She stood, and her father did too. He patted her cheek with a tight smile before they both left.
Once the door shut softly behind them, she asked Morgen, “They’re really alright?”
Morgen’s jaw was tight and his body was tense, even as he assured her, “Yes. Once I was able, I sped up their healing.”
“They just seemed?—”
“They have been worried and annoyingly prone to hovering.”
Her brows rose. He almost sounded upset.
“They do that sometimes,” she said, catching his gaze. “Theyaremy parents.”
His answeringharrumphwas little more than a low puff of air.
She smiled incredulously. “Morgen?—”
“Everyone needs to just leave. Or leave some space at the very least.”
He ran a hand over his face, shaking his head. He stood, and she watched his aggravated pacing with parted lips.
“No one but me needs to be here right now, and although I don’t worry about your parents harming you, the same cannot be said for any of the principals. Janis can impersonate anyone, and I don’t believe for a second that Sol is no longer a threat. And then Carus insists he needsmeto go to the Gods’ Aisle, and the second I come back, you’re awake and your temperature is dangerously high, and he’s not doing anything about it. Not to mention the distance didn’t help your pain, even for an hour, and?—”
“Morgen,” she cut in, and he halted, his back to her. “It’s alright.”
He let out a ragged breath. “It’s not. You were dying, and I…I couldn’t doanything.It wasn’t working, and I’m afraid it still won’t.”
His admission sank like a stone in the quiet of the sitting room. Her chest ached with the weight of them, though not because she was not afraid they were true. Deep down, she knewthe worst had already come to pass. If the embers were going to kill her, it would have already happened.
“Come here,” she murmured, holding out a hand.
He faced her but paused when their gazes met, looking unsure. His expression was tight, but there was a vulnerability in his eyes that made him look younger than usual.
She didn’t lower her hand, waiting for all the time he needed. He let out a slow breath, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders. Once he sat next to her, she took his hand and silently pressed it to her sternum. With her palm spread over the top of his, she felt every part of them sync—the embers, their heartbeats, even the threads in theirsoul. Morgen’s breath caught, and she met his widening eyes.
See? You didn’t hurt me. You saved my life, Morgen.
A single tear slid down his cheek as he stared at her, followed by another, then another, until he dropped his head to her shoulder, his entire body wracked with silent sobs. Her eyes widened, but she held him tightly as the weight of years crashed down on him.
Not so long ago, she had told him he was a monster, and he had agreed, without hesitation, because he had truly believed it. Perhaps all the poison spewed from Kronos’ mouth when Morgen was a child could have been a self-fulfilling prophecy, but the truth was, he had never let the corruption come to pass. He defied the doomed destiny fate had secured for him, just as she had defied hers.
They held each other in silence for a long time. It took a while, but he eventually stopped trembling, and his breathing slowed, gently caressing the place where his lips touched her collarbone. When he lifted his head to look at her, the embers and even the ether in his eyes were dim, hidden behind the natural brown of his irises. She could never mistake him for fullymortal, but for just a moment, he looked less than godly. He looked content.
“I meant what I said,” he said, voice rough. “You should rest more.”
She didn’t argue, only asked, “Will you come with me?”
His hand slid to the nape of her neck, and he pressed his lips to her brow. “I follow wherever you are.”
He scooped her up, shushing her protests as carried her out of the room and down the hall. By the time they entered the dim bedroom and he set her down atop the covers, she was already asleep.
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
I dream in such vibrant color, the world often feels dull in comparison. But watching Sora and Vane during the marriage ceremony makes me wonder if the strength of colors are simply held in feelings. The cavern, though dimly lit, was teeming with color and light, cradled perhaps in the emotions themselves. It gives me hope for the future.
—Anabeth, demi-god daughter of Juno, goddess of Fate
