“I think that’s what I don’t understand. I’m sorry. I’ve never really studied German folklore or mythology.”
Steel laughs, though there’s no humor in the sound. “None of us are even from Germany.”
“Oh?”
“You want to know how we becamereiters?” Blaze asks, sighing when I nod.
“I was one of Genghis Khan’s right-hand men.” Titan’s voice is quiet. “I didn’t agree with everything being done, but I never spoke up. I killed, but I didn’t enjoy it. When I died on thebattlefield, a goddess appeared to me and offered me a second chance. I would live but without ever really living. I would atone for my sins, and when I was done, I would not end up being tortured for the rest of eternity. I never really knew why she chose me out of the other men who died that day, but I wasn’t dumb enough to turn her down. I became areiterthat day, and I’ve been trying to atone for my sins ever since.”
Steel clears his throat. “I was Cortés’s second when we arrived in Mexico. I helped him topple Tenochtitlan and enslave the Aztec people. I didn’t die in battle like Titan. I was killed by a slave, who slit my throat in an attempt to escape. If only he knew I had a plan in place to rescue him and his group that night. Instead, we both died, and I don’t know if any of the others escaped. Freya also appeared to me and offered the same deal she did to Titan. Obviously, I accepted.”
Blaze doesn’t speak up right away. “I was part of the Fourth Crusade. Like Titan and Steel, I was part of the leadership at the time. I fought alongside them until I was killed for questioning their plans. They didn’t care much for people who questioned them or why the church would be okay with us murdering people. You know how it went from there.”
“Wow.” I lean back in my chair. “And you’ve been going around, warning people of danger for all these years? Helping them fight? How have you not atoned for your actions yet?”
My use of actions is purposeful. Christianity has twisted what the word sin means, and I refuse to use it. Does that mean I approve of what they did in their prior lives?
Hell no, I don’t.
But it’s clear they’re not the same men they were back then. I don’t know much aboutreiters, but I don’t think Freya would allow them to continue in this role if they were.
“You’re my mates,” I blurt, eyes wide as I glance between the three of them.
Well, I guess that’s one way to put it out there.
CHAPTER TEN
Blaze
“You’re my mates.”
All I can do is stare at Dalia, her words ricocheting through my mind.
They can’t be true, can they?
Of course not.
Der kopflose Reitersdon’t have fated mates.
We’ve already died, and we’re supposed to atone for our sins of the past. Then we move on.
None of that involves a fated mate.
But, damn, do I wish it were true.
“You’re mistaken,” Steel finally answers. “We don’t get fated mates. We’ve already died.”
Dalia scoffs. “So you’re going to argue with one of the Fates about whether you’re my fated mates? That’s really what you’re going with?”
“He’s right,” I tell her. “If we touch you, you’ll die. There’s no way fate would be that cruel.”
She just lifts her eyebrows as she stands. Our eyes are locked on her, and a glance at my brothers shows they’re just as desperate for her words to be true as I am.
But hope is a dangerous thing for men like us.
My eyes find Steel’s, and I can see the pain in his eyes.
We love each other, but we’re drawn to this woman before us. If what she says is true, it explains why I’ve felt drawn to her—why all of us have been drawn to her.
