Page 186 of The Crown's Awakening
"When?"
"Soon."
"That is not an answer."
"It is the only one I have right now."
Silence stretches between us, not hostile, but misaligned in a way that has been building for weeks.
"Then I will wait," I say.
His jaw tightens slightly. "I will come find you when I am free."
"I know." I do. That has never been the problem.
He crosses to the children, adjusting the blanket at Ari's side, his hand brushing briefly over Kiss without waking her.
"I will not be long."
I nod. He leaves. The door closes.
The room returns to itself. I reach for the parchment. I do not write, not yet. We are supposed to do this together.
So I wait.
CHAPTER 54
Kentan
Iwake before the light reaches the walls. The room is quiet. The children breathe softly. Ari has not moved. Kiss shifts once, then goes still again. Colsar is not beside me. He had come in late. I remember the weight of him at my back, the heat of his body against mine, and I had told myself I would speak to him in the morning. He is gone before the morning comes.
The healer arrives later that day. She works more quickly now, the bandages loosening with less resistance, her hands moving with quiet precision as she checks what lies beneath.
"You are improving faster than expected," she says.
"I told you I would."
She presses along the edge of the injury. It pulls but it no longer steals my breath. "When will I be finished?"
"Soon. Very soon, if you choose to accelerate it."
"The pools?"
"Yes." She adjusts the final wrap, then pauses. "You may also resume intimacy."
I look at her. "I am healed enough for it?"
"Yes." A brief pause. "Siakar males are rarely inclined to keep their distance after birth. The bond strengthens. The instinct follows. In most cases they remain close to their partners. It becomes difficult for them to be elsewhere for long."
I hold still.
He is gone before I wake. He is gone before I return. He comes to bed after I am already asleep and leaves before the morning comes.
I look back at her. "Then I will be prepared," I say.
She smiles, then pulls a small sachet from her supply basket and presses it into my hands. “Herbs. These can be used should you wish to prevent another pregnancy.”
“Thank you,” I say quietly.
