Page 115 of Ashen Souls

I let out a bitter breath.

“I’m not made for that. And I refuse to be molded into it.”

The temperature in the chamber surged, turning the air blistering, but I forced myself to hold his gaze.

“I don’t care whose soul is inside me. I don’t care what I was before. That’s not me. I’m not her.”

“Not yet. But you will. One day, the rest of your memories will bleed through that fragile mortal shell. And when they do, you’ll want revenge just as much as I do.”

“Are you sure about that?” I fired back. “Because from what I felt in my vision, Avelia didn’t want any of that. All she ever wanted was a life with you, Daeren.”

The mention of the vision struck a nerve. His jaw clenched, and the shadows around his boots flared into violent spikes.

“That was a fucking delusion,” he spat. “We are never getting the life we talked about that day on the couch. That future is dead. But we will still be together, Aveline. Even if I have to drag you down to hell with me to make it happen.”

I had no idea what day he was talking about. I could see how much the memories were crushing him, and a part of me actually felt sorry for him. But mostly, I was just furious. Because he wasn't really talking to me. Not completely.

“Stop looking at me like I’m her! Stop talking to me like I’m her! I am Aveline. And I don’t choose this. I refuse to watch my world burn just to satisfy your depraved obsession.”

The words landed heavier than I expected. For a second, an ache flared in my chest—an echo of a past life mourning the rejection, but I crushed it down.

Daeren laughed. The sound possessed no humor, vibrating through the chamber with an elegance that chilled my blood.

“But it deserves to burn, Aveline. Your world is built on lies. On pretense. On cruelty disguised as order and morality. It condemns what it doesn’t understand and slaughters what it cannot control.” His voice was gentle, like he was explaining a basic law of physics. “I spent almost five centuries helping this fucking world maintain its ridiculous balance. And for what? To watch it destroy the only one who ever mattered to me? All this time, playing the Commander, I’ve been slaughtering the wrong people... but I am going to fix that.”

He broke eye contact, angling his body toward the vast emptiness of the hall. The dark corners of the room warped and stretched in tandem with his mood.

His gaze snapped back to me. “There is nothing over there worth saving.”

“Do you even hear yourself?” I asked, my voice dropping. “I don’t know what you were like back then, when you were still whole, but right now? You act like a... monster.”

Daeren just laughed. Again.

“And what about Thomas?” I demanded. “Was that you? You killed him, didn't you?”

“Do not play the innocent with me, Aveline. I felt your wrath. I heard what your soul screamed when you saw your friend weeping. You wanted blood. You wanted him torn apart. I was merely your weapon. We are not so different.”

Bile rose in my throat. The mark on my wrist burned like a hot iron.

“I know Thomas was cruel.” I swallowed against the nausea. “But he didn't deserve to be incinerated. Nobody does. And now I have to be terrified of you. I have to live in fear of who else you might decide to butcher.”

“Are you so terrified for your dear professor?” Daeren tilted his head, a smirk curving his mouth. “Why let him live? Is that what you are asking?”

I dug my nails into my palms, refusing to look away.

“Why would I break a mirror that shows you exactly how much you crave the dark? As long as you look at his safe, mortal restraint and find yourself thinking of my hands… he is exactly where I want him.”

The absolute, sociopathic arrogance of his logic left me speechless. He wasn't just observing my life. He was directing it for his own entertainment.

“How is that even possible?” I forced the question through the silence. “You are exiled here. How can you reach into my world and murder someone without crossing over?”

“Because of you,” he murmured.

“The deeper you fall under my influence, the more your feelings for me grow... the further my power bleeds into your reality.” His hand lifted, the pad of his thumb brushing the corner of my mouth. “That is how I know you love me, Aveline. Your devotion gave me the reach to strike him down.”

I took a step back, escaping his touch, squaring my shoulders as the cold weight of my decision settled into my bones.

“You need to listen to me very carefully.” I laced every syllable with ice. “If you touch Ethan. If you harm Harper, my family, or anyone else in my world… I will end it. I will kill myself. I will stop my own heart before you can cross the veil. And you will rot in this cage for the rest of eternity.”