“Please.”
I worked best with solid facts presented to me. My brain thrived on logical solutions. I needed to be in control again and I didn’t have the capacity to conform to social norms and niceties. What I needed was for Erik to do his job.
“Hold out your hands,” he instructed.
Shuffling my butt to the edge of the couch, I did as he asked. Erik kneeled in front of me and took my hands in his own, ropes of red aura wrapping around my arms.
A strong lack of control took over me as memories ran through my mind. All of them contained Gray. The first time I saw him being dragged through the corridor. The way he leaned against the bar in Murphy’s. Late nights where he held me tight against him as I fell asleep. The start of our relationship brought with it feelings of chaos and lust so strong that it was difficult to breathe.
Slowly, the memories morphed into more recent ones. The fireflies around the boat in Malaysia. Running through the streets in a storm to find him. Sex out on the cliffs as he worshipped me. The feelings were just as intense, but they transformed into love. Still just as chaotic, still fuelled by lust, but something more substantial laid behind every moment between us.
Erik slowly released my hands and I let out a shaky breath before opening my mouth to ask him a question. It died in my throat when my gaze went to my hands. The skin was jet black all over and it was creeping up my arms. I shot to my feet, panicked.
“What have you done?” I yelled.
“Quen, you’re okay,” Gray said, coming to join me. “Just wait.”
He offered Erik his arms, and Erik took them. A gentle golden glow emitted from Gray’s chest and engulfed his hands.
“This is your soul,” Gray said, lifting his hand so I could see it properly. “And that”—he glanced at my hands—“is mine. We are bound, Quentin. Here is your proof.”
“It’s so beautiful,” Erik whispered, looking on the verge of tears.
It was, but it was also terrifying. The inky blackness that crept up my arm looked like something out of a horror film. Of course, it would belong to Gray.
“A part of your soul resides with the other. It’s a bond you’ll have with no other being,” Erik told us. “You’ll feel each other’s emotions. Pain, anger, joy. You’ll learn to manage—"
“Erik,” I cut across his words. “Can you leave, please? Gray and I need to talk.”
He glanced between us before stepping towards me. Erik cupped my face in his hands gently and I forced my eyes to meet his. They held so much hope that my chest caved in, and I took a deep breath.
“You are truly blessed,” he whispered with a smile. Erik pressed a kiss against my forehead before leaving my home in a glow of red.
“What is it you want to discuss?” Gray asked when we were alone.
He settled himself onto the sofa, and I took a moment before taking a seat beside him. I kept looking between my hands and his.
Black and gold.
Light and dark.
This was our twisted tango.
“How long have you known?” I asked, starting with something easy.
“I found out when you left for your conference in Malaysia. I felt immense pain in my chest and Erik asked to read me. My soul was missing yours. It was the first time we’d been separated since I’d descended.” Gray’s explanation was succinct.
“But you never told me.”
“Things were complicated. You were still seeing that brainless oaf—"
“Don’t use that as an excuse. It never stopped us from everything else.” I wasn’t proud, but it was a fact. “So why hide this from me?”
Gray looked at me and the intensity of the gesture made me shrink. “Because everything before that was sex. Or at least it was meant to be. I didn’t want to tell you because I know you. I know the way you overthink a situation. You’d have seen it as an obligation. I’d bet my gift that you’re thinking about it now. How you’ll have to settle with me because you’re bound and you’ll have no other option. You have options, Quentin. I will not force you to stay. I didn’t tell you because I wanted you to love me of your own volition. Although, I sense that’s no longer the case.”
“I never said I didn’t love you.”
“You’ve avoided me and refused to talk.”
