Page 204 of Jagged Souls

“You don’t need to apologize.” I kiss the top of her head and squeeze her tight. “You never need to apologize.”

She trembles in my arms. Silence. Then, “Why did you ask me about my daughter’s name?”

My chest tightens. She doesn’t remember what she lost. Whatwelost.When people are resurrected, they don’t get their old memories.

I want to tell her about all she’s lost – not just them butus. All the memories. All the laughter and joy. And the pain. So much pain as we fought to stay together. As we cleared hurdle after hurdle, spurred on only by each other. We were each other’s strengths, each other’s change, each other’s push to be better.

She was my life, and I was hers, but now I am the only one who remembers.

Trying to get her to recall her past life could fracture her mind; there is a reason the gods wipe them clean.

But all that means is I’ll just have to get her to fall in love with me again. My heart pinches at the thought of courting her all over again. A bittersweet opportunity.

“You – Siome,” I say, knowing I need to keep the two of them separate. As much as she’s the same woman to me, she does not remember that life. I don’t want to confuse her, make her panic if she doesn’t think she is who I know she is. “Siome and I had three pups. A boy and two girls on the way. We named them Raphello, Fiana, and Kimmy.”

I don’t explain further. I want to see if she gets it, if her soul justknowsand can put the pieces together. It takes her a fraction of a second. She gasps, and I know she knows.

“Their names make up Rafiki,” she says.

She remembers them. Subconsciously. In her heart and soul. She remembers them.

I squeeze her tight. Kiss the crown of her head. I could cry with how happy I am to have her back in my arms. But I don’t because I can’t linger here despite how much I want to. Varius has only recently hit his ascension, and given he is strong enough to have walked through the teleportation circle on his own and survived, I know he’s strong enough to pulse. Eduardo is too weak to contain him, which means I need to go see Terra.

She’s been creating a disease to target the Shadow line. I can get her to tweak it so it isn’t as deadly. So it’ll keep him alive but too weak to use his magic. I would prefer if he was lucid for all his torturing, but this is the only choice I have. I might be strong enough to resist his magic should he pulse, but I don’t know if Micha is.

And I will still take pleasure in torturing him.

“I need to go,” I say.

“Will you be back soon?”

The fact that she wants me here warms my heart. But she should be more angry with me. I don’t like how much I’ve broken her. The guilt rams into me, just like it did when I learned I was the reason she took the V the first time. I need to build her back up. Make her comfortable enough to yell at me again. Gods, I’ve missed hearing her yell at me, hearing all that fire and spirit andbeauty.

“I’ll be back before bed.”

“Will you eat with me?”

I smile. Siome always pushed for what she wanted. “As you wish.” Kissing her on her head one last time, I leave her in my bed.

She looks too small in it. Too broken.

For now.

But she is a fighter.

And when I build her back up, we’ll destroy the Shadow family together for what they did to her.

When I step into Varius’ room, I am barely able to stop myself from killing him. He is blood bonded to my fucking mate. I might’ve stolen her from him in this life, but he will have all the lifetimes with her I will not.

My shoulders tight but my hands loose, not clenched into the fists I want them to be, I stride over to him. He is awake and wary and pleasantly pale. The big scary boss half of the US is terrified of, struck down like a little lamb. Soon he’ll be butchered like one too.

“Well, don’t you just feel like a fool?” I mock as I stand in front of him. “Gave yourself up only for her to leave you for a better man.”

“She won’t leave me,” he says. “I have a part of her you’ll never have.”

My eyes narrow. “I already have it.” I had itfirst.

But I will not have it last. She will end up with him in the next life.