Shit.
His eyes flashed to me, arrogance rippling through his Remnants. “Give her the name.”
She was far too clever to draw any other conclusion at this point than the truth. Which was a problem. Those stunning eyes, the ones that had haunted so many of my years struck me like a dagger as I saw the understanding on her face.
“You? Do you have a broken soul? Are you…”
Here it was.
“If you have a choice to show it… it means…You’re a god? And you knew. You knew I needed your name, and you kept it from me. You really did try to trap me here.”
The step back she took killed me. “Paesha. Darling. All of this is for you. Every life. Every choice. It’s always been for you.”
“Give me the name,” Alastor commanded her, forcing a conversation that needed to slow down.
“Thorne Noctus,” she whispered, but she knew it wouldn’t work. Those names were a prayer, her last bit of hope in me going up in flames.
“I need hisrealname.”
I held a fist tight at my side to keep from lashing out. From scaring her more than she likely already was. She wasn’t a mouse. Not fragile. She’d never been, no matter how many times she’d reincarnated, she was always so strong. So fucking fierce. And she’d always been mine. Her soul belonged to me.
“Ezra Prophet.”
My mind raced. My brother? Had she seen my twin and assumed we were the same? Every piece of information I had, proved he hadn’t revealed himself to her since she stepped into Stirling. He’d bound Jasper to himself. He’d used the old fool to trap her. He’d sent his minions to capture the king and lure her in, but he hadn’t otherwise shown his face. The only way she could have assumed he and I were the same was if… My eyes slid to Alastor. He’d shown her a death. And she’d assumed Ezra and I were the same. My blood burned like molten iron in my veins, each heartbeat a thunderous war drum against my ribs. I imagined tearing Alastor’s throat out with my bare hands, watching him slowly heal only to do it again and again as he realized too late who truly held the power between us. But I kept my face a mask of stone, my breathing measured and deliberate. She needed my control now, not my chaos.
She’d said my brother’s name and I hated the way it sounded on those perfect lips, but now was not the time to show her how fucking wrong she was.
“If you want to save her, give her your name, Keeper,” Alastor said, as if he had any right to command me.
I looked her in the eye, gritting my teeth. Wishing there was another way. Wishing I’d been smart enough to see what the God of Lost Things had been orchestrating for his revenge. I should have known he didn’t fear my wrath the second he strolled into that meeting and mentioned her lineage.
Releasing a fraction of my essence, I let the gold shine through, watching the fucking devastation fall over her beautifulfeatures until it broke something in me. And then I pushed a little harder, letting the truth of my soul shine through. I was broken. Because of her. She’d broken me time and time again and I’d fucking let her. She’d always been my weakness. But I couldn’t handle that look on her face. The reflection of my betrayal that eviscerated everything.
“My name is Reverius Hawthorne Noctus, Supreme Sovereign, the Unerring Arbiter of Beginnings and Endings, the Keeper of All Realms, the Keeper of Memories, and I’m so fucking sorry.”
She didn’t react at all. Didn’t cry. Didn’t blanch. Just stood there and said the name with no feeling whatsoever, as if she’d gone completely numb. “Reverius Hawthorne Noctus.”
Frozen in place, I watched Alastor’s Remnants rush for her. I ran forward, catching her before she hit the hard ground. But she was already gone mentally. Lost to whatever hell Alastor had planned for her. And there was nothing I could do.
“If you hurt her?—”
“You’ll do nothing, Keeper. As was our bargain. Remember? You cannot interfere.” He slid his hands into his pockets with a smile. “Or have you forgotten so soon? Besides, what’s a little mental anguish between family members?”
“You’re not her fucking family. No matter what your power says, she doesn’t belong to you. She can’t kill you and take your place. Your blood doesn’t flow through her veins.”
Alastor crouched down, swiping a lock of hair from her face. “I’ve never been one to worry about a long life, Rev. Merely a vengeful one.”
“Then go back to Etherium and spend some time with Kaelor. I’m sure he’d fucking love that.”
“I think we both know that’s never going to happen. Not until you give her back.” He rose and his Remnants grew agitated, covering Paesha in my arms until she vanished. “We’ve got to getgoing, but enjoy your time,” he said, before disappearing into his shadows.
Fucker.
I rose, straightening my tie.
“He’s always had such a way with words,” Vesalia said from behind me, her voice wrapping around my spine like the serpent she was as she circled me. “I’ll be far less clever as I remind you that time is still owed to satisfyourbargain. As you know, I cannot take time from an immortal, so you must give it. I believe it wasfiveadditional days. My memory is fickle. Perhaps you could remind me what you agreed to when I let you out early to save our precious girl from dying. Again.”
I was drowning in bargains for her. Dammit. “Now’s not the time, Vesalia. Fuck off.”
