Page 112 of A War of Embers

“I want answers.”

Samuel nobs his head in roughly, wobbling back over to the couch and sinking down once more.

I turn my angry gaze on Zeke. “Don’t speak unless spoken to. I only want to know the truth now. No half-truths, the full truth.” Pointing towards the couch, I practically spit as I tell Zeke to sit down. He obeys with a grunt as he falls back ungraciously. “Am I actually Rowan’s mate?”

Samuel frowns. “I don’t understand the question. Why wouldn’t you be?”

“Because I have a piece of his soul.”

“No,” he immediately shakes his head. “The souls are not involved in creating or finding mates. Magic is. Yes, your magic comes from the soul but it’s still indicative to you as a person. Lord Rowan is your mate, regardless of what soul you carry.”

Oh. A huge sigh of relief fills me internally. Rowan’s not using me for gain then, he really does care for me. “But a piece of my soul is tethered to another?”

“Yes,” Samuel nods. “Unfortunately, this seems to happen when souls blessed by the realm become a sort of prize for the person attempting to steal a piece. I imagine when the Lords and Ladies of Tellus banded together to fight the twins, when Lord Rowan was grieving, they took the soul. Lady Gwenyth’s piece she was able to get of the fragment went into you.”

“And the other?”

“I believe Lord Rowan kept it.” Samuel frowns, eyeing Zeke like he wants confirmation but is too nervous to ask.

“Well?” I ask when Zeke remains tight lipped. “What did Rowan do with the soul he managed to keep? Did he reabsorb it?”

“Does it really fucking matter what he did with it?” Zeke sighs. He crosses his arms over his chest and glares at me. “We need to be leaving. You got what you wanted and now it’s time to return before Rowan comes over here and forcibly takes you back.”

“Because clearly if I die, he does,” I snap. “Or if he put it inside someone–”

“It only matters if you still plan on ending your life at some point,” Zeke disagrees. “You don’t need to know who has the soul because it’s none of your business.”

“I’m tied to them.”

The dragon offers a droll look in response. “So? They’re tied to you as well yet they aren’t demanding anything.”

“So you know who it is,” I challenge. “What if they want to die? What if they get hurt during the upcoming war?”

“Trust me, you don’t need to worry about it.”

Zeke’s indifference is driving me crazy. How is he so calm about all of this? “We could find a way to separate the souls so our lives don’t depend on the other.”

Leaning forward from his spot on the couch, Zeke plants his elbows on his knees and puffs smoke out of his nostrils. “Again, it only fucking matters if you decide you want to die, Keres. If you plan on helping Rowan like you said you did, then it doesn’t fucking matter.”

“I want to know everything,” I yell. “I don’t want to be blindsided anymore. I deserve to know what’s being kept from me because it affects my life as well. No, I don’t want to kill an innocent person. But after the war? After I kept up my end of the bargain? I don’t know!”

Zeke stares, his chest heaving as he watches me. Something akin to hurt and then anger flash across his face before the typical mask of indifference locks in place. “His brother. He brought his brother back.”

The revelation detonates in the room, sending everyone into silence. Zeke leans back in the chair, his arm moving to the back of the cushion seeming relaxed. Samuel’s violet eyes flicker between us, watching as I digest the words.

I’m tethered to Rowan’s brother. I’m keeping him alive by choosing not to die.

Nothing makes sense anymore. Am I being betrayed to help Rowan keep his brother alive? Is that the reason he put off not trying to help more than he did? The reason he went so ballistic when I would go off, trying to complete the bargain we have where he helps me die?

Behind me, I can hear the roar of the sudden storm clashing against Tellus’ shore. People are beginning to realize the veil is down, so they can see exactly who is targeting them. The people long forgotten, the souls of the damned given new life. Rowan protected his people with half-truths while the people in Tellus were fed lies.

Now the worlds are clashing. I just don’t know if it’s because I’m here or because I could take the last person in this realm Rowan actually cares about with me if I decide to have the High Lord remove my godlike soul.

“His brother was brought back to life on the battlefield?” I look to Samuel for answers.

He nods stiffly. “From our knowledge, yes. That is when the Lords and Ladies from Tellus fled back to here, determined to hide the part of Lord Rowan’s soul. The power it gives can rival his own.”

And Rowan already confirmed the magic I’m possessing is akin to his own after what happened the second time in the Wraithlands with Alyvia’s ex-boyfriend. Focusing on Samuel, I cross my arms, still holding tightly to the hilt of my sword. “And what if I want the fifth soul removed?”

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