Page 35 of Definitely Dead

He tried to shake his head, but the hand on his throat kept him immobile. “You left Aster with Orrin. You have to believe me. He switched us.”

“You’re lying.”

But Sunne could see the flash of doubt in his mate’s eyes, and he felt the fingers loosen around his neck. A small crack in his certainty, but it was enough.

“Can you hear me?”he asked, trying to reach him through their mating bond again.

He was met with deafening silence. Something was blocking him, cutting off his connection to his mate. Even without evidence, he could feel it, an empty ache inside him where something important should have been.

He didn’t have time to mourn the loss, though, not when he needed to find some way to plead his case. Talking about himself wouldn’t prove anything, and he doubted it would convince the Guardian. So, he searched deeper, grasping for something that only the two of them would know.

“Our first kiss was by the river.” Even if Aster or someone else had witnessed the moment through a clouded window, they wouldn’t have known it was their first. “It’s also where you told me I can’t save everyone, which I’m still kind of annoyed about. You make it sound like I’m out here trying to be Captain Save a Soul, when really, I just wanted a fucking sign at the pier.”

The hand on his throat vanished, and he suddenly found himself enveloped in a pair of strong, muscular arms.

Sighing, he burrowed into Tyr’s embrace, letting the warmth and comfort soothe his frazzled nerves. “Was it the kiss or the Captain Save a Soul that convinced you?”

Tyr’s whole body vibrated with his laughter. “As soon as this is over, I promise we’ll put up a sign.”

But first, they needed to find Aster.

“We need to go. I really don’t want to think about what that asshole is doing with my body.” Pulling away, he tilted his head back and glared up at his mate. “You didn’t kiss him, did you?”

With a snort, Tyr grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him toward the open doorway. “No, I didn’t kiss him.”

“Well, you can’t kiss me either. Not while I’m in this body.” He shuddered. “Gross.”

“Duly noted. Can we go now?”

They jogged out of the unit and down the corridor to the bank of elevators, Sunne lengthening his strides to keep pace with his mate. Taking the lift didn’t have the same gravitas or urgency as charging down seventy-seven flights of stairs, but it was certainly more practical.

Besides, the Tower didn’t even have stairs.

The gold-plated doors slid closed behind them when they entered the cab, then immediately opened again with a clear view of the lobby. Sometimes, he really loved magic.

“Thanks,” he said, patting the wall fondly before hurrying after Tyr.

Outside, the shifter pivoted to the right, choosing the most expedient path instead of following the winding cobbled road. Sunne turned on a burst of speed but still struggled to keep up as his feet sank into the loose sand.

They had just cleared the edge of the village when Tyr came to an abrupt stop. Lagging behind, Sunne didn’t immediately understand why until Tyr shifted his weight to the side, giving him a clear view of the figure standing in front of him.

“Sunne is gone,” Orrin said, his voice strung tight with anxiety.

“What the hell do you mean he’s gone?” Tyr demanded, taking a threatening step forward.

Orrin didn’t retreat, and he didn’t try to placate either. “I mean he’s gone. When we arrived at the castle, he wasn’t with me.” A quiet, understated growl filled with annoyance spilled from the prince’s lips. “Rune and Sindri are out looking for him now.”

“That’s not Sunne.” Reaching behind him, Tyr took hold of his arm and dragged him forward. “This is Sunne.”

He lifted his hand and offered a little wave. “Hi.”

Orrin cocked his head, his brow creased, and a mask of total bafflement etched into the lines of his face. A valid response, but he didn’t know where to begin explaining the situation he’d found himself in.

“They soul shifted?”

Sunne blinked at the prince. “Is that a thing? Like, this has happened before?”

“Not here.”

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