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A connection? With me? A dead stranger? Something about this doesn't add up.

Fragments of memory flickered at the edges of my consciousness—a vast gray emptiness, a sense of drifting without form or substance, a pulling sensation as if I were being drawn back through a long tunnel. Had those been dreams, or something more?

“And you didn’t know where I’d be when I...came back to life?” I screeched at him. “Having to claw my way out of my own goddamn grave was almost more traumatizing than being strangled!”

He winced.

"So what am I now?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "A zombie? A ghost? Some kind of magickal abomination?"

"You're you," Lust said unexpectedly, his voice gentler than I'd ever heard it. "Just...with a few extra miles on the odometer."

I glared at him, not appreciating the attempt at humor. "That's not an answer."

"You're alive," Pride insisted. "Fully, completely alive. Reanimation isn't resurrection or necromancy. It's...returning a soul to its body before the connection is fully severed. You're still human."

A hysterical laugh bubbled up from my chest. "Human. Right. Is that why I can suddenly see auras? Why can I capture emotions in bottles? Why do I feel magic now when I never could before?"

Magick I wasn't supposed to have until I completed the bond with Xavier. Magick that appeared after I supposedly died. This can't be a coincidence.

Both sins stilled at that, exchanging a look that confirmed my suspicions. My abilities weren't normal, even by supernatural standards.

"What exactly did you do to me?" I demanded of Pride.

Pride ran a hand through his dark hair, messing up its perfect styling. "I tethered your soul to your body and returned you to the living realm. It's rare and something that can get me in big trouble, but not unheard of. The effects vary."

"So you used your magick on me without my consent? Yes, I know I was dead, but that’s no excuse! And now you think that gives you some sort of claim over me?" My voice rose dangerously. "That I'm somehow 'special' to you because of it?"

Just another man making decisions about my body, my life, without asking me. Another cage, just with prettier bars.

The demon cat chose that moment to stand, stretching languidly before jumping down from the desk. He padded over to me, surprising everyone by rubbing against my ankles. A soft rumble that might have been a purr emanated from his chest.

"That's...unusual," Pride said, momentarily distracted. "Damon doesn't typically warm up to strangers."

“His familiarisa witch,” Lust added.

I ignored him, kneeling to cautiously stroke the cat's midnight fur. A strange warmth spread up my arm at the contact, and Damon's eyes—red as embers—held mine with unsettling intelligence.

When I stood again, I felt steadier, my anger crystallizing into something colder and more focused.

"I want the whole truth," I said to both sins. "No more half-answers or cryptic bullshit. What exactly happened to me, and what does it mean for what I am now?"

Pride exchanged another look with Lust before sighing. "When I saw you in the Underworld, I felt...drawn to you. It wasn't a rational decision to reanimate you. I just knew I couldn't let you go."

"Because of this mysterious 'connection' you keep mentioning," I said flatly.

He had the grace to look marginally embarrassed. "It's more complicated than that."

"Simplify it for me," I countered.

"Reanimation requires intent and power," he explained reluctantly. "The stronger the...affinity between the reanimator and the soul, the more complete the return. You came back...perfectly. That suggests something between us that transcends ordinary interaction."

"Something like what?" I pressed, noticing how carefully he was choosing his words.

Pride shifted uncomfortably. "There are...legends. About souls that resonate with each other across planes of existence. Most consider them just stories, but..."

Is he seriously suggesting what I think he is? That we're some kind of cosmic soulmates? After everything I've been through with Xavier?

"You're talking about fated mates?" I asked incredulously. "That's your explanation? A children's fairytale?"