That it’s the only way to reverse our physical immortality.

The tree is our one and only chance to change everything.

But then, maybe he does understand.

Maybe he understands all too well.

And maybe that’s why he’s so dead set against it.

“You’re right.” I lift my gaze to find his. “This whole time I have felt responsible. I have been beating myself up with the guilt. I have been so consumed with remorse that I dabbled in magick I had no business dabbling in. I even tried to make deals with people I should’ve stayed away from. I was so filled with self-loathing and blame, I was so desperate to reverse what I’d done, that I was willing to take whatever risk necessary in order to make it up to you—to make it up to us. I was willing to do whatever was needed to ensure that we could be together in the way that we want, until my whole world revolved around getting my hands on the antidote—at the expense of everything else. But now I know just how wrong and misguided that was. Now I know that instead of focusing solely on getting the antidote, I should’ve been focused on sparing our souls.”

He swallows, squirms, hears the truth of my words, I can see it in the flash in his eyes, but it’s gone in an instant. His resolve hardening until he’s more unwilling than ever to see my side, which only convinces me to continue.

“Damen, please hear me out. I know that on the surface at least, my decision probably looks pretty crazy, but it goes so much deeper than that. It’s like—I finally get it. I finally really and truly get it. If it weren’t Roman insisting on keeping us apart, it would’ve been something else. The reason we can’t be together is because the universe won’t allow it. Our karma won’t allow it. Or at least not until we do what it takes to right this huge glaring wrong that you’ve made. Not until we change the course of our lives—the course of our souls—by returning them to the way they were always meant to be. You said so yourself, way back before we even started this journey, you freely admitted that what we are isn’t natural or right. That we aren’t living the lives that nature intended—that we’ve wrongly chosen physical immortality over the immortality of the soul. Those are your words, Damen, not mine. You also freely admitted that it’s cost us both dearly, that it’s the reason we keep facing all of these insurmountable obstacles, the reason why we’re thwarted at every turn in a way we can’t seem to overcome. You said it’s why Jude keeps showing up and getting in the way of our happiness. That without his even realizing it, he’s playing out his own destiny of trying to keep us from reliving the mistakes of our past.” I look at him, determined to make him see it, determined to break through to him, my voice gaining in pitch until it’s practically squeaking. “Don’t you see what a huge opportunity this is? It’s a very real chance for us to truly be together forever in the way we were intended. It’s a chance for me to finally seize the destiny I was born for. The same destiny I’ve been called on for several lives now, and I’m finally ready and willing to embrace it. I just hope you’ll find a way to embrace it along with me.”

I bite down on my lip, prepared for whatever harsh words he might say, but he just shakes his head and turns away. So overcome with anger he can’t even face me. The words ground out between clenched teeth when he says, “The reason we can’t be together is because you just disposed of the antidote.” He swallows hard, his hands curling and uncurling at his sides. “Ever, I don’t get it—don’t you want to be with me?”

And when he finally turns, when his gaze finally meets mine, what I find there makes my heart break.

“How can you even think that?” I ask, my voice along with my face completely stunned. “After all that I’ve gone through in the hopes that I could be with you?” I shut my eyes, take a moment to steady my breath, to collect myself along with my words. “Didn’t you hear anything I just said? Of course I want to be with you! I want to be with you more than you’ll ever probably realize! But not like this. Not because of the antidote. There’s another way. A better way, I’m sure of it now. Damen, we finally have the chance to reverse this huge, glaring wrong—we finally have the chance to live the lives we were meant to live—and once we do, we’ll have no need for things like elixirs and antidotes. Don’t you realize what this means? Don’t you realize how epic this is?”

“Epic?” He practically spits out the word. “Seriously, Ever, do you hear yourself? What could be more epic than the love that we share? Isn’t that what brings us back together, time and time again?”

I sigh, exhausted by his argument, exhausted by his unknown depths of complete and total stubbornness. Still, I’m determined to make him understand before it’s too late, before it’s time to leave and he refuses to join me.

“That’s only part of the reason,” I say. “The other part is because each time I come back, each time I reincarnate, I’m getting yet another chance to realize my destiny. To right the wrong you inadvertently committed all those years ago. And righting that wrong is the only way you and I will ever truly be free to live and love as we want.”

He sighs and gazes off into the distance, remaining quiet for so long I’m just about to break the silence when he says, “There’s something else you need to know.”

I look at him.

“The tree is a myth. It’s the stuff of mystical legends. It doesn’t really exist. The legends all claim it bears one piece of fruit every one thousand years. One piece of fruit that offers immortality to whoever gets to it first.” He smirks. “Tell me, Ever, does that sound even remotely real to you?”