Chapter 13: Did I Accuse the Wrong Person?

For a moment, Arisen just stares at me in shock. Then his shock turns to anger as he turns away from me and swims to the shore. He pulls himself out of the water and pulls on his pants, still dripping with water.

“Ari?” I ask. Fear threatens to choke me as I watch him pace on the mossy bank, muttering under his breath.

He suddenly spins around to face me, rage burning in his eyes. “Are you trying to turn me against my brother?” he snarls. “He warned me that you might. I didn’t want to believe him.”

Hurt sears through me, turning to anger as I wade through the water until I reach the edge. I hoist myself up onto the grass, too upset to care that I’m half naked as I stomp towards the bench. I quickly dress myself before facing my soulmate. “You’d believe your brother over me?” I demand, unable to keep the hurt from my tone.

He glares at me. “I grew up with my brother,” he snaps. “He’s my brother. I barely know you. Why would he lie to me?”

“To drive a wedge between us! He wants control, Ari. He wants a war so he can seize power.”

“How dare you,” Arisen whispers menacingly. “I thought we were just starting something. I thought we were finally connecting. Then you go and ruin it by trying to turn me against my brother. I should have known this was too good to be true.”

I suck in a breath as pain stabs my chest. “Ari,” I say softly. “You need to see how evil he is. He’s trying to turn you against me.”

Arisen shakes his head. “I’ve heard enough,” he says harshly. “I can’t be around you right now.” He spins on his heel and disappears through the trees before I can protest.

I’m rooted to the spot, wondering what just happened. I don’t even realize I’m crying until I taste the saltiness on my lips. With a sniff, I wipe the remaining moisture from my face and head back towards the house. If my soulmate won’t believe me, I’ll just have to find some proof. Maybe Gabriel will help me.

Arisen is nowhere to be found when I reach the house, but Azriel is on the porch, leaning against the wooden door frame.

“What did you say to my brother?” he demands.

I pause, taking him in. Surprisingly, he seems genuinely concerned. “Nothing,” I finally answer.

His eyes narrow. “He didn’t seem fine when he came storming through the house a few minutes ago,” he snaps. “What did you say to him?!”

I take a small step towards him. I have no idea what causes me to open my big mouth. Maybe it’s because my emotions are already running high and I’m just so tired of everything, but suddenly I can’t keep silent anymore. “What’s your endgame here, Azriel?” I question. “What’s your goal in turning your brother against me? Why are you killing innocent humans?”

Either Azriel is an amazing actor, or I’ve got it all wrong, but his eyebrows scrunch in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?” he asks.

I roll my eyes, refusing to give up my line of questioning. “I saw you burning the necklace,” I state. “You might have your brother fooled, but I’m not as easy. So just tell me what you’ll gain from this.”

His eyes narrow as he straightens up. “You’re delusional, human,” he scoffs.

I raise an eyebrow. “We both know I’m not human.”

“Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot here,” he sighs. “But I’m not killing humans or turning anyone against anyone. The necklace I was burning belonged to someone who used to be special to me.”

I hesitate, unsure what to believe. Could I have gotten it all wrong? “Who was the someone special?” I ask.

Azriel stares at me for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and sitting on the porch swing. “Her name was Carlita,” he begins. “She was basically you. She was my soulmate. I loved her very much.” He gets a faraway look in his eyes.

I sit next to him and hesitantly place a hand on his shoulder. “What happened to her?” I ask quietly.

“She died,” he replies in a dull tone. “In the Great War. She was a warrior. An amazing fighter. Her specialty was being a chameleon. She was very good at infiltrating the enemy. The Mad King discovered her. He publicly executed her and sent us her head. I swore I would never love again.” He turns to me with gut-wrenching sadness in his gaze. “That’s why I wasn’t sure about you when you became my brother’s bond. He’s the only one I truly love. He’s the only one I owe any loyalty to. I won’t let anyone distract him.”

“So, you did try to turn him against me,” I murmur, retracting my hand. “Azriel, I could never distract your brother.”

“A soulmate is a weakness,” Azriel answers darkly. “I know better than anyone.” He stands and strolls away without another word.

I sit on the swing for a few more minutes, trying to process what I just heard. Azriel’s behavior makes a lot more sense now. Maybe he’s perfectly innocent and I’ve been focusing on the wrong person. I head into the house and make my way to the kitchen, feeling suddenly hungry. I’m surprised to find Jaime standing beside Gabriel, making sandwiches. I catch the longing looks my best friend shoots the Celestial every few seconds. This could become a disaster. I clear my throat, causing Jaime to jump. He shoots me a glare.

“We were in the middle of something,” he snarls.

I chuckle. “Sorry to interrupt,” I tease, loving the way he blushes. “I just came to grab something to eat.”

“Help yourself to anything in the kitchen,” Gabriel tells me.

“Have you seen Arisen at all?” I ask. I open the refrigerator and pull out a bag of baby carrots to snack on.

Gabriel shrugs. “Not since earlier at the beach,” he answers. “How did the talk go?”

“Not so good. We might have gotten things wrong.”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I don’t think Azriel is guilty.”

“How can he not be? What about the necklace you saw him burn?”

“He explained that to me,” I say. “And I never actually saw if the female victim had a necklace.”

Gabriel scoffs. “You believe his explanation?”

I turn from the fridge and study Gabriel. His face is lined with tension. “I do,” I say slowly.

Gabriel throws his hands up in frustration. “Now he has you falling for his charm,” he snaps. “I guess I need to take matters into my own hands.” He storms from the room, leaving behind his half-made sandwich.

“What the hell was that about?” Jaime demands.

“No idea,” I answer with a frown. I glance at my best friend, suddenly concerned about him. “I saw the look you were giving Gabriel. What’s that about?”

Jaime’s blush deepens as he shrugs. “Nothing.”

I sigh. “You know he has a mate, right? And a son, a very cute son.”

“They aren’t soulmates,” Jaime blurts.

I raise an eyebrow. “What?”

Jaime lets out a small groan. “I promised Gabriel I wouldn’t say anything, but he told me they were chosen mates,” he explains. “They believed they’d never find their mates so they became lovers and their son was the result.”

“Okay, so they might not be fated mates, but they obviously still love each other,” I protest. “Do you really want to come between them?”

Jaime throws up his hands in frustration. “What do you want me to do?”

he snaps. “I’m pretty sure he’s my mate.”

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. That changes everything. My heart suddenly aches for my best friend. This won’t be an easy road for him. “I’m sorry, Jaime,” I sigh. “I don’t know much myself about the soul bond when I haven’t fully accepted mine yet, but what I do know is that it is sacred and your fated mate becomes your world.”

Jaime nods and blinks away tears. “I feel our connection already,” he mumbles. “He told me he had to talk to his chosen mate first. There won’t be a future for us, Sam.”

I pull him into my arms and hug him tightly. “If being on this island with my ancestry finally being revealed has taught me anything, it’s that we make our own destiny and we have to fight for the future we want. If Gabriel is your mate, then fight for him and fight for your happiness.” I open the fridge again and rummage through it. “I wish I could stay and talk to you more about this, but I really need to find Ari because something isn’t right here with Azriel and the way your mate reacted worries me too.” I shoot him a tight smile.

Grabbing the bag of carrots, I head for the one place I can think of. I find him sprawled out on the bed I woke up in when we first arrived on the island. A thick book is in his hand, but he isn’t really reading it. His gaze snaps to me when I enter the room.

“Hi,” I say softly.

He places the book on the comforter next to him. “Hi,” he answers just as softly. “I’m sorry. I never should have snapped at you like that. You’re my soulmate. You would never drive a wedge between me and my brother for no reason. Forgive me?”

“Always,” I respond. “But I was wrong too. I made assumptions about your brother without really knowing him. I’m sorry. He told me about Carlita.”

Arisen raises a surprised eyebrow. “He never speaks of her,” he says. “He must trust you. Carlita was perfect for him in every way. Her death broke him. He’s never been the same since.”

“I still don’t know you very well, but I couldn’t imagine losing you,” I whisper. “It would destroy me.”

“I feel the same way.” Arisen slides off the bed and steps close to me, pulling me against his body.

I press my ear against his chest, listening to his soothing heartbeat. “We need to find the murderer,” I mutter against his chest.

“We will,” he assures me. “We’ll investigate more tomorrow. For now, let’s relax. We could both use it.” He pulls me to bed and we both lay down, side by side with our fingers laced together.

“Tell me a little about you,” I say. “Maybe tell me about your family. Are your parents still alive?”

“No,” Arisen sighs. “Our parents died during the Great War. They were warriors who fought on the wrong side. We fought against them, for the humans. The Celestial farmer who became the king after the war took us in and raised us as his sons. We were born during the Great War. We were raised as warriors, trained at young ages, and forced to fight when we were only twelve years old. By the time we were fourteen, we knew we were on the wrong side of history, so we switched sides and moved up in the ranks. We were sixteen when we became generals and led our own troops. The new king had no children of his own, so he took us in and named me his heir. He disappeared when I was eighteen and we haven’t seen him since. We still have no idea what happened to him. That was a few thousand years ago.”

“Wow,” I breathe. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“I can’t believe you’re a Celestial,” Arisen chuckles lightly. “Although I suppose it makes sense. I’ve never heard of a Celestial mating a human, although I don’t think it’s impossible.”

“I just wish I could talk to my mom,” I mutter. “And maybe ask her why she kept me hidden.”

“One day you’ll get to see her again.”

We lapse into silence and just listen to each other breathe. His steady breathing lulls me into a state of hypnosis. I can’t tell if I’m sleeping or awake, but I’m no longer on the bed beside my soulmate. I’m in a gorgeous meadow.

The sun shines, giving off a gentle, warm glow. A breeze rustles my loose clothing and moves my short hair around my head. I run my fingers across the grass, delighting in the soft velvety feeling. Am I dreaming?

“Samara,” a familiar voice whispers.

Tears prick my eyes as I slowly turn around to face the woman who left me at a young age. “Mama?” I choke out.

She smiles, looking as young and beautiful as she did before she died. “My sweet girl,” she says in a voice like honey. “You’ve grown up. You made a wish and we answered it. I’m here now.”