Chapter 8

BPOV

"Do you know when every soul is coming? Aren't thousands of people dying every day? How—"

I took a chance, slipping my hand into his. He glanced down at our entwined fingers, but didn't protest. Instead, he gave my fingers a light squeeze and my heart skipped a beat.

I grinned up at him. "One question at a time, love."

"Of course. I apologize. Do you know when every soul is coming?"

"Aye, I do. As you witnessed, though, sometimes they're early or late. But, Edward,what you saw is a rare occurrence. I figured out long ago that I am this way,"—I gestured to my body—"because we deal with a lot of dark and deranged souls...men and women who have done the unthinkable. It's why you must listen to me while you're here. The woman you saw today, she was pure. She wouldn't hurt you… she couldn't hurt you. But these other souls… they come refusing to pass on and they put up a fight. They know they are damned."

His eyes were wide, and I feared I had said too much. But with the next words that fell from his lips, I felt a light blush rise on my cheeks.

He slipped two fingers under my chin, lifting my gaze to meet his. "Are you safe though, Isabella? When they get out of hand, who takes care of you?"

I looked up at him through my lashes. "It's kind of you to worry, Edward. My men are quite helpful. As are the creatures below deck."

He glanced down at his feet, his brow scrunching. "Creatures?"

"Erinyes—they are creatures which are concerned with nothing but the vengeance of those who have murdered, raped, or committed some other sort of heinous crime. Their only purpose is to inflict pain and torture."

I glanced at him once more. The fear was evident in the green eyes that I fell in love with so long ago. "Now I've definitely told you too much. I'm causing you to worry. 'Tis nothing for you to concern yourself with., you're safe as long as you obey my orders when I give them. Do you trust me, Edward?"

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "I do, more than is probably wise."

I knew he was teasing me, and my heart once again fluttered in my chest.

I had promised him that I would stay out of his mind, but my curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to know if he truly did trust me. But once I opened myself to his mind, I was met with an onslaught of thoughts. It was all so loud and going so quickly.

They were a mixture of questions, fears, and desires. His confusion was palpable, but his trust was ...—that was unwavering.

For the first time in a very long while, I felt something that I had not in many years; —hope.

I now had hope that his trust would continue to blossom into something more. That in time, his soul would break through his consciousness and he'd finally see me, his Isabella.

I closed my mind to his, once again giving him his privacy.

"What other questions do you have for me?"

He hesitated, running his hand that wasn't linked with mine along the ship's railing. "May I ask you a question about yourself?"

"Aye, you may. But it'll do you well to continue to remember that I might not be able to answer. I'm a bit tired of you getting frustrated and snippy with me. I understand that you've been brought up constantly getting your way—"

He at least had the decency to look properly chastised. "I apologize for my recent behaviors. I admit that I still have some growing to do, I've been sheltered all my life. They kept me under strict watch back in Estington. It was as though they expected someone to steal me away. I'm still unsure how I outsmarted my guards, but I am glad that I did." His thumb brushed along my knuckles and I did my best to not swoon at the touch.

I took a breath, calming my racing heart. "I'd have to say that I'm glad you did as well. Now ask your question, and I'll see if I have an answer."

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

He cocked his head to the side, seeming to study my features, to see if I was lying. "If you are,"—he gestured toward me—"whatever you say you are, just how long have you been eighteen?"

"Quite some time."

"How long, Isabella?" he demanded.

"What did I just say to you mere moments ago about accepting the answers that I give you and to not press for more?"

As he stared at me, his eyes blazed with fire. "It's obvious that you can answer this question, you are just choosing not to. I am here, out at sea, surrounded by angels, demons, and apparently Erinyes. I am witnessing death and despair; the most you can do is tell me your true age!"

I stood taller, never taking my gaze from his heated one. A sense of sadness mixed with anger suddenly washed over me, and my emotions got the better of me. "Are you certain that you truly want to know? Is my age and the misery that I've had to bear over centuries that important to you? You can't just accept that physically I am eighteen years of age? You want to know just how long I've searched for—" I gasped as an excruciating pain shot through me, a shrill scream bursting past my lips. I had said too much.

I feared that now I would be pulled from the earth, never having been able to be with my Anthony again.

It was just like that night so many years ago. I could only describe it as feeling as though I was being burned from the inside out.

As the world around me went dark, the last thing I heard was Edward yelling my name and calling out for help.