Page 67 of Bones

“Wish it could, Aurora. Fucking wish it could.” He released my head, but only so he could span my hips. “But I don’t know how this will change shit. You need to know the truth first.”

The ominousness of his words sank in through the fog of desire that clouded my brain and common sense. After everything he’d already shared—and what my curse had shown—I wasn’t sure what else there could be. Or how bad it must be to cause that somberness in his tone. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

But I knew I had to hear it. I had to tell him my own truths, too.

It still took me a few seconds and a lot of effort to release my hold on his shirt and shift back. My attempt to climb off his lap was halted when his firm hold didn’t loosen.

I raised my questioning gaze to meet his, but his fingers just clenched in response.

Rather than putting me out of my misery by telling me whatever I had to know, he stretched out the torture by asking, “Why didn’t you talk till today?”

His question practically rolled out the red carpet for me to share about my curse. I should’ve taken advantage of it.

But I was a coward, so I didn’t. I gave a partial truth instead. “Because I don’t ever talk. I haven’t for years.”

Except to Ryan, and he doesn’t count or matter.

Not anymore.

“But you spoke to me,” he said before tilting his head back and forth. “Spoke, insulted. Same thing.”

“I was pretty mad.”

And insanely jealous.

A small smile curved one side of his mouth. “I’ll take it.” His smirk fell, and his tone lost the teasing humor as it turnedsincere. “But there’s nothing to be mad about. That woman outside was my brother’s mate.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, confused again by his phrasing since it wasn’t the whole sex-cult thing. “Like… his wife? His girlfriend? His partner?”

“More. So much more. Remember how I said that everything was built on balance?” At my nod, he continued. “When my siblings and I were created, the powers-that-be knew we would face eons of battles against an always-growing evil. They wanted to ensure we had a reason to keep going. To care about fighting for a humankind that was set on imploding itself. In their divine wisdom,” he sneered, making it clear the phrase was loaded with sarcasm, “they split our souls into two, placing half in a human somewhere in the timeline.” Not for the first time, he moved his hand to rub his chest, and it didn’t seem like he was even aware he did it. “We were promised that when the time was right, we’d get our reward for our efforts. Our balance. Our other halves. I know it sounds batshit crazy. And it’s a fuckuva lot to take in.”

Like my blood had been replaced by a toxic sludge, dread coursed through my veins. I quickly and fervently prayed with an intensity I hadn’t mustered since the early days after my accident. But rather than pleading for my memories or my own family, I prayed that I was wrong. That I misunderstood what he was saying.

But my worst fears were confirmed when he said, “But you’re my one, Aurora. My soulmate.”

I couldn’t help it. I tried to mask it. To shut down the pain lancing through me, but my ability to easily ignore my emotions was gone.

At his declaration…

I burst into ugly tears.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

TICKET TO RIDE

DEKE

How’d this turn into sucha clusterfuck?

Back in the early days of my long existence, while I still fought side by side with my siblings, I would envision the moment I found my mate. Across a tavern. In a crowded town square. While strolling a market for spices and cured meats. We would sense each other, and our connection would be something instantaneous and sparking with magicks. The longer the years stretched on—the more I saw evil and greed become commonplace—that naivety gave way to realism. And that eventually hardened to cynicism.

I’d given up that I’d ever find my other half. That I’d ever find happiness. That I’d ever finally feelfull.

With Marissa, I’d believed she was my mate. She’d seemed perfect. Created just for me the way I’d thought a mate would be. Because she had been. A carefully orchestrated act of bullshit nearly pulled off by the world’s best actress.

Well, not theworld’s…

Even before I discovered that, I’d still kept her at arm’s length. I’d blamed my shitty social skills after so many years alone.

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