The portal opened into the most lavish room I’d ever seen. The walls were made from the ruby-colored orichalcum, polished to a shine. Pieces hung from the ceiling, cut to reflect the sun’s rays into a beautiful, glimmering, blood-red hue around the room. Fantastic murals of the sea were painted on the walls. The one I was looking at was centered on the wall over the room’s only doorway. It was the sea at twilight—calm, peaceful, and inviting. The stars were just starting to twinkle in the heavens. It was breathtakingly realistic.

Underneath another elaborately painted mural of the sea at sunrise was an altar. The water was shimmering with anticipation at what the dawn would bring, and the colors of the rainbow-hued sky glistened on the waves. The orichalcum altar was on a raised dais, also carved of orichalcum. Scenes of Poseidon using his trident to control the waters in defense of his lands coated the front of the altar. Images of boats capsizing, bodies being consumed by the sea, and creatures lurking beneath the waves were carved in vivid detail. Lying motionless on the glossy slab was Raif.

My heart stuttered in my chest. Raif. After all this time, there he was. I ran toward him, my steps echoing oddly in this room. I knew now that I was in Poseidon’s temple. I slowed as I reached the steps that led up to the altar, my heart fluttering in my chest in anticipation and fear. I could feel the echo of Raif like a second beat in my chest. The intensity of his life force was overwhelming. I knew he wasn’t dead or dying. Why wasn’t he moving? Surely he’d heard my steps and could feel my presence, as I could feel his.

“Raif?” I said hesitantly. My voice echoed hollowly in my ears. His fingers twitched at the sound. Before either of us could do anything more, a striking man appeared between the altar and me. He was older than Raif, with long, peppered hair that hung in waves down to his waist. He had broad shoulders, a lean waist, and powerful legs. From the back, I could picture this man as a much older version of Raif.

He turned to look at me. My breath left in a gasp. His eyes swirled with the raging waters of the ocean. They were so captivating, I could barely register the rest of him. He held power. It radiated out of him, knocking me back a step. He looked at me with such anguish, awe, and love my knees went weak.

“Poseidon?” My breathy whisper left in a gasp. It could be no other. He inclined his head, one side of his mouth curving into a secret smile. “Am I too late?” My heart faltered. Poseidon shook his head. My breath left me in an audible sigh of relief. I closed my eyes and thanked whatever deity was listening that I still had a chance to say goodbye. “Why is he lying so still?”

“He asked to be placed in stasis so he could die in his sleep, without pain.” I started at the sound of Atreyu’s voice. I’d overlooked him standing off to the side, in the shadows. “Poseidon granted him this request, knowing he could do nothing else to ease Raifuku’s pain. I’m pleased you came. This is how it should be.” Atreyu’s voice echoed with fatigue and power. There was so much beauty I was missing, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at anything but the man lying motionless on the altar before me.

“I’m not here to stop you. I just want to be with him. He shouldn’t be alone, wondering. Will you let me have one last moment to say goodbye?” My voice was a mere whisper, the enormity of what was happening weighed heavily on my shoulders.

A small thread of anger weaved its way through my pain. The fact that I was asking to say goodbye to my husband, my soul mate, was unfathomable. I held onto that anger and met Poseidon’s swirling blue orbs with my brown ones filled with determination. “I take it back. I don’t want your permission. This is between Raif and me, and I’ll be damned if he dies alone. You will let me pass.”

My voice was stronger than I felt. I’d never stood up to a deity before. Poseidon saw my resolve etched in every fiber of my being. If Raif had to die, he wouldn’t be alone. He gave an almost imperceptible nod in Atreyu’s direction.

“Your sacrifice for our people will not be forgotten.” Poseidon’s soft words rumbled throughout the temple like thunder before a storm.

I could only nod in assent, hoping that nod meant Raif would be taken out of stasis and I’d get to say goodbye. My stomach had resumed its churning. I was terrified to see Raif, scared he’d toss me aside, scared he wouldn’t and I’d have to watch him die. I didn’t know what to do now.

On shaking legs, I forced myself up the three steps to Raif. I was finally going to see him, only to say goodbye. Seeing him lying there, so still and perfect, I didn’t think I could just stand aside and watch him die.

My hand shook visibly as I reached out to his face. His chiseled features were as soft as I remembered. I brushed his silken hair away from his cheeks, my fingers searching and memorizing every part of it.

His eyes fluttered open, revealing the impossible teal I’d missed so much. I fell on him, clinging to his chest, wiggling against his body. I needed to be as close as possible to him after months of separation. I was grateful he was still alive, even if only for a few more moments. His arms wrapped tightly around me, crushing me against his chest. I could have stayed in his embrace for eternity.

“Natasha, what are you doing here?” he choked out.

“Saying goodbye. You should’ve told me. I wouldn’t have been okay with it, but you should’ve told me anyway.” I leaned slightly back so I could see his face, still cradled in his arms.

“I couldn’t figure out how. This must be done. I hope that in time you can understand and forgive me. I love you, Amada.” He brushed his hand from the top of my head down my back as he talked. His eyes filled with tears. “I’d forgotten how wonderful you are. Seeing you again makes this task impossible.”

“Raif, I do understand. I won’t stop you, no matter how much I want to, if this is what you want. I wanted to hold you and say goodbye, so you knew you weren’t alone and that I love you.” My voice cracked with the pain in my heart. I leaned down and kissed his lips. It was a very soft, chaste, undemanding kiss that instantly set me on fire. He crushed me to him, groaning as he deepened the kiss to something that would have led to greater satisfaction had we not been interrupted by Poseidon’s polite cough.

“It’s time,” I whispered, unable to speak louder past the lump in my throat. “Do you want Atreyu to put you under again?” I was suddenly grateful I couldn’t cry, that he’d remember me as strong in these last moments.

He shook his head. “No, Amada.” I want to feel you in my arms till the end.” Tears snaked from his eyes and ran into his hair. He would shed tears for us both. I curled into the crook of his arm and caressed his face as Poseidon came closer.

“I love you.”

“Ata o dus eu te amo,” he whispered. “I will love you for all of eternity.” My throat closed even tighter as my body begged to weep and scream its denial.

Poseidon lifted his trident in the air and brought it down to Raif’s chest. Other than a tightening of his hand in mine, Raif didn’t move a muscle. I knew it hurt. I felt his pain.

“You are so brave.” My voice was thick.

Poseidon pulled the trident out of Raif’s chest without a sound. Blood started seeping out of the wounds, soaking me and cascading off the alter, taking his life with it. I held him close to me as the blood poured from the wounds. He looked at me with tears in his eyes.

“Amada, my only regret is that I didn’t have more time with you. I love you.” His words were thick and filled with pain. I placed my fingers on his lips.

“Shh, baby, I know. I love you so much. What can I do?” I gently draped my arm across his chest, holding him as tightly as his wounds would allow. I wished I could cry for him; he deserved my tears.

“Talk to me. Hold me. I want to hear your voice.” His breath was labored. I knew he didn’t have long now.

I knew he could feel my pain, my love for him, as I could feel his for me. My mind was a blank. What do you say to someone as they bleed to death in your arms? I did the only thing I could think of as I held him tightly in my embrace. I told him a story as I used to with Ashlyn.

“Once upon a time, there was a soul. It was happy and content to play in the water’s spray, reflecting light into rainbows. It had never known pain or sadness—only joy and contentment. This soul was pure, innocent, and full of love.” My voice cracked as I whispered the words. He interrupted me before I could finish.

“Do you really believe that we’ll be whole in the Summerlands? That we’ll be together again, as two complete beings?” I could barely hear him. His voice was a whisper on the wind.

“Yes,” I whispered back. “We were meant to be as the Creator made us. We’ll be together again, whole and perfect, but different from what we started out as. We’ll know heartbreak like no other soul before us, and because of that, we’ll know love more deeply and profoundly than any that have lived before. We’ll be more than when we began and be better for it.” His eyelids fluttered closed, and he smiled as he went limp in my arms.

“Raif? Raif? No. Not yet. No!” I screamed in agony, sobbing uncontrollably as I clutched him tightly to me, refusing to let him go. I kissed his lips in denial, desperately holding on to hope.

Strong arms lifted my blood-soaked body from the alter, forcing me to release my hold on Raif. I was weak, sobs wracking my body. I cursed the man who held me, cursed his lineage for putting us in this situation. I begged for Raif to wake, pleaded to wake from this nightmare.

Staring at his body, I knew I’d give anything for him to live again. I wept, the lines of his body forever burned into my memory as the one who had murdered my soul carried me away.