I spun so fast the world spun a little. I threw my hand out to catch the doorframe of the bathroom. “Then tell me what it means. I’m your soulmate. Tell me how that answer isn’t supposed to break my heart.”

He slouched forward, resting his elbows on his knees. The emotion in his eyes looked as wrecked as what I felt. That made no sense. How could he feel as hurt by this? He scrubbed his face with his hands. “There are some questions I am unable to provide answers to yet.”

“Because you don’t know or because you think you’re not allowed to?”

“I know the answer, I know what I want to tell you, but I cannot⁠—”

“WHY?” I threw my hands up and new tears splashed onto my cheeks. “You told us this morning you’re not bound by the same rules as everyone else in this realm because you’re the only living creature here that isn’t from here⁠—”

He stared at the ground, his long hair draping over his shoulders. “And yet I keep my tongue, because I must. That should tell you who I’m bound by and why I cannot answer.”

“Heaven.”

He nodded once but didn’t look at me.

I shook my head and pushed my hands through my knotted hair. “Heaven is stopping you from telling me the secrets you’ve been holding from me.”

“Yes.” He stared at his fingers like the answers were there. “There are some secrets I’ve kept for over a thousand years.”

My eyes burned. “But I’m your soulmate.”

He took a shaky breath, then finally met my gaze. His eyes looked shattered and haunted. “You trusted me through the car accident, through Avolire, and through Tampa. I’m asking you to trust me a little bit longer until it’s safe for me to tell you the things you want to know.”

“I do trust you. With my life . . .” I rubbed my chest and swallowed through the lump in my throat. “It’s my heart that I fear isn’t safe.”

He closed his eyes and cringed. “The well-being of your heart means more to me than I have words to express.”

I groaned and pressed my forehead to the doorframe. “Not if you’d choose her over me.”

“That’s not fair, even though I know the reason you feel that way is.”

I peeked up at him. “That makes no sense, Everest.”

He nodded and licked his lips. “I know. But it will.”

I pushed off the doorframe and wandered back into the room. “What does that mean?”

“It means I need time.” His blue and white gaze shot up to meet mine. “Just a little bit more time and all of this will make sense to you. I won’t need to keep secrets from you.”