Page 87 of Judge of Saints and Sinners

“Justine? But she said…”

“She said that as long as her parents were safe, then she would serve him.”

I scrubbed at my face, my eyes burning as I stared at her soft glow, her form becoming less and less distinct as she stepped away. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I know exactly what I’m asking. Love is sacrifice. Her parents sacrificed themselves to keep her safe once… They would never want to live like this again.”

“I understand.”

Her form halted. “I’m quite proud of you, Nephesh. I always knew that you would love harder than all of them.”

“What? Why?”

“Because unlike the others, you understand what it can mean to lose that love.”

“Mother…please.”

But then she was gone and the pounding in my head was coming back again, pulling me from my sleep and back into the world of the living. This time when Shane started in on me with more questions about entry into the Underworld, I kept my eyes on the door, waiting, knowing that however it had happened, my mother had already been here.

She might still be here.

And I needed to warn my father.

Soon. The livelihood of the Underworld depended on it. Because not only was she our queen, but she was maker and ruler of the land too. And the one person who would know exactly how to bring my father and my brothers to heel.

I could only hope she hadn’t told them yet.

***

Justine

“I think we’ve deduced that your magic is quite a bit different than mine.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” I said, patting the tiny flame that had ignited along the edge of my bedspread. “Yours does what you want it to, and mine does not.”

Faye was eyeing my movements suspiciously, avoiding the sparks that continued to issue off of the flame. “I was trained for years and was taught control first and foremost. Your magic is a bit like your mate, I think, fiery and foul-tempered.”

“He’s not like that all the time.” I glanced sideways at her. “Are you going to tell me whose soul you carry?”

“Frankly, I’m not completely sure. The Drude is aware that the Dream Realm’s Lord has found his mate and she is his soul bound. You are with Nephesh. That leaves only a few others.”

The flame was out now, and I quickly rotated my bedcovers so that the charred edge was hidden in the bottom corner of my mattress. At least if someone came in, they wouldn’t immediately see the burned edge. “And you don’t want to know?”

Faye was looking at her nails as if they genuinely interested her. But I knew it was a front. In the past few days living with this girl twenty-four-seven, the one thing I could say for certain was that she was always watching. “From what we can tell, carrying their souls makes us uniquely interested in them. That they are our perfect match.”

“Okay…so what’s the problem?” I flopped across the floor, picking at a loose thread on my shirt.

“That can never happen for me.”

“Why not?”

“Because the Drude would use it against him.”

“You’re sure?”

She nodded, looking away. “He wants you too. He thinks he can convince you to find my soul bound and then somehow act as bait. To pull them in so he can take them.”

I shivered as I thought of the plan. Nephesh had said his family had welcomed Arafel’s mate into their fold with no doubts. Would they do the same with me, only for me to turn around and destroy everything?