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and looked away from her. “Not mad at you, but definitely mad.”
    “I’m sorry, Roland.”
    “Don’t you dare.” Turning to look at her, his eyes held a fire that made her want to take a step back. Instead, she straightened her spine and walked further into the house. “I don’t want your pity, Ree. Not yours, or anyone else’s.”
    “Fine, then stop acting like you deserve it.” Ree winced as soon the words left her mouth, because he did deserve it. He deserved so much more than he had been dealt in life. And in death.
    “I don’t want to talk to you.” Letting his hands hang at his sides, Roland’s features shifted into the blank expression that she hated.
    “You know what? I don’t really care what you want. I think you need to talk to me.” Ree walked toward him and tilted her head back so that she could look up into his eyes.
    His hands grabbed her waist and pulled her against him. “I don’t want to talk, Ree.”
    “Why did you get so upset at the safe house?” Swallowing, she ignored his statement and tried to steer the conversation to a safer place.
    “You know why I was so upset. They played me this whole time. Tell me Paden isn’t your soul mate. Tell me I haven’t spent hundreds of years waiting for someone that was never meant to be mine.” His voice cracked on the last word and his hands clenched at her sides.
    “Roland—“
    “Better yet, show me.” Without waiting for a response, his head dipped down and deftly captured Ree’s mouth. She gasped in shock and he took advantage of the moment to plunder her mouth. When one of his hands slid under her hair to cup her neck, she closed her eyes and melted into the kiss.
    A surge of memories pounded through her head, transporting her to another time: Tria as a tiny girl with a dark-haired boy in a field of tall wheat, laughing and giggling. It was replaced with a girl of twelve or thirteen standing in the corner at a party, watching a devilishly good-looking boy dancing with her friend. There was the image of Roland bringing her a flower, his face wreathed in a happy smile, while Tria’s heart beat rapidly in her chest.
    Then, as if her memories were running parallel to the present, she saw their first kiss. His hands shook when they cupped her face and Tria laughed at his nerves. So many moments ran through her mind, filling her with a sadness that made tears run down her cheeks.
    Something in her soul felt as if it was shriveling. One of the threads that held her tied to this body seemed to snap, dying from the pain of the moment. She was sharing her first kiss with Roland as Ree, but Tria was kissing him goodbye. Part of her would always love Roland, there was no denying it. But he needed to start over, to find the one that really held the other half of his soul.
    As if sensing where her thoughts were going, his kiss intensified, demanding her attention. Running her hands over his chest, she laid one against his neck before slowly pulling away. He pressed his forehead against hers, his breathing heavy, his eyes closed as if he was in pain.
    A growl ripped through the room and Roland spun so Ree was behind him. Paden slammed into Roland with the force of a freight train, knocking Roland back into Ree. She stumbled, but it only took Roland a split second to regain his footing. Grabbing Paden by the shoulders, he flung him away from them both. Stepping away from Ree, Roland intercepted Paden’s next strike and blocked the punch aimed for his face.
    “Paden!” Ree’s heart slammed into her chest and she moved to try to intervene. She was too slow though, and Paden managed to connect his fist with Roland’s jaw. The Dark One was knocked backward to slide along the floor. Paden stayed on him as if they were tied together. Jumping onto Roland’s chest, Paden raised his fist to hit him again. Instead of fighting back, Roland deflected the blow. Paden’s knuckles crashed through the hardwood floor with a loud crack and sent splinters