“Yes.”
Dyna made herself take a shaky breath. “But he deserved a trial. At the very least, a questioning…”
Even as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she wasn’t sure if there was another choice. The Celestial wouldn’t have hesitated. He was ready to take her life.
Dyna couldn’t stop shaking, and Cassiel took her arms. “He called me Sheli. Why did he call me that? Why did my body grow cold when I heard that name?”
The fire faded from Cassiel’s eyes, and he grew guarded. “You misheard him. I am sorry. He had delivered a message on behalf of Gadriel, and I didn’t realize he was still here?—”
“No!” She shoved off his hold. “I heard him clearly. No more lies, Cassiel. Tell me thetruth. Why did he call me Sheli?”
“Because that is your name,” Yelrakel replied. They both snapped their heads to her standing at the threshold, Sowmya behind her. “Sheli was who you were … in your first life.”
Dyna’s breath caught, and her satchel slipped from her fingers. “What…?”
“General, you are dismissed,” Cassiel barked. “Close the door.”
“She stays.” Dyna stumbled forward. “I am not finished speaking to her.”
“Yelrakel,” Cassiel growled.
“She stays!” Dyna shouted, silencing him. Swallowing, she said to the Valkyrie, “I command you to tell your queen what your king cannot.”
Cassiel shut his eyes.
She moved past him, fixing her hard gaze on Yelrakel. “Answer.”
The general bowed her head. “Your Majesty … you are the reincarnation of Sheli, the first High Queen of Hilos. Mate of High King Kahssiel.”
Her legs wobbled, and Cassiel caught her arm.
The first High Queen…
Now it was clear why the title of princess never felt like it belonged to her.
“You were the first True Bonded mates amidst our people at a time when it was not fully understood,” Yelrakel continued. “We came to this world to serve mankind as a penance toElyon. They saw your union as impure, and when you fell with child, it served to turn the tide against Kahssiel’s reign. But he was too powerful. His generals could only remove him by removing you first.”
She stumbled back a step, holding her stomach. Nausea churned through her, and she was afraid she may spew on the rug.
“Dyna, sit down.” Cassiel tried to lead her to a chair, but she pushed him off.
“How did I die?” she asked him.
He struggled to say it, so she looked at Yelrakel again. Her heart hammered, the room growing colder and smaller. The general’s expression became somber. Dyna knew the answer before she said it.
“You were thrown off a cliff … and fell to your death.”
CHAPTER 75
Cassiel
Cassiel felt the strength leave Dyna’s body. Lurching forward, he caught her before she dropped to the floor and pulled her tightly against him. The erratic pounding of her heart echoed in his chest. She was cold and trembling. He cupped her cheek, but her wide-green eyes stared blankly past him at the wall, faint shallow breaths passing through her lips.
He wrapped his wings around her. “Look at me,lev sheli.”
But she was trapped in the moment.
She had to work through that revelation as he had.
