Sin cracks a knuckle, and his expression darkens.
“In all the time I was enslaved by the Council, I never wanted to do the work they asked of me. I engineered the fall of civilizations by whispering treasonous or greedy thoughts into the minds of others. But I never willingly hurt innocents. Leon, he’s not like that.” He pauses before muttering, “I don’t think you made a bad choice.”
I frown, remembering Magnus joking about Leon at dinner. “What did Magnus mean about Leon overcompensating when he doesn’t get his way? And what does that have to do with my memories?” I ask.
Sin hedges my question, “Do you have any knowledge, any at all, about your history with Leon?”
I nod. “Leon said we were lovers and that when he saw me die, his collar fell off, and he killed the invaders that were taking over Atlantis.”
Sin eyes me warily, like he’s unsure whether he should say anything more.
“What am I missing?” I ask. I feel like this is a crucial piece of the puzzle that I need to try and piece together what is happening between me and Leon.
“Leon didn’t just kill the invaders. He sank the entire civilization and the surrounding nations into the sea. He drowned the entire coastline.”
For the second time tonight, I want to throw up. The blood drains from my face at Sin’s words. Leon murdered thousands, willingly, when he saw me die.
An involuntary shudder wracks through me as a thought enters my mind.
What will Leon do to get me back now?
Despair digs its claws into me again, and I know another panic attack is on the horizon if I don’t get myself under control.
Sin eyes me warily like he’s expecting me to fall apart.
I refuse to give him the satisfaction.
Focus on what you can control, Vivian.
It might not be the most profound technique for calming down, but I’m working with what I’ve got. And I’ve still got my head.
Leon is a problem. I can solve problems. And not in an ‘I can fix him, he’s just damaged’ kind of way.
Sin and I stand in silence after his reveal of Leon’s atrocity. Neither of us is feeling chatty. I’m annoyed. It feels like everyone around me always knows so muchmore about my circumstances than I do. And I don’t think I can effectively outwit them if I don’t have all the information.
How do you outsmart people who have been alive for thousands of years when you’ve only been around for less than three decades?
I pause at that thought, mulling it over, remembering Sin’s words at the dinner table. There might be a way to gain at least a bit more insight.
“Are there many ways someone can go about getting their memories back from a previous life?” I ask, trying to sound only vaguely interested.
Sin shrugs. “It’s not brain surgery. You would need someone to open a gate in your mind. The one that holds the memories locked in your soul.”
I hum. “Are there many people who can do that?”
Sin turns to me, arching an eyebrow. He still manages to look irritated while he does it. “If you want your memories restored, I can do it, mortal.”
My pulse picks up at the thought of him going anywhere near me with his Destroyer powers. If Sin goes digging around in my head, he might see the secrets I’m keeping. It’s a big risk.
“I’ve gathered that. I’m asking if there’s someone else here who can do it,” I clarify.
Sin bares his teeth. “Don’t want me in your head, mortal?”
“Not particularly,” I answer honestly.
“If I wanted to go digging around in your memories, I could do it any time without you ever realizing it.”
My stomach drops. “Why – why don’t you?”
