Page 31 of King’s Kismet

“Heartbreak doesn’t heal like a clean wound, the cut skin knitting closed with no trace of damage. Heartbreak heals like shattered glass. You can put the pieces back together, but some fragments won’t ever fit the same. The cracks will remain.”

As Sloane settled, I felt her nod against my chest. “Just glue them back together, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Dolyn gently agreed. “We’ll help you pick up the pieces. But you have to let us help, Lo.”

She huffed, a smidge of humor in her tone, as she said, “You’ll probably need a broom to gather them, and we all know how much you hate sweeping.”

“More than you.” The incubus chuckled. “But for you, I’d sweep this entire house. That’s what friends are for.”

I leaned her back, my hands on either side of her face as I swiped the last of her tears away with my thumbs. She gave me a weak grin, but it wavered.

In all the years I’d been both human and reaper, I’d not had a friend quite like Sloane. And to see her breaking was a sight I’d never even imagined.

When Jack blew out a heavy breath, I knew her emotions were calming. We had no way of knowing how long that would last, but then again, neither did she.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to her brother. “I tried to—”

“Don’t apologize.” He shook his head. “Don’t hide it from me, Lo.”

“It hurts you more than it should. This isn’t your pain to bear.”

“I would take it all from you if I could. The least I can do is act as your witness, to remind you that you do feel, that you have mighty emotions.” He grinned wryly. “And feed you. When was the last time you ate anything?”

She climbed from my lap, holding her hand out to pull me up. As I stood, I blocked her view of the destroyed closet, gripping her shoulders as I led her into the bedroom. Jack bounced to his feet, closing the door behind us.

Dolyn smirked at Sloane. “You wanna go blow some shit up?”

“Do you have to ask?” she countered, rolling her bloodshot eyes.

“It was either that or training.” He shrugged. “A fight would do you good.”

“You mean a distraction?”

“Yep. That.” He hooked his thumb toward the open bedroom door. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

She frowned, glancing over her shoulder. “I need to clean up first.”

“I’ll finish and pack it,” Jack told her. “Then I’ll meet you guys at D’s house.”

When she didn’t make a move, Dolyn decided for her. Spinning her around, he bent and scooped her up, tossing her over his shoulder before disappearing into the void.

“That’s one way to get her to comply,” Jack commented, opening the closet door to survey the mess.

I stared at where the two had been. “Did you ever wonder what the Fates were thinking when they didn’t pair them together as mates?”

“No,” he drawled in a combination of amusement and horror. “Sloane and Dolyn are oil and water. They layer together just fine, but they don’t mix. They care for each other, even love each other, though I don’t believe they would have been good as mates. The Fates knew that and planned accordingly.”

“By giving her a mate who never mentioned sealing their bond and then closed it and left?”

“He didn’t just leave her, Grim. When you love someone like York loved her…” Jack glowered at the clothes on the closet floor. “There’s a reason. And I need to find out what it is.”

I bit my lip, choosing my words carefully. “I know you believe that, but don’t fall prey to rose-colored glasses. All options are on the table until we know otherwise.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” He waved me away. “Go. Make sure she doesn’t maim the incubus when he pisses her off.”

“What will you do with York’s things?” I asked.

“I’m going to stash them in the attic until we narrow the options down.”