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“Like the guild?”
“Sort of, but most are rogue and highly trained. Levian visited his brother, who was still mortal and living in Baldoria. A hunter found him and ripped out his heart. For a while after, I wondered if Zach still had one too. He became cold, callous, distant, but decades later he met Anna. While they may not be soulmates, she makes him happy. It’s all I could hope for.”
Pity pinched through me. “Being immortal sounds like a tragedy.”
“It can be,” she admitted, clipping sections back of my hair as she slacked my red with white cream, which quickly turned dark. “It has its perks too. I guess it’s all about perspective. When one is alive for as long as Zach and me, you’re bound to experience a lot of heartaches.”
“Have you?”
Her fingers flexed, and she paused. “Of course.” She didn’t elaborate, but when I looked at her reflection in the mirror in front of us, a story swam in her eyes. “You remind me of my sister.”
I blinked twice. “Oh? I didn’t know you had one.”
“I did.”
Goose bumps rippled over my arms. “I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago.” She finished painting my hair and stepped back. “Let’s leave it for half an hour. Do you want something to eat?”
I nodded, and she removed her gloves and left the room, leaving me locked in the pasts of the people I lived with, curious of their tragedy, feeling things they might have as I imagined Zach losing his soulmate, Erianna, without her sister, and Sebastian alone with no family. Finally, I started to understand why they’d created a new one with each other.
***
I could hardly recognize myself as I stared at my reflection. Erianna had tied my dark hair into a loose updo, allowing a few curls to fall from the bun and frame my face.
Voices trickled under the bathroom door from the bedroom. I stepped out, spotting Sebastian leaning against my dresser and Zach and Anna over by the door. Erianna waited on my bed, sipping on a cup of blood.
Sebastian straightened the collar of his shirt. “We can fly the next morning,” he explained to Zach, finishing a conversation I wasn’t there for. “It’ll look better if we get their firs—” He turned, spotting me. His stare intensified as he looked me up and down.
I fiddled with the neckline of my dress, feeling self-conscious. “Is it bad?”
He cleared his throat, blinking twice. “No—uh, you look beautiful.”
“Don’t sound too surprised.” Erianna winked in my direction.
I curled a lock of brunette hair around my finger that hung down the side of my face. “I’m not sure about the hair, though.”
“Stop playing with it.” Erianna batted my hand away. “You look amazing. Really gorgeous, and I love that lipstick on you.”
“You chose it.” I’d never worn deep peach shades, but it looked surprisingly nice, especially with the darker shade of lip liner.
Erianna smiled. “Zach, Anna, and I are going to drive to the castle. Sebastian will fly you. It’ll be expected,” she added. “All eyes will be on you.”
“Why? They don’t know who I am.”
Sebastian’s eyes fell on my lips, then climbed to meet mine. “You underestimate how importantIam.”
Erianna rolled her eyes. “Try not to kill each other while I’m gone. We’ll see you at the castle.” She kissed my cheek, handing me her blade as she whispered in my ear, “Sebastian will protect you, but just in case you need it. It’s infused with a rare herb that’ll slow us down.”
I gripped the hilt, watching as she walked with mortal speed out the door. Then, examining the cool, sharpened blade, I ran my finger up and over the grooves of the hilt.
“She must like you to give you that.” He marveled when she left the room. “We’ll leave for the hotel now. I already have things you’ll need for overnight waiting for us there, along with the dress Erianna picked out for you to meet the king in.”
My eyebrows raised. “How rich are you?”
“Enough not to have to worry about money.” He moved back the drapes. “We should leave before the sun sets.”
Turning around to check my belongings, I realized I didn’t have any of my own. Everything that had been brought for me was already in the car with Erianna, Zach, and Anna. So with no belongings, I followed Sebastian out onto the roof.
