Shattered by the Sea Lord - Starla Night Page 0,18
in her heart. “He brought peach roses to our first performance.”
“And these roses caused your knowing?”
“No, that was just nice.”
“You knew Eliot was your soul mate because he was nice?”
“Oh, the feeling had been building long before the roses. But I finally said yes to our first date.”
“So you knew before? How did you know?”
She frowned. Her soul light fluctuated like crazy, burning bright and then darkening to black before creeping back to near-normal again. “I just…I was a different person back then. When I fell in love, it was with my heart wide open, fully embracing my bliss. And now…well. That girl died with Eliot. Sadly.”
Frustration curled beneath his impatient fingers.
How did you know, with your limited human senses, that your husband was your soul mate?
Her answers did not fit the question.
When Gailen could not properly introduce himself for the dating video, Ciran had stepped in to bridge the gap of understanding. Who could step in for him?
“I was so young,” she continued as if age mattered at all. “So carefree and easy. I had no driving mission, no idea of what the world needed from me. No idea of what could happen when you make another person your whole world.”
Dannika leaned forward and rested her hand on his knee. “And that’s why I want you to meet a woman who will love you like I loved Eliot.”
Frustration seethed. “You are that same woman.”
“I’m not, though.” She patted his knee, then rested her palm more completely on the hard muscle. “That’s what this all comes down to. I want you to be effortlessly happy with a woman who will love you whole heartedly. A woman who is unburdened by life’s tragedies. If I could give you anything, Ciran, I’d give you effortless, whole-hearted true love.”
She leaned back. Her hand slipped away again.
He caught her hand. “I do not want an effortless love.”
“You don’t know that.” She twisted and switched so she was holding his hand in both of hers and traced the lines of his palm. “Your heart line is long. That means you can’t see the future.”
“But I can see our souls.”
“Other warriors have made mistakes.”
“And other warriors have been overwhelmed by the surface world. They’ve sought to anchor themselves to any bright-souled human.”
“So I might anchor you—”
“You,” he pressed her palm to his chest, “are my anchor. You are also my star, my love, and the female I want in my life.”
Her chest glowed and her cheeks flushed. Her eyes watered and she licked her lips. “Don’t.”
“I want you as the mother of our young fry.”
“Ciran.”
“Only you, Dannika. This is not a sudden declaration. I have watched you. You are loving, kind, and wise. You will be a great mother to our young fry.”
“My life is flashing before my eyes…” She hardened herself and pulled away. “And so are many other things. Whew!” She fanned herself. “Hot flashes. I’m probably entering early menopause. Then I couldn’t even have kids, and you would be so sorry.”
“If you cannot have young fry, the Life Tree will heal you as it has healed others.”
She shook her head at him, then tried again. “I want you to have a happy life. Just not with me. Because no matter what you say, Eliot was my soul mate, and now he’s gone. And that’s it for me. I had my greatest love, and it’s over. Forever.”
This was the crux for her.
“Dannika.” He rested both palms on top of hers. The hard metal band pressed into his hand. “Your husband was a good man. I do not doubt you were soul mates. If he were still here, I would not be. Your soul would resonate for him and him only.”
Moisture shimmered in her eyes. She swallowed hard and sniffed. “I don’t know why I’m so affected. You’re only repeating what I’ve been saying.”
“Because it is validating for another to affirm you are right. And you are. I do not argue with your love.”
She sniffed. “But?”
“Yes. But.” He squeezed her hands. “Eliot has passed into the blacknight sea, where the males gone before him eternally sing of his honors. And you are here. On the surface.” He pressed both palms to his chest again. “Your soul resonates with mine. It does not matter what you or I want. This is what is.”
She swallowed again. “But why?”
“I do not know.”
She choked and sniffed. “You seem to know everything else.”
“No. But I do know that every moment you deny our connection, your soul darkens. Every time you