Chapter 45

I glanceup as the door swings open, and Reeve strides in, his expression grim and his jaw set. A young woman with rich, copper hair and unique eyes follows closely behind him, her steps tentative, yet determined.

Thankfully, she doesn't appear to be bound or restrained in any way.

Reeve's gaze meets mine, and he nods.

He's done his part. Now, it's Emerin's turn.

Emerin ignores us both as she rushes to Annora's side and lays her trembling hand on her sister's arm.

"Oh, Annora." Tears trail down Emerin's cheeks as she takes in the sight of her pale sister.

Reeve steps closer, positioning himself at the foot of the bed, arms crossed over his chest.

Emerin hunches over her sister for several moments before straightening. Slowly, her hands glow with a soft, silver light as she hovers them over Annora.

Seconds turn into minutes, and the silence stretches on, broken only by the gentle hum of Emerin's magic.

What if Emerin's magic isn't enough? What if Annora never wakes up? The thought sends a chill down my spine, and I curl my fists at my sides, fighting the urge to reach out and touch her, to will her back to life.

Relief floods through me the moment Annora's eyes flutter open. She blinks once, twice, her gaze unfocused and hazy.

"Em," she whispers, her voice hoarse and weak. "Y-your here."

Emerin's eyes glisten as she leans closer and sweeps loose strands of hair from Annora's forehead. "Yes. I'm here, Rora."

Annora licks her bottom lip. "D-did you heal me?"

"Yes," Emerin says.

Annora's focus shifts, her eyes searching—almost frantically—until they find mine. "Jasce."

I move closer and take her right hand. "I'm here."

A faint smile pulls at her lips before she allows her eyes to flutter shut again.

"She's all right," Emerin says. "She just needs to rest."

"Will she recover fully?" I ask, needing to know that Annora will be all right.

Emerin nods.

"Thank you."

Emerin's gaze meets mine and travels over me before she stiffens and turns her attention back to her sister.

"Jasce." Reeve moves toward the door and nods at me.

It takes everything in me to follow Reeve from the bedchamber and to give Emerin time with Annora.

Reeve turns to me the moment we're standing in the corridor. "She'll be all right, Jasce."

I ball my fingers into fists, knowing Reeve is right, even if every part of me wants to be with my wife right now.

I stride into the closest room and sink into a seat. Reeve follows and takes the chair opposite mine, then leans forward with his elbows on his knees.

Restlessly, I drum my fingertips against my thighs. "How did you manage to convince Emerin to leave with you?"

"I asked nicely."

I lift my eyes to peer at my stone-faced brother, studying his features for any hint of humor. If Jude had made that statement, he would be grinning from ear to ear right now.

"How did you really get her to agree?" I press, knowing there must be more to the story.

Reeve shrugs, his broad shoulders rising and falling with the motion. "I told her she could either come nicely, or I could haul her over my shoulder and take her. The choice was hers."

"I take it you made yourself a quick enemy with that approach," I say as I imagine Emerin's fiery reaction to such an ultimatum.

"Most likely." Reeve shrugs again, as if he's unfazed by the prospect. "What's one more enemy?"

I shift my gaze back to the door as my mind conjures images of striding through it and returning to Annora.

Reeve rises from his seat and pours himself a goblet of wine. "You cannot even stay away from Annora for a few minutes without looking like a lovesick fool."

"She was dying." Even voicing those words out loud causes my chest to tighten.

"And now she's not," Reeve counters, his tone matter of fact as he takes a sip of his wine.

He doesn't understand. The only thing he has ever loved is his sword.

I stand, needing something to do with my hands. Something that takes my mind from the urge to go to my bedchamber and pull Annora into my arms.

"Let's spar." I don't wait for Reeve's reply.

Instead, I move to the corridor and head toward the training grounds.