Ceris sat on the other side of the kitchen island, looking at me as if I was going to burst into flames at any second. Here was the only place in the apartment where Ceris hadn’t lit scented candles—probably because it already smelled of coffee and whatever else we were baking or cooking.

“What?” I asked her again.

“Nothing,” she answered again.

I wasn’t buying it. I reached for one of the sandwiches Keisha had made for dinner and left on a tray for us. Ceris took one too.

“Why are you babysitting me?”

“I’m not babysitting you.”

“Yes, you are.” I took a long drink of water. The cold drink washed down my throat, reinvigorating me. She thought I was going to let my emotions get the best of me—the emotions I was desperately trying to ignore. Oh my God, Micah was here! He was back! He had even spoken to me. He had stared at me. And I honestly didn’t know what to make of that. She thought I was going to explode on Micah, demanding he … what? I had no right to demand anything from him. I sighed. “Look, I won’t do anything stupid, okay?”

“What if I want you to do something stupid?” She took a bite out of her sandwich.

“W-what?”

She lifted a finger, asking me to wait while she finished chewing. After she swallowed, she said, “Well, you shot magic out of your hands when your emotions were high during a battle. Maybe being irritated with Mitrus and getting into a fight with him will trigger another response.”

I gaped at her. “You can’t be serious.”

“Why not? It seems like a good test.”

“You’re crazy.” I ate the last bite of my sandwich, grabbed my water, and marched out of the kitchen. I braced myself, expecting to see—and ignore—Micah again, but he wasn’t there. Neither was Victor.

Disappointment took hold of me and I gasped, startled by the emotions swirling in me. I shouldn’t feel disappointed. I should feel relieved.

Afraid of my own feelings, I rushed to my bedroom. It was too early to sleep though, so I immersed myself in the books spread across the floor. I had brought a few from the dining room the other night so I could read them in bed, but my mind wouldn’t cooperate. It kept drifting to the man—to the god—somewhere in this apartment.

In the past, Micah had pushed me away on certain occasions, and on others he had cornered me and wouldn’t leave me alone. We had kissed, then he left without any explanation, and he stayed away for three weeks.

Now he was back and I didn’t know what to make of it, of us, of him … of anything. Should I confront him like an abandoned girlfriend? Should I ignore him? Should I treat him like a regular friend or acquaintance? Or should I treat him like a god? Call him my lord and bow to him every time I was forced to speak to him?

I shut the book on my lap and let it slide to the floor. Why bother reading if I wasn’t actually paying attention to the words on the pages?

Perhaps it was too early, but I was exhausted. I was still tired from yesterday. Between the traveling, fighting, and the inexplicable magic, I felt drained. The shower and the sandwich had helped, but I really needed some peace and quiet. I hoped my body and mind were so tired I wouldn’t have any nightmares. It would be a first.

I changed my tank and jeans for a loose tee and sweatpants and slipped under the covers. I hugged Pinky, my little sister’s stuffed bunny, and closed my eyes, willing my thoughts to good things, which seemed like a hard task. In the world we lived in, nothing was good anymore. The only good things I could think of had been taken from me.

My family had been killed right in front of my eyes. My father, my mother, my little sister, and my two little brothers. And many years before that, my other brother had died. Then, a few weeks ago, I had killed Morgan.

How could I find any peace?

I rolled in my bed, thinking of a time when my family was alive, when we were happy together. I thought of my last birthday, when Micah took me to see them in the underworld. That brought a small smile to my lips.

Micah would never admit it, but he had a soft spot. Taking me to see my family, even if I couldn’t interact with them, had been the best present anyone could have given me. I wished he would take me there again. But I still hadn’t decided on a course of action—ignore him or treat him like an acquaintance—so that was out of the question.

Finally, my mind relaxed and I could feel the edge of sleep coming to take me.

The weirdest dream invaded my mind.

“Come on, I will show you,” a girl said. She smiled and her bright eyes twinkled. Her dark hair was pulled back into an intricate braid with white flowers woven into it. Her smile, her face … I had seen it before. “I think you’ll like him.”

I took a moment to situate myself. We stood behind some rocks on a hill, watching over a village on the vale. A village with houses made of poor wood and straw. Women dressed in simple gowns walked around with baskets full of clothes or bread. Men sported odd pants and shirts, thick belts and boots—and bows on their backs and daggers at their waists. The children played around them, most of them barefoot on the unpaved and uneven ground.

I looked at the girl beside me. She wore an elegant white dress, much like the ones Greek goddesses wore in modern depictions. Looking down at me, I noticed I wore the exact same dress, and my hair was pulled back in the exact same fashion.

“There he is.” She pointed to a man exiting one of the houses. Like the other men, he had a bow and quiver filled with arrows on his back and a dagger tucked in his belt. “Isn’t he handsome?” She sighed.

Yes, he was handsome. Not like Micah and Victor, but those two were gods. They were abnormally perfect. This man, the one this girl was showing me, was handsome in a natural and casual way.

“I know this is dangerous. I know I shouldn’t, but please try to understand.” Her eyes pleading, she grabbed my hand.

Like the script of a play had been downloaded into my brain, I finally understood what was happening in this crazy dream. This girl was my sister, my twin sister, my best friend. We weren’t supposed to be here, but she was in love with the man in the village and he was in love with her.

I was happy for her, but I also feared where this would lead. She wasn’t supposed to fall in love, not with someone like him. Not with a mortal.

The man stopped at the corner of a house on the east edge of the village, looked around, and then rushed up the hill.

“Come on,” the girl said, squeezing my hand. “He’ll be waiting for me.”

She set out running and my body jerked with her pull. I fell into step with her. Disbelief burned in my veins.

I took a long breath to calm down, then another. Then a third one, but this time it wasn’t to remain calm. It was to help me breathe easier. My vision blurred, and my legs wobbled. The burn spread, searing white hot in my limbs.

I fell on my knees.

“What is it?” the girl asked, kneeling in front of me.

My vision darkened and the pain exploded. I heard her calling me, but then she was gone.

I sat up on my bed, screaming my head off as the pain burned in my chest.

My bedroom door flew open and everyone in the apartment hovered over me.

“Nadine, what’s happening?” Ceris asked.

“What is it?” Keisha asked.

“Say something, darling.” That was Micah.

I closed my mouth and swallowed my scream. I would have snapped at him for calling me that, but I was afraid if I opened my mouth, I would only scream more.

I lay down again, fighting to breathe through the pain while everyone talked and asked questions at the same time. Their voices, their agitation, only made it worse. I gasped, taking in a lungful of air, but it came in hitches, hurting more than helping.

Would this pain, this burn ever go away? What if it didn’t? Maybe this pain was here to claim me, to take me. I didn’t want to die yet. I had to remain alive to fulfill the Soul Oath and bring my family back to life. If I died now, it all would have been in vain.

“Nadine, what is going on?” Ceris asked, her voice close. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”

I tried, but I couldn’t. I opened my mouth to tell her, but only whimpers came out.

She placed her hand on my chest and warmth seeped in, warmth much different from the burning in my body, warmth made of love, of life. After a few minutes, I was able to breathe again. The pain was still there, burning like a bitch, but at least I didn’t scream each time I opened my mouth.

“You healed me?” I croaked. It hurt to speak.

“Not really,” she said. “Healing isn’t one of my powers, but I passed good vibes on to you, hoping to dull the pain.”

“Are you still hurting?” Victor asked.

I nodded.

“What happened?” Micah asked. His eyes shone with concern. Or maybe it was something else. I was probably too tired and hurt to see anything clearly.

“I … I don’t know.” I took a deep breath. “I was having an odd dream. The pain started in the dream, and I woke up burning on the inside.”

“What dream?” Ceris asked.

“I don’t know. It was … odd. I was … it was a long time ago, like centuries ago, and I had a sister. A twin. She wanted to show me something, someone, but before we could get wherever she was taking me, the pain started. And I woke up.”

“With the pain,” Micah said.

I nodded, not looking at him. “With the pain.”

“How is it now?” Victor asked.

I closed my eyes and assessed it. “Still here, still burning, but I can breathe and speak through it now.”

Micah turned to Victor and Ceris. “Do we have something for this? A medicine, a potion?”

“I’m afraid without knowing what exactly is afflicting her, we could risk doing more harm,” Ceris said.

With gentle hands, Maho touched two fingers to my forehead and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

Moments later, his eyes snapped open and he looked down at me. “The pain is magical.”

“W-what?”

“Magical pain?” Victor asked, staring at me as if I were a lab rat again.

Micah crossed his arms. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not physical pain,” Maho said. “There’s nothing wrong with her. It’s pure magic.”

“So now there’s magic in her?”

He nodded. “Yes, but it’s not hers.”

What did that even mean?

“Is there anything we can do for that?” Micah asked, his eyes hard on Maho.

The red-haired man shook his head. “Not right now. Maybe a healer could lessen the pain.”

“Do you know where to find a healer?” Micah asked Ceris.

“No, but I can search for one,” she said, her tone indicating she didn’t really want to go.

“It’s okay,” I said, closing my eyes. “It’s slowly diminishing. I just want to rest now.”

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel their gazes on me. And I heard whispering. They were talking, planning in hushed tones.

“Someone should stay with her,” Micah said, his voice low.

“I’ll do it,” Keisha said. Thank God. If Micah had proposed to stay, I would have screamed some more. “I’ll stay here with her.”

Keisha exited the bedroom with the others. When I opened my eyes, Micah stood under the doorjamb, looking at me with worry in his eyes. With a grunt, I rolled on my side and gave him my back.

“Excuse me, my lord,” Keisha said.

I spied over my shoulder as Micah retreated from the bedroom and Keisha entered with a sleeping bag. She closed the door behind him and then sat by my bed.

“You don’t need to stay,” I said. “I’m sure I would scream again if it got worse.”

She chuckled, though it wasn’t an amused tone. “I know, but I want to.”

“Why?”

She lifted one shoulder. “It just feels right.”

I passed my pillow to her. “At least try to get some rest too.”

She smiled. “Will do.”

I tucked my hands under my head and closed my eyes. Hopefully, the pain would lessen and I would be able to sleep—nightmare or crazy dreams free.