Page 33 of To Trap a Soul

“No,” she bit lightly, while the fold of her arms tightened. “But they are animals, doing what is natural for them.”

“As are the Daekura, as are the humans. It only frightens your people because you are the food source. Yet, you don’t seem to see the hypocrisy that you consume things that are smaller andweaker than yourselves. Are you not, then, the unholy beings to the forest critters?”

Lindi parted her lips to refute him, but only the click of her tongue moving wordlessly came from her mouth. She shut her jaw as her features pinched in annoyance.

I hate it when he does that.Weldir could stab, quite swiftly, with cold and unfeeling logic. His perspective seemed to be entirely warped to where good and evil didn’t exist – no matter if the actions or reasons were what she deemed immoral.

She knew killing those occultists was wrong, but she also didn’t give a damn. She’d shed her opinion on the matter, based on the fact that nothing she did had a consequence in a bad way, only good.

Weldir spoke as if he, and nothing, truly had any consequence except for what humans pushed onto each other.

“I guess it’s no different. But humansarecruel creatures,” Lindi admitted, averting her gaze away from where he was. “What I’m doing is evidence of that. I’m trying to snuff out that wickedness as much as I can.”

I want to feel like I’m outweighing the cruelty with love.

She wanted to be a protector, even if no one knew she existed. A hero to women who hadn’t yet suffered. She didn’t care if anyone thanked her for it, she just wanted every day of her gifted new life to matter. She wanted to know, even though she’d wed a god of another realm that went entirely against her teachings, that she was a part of the good in the world.

Was that too much to ask?

Otherwise... why did she do this? She didn’t really want to feel the resentment that sometimes boiled over inside her. She didn’t want to feel so...selfishfor wanting to live, even if it meant breaking her faith and walking away from humankind.

This is one of the reasons I dislike talking to him.He made her think in ways she didn’t particularly like, as if it was a gameto him. She felt like entertainment, like a puzzle he wanted to break apart and put together in his own imagery.

She refused. Lindi wanted to stay as herself, even if it meant holding onto foolish notions and ideologies.

She wanted to stay human, in heart, in mind, in body, and in spirit.

“Okay,” Lindi started, while letting her features relax. “You’ve collected your souls. I’m ready to go back to Earth now.” To just... get away from him.

He’d gained some power; he had no need for her now.

A tsk sounded from all around her. “Not quite. You have another task to attend to, and now that you’ve mastered your abilities, it’s time you give me what I truly seek.”

His very words sent a spike of dread through her in an instant. Lindi’s skin cooled as a nauseous, nervous pit formed in her stomach and enclosed her heart like a set of frightful claws.

Her eyes widened, and she brought her horrified gaze back to him.Dear heavens, no.

January 30th, 1689

Why did I agree to this?Lindi thought, with her face hot like someone had poured smelted ore onto it.

With her knees bent and pressed together, she lowered her hands from covering her eyes to peer down at her bare thighs. She’d been hoping her pants would magically reappear over legs and wrap them once more in modesty. Instead, they floated off into the void in her periphery, making her cheeks flare hotter.

Whydid they have to float in the ether? Even a boot was rotating just behind and to the right of where she thought Weldir’s head might be.

As if she and Weldir were underwater, it was even more embarrassing to see them scattered around, rather than upon a solid surface!

She would have shuffled away from him when he glided closer to her... if it wouldn’t have exposed her pussy to him. No, instead, she tightened her thighs until she felt her muscles lock and ache.

When he told her he required that they enact the part of theiragreement where she produced a child, she had agreed to do it. She even removed her boots, socks, pants, and underpants for him, but now she was just... unnerved. Half naked and afraid.

Why did she feel like she was about to do something wrong? Maybe it felt unholy because it was him?He’s my husband, damnit!She shouldn’t feel this way, yet she spooked further when he drifted ever closer.

I’m so glad he said I can keep my tunic on.And it was long enough to come down to the middle of her thighs, which gave her a sense of modesty despite the act they were about to perform.

She didn’t want her breasts and the rest of her body exposed to him. Honestly, she just wanted to close her eyes and get this over with. Then she’d pretend it never happened as she carried whatever child they’d produce.

As much as she wanted to blame Weldir, to hate him for pushing this onto her now, deep in her heart, she couldn’t.

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