I tried to imagine what meeting Everest as your father-in-law would be like. The visuals made me want to laugh. “Do they get along?”

“They’re really good friends.” Her eyes turned sad and distant. “Without my soulmate, Father and I may have fallen apart many times these eight centuries.”

“I’m glad you had him then.” I reached over and squeezed her hand. “Where is he now?”

“Hiding where it’s safe,” she said while rubbing her chest with her hand. “Waiting for any excuse to come to me.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Have you spoken to him?”

She cringed and shook her head. “It’s been too long, not too long, but too long. Does that make sense? Like it wasn’t that long ago, but it feels like forever. I hate being apart from him.”

“Have you two had to be apart a lot in the last eight centuries?”

“No.” She scrubbed her face with her hands. “This is my first alias that has required nearly no visitation. It’s been . . . torture.”

“So, what’s eating you up—wait—” I held my pointer-fingers up as my brain tried to catch up with itself. “—You have a soulmate. What about that night with Azazel?”

Her face fell.

“OHHH. That’s what’s bothering you.”

She groaned. “When you live as long as we have, and will, there are a lot of lines that get blurred. When your grandmother is Lilith, there are even more blurred lines that are blurred for the sake of survival.”

“Like Everest with Sweyn?”

She grimaced, then nodded. “Necessary evil.”

I frowned and nodded. “Does your soulmate understand this? I mean, I met Everest after his . . . relations . . . with Sweyn started, so I know it’s not the same. How does your soulmate feel about these blurred lines?”

She pulled Albert into her lap, which looked hilarious given how massive the mastiff puppy was. “We made a pact with each other centuries ago that we would do whatever we had to do to survive. That means anything. Anyone. Survival has been the only goal.”

“But?”

“But it’s been . . . centuries . . . since I was . . . intimate . . . with another male. I know I had to with Azazel that night⁠—”

“Why?” I shook my head. “No judgement, but why did you have to sleep with him?”

“Father would’ve blown our whole secret right then and there if Azazel touched his soulmate.” She looked up at me and smiled softly. “That could’ve gotten us all killed. I couldn’t let that happen. Azazel getting his hands on you, especially after what happened at that frat house, would’ve been—No, I could not let you be in that position, so I gave Azazel something he’d been wanting longer. Me.”

I reached over and took her hand in mine. “Thank you, Saber. That was selfless of you. I appreciate the sacrifice you made for me.”

“You’re welcome.” Her face flushed.