The man nods once, fear in his eyes. I soften. I detect nomalice inside of him, merely a curiosity that might be explained by fifty years separated from any female. Duty can do much to warm one’s soul, but the inhabitants of this bubble don’t seem particularly friendly toward each other.
I can see it in how they walk as individuals, hardly speaking. After the war, everyone in Enduvida was quiet and distant. I can extend an inch of grace to them as they see Estela for the first time.
“This is your last warning: don’t touch my wife,” I command again, punctuating each word with as much power as I possibly can. Her hand finds mine, and I bring it to my mouth to plant a soft kiss.
He watches the movement and then nods, rubbing his wrist as I step back. I turn to Si’Kirin. “One of you will take us to this spot after we are finished resting.”
Si’Kirin, who has been watching the exchange closely, nods. “It will be done. You can stay in Tir’Suel’s old room.”
I nod and then return to Estela. “Are you well?”
She looks at me with her deep brown eyes and smiles. “Yes. Thank you—te amo.?3”
Those words change everything. They remind me that we can do this.
Chapter 34
Osmium
ESTELA
The morning isn’t kind to me. My arms and legs burn with weariness from swimming, and my head still rings with the dull screech of my suit. It did not take us long to be brought to this bubble, but water is heavy in a way that is hard to describe.
When Teo shook me awake, I didn’t want to open my eyes. I wished to stay in the embrace of dreams a little longer.
It was a good dream, the kind that makes one cry a little when they open their eyes and realize it wasn’t true.
It was of…
I bolt upright, blinking furiously. My hand flattens against my stomach.
It was of me,belly swollen with Teo’s child.
Disoriented, I look around the hut devoid of color and all furniture save a bed. Then I see my mate watching me with an alarmed expression. To see the tenderness in his eyes pierces straight through my heart.
I think of when I caught him holding Sama, speaking sweet nothings to Iryth’s adopted son. My heart clenches.
His large hands reach forward to cup my cheeks, and they dwarf my skin.
“Estela, my heart, what is wrong?”
I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. My eyes trail to the damp hut around us, and I inhale a deep breath of salty air. How can I tell him I dreamed of our child when we are in the middle of the ocean?
Closing my mouth, I lean into his hand, and put on a weak smile. “Nothing. I was merely surprised to wake up here.”
He smirks, clearly amused. “It is not a place I would return to.”
We share a laugh, and then he helps me dress and fix my hair. With weary resignation, we pull back on our crystal suits. Teo’s was broken in the fight, so they gave him Tir’Suel’s old suit. It is dark and menacing, but it fits him well.
As we leave the small dwelling, I take in the sights of this place once again. Everything is water-stained and damp, and the inky world outside of this is hard to make out, save the glowing speckles of light floating through the water. A few fish swim close enough to show off their glowing scales, but the rest of the light and depth is no more than a blur. Enduares can see in the dark quite well, but my eyesight is still painfully human in comparison.
To me, it looks as though we are stationed in the middle of a sea of stars.
We meet back up with Si’Kirin, and everyone is silent as they watch us approach the edge of the magical bubble. While the others talk, I raise my hand and put it against the thin barrier between dome and sea.
My arm passes through with little resistance, and I wonder what magic could sustain such a way of living for so long.
“What do you make of this place?” Thorne asks, coming to my side.
