MY SOULMATE

istian asked, as if I were the

ted, taken aback by the h

replied, picking up the fabric draped around

n," I said, hoping that using h

to hide who I really am," he said crossly as he stepped down from

stianus. I just call y

ay that so that I'd tell you everything I know about everything. I admit you're a cute specimen, probably the best they could

tering it as if it were the

e of my head and forced me to meet his gaze. "That's nice. If you're my wife, you should know all sorts of intimate things about me that

allenging him. "You

along his teeth menacingly. "A lot of

blurted out, wondering if I

his sarong. "Are you saying that if we go through those doors, we'll be in

replied

s in the first chamber an

e. He stood, gaping at the red fore

before he covered it with his t

," I said, patting him on the

r seen the color before. "You must have been

ving me your heart? You've

sion of me that was in the first room. Not the king... it was a different version... a different par

asked, recognizing the way Christ

asleep. I don't know how long ago that was o

y n

t doesn't consult the heart about. It was like that. I was sent here to sta

adly. "Are y

. "Of course I'm not the heart.

red here. That's concerning. Not only should you be near death with your forest so intense

is it supp

breathed as if his world we

anything t

ls matter, so I can't control the red forest." Then he turned hi

blood-filled moat in front of us. I hiked up my skirt, a

rt. I didn't know you'd done it. I woke up one morning and knew I'd had surgery, but nothing else. I was complete

must have thought it was worth it... like loving you was the last thing I'd do. Tell me the good parts. Tell me about the mom

ither of those things

believable. Am I no good in bed without this part of me?" he asked himself, looking down at his distinctive torso. "One wouldn't think lo

asons why," I said, feel

arated often

odd

chains f

hand cut off

get i

ndon has it. Though I have to say, I'm willing to cut one off him if we can't get your

y at

es for me to think of him pleas

d, looking at me like he

shed he would look at me all those

to me, watching me, but now, for the first time, there was a t

ped it off my hands and stopped his pacing by sidling up beside him. "Who are y

ratorially. "Let

d the room with the

d the king's hand and let it dro

aining rooms. I followed him, observing as he pushed the version of Christian with the words written on his skin in the third room and made him twirl over the pool of water. Th

ink happened?"

led myself,"

. "I thought yo

this to myself intentionally. I fragmented myself to save something more important than me. The reward must have been great." He paused. "It was this one. This is th

oom. I had already tried everything I could think of. Granted, that hadn

said he was near death. "All this trouble doesn't h

This mess has to do with deliberately severing thousands of years of experience, losing abilities that were once as natural as breathing, and deliberately leaning t

hristian said meant that just because someone was immortal now, that didn't mean they would be tomorr

er Christian was, he wasn

idges within you. You said that was the only way you could move fo

heavily, c

t thing you rem

t I know about myself is patchy. I'm not the repository

Can you tell m

atching glints in his eyes and teeth. "

t him. "Li

t a god. It just means I don't know him. Gods and goddesses emerge from time to time. Sometimes they don't handle it w

"The Christian I know is always on the run, hiding, lyi

ll those times he'd been forced to school his abilities, not let his love for

Are you saying I might be a god

other. They do that in a futile attempt to mimic our wedding. I didn't just give you whatever possessions I have. I gave you the gi

ought I wasn't supposed

ned me, and thus, our union couldn't have

odd

might not have severed my ability to control matter in one go. I might hav

y stones were r

lly as if he had realized someth

Great

." Then he returned to the previous topic. "The reason I might have chosen to split my abilities into one hundr

ents on the periodic table? The

is world. With each of the stones you consumed, you gained the ability to manipulate that element at your will, just as you can move individual cells

second room. Once there, he lifted me onto the

htered for amusement.

usly. "Have you ever

ck. "I thought you d

, but the human version of you wi

n back into clouds at your command. You'll have eyes everywhere because the floorboards in a house will tell you everythi

head against his. "I'm afraid it mi