him into it,” the young princess replied. On one hand, I was amazed by the firm hold she had on me. On the other hand, I was still very much terrified. Sissa focused, her gaze locked on mine, and I felt pressure gathering somewhere in the back of my neck. “Stand up.”
I had no choice. Jumping to my feet, I took a deep breath. My body was not mine. My will was gone. I was defenseless, hers to do with as she pleased. I tried to imagine what this sort of power could do in a war. The Spirit Bender on his own had been terrifying enough, but the soul fae didn’t even need to touch me in order to control me.
“Holy crap,” I whispered.
Unending didn’t move a muscle. She didn’t take her eyes off me, either.
“Bow before me,” Sissa said.
I bowed, astonished by how easy it was for her to do this to me. “This is unbelievable,” I replied. “I’d thought Spirit was a force to be reckoned with. Whew…”
“Enough,” Unending cut in, looking at Sissa. “Please, let him go.”
Joy laughed. “Scared she might damage your boy toy? Imagine what any one of these soul fae could do to you or the other Reapers.”
“Tristan is my husband. He deserves more respect,” Unending shot back.
“You’re a Reaper. You shouldn’t even be married.” Joy sighed, shaking her head slowly. Sissa listened to my wife’s demand, and I felt her hand letting go of my soul. Freedom seemed like mere seconds away, within inches of my grasp. I let out a heavy breath just as the last of Sissa’s spiritual tendrils left my body, and I couldn’t stop a smile from taking over my face.
“There. I am sorry if it felt… invasive,” Sissa told me, lowering her gaze.
I took her hands in mine in a gesture of goodwill and bowed once more, this time of my own accord. “Not at all, Your Highness. It is truly an incredible gift you have.”
Sitting back next to Unending, I welcomed her arms around my neck as she glued herself to me and covered my cheek and temple with soft kisses. “Are you okay?” Her mind spoke to mine. I gave her a faint nod. She looked at Joy. “The world changes. The rules evolve. Two of my fellow First Tenners are an item, bound forever by the golden thread of love. There are three couples I know of, personally. It is rare among us for love to find a way, but it does. I’m sorry you have never had the chance to experience that for yourself.”
Sissa sat next to her father. Joy couldn’t bear to look at us. It didn’t take me long to figure it out. “You were in love,” I said. “Weren’t you?”
“You’re talking nonsense,” the Reaper muttered. She wasn’t trying too hard to deny it, but it’s difficult to hide a broken heart, regardless of one’s living status. Her kind had already proven they were capable of profound and complex emotions.
“Oh, dear. You’re right,” Unending told me. “Spirit. Or am I not even close?”
Joy got up, cursing under her breath. She put a hand to her chest and pulled out a shimmering gold chain, its last link broken. “No, no, you’re onto something,” the Reaper grumbled. “And this is what he left me with.”
The chain looked just like the one that Unending and I shared, only Joy’s was broken. I had never seen a broken chain before, but I knew what it meant—it was the sign of a shattered heart. A love that only she felt, unrequited and empty.
“This could only form if the love, the bond itself, was mutual,” Unending said, staring at the golden links. “You and Spirit were once a couple. A true pair of souls…”
“Yes. And then he left, and the chain broke one day. He’d fallen for someone else, I suppose. If you thought Reaper couples are rare, I’m guessing Reapers falling out of love with someone is some kind of rainbow unicorn. He came back, but I already knew he was looking to use me again, so I sent him away, and not with the kindest words. All I have to remember him by is this,” Joy said, then walked off into the night. I watched her figure disappear between the white stone igloos, the orchids swaying in the evening breeze.
“It’s a delicate subject, I suppose.” Unending sighed.
Loren waved the concern away. “She’ll get over it. More than once, we’ve talked about it. About the love