“To hurt me? To lie? To watch me die over and over?” I laughed. “Your intentions mean nothing against the weight of your actions. They never do. Never will.”
Draw him in slowly, Sylvie whispered.Make him earn it.
I moved to stand directly before him, smoothing a hand up his chest, speaking softly. “I see the way you look at me. Like you’re trying to memorize my face. Like you’re preparing to lose me again.” I paused, watching understanding dawn in his eyes. “You’re planning something dangerous. Something final.”
“Paesha—”
“The Forgotten,” I said, and his slight intake of breath confirmed my suspicion. He was ready. “That’s where you’ll go, isn’t it? To try to save me from Alastor’s binding?”
“I haven’t?—”
“I see more clearly now. The voices show me things. Truths buried in lies. Answers hidden in questions.”
His jaw clenched. “The voices aren’t real.”
“No?” I reached up, trailing my fingers along his jaw. “Then why do they know your secrets? Why do they remember every promise you’ve broken?”
He caught my hand, holding it against his cheek. “I would give anything…”
“Prove it,” I whispered. “No more lies between us. Promise me complete honesty, and I’ll believe in you again.”
“I promise,” he said immediately.
I pulled away. “So eager to swear. Just like in Winter’s garden. Just like every time before.”
“This is different,” he insisted. “This time is different.”
“Then tell me the truth. Are you planning to enter the Forgotten?”
He hesitated, warring with himself. “Yes.”
“Take me with you.”
“No. It’s too dangerous.”
“More dangerous than leaving me here?” I gestured to the Remnants swirling around us. “More dangerous than letting me drown in madness while Alastor twists my mind?”
“Paesha—”
“You said you’d be honest,” I reminded him. “That you’d do things differently. Was that another lie? Tell Alastor you will only go if I can come too. Force him to let me come.”
“I can’t lose you again,” he said, his voice raw.
“Then don’t.” I let my power brush against his. “Let me help you. Trust me, just this once. We go together, or not at all.”
I could see him wavering, see the desperate hope warring with centuries of protective instinct. “The Forgotten could destroy us both.”
“Or it could save us.” I reached for his hand, ignoring the way my heart raced at the contact. His skin was warm against mine, callused fingers wrapping around my own with gentle strength. “One last chance, Thorne. One last try at getting it right. Complete honesty. Complete trust. That’s all I ask.”
Make him believe, Sylvie urged.Make him hope.
“If I lost you in there…” He swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t survive it.”
“You won’t lose me,” I promised, the lie tasting like copper on my tongue. “We’ll face it together. No more secrets. No more lies. Only us, finding our way back to each other while we hunt down what was lost.”
The door opened, and Alastor stepped in. His eyes moved from my hand in Thorne’s to the Remnants that swirled around us both.
“Well,” he said, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Isn’t this interesting?”
