But not for Hunter.
At last, her phone buzzed. Picking it up from the chaise beside her, Layla touched it to answer. “Hey.” She spoke softly, her heart in her throat even though she still felt empty inside.
“Hey.” Luke Murphy spoke on the other line, his tenor voice gentle but immensely tired.
“How is he?” Layla asked, swallowing hard and blinking back a sudden prickle of tears.
“He’s resting.” Luke spoke with the gentle supportiveness of a good doctor. “Fury went through a lot with the procedure, Layla. He’s going to be weak for a while, but he’ll live – and he’ll keep his Siren. You were right; Fury’s humanity was bound to the pearl just as much as his Siren was – he wasn’t a clever enough talisman-maker to separate the two. My team coaxed him back down from his Siren-form, and I was able to break his connection to the silver pearl with mynullax. We got one of the best surgeons in Europe to take the pearl out of his heart; it’s nothing but a keepsake now. Still, it was touch-and-go all night. Fury’s sleeping now, and his Binds to Reginald and Rhennic are keeping his Siren calm. Hopefully, they can keep doing so while he heals.”
“So he’s ok?” Layla breathed, something deep inside her crying out in relief.
“He’s ok.” Luke agreed gently. “Fury will need help recovering, but he’ll live. He’ll need damn good talismanic protection to keep his Siren from rioting, but Reginald told me Fury’s Siren is still united with the man from what your Bind originally did to him. They’re of one mind now, even though Fury’s drake is still trying to boss his flesh around. I’ve told Reginald to not let that happen until my team is satisfied his body has fully recovered from everything it went through. We’ve got a follow-up visit in a week, so we’ll see.”
“Thank you.” Layla spoke quietly, meaning it.
“You’re welcome.” But then Luke paused on the other end of the line, and Layla knew even with only her human intuition the question that was coming. “How are you?”
“Empty.” Layla spoke, unable to lie to Luke though it choked her to put words to how she was feeling right now.
“If you want to come back to Seattle—”
“No.” Layla answered fast, gazing up at the lightening sky and blinking back tears. “No, Riad Rhakvir is where I belong. Even without my Dragon anymore, even without any magic left to me, Morocco is my home now, Luke. This is where I need to be.”
“I understand.” Luke spoke softly. Layla could almost see him in her mind’s eye, his bright emerald eyes calm but tender as he sighed, as if placing a hand to his hip or rubbing it through his black hair in exhaustion. But she couldn’t see those things anymore.
Her magic was gone, and it was never coming back.
“I should have been there.” Luke spoke at last, his voice tight with anger, though it wasn’t for Layla. “I should never have broken my Bind with you—”
“No, Luke, this isn’t your fault.” Layla spoke quickly, even though she blinked back tears. “You and I did what was best for us at the time. No one could have seen all this coming.”
“No one but Hunter.” Luke’s raw words smote Layla hard, and she had no response. She was silent on the line, and Luke was also, until at last he sighed. “I have to go, Layla, I need to check Fury’s vitals and do another blood draw to make sure his hormones are stabilizing. Reginald is here and would like to speak with you.”
“Yes, put him on, please.” Layla spoke quickly, wiping tears from her cheeks as they fell.
“Layla.” Reginald’s smooth voice was suddenly on the line, though Layla could see nothing of him in her mind’s eye. “How are things in Morocco?”
“Fair.” Layla spoke, trying hard to not cry. She’d been doing that too much lately, and hated it. “Adrian and Dusk are watching over Rhennic as he rests. They were furthest away and got the least rebound when the Bind broke, so they’ve recovered quickly. They’re tired, but they’ll be alright.”
“I wasn’t asking about Adrian and Dusk, or Rhennic.” Reginald spoke quietly, his command gentle. “I was asking aboutyou.”
“I’m fine.” Layla swallowed hard as she set her jaw, determined to not break again. She had broken too many times in the past three days since her magic had been ripped away by Hunter’s lance and her last desperate strike to try and kill him. She wasn’t about to break down again, not when everyone needed her to be strong right now.
As strong as she could be without her drakaina flowing through her veins anymore.
“You’re not fine. You’re lying.” Reginald spoke gently on the other end of the line.
“I can’t…” Layla closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath. “I can’t talk about it, Reginald. Not yet. Not just yet.”
“I understand.” Reginald’s words were calm, and in them, Layla heard the vast solace of the ocean, though she couldn’t feel it inside her anymore. There was only emptiness inside her now, dark as the night was deep. Layla had once thought the void of thefinal strikewas the worst thing she could ever feel, but this was even worse than that. It was the absence of her drakaina; the absence of the furious magic that had once filled her up and made her passionate. Only darkness filled her night and day now; her inner brightness gone along with her magic. Layla had never known before how much her fire-bright fury had colored her life even in the human world until it was just suddenly not there. It had been a dark week, despite how many people had survived their encounter with Hunter.
A darkness that for Layla now, was unending.
“How are things in Deep Harbor?” Layla asked, stilling her emotions so she could at least talk.
“As well as can be expected.” Reginald spoke gently. “Since Fury and I have turned out to be only half-Siren, there has been an unprecedented vote cast through the Siren-clans around the world, to see if they deemed either of us fit to take the throne after battling Léviathan. They did not. Leni has been proclaimed Queen, and I have few doubts she will succeed. She is massively strong and politically savvy; already calling for immediate peace talks with the Blood Dragons of Sweden and Norway, along with the Storm Dragons of Europe. She’ll do well as Queen. I am grateful.”
“What about you?” Layla asked.
