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properly buried.
Bury him yourself. Niko turned and nearly knocked Lyra to the ground. Steadying
her with his hands on her upper arms, he stared at the woman he loved. Quelling the urge
to jerk her into his arms and keep her there where she d be safe from the big, bad world,
he clenched his jaw instead. Nothing could save either of them from the sad fact it was
over. Time s up. Would you like to take a little trip with me? His voice sounded
strained to his own ears.
She pointed a finger in the air, looked at the spot through which Mr. Carney entered
the stairs leading to Heaven, and then back at him. I & uh& She took in the crowd.
Her sleep-mussed hair flowed around her shoulders, and Niko s fingers itched to touch it.
Sure. Where do you want to go?
To bed. His bed in the Third Realm. There they would have plenty of room to
stretch out. No. It s over. An all too familiar knot of emotion gathered in his throat.
Do it. Release her.
Struggling to contain the emotional pain banging in his chest and clanging in his
head, he leaned down. He brushed his lips across hers. The grip he had on her arms
turned brutal. He was trying to hang on to her for all he was worth. You will always be
with me, he mouthed. A single tear slid down his cheek to land on her face. Always,
he repeated. Her soul eased from her chest. Rather than push her away, he let the filmy
figure float toward High Heaven. I love you.
He caught her. Cradling her limp body against his chest, he threw his head back and
howled like a wounded animal. No! In a scattering of bones, with the echo of his
scream still bouncing off the buildings, he raced for the Third Realm. No, he
whispered.
Appearing in his bedroom, he laid her on his bed. He knelt beside her. Removing his
gloves, he returned to his mortal form. His hands moved to right her arms so she lay in
repose. Why?
The feel of a palm landing on his shoulder brought him upright. Why? He fisted
his hand at his side. The undeniable urge to strike the first solid object he could connect
with reared up in him. He forced his hand to relax.
Morpheus stared at Lyra. It was her time, Niko.
Shaking his head, Niko tilted his gaze to the beautiful mural painted on the ceiling. It
depicted a starlit sky with Death and his faithful mount traveling across the globe. In the
background stood the gold pocket watch. A visual reminder, as if he needed one, of the
woman he d mated.
You finished what was begun a long time ago.
Don t give me that. Out of his mind with sadness, Niko strode for the balcony. He
nearly ripped the French doors from their hinges. Storming out, he stared at the black
mist surrounding his castle. It was as if the sun had died.
She was in pain.
Tell me something I don t already know.
That s your duty. To release those who are in pain from it.
He wanted to blame somebody, anybody, for letting him lose his head and fall in
love with her. He couldn t. It began and ended with him. Bowing, he leaned his weight
on the cold marble-capped railing. Inform Cain of the situation. I ll journey to the Tomb
tomorrow morning, he gritted out between his clenched teeth.
Niko&
Slashing his hand through the air, Niko closed his eyes. The tone of a crystal bell in
the distance informed him a new soul had entered High Heaven. No. In his gut he knew it
was Lyra s soul reaching its final destination. A place he couldn t visit. His jaw began to
ache from grinding his teeth together.
Leave me. His tone was like the crack of a whip. He turned to stare at his constant
companion for most of his immortal life. They didn t give me a chance to mourn
Eternity after she was ripped from the Ethereal Dynamic. Predominantly because of all
the souls on Earth who d required his services then. Disease. War. General chaos had
abounded two millennia ago. By the White God, I barely got a chance to say goodbye to
her. The least they can do for me is afford me the time to bury Lyra.
Morpheus nodded. If you need me
Thank you. A fresh howl of grief built in Niko s chest. Shaking his head, he tried
to wrap his duty around himself, to enfold himself in the cold, callous attitude attributed
to death. It was a lost cause.
The door clicked closed. Alone with only his thoughts to occupy him, Niko stared at
Lyra s body for hours, mentally preparing himself for what came next. He d bury her in
the Goddess s Grotto, the place where her soul wanted to be released. Then, once he d
done right by her, he d face his boss.
He d probably land in Hell for a century or more for his indiscretions, but he didn t
care. Satan couldn t hurt him more than he already was.
You are too hard on yourself, Thanatose.
The whispering voice of the youngest Norn stroked through his room. Why do you
visit me tonight, Wyrd? For the love of the ancients, leave me alone.
The Fates are old. She appeared as a gray misty creature in the far corner of his
room.
As are all of us. Niko narrowed his gaze on the woman who spun the threads of
life. With her two partners they wove the immense World Tapestry harbored inside the
body of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. The tapestry was a pathway of sorts for every man,
woman and child who ever existed on Earth, but also the ancient gods in the heavens.
Threads were knotted in, woven into the design before being cut, thus ending a mortal
life. His thread was a constant, continuously added to by the Norns, and would be until
the next Twilight of the Gods.
He almost asked her to break his string from the tapestry.
Very old. She floated to the foot of the bed. Even our life threads grow thin as
thin as a single strand of a child s golden hair. She opened her palm to reveal a gossamer
filament. Pitted like bones left out in the weather too long.
Niko understood that. He had felt it too. I wish to diminish.
You can t.
Stunned, Niko strode to the bed. What the blazes? Fate is a constant. The same as
death, dreams and time. You can t leave the Ethereal Dynamic. Mankind needs you.
I can now. She nodded. You always live beneath the weight of a deadline. I
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