Page 125 of Ashen Souls

“And what did he want?”

I looked down at my wrist. The sigil was faint, almost innocent in the warm light of the living room, but the sight of it still made me feel sick.

“He wanted me to say I loved him.”

Harper didn’t speak, but the silence wasn’t empty. It was the kind of quiet that formed right before glass shattered.

“I saw his soul in the visions.” I forced myself to keep going. “Or… what was left of it. When he was exiled into that dimension, something tore away. What he is now isn't a whole person.”

Harper’s voice dropped to a whisper. “He doesn't have a soul?”

“No. He can’t feel love. He can only mimic it. Use it as a weapon.”

Harper sank back against the cushions. “Use it as a weapon how?”

I braced myself, my fingers tightening around my glass. “Thomas.”

“Daeren did it,” I whispered. “He slaughtered him. Because of what he did to you. To prove he would burn the world down for us.”

I waited for the horror. For her to pull away in disgust.

Instead, Harper just looked down at her glass.

“You don’t look shocked,” I said, frowning.

“Because I’m not.” Harper lifted her eyes to meet mine. “Aveline, when they said the room was shredded from the inside out... when they mentioned the gray ash and the smell of sulfur? I’m not an idiot. I put it together.”

“Okay,” I exhaled. “I’m sorry I underestimated you.”

“I'm used to it,” she said, taking a slow sip of her drink. “Keep going.”

“Well, what happened to Thomas is not even the worst part,” I forced out. “Daeren told me he felt my rage when I saw you crying. He said my soul wanted Thomas torn apart, and he was merely acting as my weapon.” My fingers dug into my jeans. “He can't cross over on his own, Harp. He could only reach into our world to strike him down because my connection to him is growing stronger. My devotion... gave him the reach to do it.”

Harper’s legs hit the floor. She leaned across the coffee table and grabbed my arm, her fingers wrapping tight right above the sigil.

“Look at me,” she demanded.

I met her eyes.

“Thomas was a predator. If my soul had the reach, I would have torn him apart myself. But I didn't kill him. And you didn't kill him. Daeren did. He slaughtered a man to manipulate you, and now he’s trying to make you carry the guilt for it. Do not let him.”

She let go of my arm, shaking her head.

“And Avelia?” she asked. “How does she fit into this?”

I traced the condensation on my glass. “She bound him to her. She used a wedding vow. I will always find you. It wasn’t just a promise. It was a spell designed to outlast death. It tied their souls together so absolutely that even mortality couldn't sever the bond. And when she died... that bond didn't fade. It demanded that they find each other again. It forced her soul to reincarnate as me.”

Harper dragged a hand down her face. “Okay. So you’re telling me you are the living extension of a demon bride’s ancient wedding spell, and the demon king needs you to say ‘I love you’ like it’s some kind of horrifying password.”

“Yes.”

Harper stared at me for a beat, and then she lifted her glass and took a long drink.

“Men,” she said finally. “Honestly. You leave for five minutes and they start trying to end worlds because they didn’t get enough validation.”

I managed a weak smile.

“And he admitted he’d destroy our world?”