The Cut Final Scene from The Damned (The Unearthly #5)
So long time ago I mentioned that there was a final scene in The Damned (The Unearthly #5) that I omitted in the published version. I did this for a lot of reasons, but the main one was that I wanted to close the storyline up tightly and leave it on a happy note.
Are you worried?
You should be.
This is not an extended ending, this is an alternate one, but it is spooky. So, you've been warned. Also, I don't feel it needs to be said, but I will anyway: don't read this if you haven't yet finished the series because there probably are spoilers ahead. I'm going to insert a lot of space between this paragraph and the start of the scene, so if you want to avoid reading it, you won't accidentally see something you shouldn't. :)
Unearthly fans ... scroll on.
Are you worried?
You should be.
This is not an extended ending, this is an alternate one, but it is spooky. So, you've been warned. Also, I don't feel it needs to be said, but I will anyway: don't read this if you haven't yet finished the series because there probably are spoilers ahead. I'm going to insert a lot of space between this paragraph and the start of the scene, so if you want to avoid reading it, you won't accidentally see something you shouldn't. :)
Unearthly fans ... scroll on.
The Damned (The Unearthly #5) Final Scene
Much later, I lay sprawled on Andre’s chest, our legs
intertwined. He adjusted us so that he could stare down at me. He touched my
hair, then my cheek. A thumb brushed my lower lip.
“We did it, soulmate,” he said. “We survived the devil, a
near-apocalypse, and—most insidious of all—a wedding.”
A surprised laugh slipped out at that.
Andre’s eyes fixated on my mouth, and then he leaned in,
capturing my laughter between his lips. With a moan, I fell into the kiss,
pulling his head closer to me. He rolled over me, one of his hands splayed at
my waist. By the time our mouths parted, we were both breathing heavy.
He leaned his forehead against mine. “My wife is so
distracting,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “I was going to say that I think
this moment deserves some celebratory champagne. Now however …” His fingers
pressed in at my side.
I laughed and pushed against him. “Champagne was a good
idea.”
“Now that I’ve been tormented by a siren, it doesn’t seem
like it.” But as he spoke, he pushed himself away from me.
Andre got out of bed and ran a hand through his hair,
casting one last longing glance at the bed. “I’m a damn fool,” he muttered.
“Hurry, the sooner you get the alch-y, the sooner you can
get back in.”
He sighed. “I can deny you nothing.” Under his breath he
murmured, “So whipped.”
I smiled as he left, but like him, I wasn’t super eager to
part, even for a few moments. The day had kept us separated long enough.
Shortly after the door clicked shut, I rubbed my arms. I
hadn’t realized how cold it had gotten. Then again, now that Andre was
human(ish), he was like a living, breathing heater. I wouldn’t have noticed the
temperature enfolded in his arms as I had been.
A chilly draft brushed through the room, making the flames
of a hundred different candles flicker and shiver before resettling.
Phantom fingertips caressed my cheek. I sat up, goosebumps
breaking out along my arms. I touched my cheek, then rubbed the sensation away.
Slipping out of bed, I slid on the revealing nightie someone
had set out earlier for me. In Andre’s and my rush to get undressed, I hadn’t
had time to put it on.
I stretched and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. When I
returned, I stopped in my tracks.
At the foot of the bed, a rose waited for me, the tips of
its petals smoldering. I waved my hand to dissipate the cloying floral scent
and lifted the rose. Fingerprints singed the stem, and a small note dangled
from it.
Not just a note, I
realized as I lifted the flower up. A dainty chain had been wrapped around the
stem. At the end of it a familiar locket swung like a pendulum.
My heart pounded between my ears. The obsidian rose embedded
into its surface glinted in the dim candlelight.
I unwound the necklace from the stem and with trembling
fingers opened it up. Immediately I snapped the locket shut, fisting my hand
around it. I brought the hand to my lips, my brows knitted. The images were
just as I remembered them.
My mouth had gone dry.
This could only be the work of one person, though person was perhaps the wrong word.
A god, a malevolent, twisted god. One who tricked me,
captured me, and tried to enslave my soul to his. A god that redeemed himself
somewhere along the way, but not before I betrayed him.
Against my better judgment, I read the rose’s attached note.
Mea regina,
Your heart once
belonged to me. I never gave it all back. Protect your soul, if you can. The
moment it tarnishes, I will come for you. And this time, it will be for good.
Eternally yours,
Rex Inferno