The scowl he was giving Amick settles into an understanding smile when he focuses on me. I never take my eyes off his as he strides across the bathroom until he’s kneeling at the edge of the bath.
His thumb gently caresses my cheek. “I am okay with this. I won’t lie to you and say I didn’t have my doubts, worry, and even a sense of jealousy that I’ll still need to manage, but that’s for me to worry about. Today changed a lot in my heart and mind.
“I mean it when I say, though, I don’t want to constantly be the voice of reason in your relationships with them, but I will step in when it comes to how you’re being treated. I expect him to state his intentions in this and be honest with you before I’m completely okay with it.”
He leans forward, and I meet him halfway, locking our lips together. His kiss is soft, simple, but it washes away all the doubt that was building inside of me.
The water shifts in soft waves as he pulls away from me, and my attention turns to Riven. He’s silently swaying from side to side with his head tilted back as he stares at the ceiling. His hands drift through the thin layer of steam as though he’s playing a beat to whatever is running through his mind.
I’m both shocked and concerned that he hasn’t said anything else.
Creed clears his voice, and I meet the intensity in his stare.
“The other day in the kitchen, when you touched me while I was having my…moment, my soul touched yours for the first time. My feelings seeped deep into that small thread, and what I was going through was strong enough to affect you. That’s why your power came out and destroyed your bathroom.
“Today, you pulled my soul so hard, I couldn’t fight you off. Our small connection overpowered my ability to stop it and it continued to weave together the whole time we were making our way to you. I can cast my powers out, buttouch brings out a far more potent outcome. That’s why you see many beings give me a wide berth.
“You cupped my cheeks, asked if I was the God of Death with nothing but acceptance in your tone and touch. Our souls collided. I tried to fight it off, but I lost that battle. My soul has wanted to devour yours since the second it originally attached to my vessel. So I kissed you, knowing it would seal our souls completely or mine was going to do what it’s been desperate to do. Either way, I couldn’t stop it, so I was going to hold you through whichever way it went. It sealed completely.”
I knew it, but what does that mean for us?
“So it was a heat-of-the-moment thing? You said devour. Does that mean like literally? Your soul wanted to…eat mine?”
He laces his hands together and stares at his whitening knuckles like they’ll give him the right answer.
“That’s an ability of my power. When my soul devours another, it destroys it completely. All essence erased. That…craving is the sensation I’ve felt from mine toward yours this entire time. I’ve kept them apart because I didn’t know exactly what would happen if I gave in to my soul’s demand. Our kiss was a heat-of-the-moment thing, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want it. I just didn’t know what it would do to you.”
My breath fans across my wet chest, leaving goose bumps behind that travel across my skin despite the hot water.
He wanted to kiss me. He didn’t want to hurt me.
“I felt our souls completely connect. It was the same sensation I experienced with Kyzen. So your soul isn’t devouring or hurting mine.”
“It’s not going to hurt yours. Ever. Neither will I.”
“It was a heat-of-the-moment kiss, but you wanted it. Do you plan to move forward,fully, in a relationship with her?” Kyzen asks.
“I meant what I said. She’s as much mine as she is either of yours. We, as in her and me, will talk about the rest. Without all of you.” Creed slides off my counter agonizingly slow. I don’t take my eyes off him. “Are you hungry?”
My lip’s part, but no sound comes out, so I shake my head. He gives me a nod, then leaves the bathroom, and a hint of disappointment slithers through me.
It’s washed away a second later by a flutter I’m growing more familiar with.
That sneaky asshole.
I told them I’ve felt sensations and only a handful of times have I been able to pinpoint who it was coming from. That particular movement in my chest isdistinct. Heavier. I’ve always assumed whichever of them it was must have been experiencing stronger feelings at the time.
It’s been him.
He’s been touching my soul this whole time.
“I’m going to my room, but I’ll come check on you later. Most of my plans need to be reworked and this conversation has derailed completely from what I originally wanted to address, but I believe you’ve had enough for the day. I’ll gather my considerations and present them to everyone in the morning.”
My eyes drift shut as Amick kneels and lays a kiss on my forehead.
“Is everyone purposely avoiding talking about the power that came out of me because it’s…”
“An ability of Obliteration?”
