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“They need you. I don’t.” My demons screamed at me. Lie. Hurt him. Push him away! “If worse comes to worst, I’ll call, yell your name, or whatever. Otherwise, just stay there.”
Samkiel’s jaw tightened, his lips pressed into a grim line as I erased every small bit of joy we had shared in the last few moments. “As you wish. I will await your call then, Dianna.”
Logan looked between us, his brow furrowing as he tried to decipher the undercurrents. Cerulean light encased him, a beautiful compliment to the silver that surrounded Samkiel.
I stayed there on the stone path Samkiel had made for me, watching as he and Logan took to the sky. As his silver light faded, the cold numbness crept back in. I remained until night fell, in no hurry to return to the empty palace, pretending not to search the sky for him.
* * *
A day passed, then another and another. I counted the sunrises from my bed, keeping myself cocooned inside. The first day was fine. I was sore and needed the rest. I heard footsteps downstairs the following day, but they were too light to be his. Xavier called my name, saying they were here to drop off food. I covered my head just before he entered the room, faking sleep. Whether he bought my act, I didn’t care. I only cared that they left.
Another day came, and night fell, but I barely moved. I lay in bed staring at the picture of Gabby and me. The air shifted, and I knew I wasn’t alone. I shot up, yanking the covers from my face as Roccurem formed.
He glanced around the room, reaching out to run his hand across the top of a tall dresser. “I have not seen fallen oak in centuries. It is rare.”
“Where the fuck have you been? I assumed Samkiel had you locked up somewhere.”
“Fortunately, I am more valuable than Camilla, who resides beneath the council hall,” he said.
I swallowed. “Why are you here now?”
“You sent the god king away. I wished to see if you had truly withdrawn back into yourself.”
“Why? Did he say something?” I heard the hitch in my voice.
Roccurem just glanced at me. Folding his hands in front of himself. “Guilt like grief is such a heavy burden to carry.”
“What?”
“Samkiel, unlike Kaden, respects your wishes and listens to your words. So, when you say you don’t need him and prefer he stays away, he listens. Even if you did not mean to be so cruel.”
“Leave.”
“He is different from Kaden, yes? I think that bothers you the most. You are not used to anyone caring for you without wishing for something in return.”
I said nothing, only turned my head away.
“Samkiel has not left the main hall and is still there, I would presume. He has been quietly sulking around the council hall with a side of tortured brooding.”
It was the first time I had heard Roccurem even attempt a joke, but I was in no mood. I laid back down, grabbing the covers and bunching them beneath my chin.
“It truly is marvelous what he has done here. The last time a god—”
“Yeah, yeah, I don’t care.” I raised my hand, cutting him off. “If you’ve come to gawk at the decor, just leave. I don’t want company.”
“No, it appears you crave that piece of your heart that is broken. Your sister.”
I shot up, grabbed the bedside lamp, and chucked it at him. It shattered against the wall where he’d stood.
“Why do you refuse his help?” he asked, appearing on the other side of the room. “I witnessed the days you two have spent together. I saw the spark flicker inside your chest, you burned, even if it was only for a moment.”
My brows furrowed, my lip curling. “Of course, fate is a nosy bitch.”
“I see all.”
“Creeper.”
“I felt that flicker of life return to both of you before you unregretfully snuffed it out in anger once more.”
