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Molten ice burns on the outside, impossibly hot and cold at the same time in a way that defies reality.

Then everything is calm as the screams fade into memory.

There, in front of me, is a version of Arwan that houses everything he’s kept hidden.

I shakily stand on my feet. I glance down at my body that is not my body.

It’s my spirit—but here, in this tower, it’s a tangible thing.

This is the kind of power only a monster from another realm could achieve.

Such as the Prince of Death.

A silver dress drapes over me and glitters when I walk.

There’s no arrow in my thigh.

No scratches or bruises and the incredible pain immediately ebbs.

“You found me,” he says as I close the distance between us and slide my fingers into his.

This is the piece of Arwan that he’s kept locked away.

His spirit, and it is ready to finally unite with mine.

He’s not just a vampire.

He’s a beast from another world. One where a mate bond is deeply spiritual and will change the fabric of my very being.

He wraps his arm around my waist and draws me in close. His kiss is soft, gentle, and transfers more of his suffering into my soul until he’s hooked into me too deeply to remove.

“Arwan,” I breathe, unable to endure all the suffering he holds.

Is it always like this for him?

How does he not curl up and die on the spot?

“I know it hurts,” he says as he nuzzles into my hair. Our bodies solidify as he traces his fingers over my shoulder and then down my back, where my dress extends low. “We’re soulmates, Liliana. You found me when our suffering aligned in a way that no other soul has in a thousand years.” He pulls away, and his glittering blue eyes hold so much pain. His brow furrows. “I didn’t want to share it with you, but you wanted to share this pain with me. You chased me down when you came of age, and you tethered us so I couldn’t run away.” He blows out a breath. “I don’t deserve a mate like you.”

He holds up his palm, and I align my fingers with his. His hand engulfs mine, and he intertwines our touch. Then he turns my wrist to kiss the place where the gold chain has embedded itself.

“How long have you known?” I ask. “That we’re soulmates, I mean.”

He trails his kisses up my arm, then stops at my shoulder as he glances at me. “I’ve always known, but the Arwan you know has hidden me away. He couldn’t confront this pain. Or the truth.”

So he buried it.

I survey the inside of the tower. It’s a construction built to house something that the Prince of Death couldn’t face.

Maybe it’s where I wanted to put all my pain, too.

It’s a suitable space for things that are too terrible to see the light of day. Everything is molten, hot, under so much pressure that I wonder how we’re not crushed just simply being inside of it.

“He hid you here?” I ask.

He nods. “For a time, it’s where you found me. It’s where you tried to free me.”

My eyes widen as I recall pressing my hand onto the tower when I was seven years old.