Page 76 of Soul Forge

“I’m not sure how to answer that.” Sypher sat forwards, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees again. “Do you mean why is the demon different to me?”

“I’m asking how the two halves of you coexist. It’s like you have two souls. That shouldn’t even be possible.”

“We don’t coexist by choice,” he admitted. “Most of my life has been a constant struggle between my two natures. I’m tired of fighting, and the more tired I get, the harder it is.”

“Can it speak to you?”

“Yes. It’s like having a completely separate creature living in my head.” He scowled. “Which is awkward, considering he hates me.”

She knew all about disembodied voices. How vicious they could be, how quickly they could stamp out every ounce of hope. But his voice was different. It was a real, living thing with its own thoughts and wants. She’dspokento it. She sat further on the mattress, turning so she faced him more.

“Your demon has spent the last eight centuries locked away, only being called on when you need something,” Elda answered carefully. “I’d be pretty mad too.”

“I wish it were as simple as sharing the space,” Sypher sighed. “The only reason I’m not permanently enslaved by Aeon isbecause I’ve been able to control the demon up to now. I was forced to keep him locked away. It was that or be placed under the permanent Compulsion of a Spirit that hates everything about me.”

Elda blinked. “Didn’t he create you?”

“No, that’s why he hates me. As far as I know, I’m an accident,” Sypher shrugged. “The circumstances surrounding my creation were never explained to me. One thing I’m certain of is that it wasn’t him.”

“Who do you think it was then?”

“I stopped trying to work it out a long time ago. It wouldn’t change anything even if I knew.” He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, his eyes darkening again. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Like what?”

“Anything. Anything at all.”

“Okay,” she agreed, tapping her chin thoughtfully before settling on a topic. “Tell me about Julian. How did you meet him?”

“Also not a positive conversation.” His skin was beginning to pale, the fire almost completely banked in his irises.

“Hmm. Maybe avoiding your past altogether is better until you’re calmer,” she suggested, fighting to keep her voice from trembling. She grasped for the first thing that came to mind. “Julian thinks I’ve broken you.”

“What?”

“You beat Lillian when yesterday you couldn’t even bear to look at her.” She hesitated. “…And then you told me you were mine.” The chuckle that escaped her was breathless, born of nerves rather than amusement. “The second part surprised me.”

“I don’t think you’ve broken me.” His head cocked to the side. There was a pause, and then, “I think you’re fixing me.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I’ll never be normal; I know that. But you make me feel less... murderous.” His shoulders were starting to relax.

“Youarealways grumpy,” she agreed, the knotted ball of anxiety in her chest starting to unthread itself enough to smile.

“Not with you. Even before I trusted you, I wasn’t always angry with you.”

“It didn’t look that way to me.”

One of his dark brows quirked upwards. “Not even when I taught you how to build a fire?”

She thought back to the patience he’d shown and the reluctant smile she’d caught twitching at his lips. He’d even ignored Reiner’s wrath to help her.

“Okay, maybe notallthe time, but you went from irritated with me to the total opposite in no time at all,” she conceded.

“I told you I was yours because it’s the truth.” Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes rounding at the fervency of his tone. “You must understand, Elda. You’re the only person to choose me over the Spirits. No wielder has ever refused the Compulsion.” He passed a gloved hand over his eyes. “Even my demon hasn’t attacked you, and he wants to killeveryone.”

“You shouldn’t have to pledge yourself to me. You already married me,” she joked half-heartedly, her thoughts set off-kilter by the intensity of his extraordinary eyes.

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