“And I won’t.” I took a step forward, trying to reclaim some of the space he created. “But what if you can teach me how to use your power, and I can blend our magics like before? What if something like that could help meandyou?”
“No. We’re done with this conversation.” He turned on his heel and stormed toward the door, but I stepped in front of him before he could leave.
“Don’t just walk away,” I said as I glared at him.
His eyes darkened. “Why? I’m so good at it, after all.” He stepped around me, brushing me gently to the side so he could pass through the door. He paused only for a minute when he toed a stray button and sent it skittering across the floorboards. He watched it roll until it came to an unceremonious stop after thumping against the wall. His devilish smirk returned.
“Oh, and Edira? Next time you want to see me shirtless, all you have to do is ask.”
I cursed at his back as he left, but a quiet, familiar chuckle skirted through the air and brought a subtle heat to my cheeks. He wouldn’t help me, that much was clear, but maybe we could sort through whatever this mess was between us.
If that’s what he wanted.
If that’s whatIwanted.
Seven
Gauzy morning light sliced through the sheer curtains over my window, and I watched in fascination as a handful of pale flower buds blossomed along the sill, opening their petals to the sun. Vora had brought my things to my room the night before, but I hadn’t inspected it closely after my argument with Rorik. I’d stormed up the stairs, pausing only for a moment at the final step as I recalled how Mavis used to slip quietly down the halls. As the dying matriarch of the family, she’d been a silent, watchful eye, quietly steering me toward a truth I’d been unable to see. She’d given me the power to stand up to Orin before she passed, and a twinge of grief plucked at my heart as I braced against the railing. I’d set them all free of Orin’s wrath, just like she’d wanted, and that was enough.
I almost missed her unnerving, invisible stare tracking my steps as I moved to my room. But when I saw my bed already turned down and waiting, I simply changed into my nightgown and crawled into the sheets to sleep.
Now, though, I lay on my side and studied the earthly beauty. All the furniture, from the armoire to the vanity to the low coffee table, was made of white oak. The air was fresh and clean as if a spring rain had just cleared, and the rafters above my head were laden with the same climbing ivy as the ceilings on the first floor. Even my four-poster bed had flowers ringing the wooden frame, and the canopy lightly draped along the top was a gossamer pale pink. Ywena had returned while I slept, and she stirred now along the fabric.
“Morning,” I murmured to her. She chittered in response, sending me a series of images of my smiling face through our mental connection. It was always weird to see myself reflected through her gaze. Her depiction was filtered and warm, capturing the best version of me unmarred by sadness or the weight of my future. Just me, moon-white hair mussed around my face, and a wide, easy grin without an ounce of worry in my dove-gray eyes. Whenever she did this, I knew she was happy to see me.
“I missed you, too.” I stifled a yawn as I shifted in bed. “Have you been enjoying yourself?”
She let out another series of excited titters, accompanied by more images of the woods and the manor and the sprawling hills, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Well, don’t stop on my account. I’ll be busy trying to convince your daddy to help unlock my potential.” Or maybe I’d start by checking in with Amalyss and Tasia; they’d mentioned some texts during dinner, and if Rorik wasn’t going to help, at least I could start there. Pulling the sheets away, I slid from the bed and padded across the warm wood of the floor. I’d just fully opened the curtains to gaze at the lawns when a sharp rap sounded, followed immediately by my door opening.
“Oh, good, you’re awake.” Vora strolled in with a silver tray in her hands. Two steaming cups of coffee were arranged on thin ceramic plates, and cubes of sugar were stacked neatly beside dainty silver spoons and some creamer. She set the tray on the table before settling onto the plush mauve couch.
“Back to work already?” I asked with a grin, sitting beside her.
Vora gave me a dismissive wave. “Old habits die hard, I suppose.”
“Fair enough.” I took a slow sip. “I talked to Rorik last night. He won’t be any help, either.”
She set her cup down and pressed her lips into a fine line. “Is he sick?”
I sank farther into the cushion as my chest tightened. “Yes.”
Vora cursed. Her head fell into her hands, and she held it there for several breaths before dragging her fingers down her cheeks. “How bad?”
“About the same as Seville.” Setting my coffee down, I ran my thumb along the pads of my fingers as I remembered the way I’d called on my power and examined the twirling aquamarine strands of his life force. “There’s still time. He’ll outlive us both.”
Tears welled, but she gave me a firm nod. I reached over and held her hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. She blew out a heavy breath, and her shoulders rolled forward. For as long as I’d known her, Vora had always been a force. A strong-willed, fiercely competent woman with a sense of self that sparked admiration deep within me. I’d always known she’d cared for Rorik, but I’d never seen her break. Not like this. But that was the problem with hope. My curing Rorik had lulled her into a false sense of security. And I’d just ripped it away.
“I’ve never asked... how did you even meet Rorik?”
She smiled softly and looked toward the window, peering into a faraway memory. “I’ve been with him for decades. He visited my town once on some errand mandated by his father. I was only twenty at the time, and I was in the worst kind of way you could imagine.” Her eyes fell, and she glared at the coffee table. “My parents cast me out young. I had no money. I did everything I could to survive. He found me in an alley fighting off some men who hadideasfor how I could earn some coin.” Tension flared in her hand, and I squeezed her fingers tighter to remind her that she was here with me now. Safe. “Anyway, Rorik beat them senseless, and then he tossed them out into the streets for the town elders to handle. I thought that would be the end of it, but he came back for me. He was the first person to ever offer me their hand, to help me at all. And I just followed him.
“When he brought me to Fernglove, he told his family he’d hired a new attendant, and since I was already a lowlymortal,I wasn’t a threat in his father’s eyes. Rorik branded me himself that day.” Vora peeled back the sleeve of her blouse, revealing the family crest along her arm. With the barest of touches, she grazed the blade with her knuckles before letting the fabric fall back in place.
“I owe him my life.” She looked at me then, and the wrinkles framing her eyes seemed to grow impossibly deeper. “Living here wasn’t always easy, but it was infinitely better than what I had before. And I’d make all the same choices again if it led me right back to this manor.”
“So, you’ll come back here at some point, then?”
