I felt the telltale warmth of blood trickling down my shoulder to the bed below. I held tight to Arys, blood pooling beneath my nails as we moved together as one. The power we commanded was like a steadily growing wind whipping through the room. In the distance, I heard thunder, and I wondered if we’d somehow caused it.
The bed was a mess of blood. When at last we lay entangled among the blankets, exhausted and fulfilled, I groaned as the euphoria ebbed and the pain set in. My head spun, and my mouth was thick with the taste of blood. Nobody had ever loved me the wild, crazed way that Arys did. I adored every moment of it.
I lay curled in Arys’ warm embrace, basking in the afterglow. Maybe it wasn’t the right time to bring it up, but I wanted to take advantage of having him in a position where he couldn’t dodge my questions.
“So now seems like a good time for you to shed a little light on what Maxwell said. I think I deserve to know, Arys.”
“Really?” He groaned and rolled his eyes. “You want to do this now?”
“I do. Start talking. No lies and no avoidance. Tell me what he meant when he said that I was the one you’d been waiting for.”
“It’s a long story. Too long to go into right now.”
I fixed him with a fierce stare. I was not going to let up on this. “Scratch the surface.”
Arys forced a dramatic, exasperated sigh and propped himself up on one arm. “Here’s the quick version. A little more than a century ago, I was told by a witch that she could see my other half. She could see you, the one who would complete me. Lena was right when she told you we were two souls cut from the same magical cloth. We were always meant to be one. I didn’t believe it until I met you. Actually, I didn’t even let myself believe it then, not until it became impossible to deny.”
“And, you never thought to tell me this? There has to be more to it. Keep talking.”
“It’s rare for a connection like ours to actually be made. If I’d lived and died as human, we never would have met. Most people bound the way we are never meet.” His expression grew dark, and I got the feeling he would have done anything to avoid having this conversation. “Yin and yang. You know how that works? Well, that’s us. Two sides of the same coin but neither alike. Together we create something new, something powerful.”
My thoughts raced as I tried to piece it together. “Alright. That fits with a lot of what Lena said. But still … what does it really mean? And, why didn’t you want to tell me?”
Arys reached to take my hand with his free one. “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. I don’t know what it means. All I know is that I am the dark and you are the light. And, it’s only a matter of time until my darkness consumes you. When it does, we both die.”
“No way.” I sat up quickly, tossing the bloodstained blanket aside. “There has to be more to it than that. There has to be a reason for it all.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I could see in Arys’ eyes that he really believed what he’d said, which explained why he’d been unwilling to share it earlier. Still, something didn’t add up. It didn’t entirely make sense.
“I’m sure there is a reason,” Arys offered, attempting to provide some comfort. “We have only just begun to realize what we can do together. We were bound before you were even born. Nothing was going to change that. But, I have to admit, sometimes I wish I hadn’t blood bonded you. It’s tainted you with parts of me that you should never have to deal with.”
“Is that why you were so adamant about tonight? Controlling the bloodlust didn’t work out so well.” I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror on the bureau, and I cringed. I looked like hell with blood and bruises covering more of me than unblemished skin. “If you didn’t bind me to you, someone else would have. You know that. Things would be worse if we hadn’t done it. Don’t waste time on regrets.”
“Alexa, be careful. Shya knows about us. That’s why he wanted me, too. You have a role to play there, but don’t let him exploit you.”
My head was starting to ache. I needed a shower, but the questions wouldn’t stop coming. “I still think there’s more to it. What aren’t you telling me? And, how did Maxwell know about this?”
Arys stroked a hand down my cheek before pulling me back down beside him. “Harley made him, too. We were close at one time. Don’t worry about this stuff, ok? We’re strong together. I’d walk into the sun before I’d let anything happen to you. But, if you still have questions, read the journal I gave you. Then if you still want to, we’ll talk further.”
He hugged me close, an action that silenced my further questions. Arys believed we were made for each other, and he believed it would destroy us both. Rather than push the subject the way I wanted to, I clung to him in quiet contemplation.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d just heard. Pieces were missing, I was sure of it. I needed to read Arys’ journal sooner rather than later.