Morgana looks appalled. “I’m so sorry.”
Sin still hasn’t moved a muscle. His silence is deafening. And even though I fight it, a single tear escapes, rolling down my cheek.
“I’m not sure how you’re even managing to stand right now. You’ve seen what happens to the dead when they have a broken soul. If you haven’t already started to feel the physical effects, you will, very shortly,” Morgana continues.
“What effects?” Sin asks. It comes out as a threat, and the room is bathed in a red glow as his tattoos flare with power.
Morgana’s eyes shutter, like she’s loathing having to answer. “You’ve seen the Forsaken. They aren’t… they don’t feel, not like we do. When a soul is fractured, it becomes unstable. The pieces start to rot. And the worse the fracture, the faster it decays, until eventually… they’re lost. For a living person to experience it… Vivian, you’re dying.”
My throat tightens with every word. “How bad is the damage?” I manage to choke out.
Maybe this is one of those things that hurts a lot but isn’t that bad.
Maybe I have a low soul-pain tolerance.
The hope is fleeting. Because even without Morgana’s pitying expression, I can feel the jagged edges deep inside my chest.
Thousands of shards split by spiderwebbing cracks, slowly drifting further apart.
“It’s shattered,” she whispers.
Even though she confirms my suspicions, her words knock the air from my lungs.
“How do we fix it?” Sin grits.
Morgana averts her gaze and says nothing.
“How, Morgana?” he growls.
Finally, she shakes her head at me. “You can’t,” she chokes out.
The words land like a death sentence, and my knees nearly buckle when Sin’s warmth vanishes. In a blink, he’s in front of Morgana, lifting her by the throat.
She doesn’t fight him.
“Sin, what the fuck?” I shout, rushing over to pry him away.
His eyes are nothing but pools of red light when he turns to face me. Deadly intent radiates from him. It’s the kind I’ve only ever seen when my life is in danger.
He doesn’t release her. “She’s lying.”
“She’s your Keeper. You can’t hurt her. She wouldn’t lie!” I insist, stunned by his actions. I’ve seen Sin get angry before, but he’s never been violent toward the people he loves.
“I know she’s lyingbecauseshe is my Keeper. I let her live after she sacrificed you, but I’m not going to let her continue breathing when she dares to do it again,” he growls.
There’s a slight tremble in his arm, and his face is strained, as if hurting his Keeper is physically painful for him. Still, his grip doesn’t waver.
My heart breaks as I look between them, and a new tide of guilt surfaces within me. They’ve been friends for over two thousand years, and now Sin is looking at Morgana like he might kill her. And it’s all because of my actions.
Morgana’s eyes don’t leave Sin’s, silently begging.
I can’t tell if it’s for forgiveness or for him to end it. I’m not about to find out.
“Sin, put her down. Now,” I order.
His gaze shifts to me, and he takes a shuddering breath before slowly lowering her to the ground. His power continues to simmer at the surface. Still, I’m taking it as a win.
“Why are you lying?” I ask Morgana, more hurt than angry. “We might not know each other well, but I know you wouldn’t do something to harm me, not unless you had a good reason.”
