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I swallowed. “You made the humans after us. Were we not good enough?”
He brought my head against his chest in a hug, but I didn’t hug him back. He leaned his head on mine as he spoke.
“I made more creatures simply because I wanted to love more creatures. Not because I loved you less. Ican’tlove you less. Do you believe me?”
After a breath, I pulled away, not looking at him. The room was unbearably silent. I crossed my arms, looking at the floor. The king only sighed.
“Don’t come to me when you’re ready to speak,” he said softly. “Come to me when you’re ready to listen.”
I turned my head up to look at him. He didn’t seem in pain at all. He didn’t seem to care about my side at all. I hated how emotionless he was. How calm he was. How warm he was being when he should have been in as much pain as I was.
Saying nothing, I turned and left the room, fists still clenched.
How could he love the humans more than us? How could he love those filthy, vile creatures? Why did they have such power? Why could they sin and not us? Why could they love and not us?
The king didn’t love us. He loved them.
And I hated them.
I hated them more than anything.
***
I gasped, falling to the ground on my knees as I opened my eyes to find myself in King Melchior’s room once again. He looked down at me from his bed, still pale and only graying more.
Tears were streaming down my face before I could stop them.
“Your Majesty…” I sobbed.
He gave a weak smile. “Hello again, daughter.”
He reached his hand out and I came to his side, lying against him and crying into his arm. I could feel his hand on my back to soothe me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I cried. “Why didn’t you tell me that it was all my fault?”
He didn’t answer, but allowed me to cry, until I could find my words again.
“I killed them…” I said. “I killed the Guardians because I thought you loved them more than us. I thought you’d love us more if they were gone.”
Hugo sighed. “Your hatred influenced many of the others. By the time you had gone through your second reincarnation, most of the sirens had been contaminated.”
“So the king separated the worlds,” Vito added. “The sirens and demons could see each other, but the humans lost contact with us completely. Only the Judges could go between worlds.”
“And it’s because the Guardians were killed and no more put in their place that Henrik’s demon now has the Eros,” I said. Ilooked at the king through blurry eyes. “Your Majesty…Father…you should have punished me far worse.”
He smiled and brought his hand to the back of my head, lowering me down to kiss my forehead.
“My wish,” he said, “is only to have all my children come home to me.”
I clung to him as I leaned on his shoulder, his robe absorbing my tears. I couldn’t remember everything, but I remembered enough. I remembered my own ugliness and corruption. I remembered my decision to kill the Guardians. I remembered how dark my heart was on the day I was sentenced to reincarnation.
I had earned it. My heart had been so black that I had come to the den twice more, only to be sentenced to another human body both times.
“You’re no longer sentenced,” the king said, as if hearing my thoughts. “You’re now free from your evil. And now I think you’re finally ready to listen.”
I raised my head to look at him. He smiled, wiping his thumb under my eyes to clear away the tears.
“Just as I gave Rhys a gift, I give you one,” he said. “You now have the ability to see your darkness and yet, hold on to your newfound light.”
