Roses wake me.
Their scent is everywhere, woven into the silk sheets, clinging to the stone walls, saturating the air until it feels thick enough to touch. For one disorienting moment, I forget she is gone. Then the ache returns, sharp and merciless.
I force myself out of bed before the fragrance can trap me in memories I cannot survive reliving.
I sit at the small table in my chambers, and before I realize what is happening, I see her sitting across from me.
The wood beneath my palms drags the memory out of me.
—
“Lyrian, promise me something.”
She sat across from me, her expression steady, her turquoise eyes set with a quiet finality.
“Promise me that if I am ever not here, you will keep going. Most Soulfated pairs do not survive long after one is gone.” Her breath trembled. “But I need you to live for me. To keep pushing even when it is the heaviest thing you carry. You must love our empire for me. Promise me that.”
She leaned closer, her voice softening. “As long as you live, I will be nearby.”
“Why are you talking like this?” I had slid into the chair beside her, searching her face for any sign, any reason, she would speak of her death. I pulled at our bond, desperate, but all I felt were flashes of fear threaded with pain. And one repeating thought:
I will miss your eyes.
“I am right here,” I whispered, taking her hands. “You can see my eyes.”
She lifted her chin, tears gathering at the edges of her bright turquoise irises.
“Lyrian,” she whispered, “I am not long for this world. You must be able to rule without me.” Her voice cracked. “I need you to finish what we started.”
“Why would you say that?” I searched her expression, but she revealed nothing.
“Because I know it.” She drew in a shaking breath. “The goddess Ilina came to me. She showed me my fate. It will be quick.” Her composure crumbled as she folded over the table. “Painless.” The sob that tore through her echoed inside my chest.
I pushed her chair back and wrapped my arms around her. “No. No, we will not accept that. Your empire needs you. I need you. We will fight the Fates.”
“My love…” She leaned into me, quiet and devastatingly certain. “I have already accepted it. It is what fate demands. It is the price to be paid.”
“That cannot be the price,” I whispered fiercely. “I will bring you back. I will tear apart every path the gods have laid until I find the one that leads you back to me.”
“You cannot.” Her eyes found mine, eyes that always saw more than she ever told me. “My death will be final.”
“I will bring you back,” I said again, gripping her hands as though I could anchor her to this world by will alone. “Our love is stronger than death.”