After passing by several open archways in their hallway, they came around to an actual door with its polished wood painted in green. It opened to a small single bedroom adorned with heavy draperies and thick rugs. Sul'ahvi slept on a bed peacefully, his bald head tilted to the side looking like someone who was free of stress and troubles.

Na'reem entered the room first bringing a fresh pot of coffee, putting it on a small table besides the bed with a glass of fresh water. "It's morning time, big brother. Time to wake."

He didn't budge. The dimmed glow of blue lights touching his face with no visceral reaction.

River sat on bedside, watching Sul’ahvi sleep peacefully. "Hopeless.”

Me’ren humphed, “You tell me.”

“I meant that is what he is feeling right now.”

There was a wealth of derision behind his tone. "How do you know about that?”

She ignored him. “I feel it. It’s funny I can usually gauge people’s emotions really well by looking at them. Recently, that's changed. I don't need to see them to know how they feel. It's ridiculously affecting my mood and I don't know how to manage it.”

Na’reem rested a hand on her shoulder, “It’s the snow tribe prince. Emotions are symptoms of a soul and it's within his power to use it. You should talk to him about it. Let him know his powers are extending to you.”

“What do you know of him?”

“I’ve seen his death. Both of us did. But he isn’t the Maksim Descansos we know. He comes with you, teh? From another universe. I surmise his powers are the same here no matter where he comes from, it should be extending to you. After all, didn’t you call him your husband?”

The marriage, she thought. “Yes, we ate this fruit together. Ever since then, I’ve felt this invisible bond tying him to me like he is..”

“Yours, I imagine?” said Na'reem, tucking his brother Sul'ahvi snug under his blankets.

“Yeah, it’s crazy isn’t it? I didn't know I could feel so connected to someone else.”

He shook his head, “Marriages are insane. Two families, two sides, two generations coming together. It’s a phenomenon asking for chaos. I imagine your husband would be experiencing some of your powers.”

Her memories. “He said he had dreams about me, about my memories. I wish he didn’t. It doesn’t paint a good picture of me.”

"Doesn’t everybody?” Me’ren sighed, pushing off the wall to walk over in front of her, looked down and waited to catch her attention. “None of us are spared from a bad past. Get over it.”

“Me’ren.” His brother warned.

"She needs to know the gravity of what it takes to become a behagthi. What it might mean to us." Me’ren tucked a curled finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze “Sacrifices will be made, behagthi. Make no doubt of that. To deny your responsibility by trolling around the wildland streets, searching for food is indignified to those deaths who have come before you. Your destiny is to—“

“That’s where you’re wrong.” She pushed up to her feet, the dominating size of him only infuriated her further. Especially when he looked down at her under his nose. “I may wish to contribute, and help as that is the principle from which I was brought up by my grandmother: helping in any way you can. Simple. But guess the fuck what oracle? My grandfather taught me better. So you don’t get to ask me, demand of me, and control the narrative to which I rule my own life. My destiny is mine, and mine alone. I get to choose, I get to say how or when at the end of the day because it’s my fucking life. Don’t demand of me to make sacrifices, Me’ren. You have no idea the kind of sacrifices I already made in my past, the kind of life I led in order to become free and confident like I am now.”

He straightened his back, further looking down on her under his lashes.

She pointed a finger at him. “I don’t know you, or how you treat other tribespeople, but you if treat them this badly and think you can do the same to me then you have got another thing, oracle.”

He sneered, fangs flashing “You call me by my name. It's Me'ren.” He growled his name so close to her it felt like rough silk brushing across her skin.

She shuddered. “I’ll call you by your name once you stop putting me to place— to a fucking objectified designation like a behagthi and start calling me like you would to any other tribespeople.”

Fury masked his features. And he spared no moment warning her of what he would do next. “I call it like it is. You are madness incarnate.” He grabbed her head with both hands, caging her in place. His pressing fingers tightened like claws biting down to her scalp. The sheer strength of him matching the storm that crossed his face before he pulled away, letting go and taking a few steps back. The moment he did, a tightening pressure left within her mind and she hadn’t noticed it. Not until it moved off, freeing her from a thrumming tension she hadn’t noticed before. It left her several pounds lighter like a great weight had just pulled free.

Intuition struck her hard in the next second. He did something wrong. No, he took. She can feel it. Knew it in her bones. That an oracle of the past couldn’t have just held her mind between his hands and do just that for shits and giggles. She had a bad feeling that it was an infiltration. Vella Kiniste Mue. But what he did was entirely one-sided.

Well, the asshole had another thing coming for him.

She lunged towards him, as a new power overtook her. Hot intensifying flares of blazing fire pouring over her like rain, warming deep in her bones, consuming her with red-hot fire rage.

Her body moved out of its own accord, bent her knees and hopped up to grab the back of his neck with both hands until she pulled him down with her. Behind him, she saw a giant shadow of wings unfurling from their combined shadows.

Like a lightning strike, an urgent compulsion bloomed through her, powerful enough to steal one’s own willpower. Her hands moved to his cheeks, cupping his bristled jaws. She whispered to him, “Vella Kiniste Mue.”

Right then, she felt the wings of a bird took flight within her, shooting up a breeze. There was no warning, no preparation. One second she was seeing the world with her own eyes, and the next it was with Me’ren’s.

His mind shuttered close, pulling away from her hold and she let go of him. But a part of her didn’t like that. A hidden lucid part inside her grew crazed in possessive passion, roaring for domination. It sent pulses of tension under her skin, her fingers itching to annihilate, conquer, possess. An animalistic force was taking over. This time it was dark, cunning and built for high-octane brawn. It slammed against the shields of Me’ren’s mind like a jackhammer.

Na’reem pulled her away in sharp tug. “What are you doing? Stop it!” He shook her.

Suddenly, the three animals crawling under her skin dissipated their hold on her body. In their wake of disappearance, it left unbearable pain.

Fuck.

She doubled-over, clutching her stomach. She tried breathing through gritted teeth but waves of pain washed over, stealing every reserves of strength. She had little awareness of dropping to the ground. When she blinked her eyes open, Na’reem was already kneeling and holding her in his arms.

He caught a meaningful glance at Me’ren, “Tell me that isn’t what I think it is.”

Me’ren’s signature scowl turned into livid annoyance. “Foolish behagthi. Between eating crates of devil’s fruit and last night, since when did you get the fucking time to kill our dark majesty?”

Her breathing turned rugged and rough like sandpaper on her throat. Flames burning inside her lungs. Crashing waves of pain felt like her very insides were turning over, switching to new positions. “Fuck off. I do what I like.” The words left her mouth in a wheeze.

Me’ren’s scowl deepened, “We’re taking you to El’rra. Don’t you dare sic your animals on her. I’ll crush your throat myself if you do. Divine consequences be damned.”

That caught her inner bear’s attention. It roared and tried to swipe for dominance, exerting full control of her body.

What the fuck.

It didn’t like the woman’s name in Me’ren’s lips.

Before she could stop herself “Who the fuck is El’rra?”s