“Of course,” Seraphena murmured.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” Casteel continued, the skin between his brow creasing. “How did he get her soul? How is any of that possible?”
“Souls are…as fragile as they are resilient,” she said. I frowned at the contradictory statement. “But for them to be held in what is akin to stasis, they must be stored.”
“Stored?” I repeated. “For how long?”
“A millennium. If not longer.” Seraphena winced. “I know how it sounds, but the soul…it is like they’re asleep.” Something about how she said that didn’t inspire confidence. “But it would need to be kept in something nearly unbreakable—a vessel forged when the breath of a dragon met the flesh of an Ancient, creating a very special and very unique diamond.”
It felt like I lost sensation in my hands as I immediately saw the jagged, uneven diamond and heard Isbeth’s voice. “The Star?”
Seraphena’s gaze cut to mine. “The Star diamond. Yes.”
I looked at Casteel. “Isbeth had The Star—” I swung back to Seraphena. “Unless there’s more than one.”
“It is unlikely there would be,” Seraphena said. “Plus, she…had to have it. And she likely would’ve gotten it from Callum.”
“I’m not going to even ask how a soul is kept in a diamond,” Casteel muttered.
“Probably best.” She forced her hand open, allowing blood to rush to her bleached knuckles as she lifted her gaze to meet mine. “But that’s the only way it was possible.”
Why was she looking at me when she said that? Turning away, I wrapped my arms around my waist.
I thought about what Holland had said about Isbeth. “Isbeth knew a lot of stuff she shouldn’t have. We assumed it was because of Malec,” I said with a slight cringe. “Why would Callum have her soul?”
“Because he is Sotoria’s brother,” she said.
My mouth dropped open.
“Okay. So, they were siblings.” Casteel dragged his fingers across his chin. “But he was loyal to Kolis and working with Isbeth to free the sick fuck?”
“Yep.” Seraphena picked up her glass and took another long drink. “When Sotoria died, Callum should have been with her, but he was busy sowing his wild oats with a dairy maid or something. He was beside himself with guilt. Felt responsible. So did Kolis. Kolis went to Sotoria’s family after her initial death, and of course, they knew what he was. They were terrified. But Callum wasn’t. He wanted to see his sister. He wanted to apologize. And when Kolis told him he couldn’t allow that, Callum…slit his own throat.”
“For fuck’s sake,” muttered Casteel, shaking his head. “So, that’s when Kolis brought him back?”
She nodded. “And don’t ask me why he would be loyal to the monster who terrorized his sister. The fuck’s head isn’t on right—not even after having it decapitated more than once.”
Obviously, she and Callum had some bad blood between them.
A muscle ticked in Casteel’s jaw. “Even more of a reason to hate the fuck.”
“But Callum isn’t like the other Revenants. He is full of wants and needs.” Her fingers tapped off the wood. “He has a soul.”
“Do you know how?” Casteel asked, and I immediately thought about Millicent. “What makes him different?”
“There’s a little bit of magic to creation, an unknown part. But whenever life is created, and I meantruelife that comes with free will, a sense of self, alis—a soul—it is birthed from what the creator feels at the time of creation,” she explained. “When I created the wolven, I felt joy at creating new life, knowing I would never do so again after my sons. I felt love, for thekiyouwolves always held a special place in my heart. And excitementfor a new beginning. Plus…” Sounding wistful, she slowly shook her head. “I felt relief in knowing the descendants of Iliseeum would have guides and companions in a realm unfamiliar to them. I also felt pride. All those feelings shaped the wolven.”
“Wish Kieran was here to hear that,” Casteel said. So did I.
Which made me think of something. “Everyone believes Nyktos granted them dual life. That’s bullshit, by the way,” I said, and Seraphena smiled. “How did he pull that off?”
“I was there, but only one knew my identity.”
“Elian,” murmured Casteel, clearly thinking of his ancestor.
She neither confirmed nor denied that, while I tried not to be disappointed that the answer was so…simple.
Casteel exhaled heavily. “What was Kolis feeling when he created Callum? Annoyance and general fuckery?”
