Alicia Jasinska

This Fatal Kiss

Cassidy Nolan

Aleksey adjusted the sling supporting his shoulder. His expression turned serious as he faced the trees. “I need you to tell me,” he said, in the tongue of leaves and branches, “exactly what happened here.”

“You’re the most infuriating spirit I’ve ever met, and I never want you to stop haunting me.”

Kazik leaned forward and covered her mouth with his. It was only a tiny, almost-shy kiss, a featherlight press, a soft heat, but it sent a searing jolt through Gisela. A bolt like lightning.

“Well, if the Heavens want me to have two boyfriends, then who am I, really, to question—“

“For the love of God,” Kazik said, “stop talking before I change my mind.”

“I’m just saying, if this is my fate—“

Maybe I’ll show you my true face one day, Gisela, if you promise not to recoil in horror.

An awful suspicion was slowly taking root at the back of her mind.

“I think I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time now. I wanted to kiss you even when you were insufferable. I—I want to kiss you 

 Aleksey. I think I’m a little in love with you both.”

“It doesn’t matter to me if you’re human or a spirit or something else entirely. No matter what you become, what form you take, whatever demon you turn into. I’m not letting go.”

“Do you know how much danger you’re in?”

 afraid of losing you than I am of whatever might befall me here.”

Gisela was so taken off guard by the confession that she forgot what she was about to say next.

“I’d go to worse places for you,” Kazik said, stepping closer.

“Some of us were born into supportive families. Some of us have to find or create our own.”

Spinning dizzily, with Aleksey’s chest pressed firmly against his back, Kazik put his hands on Gisela’s hips and pulled her in closer, leaning in and shouting over the music: “You are such a nightmare.”

Gisela’s lips ghosted over the shell of his ear. “You like it though.”

He was trapped between them, with Gisela’s hands on his shoulders and Aleksey’s hands gripping his waist. The way the moved together made him ache for more. It kindled a hundred thousand wants he wasn’t supposed to have.

He was going to spend hours on his knees at confession.

It was maddening how developing these new feelings for Gisela hadn’t seemed to lessen Kazik’s long-held crush on Aleksey.

This must be what Hell was like. Some people might think being attracted to more than one gender was a blessing because there were more chances for you to find love. But for Kazik, all it really meant was more suffering.

Lost in thought, he nearly missed the familiar figure as it entered his periphery. Kazik pivoted on the spot. “Took you long enough—“ His breath caught.

Gisela looked like a summer daydream. Like a fairy. An adorable rosy blush stained the apples of her cheeks. Her lips were glossy strawberry red. She was wearing the floaty mint-green dress he’d bought for her. A wreath of wildflowers crowned her head, and there were more flowers blooming in the darkness of her hair.

For a terrible second there, he’d wanted to be the one who gave her what she wanted. He’d wanted to be the one to kiss her. To restore her life to her. She’d come to 

 for help. He’d been with her from the beginning. He knew her better than Aleksey did.

His gaze dipped to her mouth, and for a single impossible moment, Gisela thought 

For a single guilty moment, she wanted him to.

Kazik’s lips were a little chapped, but they looked incredibly soft, the bottom lip so captivatingly full. Time slowed; Gisela’s breath stuttered to a stop as Kazik leaned even closer.

“I always knew you’d be the death of me,” Aleksey said faintly.

Rolling his eyes, Kazik pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed gently at the wound.

 a tiny treacherous voice whispered inside his head, 

none of this will actually work. Maybe she’ll be forced to stay and haunt the river. Haunt me.

For the thousandth time, he reminded himself that his sexuality wasn’t something to be ashamed of; liking people regardless of their gender didn’t mean he was broken nor unlovable. There were a lot of things wrong with him, but that wasn’t one of them.

Apparently, a few midnight heart-to-hearts with an insufferable water nymph was all it took to have him questioning things he’d never let himself question before.

There had been something about seeing him in his element, commanding and confident, looking oh, so responsible, so incredibly adult . . .

Neither she nor Aleksey could keep their eyes off him.

 murder glare. She was beginning to recognize the difference. There was a particular twist to Kazik’s mouth. A scrunch to his nose. It was like learning the words of a secret language. She liked that she was getting to know a side of Kazik that very few people knew.

Aleksey was still trying to puzzle out how she’d done it. It was confounding. Fascinating. Infuriating. Kazik wasn’t the type to be swayed by a pretty face. He’d rebuffed 

 every attempt to get close. Gisela though . . . Gisela had managed to slip past his defenses and wrap him around her little finger without so much as a visible effort.

Gisela stabbed an accusing finger at Kazik’s face. “He’s 

Kazik rolled his eyes. “No, I’m not.”

“I’m really not.” Kazik stood, dusting off his backside, avoiding eye contact. It would be pure madness to admit he was smiling because of an unholy terror like Gisela.

“Kazik! Kazik, don’t just sit there!” Gisela gasped. Her chest was heaving from giggles now too. Her eyes were shining in a way he’d never seen before. It was cute.

Slow but eloquent and beautiful world building

Jordan

It was a very cute read. Though not intended for me, I felt the themes were good for the YA audience - it just was a bit heavy handed at times - but that's what I was expecting going into it as older than the intended audience. I read it for inspiration for my current DND character that's a mermaid and thought it was very fun and it sparked some inspiration. I do think the story going into a series did disappoint me a bit since it did seem like it could be closed rather satisfyingly but to each their own! I'm not sure if I'll read the second, but I do wonder what will happen next.

This Fatal Kiss

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