Her words send horror piercing straight to my heart, and Sin presses a kiss against my head.
“Stop that. You gave me a gift,”he whispers in my mind.
“But how?”I ask.“You’re–”
“Going to be much more focused on our enemies, now that we have a contingency,”he answers.
Feeling my confusion, he adds,“Later. I’ll explain later.”
His focus turns back to Morgana. “Whatever I’ve done with my soul is none of your concern. You lost that right the day you handed off my mate to our enemies.”
Morgana’s anger vanishes, only to be hidden behind a mask of cold indifference. “Fine,” she spits, before storming out of the room.
More guilt wells up inside me, but before I can say something to Sin, Ragna strides forward. She’s wearing a loose silver dress rather than any armor.
Distantly, I realize all the soldiers wearing linens must be shifters, since fabric is easier to tear through.
“Vivian,” she starts, in a worried, caring tone as she takes my hand. Her earlier stoic demeanor is gone, and she’s fussing like a mother hen.
Jarred, I jerk away from her, and Sin tugs me against him a little more firmly.
Ragna’s shoulders drop, and she backs up a step. “I know yesterday did not go well. But before you go into war, I need to explain to you how ascension works. You’re a demigoddess, and that means you are made by deeds. Your life–”
A surge of annoyance flares within me, and I don’t bother to try to shove it away.
Maybe it’s the looming threat of death, or maybe I’ve finally stopped being a coward. Either way, I don’t mince words when I cut her off, “I don’t care.”
She frowns, looking frustrated before trying again, “But you–”
“Youhad two decades to find me and explain your family’s secrets. But you didn’t. You left me to rot. And even once you realized who I was, you chose to manipulate me, rather than give me answers.” I don’t hide how betrayed I feel. She deserves to know.
Ragna holds out her hands like she’s trying to calm an injured animal. Still, it isn’t quite enough tohide the edge in her tone. “You don’t understand. Everything has been done with specific intent, all culminating–”
“I’ve made it this far without whatever strings you have in store for me,” I all but growl. “We may be allies, but you are not my family. No one gets to control me anymore.”
Whatever battle Ragna has been fighting to try to keep her annoyance under wraps is lost, and she lets out a frustrated yell before storming out of the room. She mutters something about ‘needing to speak with them,’ and ‘things not going to plan’ as she goes.
I sigh when she’s gone and let myself feel safe and content in Sin’s arms, for just a second longer.
He’s tender as he turns me around to hug me close. Worry and fear trickle through both sides of the bond.
When I look up, he’s already leaning down to meet me for a kiss. Only this kiss doesn’t immediately turn heated and starved; it’s gentle. Both of us need the softness before the horrors that await.
His gaze becomes fiercely determined when we finally pull away.
“You will not die today,” he states it as an order.
“You won’t either,” I snap back, still very much reeling from Morgana’s announcement that he’s weaker now. Fear claws at my insides, and I break our stare to look down. There must be a way to keep him safe – a way to make this better.
My train of thought is interrupted when he tips my chin to look at him once more. “Do you remember what I told you the first time we completed the mate bond?” He asks.
The intimate night flashes across my mind, and my cheeks heat. “Uhm – you said a lot of things,” I hedge, not sure what he’s getting at.
A smile ghosts across his lips. “I told you there is no longer a day that our souls can exist alone, that not even death can separate us.” At my confused expression, he continues, “It means that if one of us dies, when they are reborn, our souls will recognize each other. They’ll call to each other,” he explains, and his thumb brushes against my cheek. “We will always be able to find each other.”
Warmth floods my body, both from my own emotions and the love that Sin sends through our bond.
“I love you,” I whisper simply, because nothing else I say will make this situation any better.
