Read The Dark God's Bride Trilogy, #3 for Free Online

mind?”
    “Just let me sit here for a little longer.”
    “You have been sitting at that very spot by yourself for days with little progress. Perhaps I shall lend you my wisdom and send you on your way.”
    Noctis sighed. “Have I overstayed my welcome?”
    “It appears that you are only sitting here because you do not want to return home. What are you trying to avoid, Summit?”
    “I am not avoiding anything.”
    “You cannot fool me, Summit. I cannot help you if I do not know how to help you.”
    “I am living the consequences of relentlessly trying to keep something that was never meant to be mine. And now I am facing the reality of what I must live without. I am beyond help. Just let me sit here a while longer.”

Chapter Three
     
    Noctis cracked the door and peered into his bedroom. If his bride was still awake, he did not wish to be seen. The room was dark and his bed was empty. He heard running water so she must be taking a bath. As he was turning from the door, he noticed something wasn’t quite right. He peered into the room again and saw a large amount of water seeping into the bedroom floor from the bathroom door.
    He panicked. His body responded quicker than this train of thought. He swept into his bedroom like a full pledge tornado and unintentionally broke the doorknob on the bathroom door as he entered. His bride was dosing in the overflowing bathtub with her head barely sticking out of the water. He spat out a vulgar curse in his native language as he turned off the faucets. He lifted her from the overflowing tub and carried her to the bed.
    She was still breathing. He was tapping on her cheek to wake her up after many failed attempt at calling her name. Lifting her dark eyelashes, sleepy grey eyes looked back at him.
    “Hmm?” She responded.
    “What were you trying to do?” he exploded.
    The intense volume of his voice shocked her awake. She blinked like a confused child who was being scolded and didn’t know the reason why. 
    He readjusted his voice to a reasonable indoor tone. “What were you thinking falling asleep in the bathtub?”
    “Falling asleep…?” It took a moment to jot her memories. “Oh, it must be the cold medicine. It was so warm and comfortable that I didn’t realize that I’d fallen asleep. I haven’t had a goodnight sleep in a while. I’ll be more careful next time, I promise.”
    He frowned at her promise, deepening the expression line between his brows. “There will be a next time?”
    “I don’t mean…” she paused mid-sentence and shied away from his eyes. Her right arm extended to reach the edge of the comforter and swept it across her naked body. Her lean, tone legs were still exposed to him. She was trying to be subtle in her quest to cover her nudity, but it couldn’t be more obvious.
    “What is this I hear about incidents following you?” Noctis inquired.
    Rounded grey eyes met his again, but only very briefly. “You mustn’t listen to —”
    “I know how to differentiate,” he interrupted. “That being said, I want to hear it from your own lips.”
    She took her time in formulating an answer. When she looked up to speak, he lifted an impatient brow at what she was about to tell him. She read the sign and swallowed.
    “What do you want me to say? Do you think that I am somehow in control of my own fate? I’m mortal, and that’s what mortals do. We die. Some sooner than others, but we’d all die in good time.”
    “You do not appear to be disturbed in the slightest.”
    “It’s not like I have unfinished business or tons of regrets that I need to amend.”
    “You have ‘unfinished business’ with me,” he reminded her in a low, all-too masculine voice. “You are not permitted to die before it is dissolved.”
    “Maybe it’s difficult for you to accept this fact, but there are things that even you can’t prevent.”
    “We shall see, wont we?”
    “I didn’t mean to make it sound like a challenge,” she spoke softly. “I