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“He is my brother,” Orpheus snapped back. “And she is my bride. We will stay. He is ‘a few sandwiches shy of a picnic,’ as Reia likes to tease Magnar. I can understand his thoughts better than anyone and help explain if need be.”

Lindiwe turned to Ingram and placed her hands on her knees. She was assessing him, and although he didn’t have a face to reveal how much he preferred their presence than to be alone with her, she seemed to be able to read him.

“Fine,” she eventually sighed out. “First, I must explain that it is dangerous. I have spoken to Weldir, and he has told me that you will have only a day to convince her to become your bride, or... he will consume you.”

“Okay,”Ingram stated, not caring at all.

He would do anything and risk anything to cease the cold throbbing ache in his chest, and to stop the ethereal blue tears that continued to drip from his broken orbs.

“Why would he consume him?” Reia asked.

Lindiwe’s cheek twitched with annoyance. “Because Tenebris is within his stomach. It is a part of him as much as it is detached. He is a soul eater, and he will begin digesting you the moment you enter. It is no different to a human eating food, although a human would not survive the threshold and would be consumed instantly. A Mavka, however, has a day of freedom.”

“You’ve done this before,” Orpheus commented.

“Merikh,” Lindiwe grumbled. “He has ventured there in curiosity, only to leave when the process began.”

“Is that all? If so, I would like to go now.”And because it always made Emerie more susceptible to his plight, he added,“Please.”

“I must make sure you understand what you are asking of her,” Lindiwe said, as her shoulders fell. “Emerie is... different from the others. I know what the Demonslayers do to their women. I know what they take.”

“I do not understand.”

Lindiwe gestured her arm towards the house across the narrow clearing. “You will not be able to have what Faunus and Mayumi do. Emerie is infertile, so she cannot give you younglings.”

He tilted his head.“Why not? If she is wounded, I can heal her. We can find a way and–”

“No, Ingram.” Lindiwe’s tone was firm. “There is no healing this; it was too long ago. If this is something you seek, then find a different human.”

“Hey!” Reia exclaimed. “That’s not fair. You’re making it out as if there’s something wrong with her.”

“No, I am making sure he understands. I tried to explain this to Merikh, but he didn’t want to listen to me and went off to make his own uninformed choices.”

When Reia opened her mouth to argue, Lindiwe threw her hand up. Her features twisted up into severe rage.

“I will not have my sonstormentwomen for desires thatcannotbe achieved!” she roared. “They cannot always wish things and have them magically change! I have already asked Weldir if we can heal her soul of this, and he cannot. Emerie is wonderful, and she is perfect exactly how she is, but Ingram must make this decision knowing that she cannot do this for him, so that he doesn’t hurt her in the future. So he doesn’t accidentally make her feel as though she isn’t enough.” She brought her gaze back to Ingram’s orbs and bore it into him. “Emerie is who she is, and she will be exactly as you last saw her – with the addition of a few new claw marks. So, knowing all this, do you still wish to make her your bride?”

“I can have Emerie back?”he asked.

“Yes,” she bit out.

“And... she will not leave me again?”

Her features softened, and the corners of her lips curled knowingly, as if she could already tell what he desired. “Only for a day, but that is as long as you will be forced to miss her. She will come back to you, no matter how far you are from each other.”

Ingram’s tail tip curled in hopeful delight. “Then yes, this is all I care about.”

He just wanted her, his pretty little butterfly.

She was all he needed to be at ease in this world.

Ingram didn’t care to look back at Faunus, Orpheus, or their brides, and for some reason, Magnar and Delora were nowhere in sight. His vision was focused on the tear of white light before him that had formed after Weldir, the spirit of the void, had torn apart a soul.

Apparently, the Witch Owl could be called to his dominion by nothing but his thoughts, as they were connected, but Ingram needed a portal.

Although he was part of life and death, he couldn’t pass through spaces and existences freely. Assistance was required, and Weldir was willing to sacrifice his own strength to do so for Ingram’s sake.

Without hesitation about the unknown that lay before him, he entered it.