Next to her, he took another audible breath. “Tell me more about your dreams.”
She had begun to shiver, both from the cold and the confusing emotions sweeping through her. Rising from the water, she trudged back to the rocky shore. Vane followed her, and when she tried to look away, he brushed his fingers over her chin, forcing her to see the anguish so clearly written across his features.
“You saw something,” he said roughly. “Something that bothered you.”
She blinked away the burning in her eyes and finally blurted out, “I sawyou!Whatever goddess’ life I’m cursed to relive, you loved her.”
He didn’t move his hand from her face as he said, “I never stopped.”
Breath caught in her throat. “Then—why? What… You–you aren’t even mortal, Vane! Does anyone even know that?”
“Very few.”
She ripped herself away from his touch, as difficult as it was. Something was happening to her and to them—except therewasno them. He was in love with this goddess who was now somehow gone from his life.
“You never said what happened to her.”
She watched from a few paces away as his jaw hardened in an effort to keep his composure. It was mostly in vain, though, because his eyes betrayed every emotion he was trying to hide.
“She died,” he said.
Soren felt a flood of shame. Just seconds ago, she had felt jealousy for this goddess he loved.
“I didn’t know a goddess could even—” But she cut herself off. It was too harsh to say aloud as he stood in front of her, hands balled into fists.
He smiled, though, even as a single tear tracked down his cheek. “Be killed? They cannot, Soren. Not truly.”
“So…she’s not dead?”
Soren.
She looked past Vane to see Thessa just behind the brush line, her eyes shining with a silvery substance. It took a moment for Soren to realize they were tears, slowly falling to the hard ground and creating small, luminescent pools.
This truth may be too much too soon.
Vane looked at Thessa, eyes narrowing, almost as if he was speaking to her. Gods, could he? It had to all come back to this goddess who haunted their lives.
“Why can’t I hear what you’re saying to her?” she said, stubbornly wiping away the cold tears tracking down her cheeks now too.
Vane’s shoulders rose and fell heavily, his eyes fluttering shut. “Perhaps Thessilnn is right. Maybe this isn’t the time.”
“The time for what?” Soren shouted in his face, pounding her hands against his chest in frustration. “Gods, I don’t understand!”
They were both breathing heavily as she stilled, her hands still splayed across his front. His eyes met hers, and he whispered hoarsely, “I thought revenge could keep me sane, and it did for a time, but I was near the brink by the time I saw you.”
“I still don’t?—”
“You are mysalvation, Sora. You were then, and you are now.”
She froze as she realized just what he was saying. Shock felt cold before confusion and disbelief replaced it, the emotions like a raging inferno.
She lowered her hands, numbly whispering, “That can’t be,” as she stumbled away from him. “You’re mistaken.”
He shook his head. “I did doubt it for a moment at first. After all I watched… He made mewatchwhat they did to you. Someday, I will tear him apart piece by piece for it, but pure born gods and goddesses cannot truly die. I knew it was only a matter of time and chance that your soul was reborn into this world.”
A memory like a knife sliced clean through her: a vision of Vane on his knees, begging and screaming as they held him with glowing chains, and?—
She smiled, her eyes on her husband, a single silver tear tracking down her cheek as Kronos approached. “Don’t look, my love.”
