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Sorin was looking out across the sea now. “Fae believe in the Fates and the gods and believe that there is one soul that they are destined to be with, have been joined with since the beginning of time. It is believed their souls recognize each other, if they are lucky enough to find each other in this vast world and during their own lifetime.”

“What happens if they find each other?” Scarlett asked, laying her head back on his shoulder as if listening to a bedtime story.

“It is said that if they are truly each other’s, their souls are connected. It is a much deeper connection than marriage, far more powerful. Their magic can intermingle, making them incredibly valuable to their Courts. They become second only to blood royalty. There is a bond that cannot be broken, a bridge between souls. I cannot explain it adequately, but they must accept the bond by proving it.”

“How do they prove it?” Scarlett asked, tracing patterns in the sand with her finger.

“The two are Marked to see if the connection settles into place and to initiate the Trials. There are five parts to it, and each piece must be fulfilled in a test of sorts.Each pair is different and so each trial is specific to them. The Marking is a powerful enchantment that calls from soul to soul. It is a literal offering of a piece of themselves to one another. If they have truly found each other, the Mark brands itself permanently to their skin, and the bond becomes unbreakable.”

“A twin flame,” Scarlett mused, staring at the moonlight rippling in the water. “What if they are not each other’s twin flame? What happens then?”

“The Mark fades after time, but the piece of the soul offered fades with it. To have offered something so sacred to the wrong person… It is rare to find your twin flame if you mistake it once. It is why those who choose to take part in the Trials must be absolutely certain. Many believe they have found their twin flame but are too afraid to test it against the Marking, so they are content to simply marry as you do here.”

They were silent again for a long moment before Scarlett said quietly, “I hope you find her someday, Sorin.” When he didn’t reply, she added, “Until you do, we can be alone together.”

“Are you alone, though? What of Prince Callan?”

Scarlett stiffened. She scooped up a handful of sand, letting the grains sift through her fingers. “Callan and I… We’re…” She didn’t know how to explain Callan, didn’t know if she even could. “Callan and I were never meant to become anything. It is a long story, and one for another time, but I think I may have loved him once upon a time. Maybe I still do. Or I love the idea of him, anyway. Someone who loves me for who I am, who expects nothing of me but love in return. But he… Callan cannot have that. He is the crown prince. Whomever he spends his life with shall be his queen.”

“You do not wish to be queen? Most women here dream of such things,” Sorin questioned quietly.

“Being queen is just another cage. I would step from one into another.”

Another beat of silence, then Sorin said, “He loves you.” Not a question.

Scarlett swallowed hard. “He thinks he does. I am an escape from his own cage.”

“Nuri said… She said it was rumored you were his lover for nearly a year,” Sorin said. Scarlett turned to look at him as the tone of his voice hardened. He was not looking at her, but his hands were fisted in the sand.

“I was,” she admitted. “We were an escape for each other.”

“And three weeks ago?”

Scarlett clenched her jaw. “Three weeks ago I was a piece of garbage who used him and played on his feelings to get information about happenings in the Black Syndicate.” Sorin turned and blinked at her. “I told you that I can be very persuasive when needed.”

This time the silence hung thick between them, and she wondered what Sorin was thinking of her now. Now that he had seen some of her darkest attributes and most atrocious qualities.

Finally Sorin said, his tone neutral, “And this last year that you did not seek him out? He did not move on?”

“No,” she said grimly.

“You do not think it could work?”

She sighed. “Callan thinks that whatever obstacles are before us, we can conquer them, but nothing will negate the fact that he is to be king. I would rather be alone than be bound to a throne, so no, I do not think it could ever work. But that does not make walking away from him any easier.”

Sorin turned and kissed her forehead gently, and she found an odd sort of comfort in that gesture. “I have already told you, you are not alone anymore, Scarlett.”

She sighed again. “For now, but you’ve said yourself you’ll need to return home soon.” She let herself trail off and swallowed hard. Damn this wine for the loss of control over her emotions.

She lifted her hand again, letting sand sift through her fingers, and watched it cascade down to the beach. The moonlight shone on her skin.

“How did your arm heal so quickly a few weeks ago?”

“What?” Scarlett asked, turning to see Sorin studying her forearm.The same arm she had sliced open on that rock when she had seen him speaking with the woman.

“I saw the wound, Scarlett. I know how deep it was. I expected it to scar, but there is not even a mark to be seen.” He gently reached for her arm, studying it.

Scarlett swallowed at the contact. “I don’t know. I think it was healed in the dream.”