The thought made the ache turn to a searing pain, and I grimaced.
Erik looked surprised as I nodded my head, finally giving into his request.
To read another God was no small ask. We knew everything when it came to our responsibilities, except when it came to one another. We could sense things, but it was never the full picture.
I put out both my hands towards Erik, and he took in a deep breath before holding them. The red of his aura spiralled its way up my arms rapidly, and I was hit with an overwhelming surge of emotion.
It appeared crystal clear before my eyes, the myriad of memories I had with Quentin over the past few months and Erik was partial to all of them.
I saw her when I was first dragged through the facility. She had large brown eyes that held no fear, and I was instantly interested in this woman who didn’t shy away from watching me in full fury.
We interacted through our annoyances at one another, and the first time we touched, skin to skin, I basked in all the chaos that came from her. And something happened that I didn’t realise. Deep black, like my aura, seeped into her the moment we touched.
The months passed, and I couldn’t keep away from her. Sex became something more. My desire for her ran deeper, no longer just content with the physical. I craved the gentlest touch. I shared in her victories and comforted her in her losses. I laid next to her in bed and had long conversations.
Quen calmed me when I was upset with a hand on my arm or a simple look. She frustrated me most days, but it pained me to have her away from me.
Archer and Matthew came into view, and the black from my body pulled to be with her. It wrapped around her, and it caused the physical pain I was feeling. Every time we avoided each other, I watched the black seep away towards her, but I’d never sent my aura to her. It wasn’t a ward, so what had been happening?
The last image that played out before us was the hug we’d shared before she left. Quen gripped me tightly and I bit my tongue from asking her to stay. Our days were numbered, and I didn’t want to waste any more away from her. When she peeled herself away from me, something golden shimmered between us.
Erik’s aura receded from my arms, spiralling back towards him before it disappeared. He let go of my hands, and a golden glow illuminated mine.
“Erik?” I panicked. “What is this?”
Gold was not my colour. It didn’t belong to Erik. This wasn’t natural.
When I looked at my brother, tears fell down his cheeks.
I rose from the chair quickly and noticed the golden glow came from my chest, lighting up the kitchen and silhouetting my ribs.
“What the fuck is this?!” I touched my chest and looked at him.
The panic was rising at the unknown substance that’d lit me up like a beacon.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
“What? Why? What have you done to me?”
“I haven’t done anything.”
“What is this?!” I demanded.
“Her soul.”
I froze.
Looking at my hands, I shook my head.
“No. No. It can’t. I can’t —”
“Grayson. You were specifically made for each other.”
“No. No, we weren’t!”
“You were.” Erik nodded to my hands and chest. “It’s why you physically ache without her. It’s why you’re so drawn to each other without reason.”
“It’s so bright,” I said, staring at my hands.
