The Dragons' Bathhouse: A Reverse Harem Enemies-to-Lovers Soulmate Romance

38

The despair was strong in Kaizel's voice. A broken vase mended with shitty glue, cracking and breaking from the pressure. It was lost, regretful and guilty. It sang a song of sorrow and grief, of the pain that clung to his chest and weighed him down with bitter tears and anger. So, so much anger for himself.

Maybe even hatred.

"That's one step in the right direction." Eden nodded in approval. Inside, her heart melted at the pain in his voice. "Have you apologised?"

They have, her mind told her. They tried. But you ran. She searched her memories for more answers, but the stone wall remained. What had they done? Why had she run? What had happened after that? So many unanswered questions. It made her stomach churn, her appetite lost to the tension in the air.

"We try but the circumstances... makes it difficult. We're not sure if she has forgiven us," Keegan answered this time, his sweet voice oddly low and soft.

Sad. Her soft heart wondered if it was right for her to question them on their lies today, or if she should just eat her meal and pretend that the lies were alright. Pretend that she didn't know the half-truths of their arrangement.

"Then continue trying if it worries you so much. Continue trying," she told them. "Try but tell her the truth." Her voice went solemn, serious, unwavering, and she touched her plate with her blind hands. It was then when she was filled with the need to know, the need for the answers to her questions. She tilted her head up to them, a grim smile on her lips. "Tell me... Did you put a time-stop in my food today?"

The sharp inhale of horrified breath echoed across the room and then there was that silence. The silence that reminded her again and again of how she could not see. And that was one of the main reasons why they could continue to lie to her.

"We... There isn't—"

"Kaizel please answer me truthfully," she sighed. "Don't lie to me. Please."

"There is one..." Keegan murmured, his voice soft.

"How long have you been doing this?" There was a silent and her voice grew thick with her anger. "Tell me."

"In the real world, it has only been three days, in here three months," Kaizel admitted. "Please, Eden, we only did this for you. There wasn't—"

"When were you going to tell me about Altair and Vega?" She swallowed, her heart racing as she spoke. Her face crumpled as the words at the tip of her tongue spilt from her lips easily. "When were you going to tell me that the two of you have soulmates?"

"Soulmates? What? Eden—"

"That's the reason you are keeping me here in time aren't you? A fling in the time-stop before you meet your soulmates." Her own words brought tears to her eyes and immediately her dragons were by her side.

"No! Eden No! Of course not!"

"God, Eden, there isn't anyone! It has always been you, just you." Kaizel took her hand then, pressing it upon his chest. "Can't you feel it? The fire, the heat, the gold? It was always you. You are our soulmate. You are!" The strength of his voice was tinged with his heartbreak and she wanted to see his face.

And she knew what he was talking about, the curious curl of magic that danced in her chest, in her soul. It was warm, like the soft dance of the sun's rays on her skin, like the soup of a hot spring over her body, like the warmth from a fire during a cold night. It was there, and it comforted her. It made her racing heart slow into a steady beat. They were her soulmates. Her lips parted at the thought.

"We're soulmates?" She echoed.

"Yes, we are." Keegan took her other hand, pressing it to his lips. "We were always meant to be." It brought her great joy, her heart fluttering in her chest at his words. And her mind drifted back to her family, at how happy they would be if they knew that she had soulmates.