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He chuckled softly. “I said sometimes,” he pointed out, then sighed. “She’s lucky to have you.”
The thoughts of how I ripped out those guards’ hearts, still haunted me. She’d hate me if she knew what I did. I was a murderer and had given into my darker desires too many times. She didn’t see that side of me. The part where I’d attended sex parties, and fucked my way through half of Sanmorte to avoid feeling anything after my family was killed.
“I don’t even know how we found each other. There are millions of people in the world, and she was…”
“The girl you kidnapped?”
I laughed. Gods, it sounded terrible when he said it like that. “I mean, yes.”
He shook his head with a small smile. “It was fated to happen. You both hide from the same destiny, forced into a life you don’t want. You live in the same darkness, and your souls were going to find each other.”
“Soulmates.” I let out a long exhale, fogging the air in front of me. “What does it even mean?”
“I researched everything I could about it after I met Levian. I sought sorcerers, read old books. From everything I gathered, soulmates recognize each other from another realm. Wherever it is our souls reside before this place.”
“With the gods?”
“Beyond that. Even in my old age, there’s still so much that remains a mystery to me. All I know is there are so many planes in the afterlife, but the wheres and whats, I could not tell you.”
“So that’s it?” I arched a brow. “We were together before this life.”
“Sort of. There are shadow parts of ourselves we must learn to embrace and heal before we are whole. It’s called shadow work, and your soulmate is the person who will travel alongside you while you navigate life. They agreed to help you grow and become the best version of yourself. Imagine shadow work as a dark ocean. It's easy to drown. Your soulmate is that small boat you can seek refuge in. It doesn’t mean the water from the ocean won’t get in, but they will give you peace in the storm. It’s a mutual contract made in the stars of love, unity, and growth.”
“Fuck. I wish I had the amount of faith you do in all of that.”
He snorted a laugh. “You don’t have much choice but to now, brother.”
NINETEEN
Olivia
I curled my fingers around the edge of the smooth stone edge of the wall and glanced at the drawbridge as it was lowered. Creaking wood screeched into my ears, and I refocused my senses onto the steady droplets of rain crashing against the grounds.
I let out a tense breath, peering out to the mountains silhouetting against the sun, blocking any warmth trying to make its way to the castle.
It was strange to see buses coming up to the castle, a reminder of the modern world I’d left behind. Sanmorte was stuck in the Middle Ages while the rest of the kingdoms had technologically advanced, leaving us vulnerable to threats of war. Sometimes, the two met, I found missed things like watching movies and scrolling through my phone.
Wheels growled over the leaf-carpeted winding road, and I craned my neck to see through the grimy windows. My father sped up next to me, his hands landing inches from mine on the wall.
“Good. The mortals are here,” he stated, answering my unasked question. “We need to replenish our supply.”
My fingers flexed, shoulders tensing, but I didn’t dare refute him. I’d threatened to dethrone and kill him less than an hour ago. I was lucky to still have my head. Apparently, even having the gods on my side didn’t mean shit in this wasteland of blood and sex. I wanted to scream at him; if we had to have mortals here, why not instead command the vampires to feed and then heal, instead of killing them?
I stepped back, snapping a twig under my foot. “Are they from the City of Nightmares, or were they brought in from another kingdom?”
Kidnappedis what I wanted to say.
“They’re from the city. I need mortals who are already familiar with us and know the rules. They can work in the kitchens and play the part. The rest can go into the dungeons until the Aslandians are gone. The king arrives tomorrow, and I won’t have us looking foolish.”
That would be difficult with you as our king.
I glanced sideways at Sargon. His jaw was set, the vein in his temple throbbing. Tentatively, I reached my powers out and felt the sting of anger pulse into me. I couldn’t leave things like this, not if I wanted to do right by the god's wishes. I, unlike him, worshipped them. Especially considering it would be their realms I walked in the afterlife, once I was ready to leave immorality behind.
I’d never been one for the long game, always rushing into things without thinking, but I couldn’t succumb to impatience this time. He was right; I wouldn’t be able to persuade a kingdom of unruly vampires to accept me as their queen if I killed their king, and made them agree to new laws.
Swallowing my pride, I pressed my lips tight, and entangled my fingers together. “I’ve reflected on what you said.” He arched an auburn eyebrow, but said nothing, so I continued. “What they were asking of me was unfair. Sanmorte has flourished under your leadership.”
“Don’t lie.” His words cut through me like a knife. I stilled, my hair waving in the breeze as we stared out over the long road leading through an ocean of trees up to the mountains. “Nobody changes their mind so easily when you had much to say an hour prior about how awful a king you believed me to be. You are my blood, and I know when I’m being manipulated.”
