Page 74 of Bond of Passion

“I’m curious to know what question is so important that you approached my daughter for an audience.”

“She didn’t approach me, Father,” Idess said. “It was my idea. She’s part of Underworld General’s family now, and being a Sem mate, she’s my new sister.”

Deja’s eyes stung. Sister. Family. The feels just kept coming.

Azagothdidn’t acknowledge his daughter’s words, but one eyebrow lifted, and she got the feeling he was waiting for Deja to say something.

She cleared her throat. “I was one of the souls held inside Sheoul-gra when you destroyed it. When I came to in the aftermath of the battle, I found myself in this body. I want to know why.”

She’d also like to know why he’d dumped millions, maybe billions of Resurrected souls into a massive battle with demon hordes, but her instinct for self-preservation warned her against asking.

Azagothstared, his expression utterly flat. “You were returned to the body in which you most recently died.”

“I didn’t die in this body.” She cleared her throat again. “Sir.”

He cocked his finger at her in a come-here gesture. A shiver of unease went through her as she did as he commanded. She stood still as he reached out and pressed his hand between her breasts. After a moment, he dropped his arm and backed away.

“You might not have died in this body, but it’s the one you were born into in your last life.”

That wasn’t right. She’d been milky-skinned from her earliest memories. Confused, she just stood there. Finally, he sighed, probably tired of waiting for her to connect the dots.

“Clearly, you were born a dark Neethul. Your parents must have altered your coloring to save you from being abandoned or slaughtered.”

She shook her head. “That can’t be right. The Neebless, our dark-skinned relatives, are a different species.”

Unless Eidolon was right, and it was just a matter of an activated gene.

He cocked a dark eyebrow, and his emerald eyes flashed with irritation. “You came to me for answers. I gave you them, and you’re questioning it?”

“No, of course not,” she blurted quickly. “It’s just that…what you’re saying…it’s not what I learned.”

“That’s because you were lied to.” He jammed his hand through his black hair, shoving the hood farther down his head. “The Neethul are an exceptionally evil species. The more evil an individual is, the paler they are. When a child like you is born, a rare one with a good soul, they rarely survive beyond their first few breaths. For some reason, your parents kept you, even though your soul didn’t match theirs.”

Head spinning, she took a stunned step backward. “You’re saying…you’re saying that all Neebless are actually just non-evil Neethuls?”

“Yep. Lemme guess, your parents kept you hidden away from others. Maybe they tried to expose you to evil acts, but you were repulsed, which made them keep you even more isolated.”

Holy shit. It was as if he were looking into her past. He knew. He knew how hellish her life had been.

“I always thought they were ashamed of me.”

“They might have been.” Azagoth looked over at Idess, and one corner of his mouth twitched in a tender smile. “Or they were trying to protect you,” he said softly.

Idessbeamed, and Deja experienced a tug of envy. Her father had never looked at her like that, like he was proud and she was his world. Her mother had been even less affectionate, if that was possible.

“Deja,” Azagoth’s low, rumbling voice made her quake inside. “Everything happens for a reason.”

“Then for what reason was I born a Neethul, if my soul didn’t match the species?”

“Sometimes it’s a fuck-up.” He shrugged. “I authorized all reincarnations in Sheoul-gra, but I had a lot of idiots working for me. Shit happened.”

Shit happened? She had been a good soul born into the wrong body and had suffered the consequences for decades, but hey, no big deal because shit happened.

Azagoth’svoice deepened, taking on a note of seriousness. “Sometimes I got notices that certain people and events were important to the framework of the future, and I placed souls more specifically.” He held up a finger. “Don’t ask if you’re one of those. I can’t tell you.”

Can’t, or won’t? Best not to ask.

Lilliana laid a gentle hand on both Idess’s and Deja’s shoulders. “I don’t mean to rush you, but it won’t be long until we have to go into lockdown.”

That was okay. Deja had gotten the answers she was looking for and more. Azagoth had given her something else too. Something even more valuable than answers: a new perspective.

She’d avoided her family for two years. She’d been dead to them for twelve. They’d kept her secret for forty.

It was time to find out why.