He didn’t try to parse any of it, because all that mattered was if Yannoma would actually do this and allow Cormal to help make Kinan whole.
Correction. She wasn’t quiteallthat mattered.
Because one voice rose above the others and silenced them.
“No!”
It was so loud that they all fell silent and turned. Kinan’s fists were clenched, and there was a terrible expression on his face. “Absolutely not.” His voice was harsh. Cormal had never heard him speak like that. His chest was heaving in short, sharp pants.“Icategoricallyrefuse. Iwill notdo it, and you will not speak of it again!”
He shot one last look at Cormal, rigid and furious, and then turned and strode out of the room. And Cormal knew just how upset he was, because he went right through the wall.
Cormal cursed. He turned to Yannoma. “Thank you for the idea. I’ll go talk to him.”
Everyone was staring at him, and he couldn’t even begin to understand their expressions.
“Cormal—” Brannal started.
Shaking his head, Cormal was already turning for the door. “Leave it with me.”
He started in their room and had to check virtually the whole house before he headed outside and finally found Kinan perched on a flat rock by the river, staring into the water.
He didn’t react to Cormal’s approach or to him coming to stand next to him.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Cormal finally said.
Kinan’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything.
“It sounds like our best chance,” he tried next.
Kinan whirled on him, suddenly on his feet in a move that wouldn’t have been possible if he were flesh and blood. He was clenching his fists again, tension in every line of his body.
His voice was sharp and high. “Killing you sounds like our best chance.”
“You need—” Cormal started.
“What?” Kinan shouted. “What do I need? To be normal? Was everything you said before a load of nonsense? There’s something so wrong with me that you have to die to fix it?”
“No, of course not,” Cormal protested. “That’s not what I meant at all.”
The words were practically sneered. “Whatdidyou mean?”
Cormal had never heard Kinan like this before.
“I swore I would do anything to help you fix this.”
He scoffed, his eyes flashing. “The ultimate sacrifice for your prince.”
“No!” Cormal said, starting to get annoyed. “Kinan, I wantyouto be happy!”
His voice was flat. “And you think killing you would make me happy.”
“Of course not,” Cormal said again. “But if it’s the only option that we have…”
“You call that an option?” Kinan said, voice thick with scorn. “If it worked, then for every single second of every single day, I would possess your body knowing that I killed you to get it.”
“You wouldn’t—” Cormal started.
Kinan’s gaze skewered him. His voice trembled. “I would have yourhandsand yourfaceand you would begone forever. That’s my worst nightmare.”
