Blood & Bone [Book Three of The City of Eternity Series] [✔]

3.17: Serpent

There were two things that struck me as true.

The first was visually the more compelling; Dhana was standing in front of me. What I found less compelling, perhaps given the visual; that was impossible.

She was staring at me so intently, eyes gleaming vividly as her hand extended towards me. I was hesitant to step any further into the room, lingering in the doorway, unable to speak. I was struggling to contain my confusion, shivers running down my spine as she took a couple small steps towards me.

I flinched. I couldn't help myself. What made it worse was the fact she recoiled, her eyes wide. They almost looked horror-filled; and given the fact I'd never reacted to her presence like that I could hardly be surprised.

"My love..." Dhana said in a whisper, her face twisting into sadness as I flinched again. My chest tightened as her voice penetrated my heart as it often used to. She reached out her hand, her fingertips wavering slightly just beyond mine.

"Dhana?" I whispered, my voice cracking. I couldn't get a grasp on my emotions, at first it was shock, then anger, perhaps some sadness, before it had circled back to complete disbelief. Above all else, grief had rocketed its way through my chest, my mouth opening to speak but failing to scrounge up words that would do me justice.

It took me a moment to understand the feelings I was being forced to confront. Then it hit me. Hard. I felt guilty for believing her dead. I'd written her off quietly, in the back corners of mind. After all, if Malka had come to me in person to announce it, why wouldn't I believe it? It had taken my heart longer to process it, but it had started.

"It's me Arsenio, why do you look so surprised?" The words came out so faintly, I wasn't sure if she'd actually spoken then at all. I resisted my urge to take hold of the hands she was offering out, currently lingering by my cheek.

"You..." I say hesitantly, the words sticking in the back of my throat as she gestures for me to continue, her kind eyes telling me I was safe to do so. I breathed in all of my courage, "You died. They told me you died." I said breathlessly, my throat clamping down on the words as they fought their way out.

The moment came rushing back, Malka sitting there struggling to tell me, my world crashing down on me as she scurried away contentedly.

"No, my love," She whispers, sweeping the hair from my eyes, "I'm here," She nodded her head gently as she spoke, moving to wipe the tears from her eyes. She considered something for a moment before offering a hand to me, but more specifically offering her pinky for me to take.

A smile creeps over my face as I hook my own pinky around hers tightly, squeezing three times before releasing her from my grip. As I stared at her wistfully, I found myself growing conscious of my feelings, and conscious of how unlike me I was being in front of her.

I felt an immobilising amount of relief flush through me, my mouth refused to open, my feet refused to move, and my heart, for a moment, refused to beat. As she stepped towards me, it took all of my power to pull her towards me, my shaking hands gripping her dress as the warmth of her skin meets my own. The gentle thumping from snow hitting the glass pane of the window, filling the silence in the bedroom as we melt into each other.