“Teryn, I heard you,” came Cora’s voice. It was oddly more muted now that he was out of his meditation. Somehow, she had sounded so much closer before. Like she’d been speaking directly to his soul. “Please let me in.”
Morkai glanced around the room, eyes wild, then stormed over to the door. He gripped the handle…but halted. Doubling back, he retrieved a discarded black jacket from the foot of the bed and hastily shoved his arms through it. He secured the jacket’s buttons as well as the laces of his ruffled shirt collar, hiding not only the thin cut at the base of his throat but any sign of the crystal he wore. Only then did Morkai return to the door and fling it open.
Teryn finally moved from the bed. A sense of loss fell over him. In the wake of having regained temporary control of his body, being nothing more than his ethera felt wrong. Broken. How had he forgotten everything he’d been missing as a body?
Those worries fled his mind as soon as he saw Cora’s face. She blinked up at Morkai from the doorway, dressed in only a white chemise draped in a floor-length velvet robe of violet and gold. Her expression alternated between relief and anger.
The latter gained dominance over her features. “Where have you been? I looked for you all day. Have you any clue how many times I’ve knocked on your door? You didn’t attend dinner. You forbade servants from entering?—”
“I was resting,” Morkai said, voice hoarse from sleep but still so much like Teryn’s own.
“From your injuries?” Cora’s eyes widened as they searched his face. Teryn knew what she saw—the dark circles, his gaunt cheeks. Her expression turned to one of panic. “Teryn, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
She shook her head. “No, you look…unwell.” Stepping in close, she lifted a hand to his cheek?—
Morkai caught her wrist so abruptly, Cora froze. Teryn, however, found himself suddenly at Cora’s side. Whether he’d run, floated, or simply transported his ethera from one space to another, he knew not. All he knew was the rage that coursed through him at the sight of Morkai’s fingers clenched around her wrist like that. He hated that he could do nothing. That he could only watch, only feel his heart race as fear raked claws through him.
Morkai’s expression hardened with startled anger, but it lasted only a split second. In the next moment, the look was gone. Had Cora noticed it at all? Her eyes were locked on Morkai’s fingers.
With a too-convincing smile, Morkai loosened his grip and brought the back of her hand to his lips. After a brief kiss, he dropped her wrist and took a subtle step back. “I told you I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me. We have much bigger things to face in the morning.”
Cora narrowed her eyes, her hand still lifted halfway between them. Then she took a deep breath and brushed past him into the room. The breeze she carried vibrated against the edges of Teryn’s ethera. She planted herself in the middle of the room, facing away from him. Crossing her arms, she said, “That’s what I’m here for. We need to talk.”
Morkai’s jaw tensed as he glared at her back. Then, with an aggrieved sigh, he closed the door with more force than necessary.
Cora jumped at the sound and whirled toward him. As soon as her eyes landed on his face, Morkai’s smile returned.
Teryn’s incorporeal form rippled with tension.
“Breathe, Teryn.” Emylia appeared at his side. It was the first time he’d seen her since she’d left him to practice. “He won’t hurt her. He needs her alive, remember? You need to stay calm.”
Teryn couldn’t bring himself to reply. Instead, he focused on keeping his breaths steady, his awareness of his vitale strong. Now that he understood the repercussions of overtaxing his vitale, it was more important than ever to take her reminders to heart.
Morkai closed some of the distance between himself and Cora but left ample space, hands clasped behind his back. “I’ve already agreed to everything the council has asked of me. You don’t need to worry. We’ll marry in the morning. The peace pact is safe, as is your kingdom.”
Cora’s brows lowered. “That’s not what I mean. There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“Whatever it is, it can wait,” he said, his tone so gentle it made a dismissive mockery of Cora’s clearly flustered state.
Her cheeks flushed with restrained anger. “No, it can’t. This is important.”
“What could be more important than the safety of your kingdom? Is this aboutus? Don’t you remember the promise I made? I won’t go back on my word. I’ll woo you as I said I would. Court you as you deserve. Our marriage contract need not matter when it comes to our hearts. We’ll take things slow?—”
“I can’t have children.” The words burst from Cora’s lips in an angry shout.
The only movement Morkai made was a mild narrowing of his eyes.
Teryn, on the other hand, felt as if he were being ripped to shreds. Less from the words she’d said and more from the pain behind them.
“That’s all right,” Morkai said, voice soft. “Truly.”
“It’s not all right.” Tears welled in Cora’s eyes, and her voice carried a tremor. “Morkai placed a curse on me. He bound my fate to Queen Linette’s using our blood, ensuring I’d die childless like she did.”
Morkai’s face fell with false sympathy. He took a step forward, and Cora’s shoulders sagged. She lifted her hands from her sides as if she expected him to embrace her.
But he didn’t. He simply…stopped. His hands remained clasped behind his back.
