“You panicked,” Laila finished gently. “Cora, you’re not okay. You need to rest.”
“I said I’m fine,” Cora snapped, but the words lacked any real force. She pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to will away the trembling. “I just… I wasn’t expecting it.”
“That’s kind of the point, isn’t it? You’ve been through hell, and now your brain’s stuck in survival mode. You can’t just jump back into this like nothing happened. Life is full of things you won’t be expecting.”
Cora hated how much sense that made. She hated the way her body had betrayed her, the way she’d felt so small and helpless in a place that was supposed to be safe. Most of all, she hated the pity in Laila’s eyes, even though she knew it came from a place of love.
“I can’t just sit around doing nothing. I need this. I need to feel normal.”
Laila reached out again, slower this time, and squeezed her shoulder. “I know you do. But normal doesn’t mean pushingyourself until you break. Go upstairs and get some rest. We’ll figure this out, okay?”
Cora’s pride warred with her exhaustion. Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”
Laila smiled and nudged her toward the back door. “I’ll bring up some coffee later. And maybe a croissant, if you’re lucky.”
Cora managed a weak smile in return, but as she made her way up the narrow staircase to her apartment, the weight of everything pressed down on her again. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it.
Normal, she thought bitterly.Right.
Cora dropped her bag on the small kitchen table and sank into the nearest chair, letting her head fall into her hands. The quiet of her apartment wrapped around her, but it wasn’t comforting. It was heavy. Oppressive. She had hoped coming home would make her feel better like she’d reclaimed some semblance of her old life. Instead, the silence only amplified the whirlwind of emotions she’d been suppressing all day.
Her laptop sat in its usual spot, a familiar piece of her pre-auction routine. She reached for it with shaking hands, and her fingers hovered over the keys. She didn’t know exactly what she was searching for, but the bond loomed in her mind like a constant, invisible tether pulling at her thoughts.
How to break a magical mate bond, she typed.
The search results were a mess—vague posts from magical forums, scholarly articles about ancient bond rituals, and cryptic warnings about tampering with such connections. Most of the information was useless and offered only dramaticstories of doomed couples or dire consequences for attempting to sever a bond.
Her frustration mounted as she clicked through link after link, finding nothing practical. A forum thread titledBreaking the Unbreakable: What You Should Know About Bondscaught her attention, but the comments ranged from “Don’t even think about it!” to “My cousin tried and ended up cursed for life.”
Cora groaned and slammed the laptop shut. “Great. Just great.”
Before she could sink further into her spiraling thoughts, a knock at the door made her jolt. Her heart leaped into her throat, the memory of Voss’ voice at the safe house still too fresh. But then Grayson’s familiar voice came through the door.
“It’s me. You never gave me a key.”
Cora rolled her eyes and pushed back her chair. “Do you ever knock without sounding like a cop?” she muttered, opening the door.
Grayson stood in the doorway, and his broad shoulders filled the frame. His icy grey eyes swept over her like he was checking for any signs of trouble. “Do you ever answer without looking like you’re ready to fight?”
“Maybe I’m just preparing for whatever ridiculous thing you’ve decided to say this time,” she shot back.
“I came to check on you.”
“Congratulations. I’m alive. You can leave now.”
Grayson didn’t budge. His eyes flicked to the table and the closed laptop. “What were you working on?”
“None of your business,” she snapped, moving to block his view.
His brows lifted, wrinkling his forehead. “The bond?”
Her silence answered for her, and his expression hardened. “You’re wasting your time.”
Her frustration bubbled over. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I forget to run my decisions by you first?”
“Even if you find something, it won’t be that simple,” he said, stepping inside uninvited. “Bonds like this aren’t meant to be broken.”
Cora threw up her hands. “Oh, great. So I’m just supposed to live with this? With you? Forever?”
