm. I know you are familiar with the procedure, so just go through with it all until I can come and get you," he explains, standing.

He holds his hand out to me, and I swallow tightly. "Is it going to be difficult to get me back?"

Death's realm wasn't exactly pleasant. My entire life was looked back on, and it was decided how many years I would live there before I would come to the Immortal realm. From there, I just worked and let the time pass until I was free again.

Just thinking about having to go back there....

"Death and I have a strained relationship. But I will make it work," Hale mutters, leading me from book room.

"What if you can't?"

He stops, clutching my hands tightly, forcing me to look into his eyes. "Trust me, Vaela. Nothing will come between us being together."

I believe him. I believe that he will do everything in his power to make sure I'm not in that realm for very long. And that trust that he cares about me is all I need to get through this.

"I'm frightened of going back. There are people there, still serving sentences that I hope to never see again," I tell him. Trace isn't the only terrible person who my path has crossed with.

"Keep to yourself. I will send a sign when I'm there," Hale assures me.

It's written all over his face, how worried he is, he just doesn't want me to know it. With death, there is always a chance something could go wrong.

I collapse into his arms. "I don't want to be away from you for a moment."

"It will be hard, but once I get you back as immortal again, you will be mine forever, and I will be yours," he breathes into my hair, wrapping his arms around me. I could stay here forever, nestled against his chest, feeling his warmth, breathing in his scent.

Knowing my emotions are going to collapse in on me, I pull away, forcing a smile onto my face.

"Back to the sex part."

Hale laughs breathily. "You are insatiable."

"I'm better now, I can take whatever you give me," I insist, pulling on his arms. Thinking about sex means I'm not thinking about what is going to happen to me very soon. And it's easy to consider, since it's most of what I think about when I'm around my mate.

Hale holds my face in his hands, eyebrows raised. "But what I want to give you requires you to be immortal."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't want to hurt you..." he breaks off, all the humour vanishing from his face. I realise, it really isn't just about me being wounded, but also me being immortal. Does he really think he is capable of hurting me?

"I can take it," I breathe excitedly.

Hale draws in a deep breath, looking as though he is tempted to grab my hand and drag me into his bedroom, rather than to face my death and all the consequences that surround it, but unfortunately, he knows better.

"Come on, I think we need to get this done," he says, motioning down the hallway toward the cave exit.

I shudder. "I'm scared."

"I know. But I'm going to get you back so fast, you won't even feel as though you've been in that realm for very long," he tells me, forcing all his confidence into his tone. I sigh woefully, hoping that his version of a short time is the same as what I have in mind.

"How are you going to kill me?"

"I was thinking you could just drink this."

He digs under his collar, drawing out the small vial filled with electric blue liquid that I've always wondered about. I know just by the look of it it's not good for mortal consumption.

"Poison?" I guess distastefully.

"Sort of. The power of it will undoubtedly kill you, but it's not the main purpose it serves," he admits, examining it with a wince.

I stare at it. "So it's magic?"

"Yes."

"What kind of magic, Hale?" I demand, getting the sense that he doesn't want to admit what it's true purpose is. That only makes me want to know more, especially since it sounds like I'm going to have to drink it.

"It will bind you to me. Similar in a way, to a mate bond."

My eyes widen. The liquid suddenly looks far less intriguing. He told me he made that spell, that it was his own creation. Now I know why he was wary to tell me, keeping it hidden beneath his shirt most of the time, but never off his person.

"Why would you have magic like this?" I question. It sounds like dark, terrible magic that shouldn't exist.

"Because someone once told me that I would never have a mate. I thought maybe I would find someone who didn't have a mate either, who I could forge a bond with." He sounds sick just saying it, and now I do too.

I take a few steps back. "Would you have used it on me?"

"No, of course not. I'm only offering this to you now because I know we are mates, and it may help me locate you once you're in Death's realm," he explains calmly.

But would he have used it? He was so scared to confirm we weren't mates. Maybe he felt that way because he was scared he would be tempted to use this magic.

I know it's not fair for me to assume that. Hale has proven to me how good of a man he is.

"Oh..."

"You won't feel a thing. You'll just...fall asleep," he explains, turning the vial over in his hand for me to look at. By the looks of it, everything that is beautiful is deadly.

"I suppose I better step into this pool then," I sigh, as Hale plucks the vial from his necklace, tucking it into his pocket.

He grabs my hand, leading me out the cave and to the small area where the magical pool is. I shiver upon seeing it again, knowing I'm not going to miss the cold that I've been dealing with for the past few months.

"For the rest of eternity, I'm going to regret making this pool," Hale sighs, staring at it, eyes full of unspoken emotions.

"How many others spells have you made?" I ask, motioning between the necklace and the pool. Now would be the best time to learn about what else could potentially come between him and I being together.

"None other," he confirms.

"I'm sorry you thought you would never find your mate...I hate that Fate did that to you," I whispers. Years worth of pain and suffering are evident in Hale's silver eyes. One day I'll learn about it all.

"It's not as though I didn't deserve it."

I stare down at the emerald liquid. "Should I step into it?"

"Just put your fingers in. It only needs to touch a small amount of your skin to work," Hale instructs, crouching down beside it.

With a sigh, I roll my sleeves up, reaching down to touch the surface of the water. It's bitterly cold, my hand shooting back upon touching it. The emerald droplets quickly seep into my skin, but I feel no different than I do now.

"It's freezing," I admit.

Hale smiles despite himself. "We are in a mountain."

Getting up, I rub my hands together. It's done, now hopefully the Gaze Reader is right about this, otherwise I'm screwed.

Hale holds my elbow, guiding me across the rocks. "Let's get inside so you can drink this."

We decide it would be better for me to lay in bed, so I can be comfortable. I don't feel very comfortable though, my heart practically ready to explode out of my chest as I sink under the sheets, clutching them tightly.

"What will happen to my body?" I ask.

"It will disappear the moment you are accepted into Death's Realm. So I will know that it worked," he tells me. I shudder, hating to think what will happen if it doesn't work.

I know. I'll be gone forever.

"I love you. Please find me as soon as you can," I whisper, trying to hold back my tears as Hale sits next to me on the bed, placing the small vial in my hand. So little liquid but so much magic.

He leans forward and kisses my forehead. "Of course. I promise."

"Goodbye Hale." I knock the top off the vial, staring down at it. Hale clutches my free hand the entire time, watching carefully as I bring it to my lips, and drink.

It's surprisingly sweet, and goes down easily. Laying back against the pillow, I breathe in deeply, hoping this is as swift and fast as Hale promised.

And it is, a heavy tiredness settling over me almost immediately as the magic works its way through my body.

Through the darkening haze on the edge of my vision, I see Hale brush my hair back tenderly.

"See you soon, my love," he murmurs.

With little hesitation, I welcome death, as it swiftly sweeps me away.

🖤••🖤

As always, the story will be available 10 chapters ahead on Radish!!!

You can also find it on GoodNovel (:

• A DEMON'S KISS IS OUT NOW ON WATTPAD•

"You...You what?"

Kastriv examines my husband with an unforgiving, ice cold gaze. "I want to fuck your wife. And you're going to let me."

~Midika 💜🐼