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I turned my head, my eyes narrowing on him. “What happens if I rip you into tiny shreds in a small area? Do you think it would affect my temple?”
“I think this act you portray will only suffocate you. Burying feelings hurts no one but yourself. You will drown in the tide you are trying to subdue, slowly and painfully. You will end up truly numb. That will be a grand mistake and not only just for you.”
I traced a bubble on the side of the tub. “You know you make sense only like fifty percent of the time, right?”
“I know you hear me perfectly, yet you refuse to listen. I understand your grief for your sister, but why does feeling for Samkiel hurt you as badly? What else have you buried?”
The hair rose on the back of my neck, his words crawling over my skin. A part of my subconscious begged me to answer. Only it would be anger he got, not the harsh truth.
And a lock on a door in a house rattled.
“Reggie, I came here to relax, and you are ruining it.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, wincing.
Reggie went on. “You are not hearing me. It was preconceived that if Samkiel could not find his mate, his soul tie, then he would marry. There must always be two rulers for the realms. Two leaders. Two monarchs. It was just how it was done at that time.”
“Great, I wish them all the best. I hope they have a grand wedding with stupid birds that sing too loudly and a castle and children to rule long after them.” I waved a hand, splashing water on the floor between us. “See? Completely unbothered. Can we talk about anything else?”
If Reggie could sigh, I swore I heard it.
His words hit me, though. A soul tie. I hated that word, too. Another part of their world that fell into ours. The perfect mate, the reason the Mark of Dhihsin even existed. You were lucky if you found yours. Most didn’t, and those who did loved to flaunt the marks that appeared on their fingers. I always assumed my soul tie died in some freak accident. At one point, I thought maybe it was Kaden, but now the thought made me nauseous.
A soul tie couldn’t hurt you, not really. It would be like shredding their own soul. It was every bit of love you could have for another person, and of course, Gabby had eaten that up. She had wanted her soul tie. I wondered if it had been Rick. Maybe it was. He had died for her.
“Look, Kaden may be manipulative, but he’s right. What was I thinking? We’re so different. I was stupid to think…” I paused, something inside of me stretching awake.
“If I may,” Reggie interjected, but I ignored him.
“It doesn’t matter. Imogen’s perfect for him. They are about fairness and justice. Both made and crafted by that beautiful light.” My nails tapped on the edge of the bathtub. “Powerful men, Dianna. Be careful of powerful men.”
“Yes, but…”
I nodded to myself, tipping the wine bottle back and cutting him off. “That’s what Gabby said, and she was right. Now, she’s turned to ash, and I’m stuck between them.”
“You do realize that falling in love with Samkiel did not kill your sister?”
The water in the tub boiled around me, and the wine bottle hit the wall, shards of glass exploding into the air. The temple ruins shook as every candle burst to life. Flames flared, chasing the shadows from the darkened room. A low, thunderous growl escaped my lips as I gripped the tub so tight it melted beneath my hands.
“If you ever say that to me again, I will rip you to pieces.” My voice emerged deep and rough, but Reggie only folded his arms tighter. “Now get out.”
“I have witnessed gods made of light and dark make realms shudder from their power and then be completely incapacitated from loneliness and heartbreak. What happens when there are no more enemies for you to burn? I do not wish that fate for you.”
“Says the fate, who has seen a thousand different outcomes and does nothing about them, right?” I yelled. “If you didn’t want that, maybe you should have helped a little harder before Drake dragged my sister back to that damned monster. Instead, you are just as useless as the rest of them. Grand fucking speeches once the blood has already hit and dried on the floor.”
I was slipping again. I knew it. A vile and vicious creature made of scales and claws and teeth. One designed to protect me and my bruised and beaten heart. I waited for Reggie to snap, to tell me how much of an ugly, mean bitch I was, but he said nothing.
I took a shuddering breath, steam pouring off the water. “Why do you care, anyway? I am what you and Kaden have all preached, a monster and an abomination, right? That’s what you said in your now destroyed prison.”
“The translation of those words does not mean the same here. You are merely something that should not exist. It does not have to mean anything—” Reggie went rigid, his head craned back. The slits above and below his eyes opened, opaque beams shining briefly from his six eyes. They closed as soon as they opened, returning to normal as he looked at me.
“What?”
Reggie gave me a chaste smile. “It is nothing.”
It was a sudden switch in conversation, but one I so desperately needed.
“Okay, well, go away then. I’m done talking.” I nodded and turned away from him. The water in the tub no longer bubbled and spewed. “I want to be alone.”
Reggie’s gaze did not falter, but I knew he was about to disagree. “You know, back in the ruling era, monarchs would meet to try to bridge peace before battle?”
