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The sun beamed from above, and I stepped through the lavender, admiring the vibrance of the bees as they hovered around the plants.
Salenia met me in the middle of a field, her ethereal beauty as captivating as the moment I met her. She looked out of place there, in the middle of summer.
Her wild, white hair flowed around her face like clouds, her lips curving when she looked at me.
I was mortal, just the son of a merchant, but she saw more than that. The sound of laughter and dancing music filled the air as the scene shifted into the next, the fog lifting as each memory unfolded.
We danced under amber lanterns that hung between branches when we’d married, her siblings watching in the distance, disapproving of the match. I recalled Vaneria and her incredible beauty. Everyone we met desired her, and when she was in a room, it was difficult for most to notice Salenia. But she was beautiful in a different way. While Vaneria dripped with seduction and lust, her pheromones heightening anyone around her—she was the goddess of lust and love after all—Salenia embodied the night. Her darkness pushed many away, most afraid of her power as she used compulsion for good then. But most didn’t trust her.
I did.
I loved her,once.
Dizziness consumed me as the scene fizzled away, and the sound of crashing waves lashed into my ears. Salenia’s lips were on mine, moving in sync as we kissed on the beach, sand still in our toes from where we’d danced after swimming in the depths of the sea.
I stepped back, gazing at her as if she was everything I needed. She gave a home to those the world rejected, the things people were afraid of—snakes, spiders, creatures of the night and seas. She even befriended the sirens, who occupied the small island of Polgoria.
The world was an oasis; the gods walking amongst mortals, blessing us while we worshiped them, but it didn’t last.
Because death existed, and it threatened the connections we made in this world. There was one rule amongst the gods, and that was not take make another in their image. Salenia didn’t agree with it. Losing me was too much, and she loved being in this world more than her siblings, because she wasn’t like them. She understood the darkness and together we played in it.
Another memory stabbed through my mind. The stings of a whip against my flesh pushed into my memories. I wanted to remain forgotten. My father’s fists connected with my face, his sadistic laughs still tinkling in my brain. All I could think was, why? Why wasn’t I good enough for him?
I cowered then, still a child, wanting to please him even after he beat me. Salenia healed those scars. That was when she made the choice to forsake her siblings, for me.
I remembered the sweet elixir of immortality on my lips when Salenia made it so I wouldn't die.
Everything she touched became more beautiful.
Until it didn't.
Then I met Elizabeth... no.
Anastasia.
Beads of sweat collected on my forehead as I tried to stand. Another screech of pain jolted through my head when I tried to move back into the bedroom.
Salenia was my first love, but Anastasia was my soulmate. She understood me more than I thought was possible. The love was unexpected and terrifying. I’d never met someone so gentle, sand full of light. She was fierce, ready to fight for the ones she loved, while having compassion for everyone, even me.
I couldn’t help but smile as those memories returned, filling me with peace.
Anastasia’s dimple deepened when her lips curved, and I remembered how cute I used to think it was. The sparkle in her eyes all haunted me like a dream, as she showed me how to be a better version of myself.
I remembered the softness of her skin and the warmth of her kiss. I remembered the tenderness with which she touched me and cherished every moment we had shared.
While Salenia accepted me, Anastasia challenged me to do better, and I liked who I was with her. I saw a version of myself I hadn’t before, one who was worthy of love.
Then I did the worst thing I’d ever done.
I broke Salenia’s heart.
Her siblings had already rejected her for giving me the elixir, and I tried to stay with her, so she wouldn’t be alone, but I couldn’t get Anastasia out of my mind. It wasn’t fair to Salenia to stay with her when secretly I loved another.
The betrayal on her face when I told her had haunted me since.
She howled into the night, screaming, crying, begging for me to tell her I was lying, that I wasn’t in love with someone else. I’d never hurt someone so badly before, and watching her crumble was worse than having my heart torn out.
But she let me go.
