“I never hurt Broni. We used each other for sex, and I never lied to her. As a mother, I can understand you want Broni’s happiness, but I don’t love her.”
Rhys thought his bluntness would have fueled Fate’s fury, instead with cruel detachment, she spoke,“You are not the one I want to love my daughter, Rhys. Why would I? You are weak. You have without any evidence or reason tried to blame Broni for the death of your family, and if that wasn’t enough, you placed the blame on her shoulders for you being unable to spend the afterlife with them. Well, it is past time you learned the truth.
“Broni tried to tell you several times—it wasIwho prevented you from being at home when they were murdered. Let me leave no doubt in your mind, not only would you not have saved them, you would have died. And if you had died with them, you still would not have shared eternity with them.
“Your family was a gift to you for the short time you had them. Treasure those memories, but youmustaccept that they are gone forever and come to some kind of peace. There are no do-overs in life. It has been five years, and you have punished yourself each and every day for your failure to protect them. The truth is, their true happiness was never going to be with you. You taught those precious souls what it was like to be loved, and they will pass that gift on to others while you have forgotten and destroyed that same quality within yourself.”
“Stop. I won’t listen to this—” Rhys took a step away from Fate.
“Why not, Rhys? Which hurts the most? That you are weak? Or a coward? When I brought you here, you were relieved you were away from Broni. You wanted to run just as you have the last five years.”
When Rhys would have turned around and left, Fate’s hand waved, freezing him in place.
“I am not my daughter, willing to walk on eggshells to please you. You will listen to me, and then you may do whatever you wish.”
Anger poured off Rhys. “Do you think that by making me accept my family’s death I will begin to care for Broni?” The sarcasm in his voice made him wince in guilt. Broni didn’t deserve his harsh words; he regretted them as soon as they left his mouth. However, it was the only way to put up a wall for the frightening feelings he had begun developing for the woman who kept giving without asking anything in return.
Fate stared angrily at the stupid man before looking out to the sky, yelling, “What does she see in him?” as millions of other mothers have lamented. Receiving no answer, finally Fate was able to gather control of her emotions and continue.
“Let me show you exactly what you are throwing away!” Fate angrily waved her hand at the sky and Rhys saw instantly why Broni’s family was always watching the sky.
“Broni lived a previous life before she was gifted with another as my daughter, and her first life was a fight for survival from beginning to end.”
Rhys tried to look away, yet he was still frozen in place, forced to watch as he saw Broni beaten and tortured as no young child should even be exposed to, much less be made to endure such savagery. He watched helplessly as the young girl was shown no mercy from the leader of the group who was the first to rape her then kill her without mercy when his men had finished with her.
“She was barely past infancy when the nightmares began, reliving her death every night. I would sit and hold her until she finally slept, but I could not stop those horrible nightmares. Broni received her powers much earlier than my other children because as much as we loved and protected her, those nightmares stole her childhood. She even tried to stay awake until her powers began to weaken because she was so fatigued.”
Fate’s eyes turned reminiscent. “I started to notice a change. It was small, but gradually, she began sleeping longer, deeper. She still had the nightmares, but I began to see resolve and courage as she would fight through them. Finally, they began to lessen. Her nightmares didn’t disappear, however they came less often.”
“How? What changed?” Rhys asked, ashamed that in the time they had spent together, he had made no attempt to get to know Broni beside how it affected him or the sex they shared. He had shied away from gaining any intimate knowledge of her to protect himself from drawing closer to her.
“I asked that same question myself, but she would never answer me. I was determined to find out, though.”
What a surprise,Rhys thought to himself.
“I began following her and found a pattern. When she was called to use her powers, she would stay and watch until the battle was finished. She needed only to stay until her duty was done, yet she did not leave. There were only certain ones, however each involved the same man. Additionally, Broni was sneaking away to watch battles that she was not called to. It soon became apparent to me who she was watching and why.”
Her eyes returned to the present, staring directly into his. “She was obsessed with a man that was born on Earth, destined by the Gods to become the greatest warrior known to mankind. He would live several lives, each not knowing of the others, but becoming superior in skills and tactics developed through lifetimes of battles. He would become the ultimate warrior, invincible until finally he would be returned to the Gods in victory, able to live with the warriors he had loved and fought with for eternity. A warrior without equal, both in the mortal or immortal world.
“Broni would watch him fight, both winning and losing battles, exhibiting great courage and fortitude. He was not a kind man or even one to idolize in some of his lifetimes, yet he always fought bravely, facing his fears even when death was a foregone conclusion. Those were the qualities Broni needed to face her nightmares. The warrior gave her the courage and strength to do that, and in the process, she fell in love deeply and irrevocably with him.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Rhys’s voice broke. “To show me I am not fit to touch her? I am not blind to the fact I am not the man I once was. I don’t remember being a warrior, yet I feel him inside me, sick at what I’ve done. I took her body, and she gave me her soul each and every time, but I had nothing inside me to give her in return.”
“You are not the one meant for my daughter, you fool.” Rhys stiffened when Fate laughed at him as she walked closer, standing before him. As she stared deep within his eyes, searching for something, Rhys felt as if a flicker inside him was stirring, awakening. The last time he had felt this way had been when he was with Broni. “I merely used you to draw him out.”
“You used me to make another man jealous?” Rhys tried to understand the feelings bombarding him. Anger, a tiny spark of jealousy, but he couldn’t place a name on the other emotions assailing him.
“No. To help you remember that you were once a warrior beyond compare—a man who has lived and loved well, giving his heart to many, his soul to none. That soul and love was destined for one woman equal in courage and bravery. Only one woman would deserve a warrior like him—mydaughter.”
Rhys felt as if a storm of emotion was building deep within him. The wall he had built to dam his emotions bulged as he fought to hold back the emotions and memories trying to gain freedom, breaking out in a cold sweat as Fate relentlessly tore away those barriers.
“No. You’re wrong.” Rhys attempted to convince both Fate and himself that he could not be the warrior who had fought so many battles when he’d failed to protect those whom he had loved the most. A wife and children who had trusted him with their lives, even though he couldn’t even be on fucking time to save them.
A primal scream tore through his throat as he released his pain and agony to the very heavens, and Fate’s voice softened as she gently cupped his cheek in her hand. “Before you leave, Rhys, I want you to understand and finally believe that your family did not blame you, nor should you. It was their destiny, just as this is yours.” Fate’s hand dropped away, waving it in a graceful motion toward the sky.
This time images played out of a young Jericho and the life he’d led. Rhys’s respect for his friend grew as he saw what the man had been forced to endure, both as a child and young man.
“When you gave all your wealth away, you helped thousands of children find a voice who had been victims of crimes. One of those children was a young boy who ultimately was able to have Jericho released from prison. His soul was nearly lost before he found Cara, however. Now, he will soon have a child, my grandchild. You not only have my gratitude and thanks, but all of the Gods.”