My chest aches. The sweet music in the bond between us has faded to nothing but a hollow moan. Am I going to feel the chill of this emptiness forever? Things could have been so different. We could have been happy, if he’d just let me in. Treated me like a freakingequal. Instead, all I can do is burrow under the covers and throw myself a pity party.
My attention is drawn to a flashing light beside my bed. It’s coming from one of the weird orbs that dim or grow bright depending on the time of day.
“Hello?” a familiar voice calls. It’s high and feminine. Human. British. And it’s coming from the orb.
“Emma?” I scoot closer to the sphere, and my new friend’s pretty face appears. I had no idea my nightlight could double as an alien video chat device.
“Yep, it’s me,” she says. “Just me. Hope I’m not disturbing you, but I was worried about you after our call the other day.”
“You’re not disturbing me at all. In fact, your timing couldn’t be better!” The empathy in her voice is about to set me off weeping all over again. Hopefully she won’t notice how sore my eyes are.
She leans forward, peering at me. “You okay? You look like you’ve been crying.”
It’s so typical. I hardlyevercry. Today was the first time since I arrived, I think. Phillip once accused me of using tears as emotional manipulation, and that was when I swore never to cry because of—or in front of—a man again. But damnit, it took me ages to make peace with the thought that I’ll never be a mom. So to have that carrot dangled in front of me again out of nowhere, with a guy I’m crazy about, no less, only for it to be then yanked away by the same guy… it was too much. Krav just looked stunned when I started sobbing. Figures. “I’m fine,” I tell Emma. “Didn’t sleep too well. Eyes are a bit dry.”
It's obvious from her expression that she doesn’t believe me but she doesn’t press the issue.
“How are you doing?” I ask. “Everything okay in, uh, your kingdom?”
“Altrim.” She grins. “Yes. We’re fine. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.” I extend a finger to touch the glowing sphere in front of me, then hesitate. It’s emanating heat. Is it some sort of transparent metal? Glass? “I still can’t believe we can talk through these… orb thingies.”
“I know, right?”
“Although I shouldn’t be surprised, what with all the magic that exists here.”
Emma’s eyes light up. “Isn’t it amazing? Do your paintings move, too?”
“Huh?” I’m confused.
“I love to paint, always have,” she explains. “Soon after we met, Khan got a local artist to teach me how to use their magic paint. Now my pictures literally move!”
“In what way?”
“Leaves rustle on trees, lakes ripple, that kind of thing. It completely rejuvenated my passion for art.” She tucks a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “Sorry. I’m rambling. So what kind of magic do you have there?”
“I don’t know the scope of it yet but Krav uses it to make me things. He can conjure stuff out of thin air. Pillows. Clothes. Inanimate stuff.”My collar. I swallow against the lump in my throat.
“That’s so cool! Rose and her mate have some magic powers, too, I believe—I watched them float high into the air on this big glass platform once. Have you been able to conjure anything yourself?”
“Me? No.”
“Apparently, it’s one of the signs of a soul-bond. The kings around here get powers from their respective lands. Some sort of symbiosis. And then their mates—queens—get powers too, via the claiming bond. You did tell us Krav claimed you, right?”
I’m not following this conversation very well. “Um, I think so. I mean, he bit me, said we were bound together now, but…” The sorrow chokes me, like I’ve got glass stuck in my throat. “Let’s just say it’s not going well.”
“I’m sorry.” Emma’s expression reflects the pain I feel. “I guess congratulations are not in order?”
“No. They are not.” I rub my chest. “For one thing, he refuses to treat me like an equal. I’m all about being submissive in bed, but outside of that, I want a partner… ideally to have kids with him. It’s so typical. I finally meet the guy I could see myself starting a family with, and then it turns out he doesn’t want that. In fact, he’s been actively preventing it. Without my knowledge.”
Emma’s blue gaze is full of compassion. “Oh, babe. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper. I press my eyes as if I can push my tears back in. “I’m dealing with it.”
There’s a long pause. “Would you leave him, if you could?” Her voice is so soft, I wonder if I heard right.
“I wouldn’t know how.” It’s easier to focus on the logistics than the emotional implications.
