Page 152 of Between Soul and Vessel
“So you knew that I was coming?”
“I did.” Her voice was as calm as a glass lake.
I didn’t know if that was good or bad, but I was here now, so I decided not to fester in it.
Curiously, I asked, “I’m guessing that the empress doesn’t know that her laws are not followed here?” It certainly explained the sandstorm. It was a nasty guardian, keeping unwanted trespassers out.
“The fact that it still stands is evidence that she doesn’t know,” she replied. Her smile grew. “You look so much like him.”
“Who?”
Her violet eyes began to glimmer, rich with insight. “Your father.”
“You knew him?”
“I did. In fact, if my sister hadn’t come along and stolen him, I imagine the two of us would have wedded instead.” She didn’t bother to hide the longing in her voice. “Things would have been very different then.” She waved her hand. “Oh well, I suppose there’s no point dwelling on the past.”
“Sorry, I don’t understand.” I was doing my best to keep up with what she had just said, but it didn’t make any sense. “My mother was mortal, but you are immortal, so how is it possible you two were sisters?”
Her brows wove together, pinching the space betweenthem. “Mortals on a Sunday, you don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“It is a bit of a long story. Come, we will sit in the gardens, have some refreshments, and I will tell you the truth of your origins,” she said, starting to turn back toward the stairs.
“Wait!” I shouted unintentionally, my voice echoing, startling a few of the scholars, who turned and looked at us.
She returned to face me. “Yes?”
“Four others were traveling with me. Have any of them shown up?” My voice returned to its regular volume, perhaps even a shade lower, as I was quite conscious of the attention I’d garnered.
She opened her mouth to speak, but instead, her lips closed and her eyes flicked past me, toward the entrance and out.
I followed her gaze, turning around.
Outside, Von and the others emerged from the sandstorm, walking toward the palace, not a single lantern in sight.
They looked like a mirage—the blistering rays of the sun so intense, it almost made it seem like their silhouettes were distorted. For a moment, I wondered if I was just imagining them or if—
Were you worried about me, Little Goddess? Von teased through our bond, voice full of that signature swaggering charm.
Relief washed over me.
I rushed out of the temple, racing toward them.
Von moved swiftly, the two of us colliding as I threw my arms around him, and he took me in his. Leather, amber, and sandalwood wrapped around me. I breathed him in. How someone could walk through a sandstorm for Creator only knew how long and still smell as good as he did was beyond me. I wondered if that went right along with his little make-your-clothes-disappear magic trick.
Unwrapping my arms from him, I pulled back.
His lips thinned when he saw the state of my face, littered with tiny cuts and abrasions from the angry sandstorm. He glanced down at my hands, noting they were in a similar state. Scooping them up, he took my hands in his. One at a time, he lifted them to his mouth, kissing each one. Instantly, my skin healed.
“Thank you,” I told him, heart brimming with love.
“You do not need to thank me, Little Goddess,” he spoke in his deep timbre. His eyes shifted to my sister as she walked up to us.
We hugged one another. “I’m glad you’re safe,” I said.
“We’re gladyou’resafe,” Kaleb stated as he draped his arms around us, joining in. “We were so worried when we couldn’t find you.”
