“Then trust your senses. Trust your heart.” He touched my cheek with his fingertips, his gaze dropping to my mouth and lingering before dragging back up to meet my eyes. “Let’s eat. No pressure. Just us. Present. Together.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
There was a little of everything on my plate from curry to spicy lamb bites. It all looked and smelled delicious.
He took the seat opposite me, and I reached for his empty plate, catching myself before I made contact. What was I doing? I didn’t need to fix him a plate. That ritual belonged to Araz and me, not him…not this version.
“It’s all right,” he said. “I understand.” He began loading up his own plate. “Let’s eat.”
One bite and my hunger took over. We ate in silence for several minutes before he spoke.
“You met Craven today?”
“Yes, I did.” I set my fork down. “He called me something…Raknara? What is that?”
“A bloodline. One that was wiped out a long time ago. You were a princess back then. Your people were aatma rakshak. Spirit users. Powerful beings who carried flame in their souls. I met you as Ilyarien. Back then, your name was Vayelle.”
A bubble of emotion swelled in my chest at the mention of the name, and I blinked back tears. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I feel like crying.”
“I do. Your soul recognizes that name. You may not have the memories of it up here.” He touched his temple. “But they reside here.” He touched his heart. “Just as they always did for me as Araz.”
I stilled. “What do you mean?”
“It’s why I didn’t forget when they took me from my home and killed my family. It’s why I knew I had to be free so I could free my people. Even as a sliver of my true self, I knew injustice must be stopped. They killed my mother in the royal domain. In the cells. I heard her screams as they tortured her.”
“You…you didn’t tell me that…”
“I know. I…I wasn’t ready to share it. To revisit it.”
“But you came to the royal domain with me when I was called to go…”
“I would go to the ends of the earth with you, Leela.”
My throat pinched, and I closed my eyes. It was him. I felt it in my gut. In my bones. In every part of me that had been held and loved by him. But I needed time. More time.
I exhaled and opened my eyes to find him watching me with a wistful expression. He knew. He understood my conflict, and I was grateful for that.
I licked my lips, composing my thoughts. “You knew the devouring force was made up of djinn, didn’t you?”
“All the warriors know,” he said. “But they believe those djinn to be the enemy.”
“You were planning on joining them once you were free, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And now you’re here. Their leader. Their god…”
“I am not a god. Not here. Not now. Iama leader, though. And I am your Araz. Always.”
“I need time.”
“I know, but I need you to call me by my name. Not my divine one but the one that I have lived for the last hundred years. Will you do that for me? Please…Leela. I need to hear you say it.”
His name stuck in my throat. I shook my head. “I’m sorry.”
His shoulders dropped on a sigh. “I understand. Time. We have time for that, but…we are running out of time to save our people.”
“What do you mean?”
