The Princess threw herself at Kinan, and they hugged for a long time. Perian and Molun may not have been the only ones who got a little teary-eyed.
The doctor wanted to make a thorough examination of Kinan. Since this was the first time he’d had a physical body since he was sixteen and they’d kind of… made this one with magic, Cormal thought that was a good idea.
They went back into the bedroom. Cormal had intended to give Kinan privacy, but Kinan had grabbed his hand andclutched it hard, so he’d come along. The doctor was gentle and professional, checking for any pain or discomfort—he had none, apart from being hungry—and verifying that everything worked as expected.
The doctor came to the same conclusion that Cormal had on his much-less-professional examination earlier: the body was the exact recreation of his previously intangible twenty-two-year-old form.
“You appear to be in peak physical health,” the doctor assured them both, smiling kindly. “If anything changes, please come tell me immediately. No matter what it is, I’d like to hear about it. There’s no reason to suppose that the Life Magic and Elemental Magic haven’t done exactly what they were supposed to, but the situation is rather unprecedented.”
Kinan nodded. “Yes, of course.”
“And how are you feeling emotionally?” the doctor continued.
Kinan made a face. “It’s a bit overwhelming, but it’s also the thing I’ve most wanted for the last seven years? So it’s wonderful, but… a lot. I’m so glad Cormal is with me.”
Cormal wasn’t sure he was fit to be anyone’s support, but he would do everything he could to be worthy of it.
The doctor’s gaze landed on Cormal. “It seems to be very beneficial to you both.”
“Absolutely,” Cormal agreed readily. “Kinan is the most amazing person I’ve ever met, and I’m so lucky he’s in my life.”
Kinan’s shocked inhale made Cormal look at him. His eyes were wide, his expression vulnerable. “Really?”
“Oh, Kinan,” Cormal breathed. “Absolutely. I love you. You bring so much light into my life. You make me strive to be a better person. I love spending time with you, seeing the way you look at the world. I admire you so much.”
Kinan flung himself at Cormal, who swept him into his arms.
“I love you, too,” Kinan exclaimed. “So much. I thought…” He hesitated, his voice small. “I thought maybe you were just saying that. Because I was stuck, you know?”
Cormal noticed the doctor slip out of the room and close the door behind herself. They wouldn’t have long before someone out there would interfere, but he appreciated that they had a couple minutes to themselves.
Drawing back so that they could see one another clearly, Cormal cupped Kinan’s face with his hands.
“I was definitely not just saying that. I loved you even when I couldn’t touch you, and I’m delighted for you that you’re tangible now, but it hasn’t changed my feelings. If anything,you’re the one who has all the possibilities in the world and no good reason to have pickedme.”
Cormal had intended to give Kinan a choice now, hadn’t he? Maybenotbreak out the love declarations immediately and make Kinan feel like he was stuck with him?
Oops.
Kinan shot him an unimpressed look even as his hands came up to cover Cormal’s. “I picked you because I love you. And yes, there were an embarrassing number of years where that was a crush more than anything. But we’ve been through a lot together, and I think we’ve both seen one another at our worst—but also at our best. You fought for me no matter what, and you inspire me with your willingness to change even when it’s hard. Sometimes you go about it entirely wrong, but you always try to protect people. You take care of me, and you wanted me, even when there were times that I didn’t want myself.” He swallowed thickly. “When it was so hard to keep going every day, knowing my situation might never change.”
Cormal tugged one of Kinan’s hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to it. “But it has changed. You’re here and you’re solid, and we’re going to have so much sex, you’ll get tired of it.”
Kinan barked out a laugh that was a little wet-sounding, but he was grinning.
“I’ve had only my own hand for companysince I was sixteen,” Kinan reminded him. “That would have to be an awful lot of sex.”
“I guess we’ll just have to work really hard,” Cormal said with an exaggerated leer, making Kinan laugh again.
“Challenge accepted!”
They went back out into the sitting room, where there was a lot more hugging, and then the two of them were able to sit down and eat, thank goodness. Kinan’s stomach wasn’t the only one that had been grumbling angrily.
As they consumed more food than Cormal had ever eaten in a sitting before, they got caught up on what had happened since Cormal had lost consciousness (which turned out to have been two days earlier).
Perian and Trill had actually come out of the encounter the best. They’d known what they needed to keep giving them energy, and there had been plenty of volunteers to provide it. They’d still been utterly exhausted, but they’d remained conscious. The Mage Warriors had been thoroughly drained, and Cormal wasn’t the only one to pass out, though he’d been unconscious the longest.
Kinan had been unconscious, too, in the aftermath, but he’d been breathing and solid, and all anyone had known to do was wait. Those who couldn’t move under their own power had been examined by the doctor and then carried to their rooms. As soon as Perian and Trill had felt recovered, they’d apparently boosted Kinan and all the Mage Warriors with more healing energy.
