Page 128 of The Unweaver

As if drawn by her gaze, his eyes blinked open. Midnight blue eyes that widened with worry. He propped up on an elbow and hesitantly clasped her shoulder, handling her with care lest she break. “Cora,” he said, soft and earnest, his features marked with concern. “Are you… all right?”

Her hand felt like it belonged to another when she touched his face. His gaze never wavered as she traced the rasp of his stubble, the softness of his lips. “Are you… real?” she croaked in a broken, faded voice.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Am I dreaming?” Gently, he shook his head. “Am I dead?” Another gentle shake. Her hand dropped. Sitting up, dizziness swept over her. Tears swam in her eyes and poured down her cheeks. “Oh. Oh god.No.No,not again—”

“Cora—”

“You should have let me die!” She thrashed out of the silken sheets, almost tumbling to the floor when arms clamped around her in a fierce embrace. She struggled against them, but the fight left her as sobs racked her body. Without protest, he pulled her onto his lap and cradled her against his chest.

“I only want to die,” she cried.

He held her so tightly she wasn’t certain who was supporting whom. “Please don’t go,” he rasped, voice ragged with pain. “Now I’ve found you at last, please don’t go.”

The floodgate of tears burst. Cora wept herself empty in his arms. Soothing hands stroked her back. Soft murmurs filled her ears. Gentle kisses caressed her face. “You’re not alone anymore,” he whispered, and she wondered if he was telling her or himself.

The sun was low when her tears receded, and she could breathe again. Unfairness stung through the crushing despair. It washerlife,herchoice to end it. A choice he’d robbed her of. Bane had no right to interfere—their Binding Agreement had died along with him, and he held dominion over her no longer. Dying in peace was her decision. How could she live while Teddy was dead?

She burned with anger and shame at Bane’s interference. Yet with the pit of sorrow yawning open, she was desperate not to be alone with the aftermath.

“I don’t want to be me anymore,” she whispered hoarsely.

“I know that feels true right now.” He smoothed back her hair. “But it won’t always.”

She burrowed into the crook of his neck where her tears had turned his shirt translucent. “My reason to live is dead.”

All she had wanted, from one wretched day to the next, was to be with Teddy. But he had hated himself more than he loved her. He had been her everything, and she hadn’t been enough. Even in death, he didn’t want to be near her. Memories weren’t enough to survive on.

“You’ll find another reason, Cora.” He tucked her tighter against him. “It might not be today nor tomorrow, but one day you’ll wake up and have a reason to get out of bed again. Anyone that says there’s a grander meaning to life is probably trying to sell you something, but I think the meaning is what we make ofit. Whether that’s to achieve some purpose, or that we’re simply born to be alive, the way an animal or a flower is.”

“What if I never find a reason?”

“You will. A lifetime of trauma doesn’t disappear overnight. We’ll both have to learn how to live again, eh? One day at a time.” He kissed her temple. “If you want to talk, I’ll listen. If you’re not ready, I’ll wait.”

With a quavering breath, she rested her cheek on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Strong and certain.

“Teddy… did it to himself.” Her voice broke on a sob. “After everything we’ve gone through, he did it to himself. I told him about b-burying him, and he was so upset with me, he threw me out of his Deathscape. I… I don’t think he’ll ever speak with me again.”

“Give him time, Cora. Death is an adjustment. Teddy wouldn’t want you to suffer like this.”

Pulling back, she looked into his blue eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me about the Specter’s Scourge? The hopelessness of reanimating him?”

His mouth twisted in a grimace and his gaze landed on her bandaged wrists. “I was afraid… this would happen. I wanted to protect you from hurt, but I only hurt you more. I fucked up and I’m more sorry than I can say. I sensed something was wrong, while I was trapped in the Dream Realm. And when I saw you, I knew that you— And I woke up.”

“How?”

He lifted her chin to meet his eyes. “There is a thread of fate woven between us not even death can sever. No matter what happens, remember this: I am happy you were born, Cora. I am happy you’re alive.”

She glanced away, swiping her tears. “Happy to have a suicidal Necromancer that can’t die.”

“Oh,mo chroí. This whole time, everyone wanted to cheat death except the one person that actually can. You’ve defied death, yours and mine, withresurrection. How many have a second chance at life? Maybe second time’s the charm for us, eh?”

Mournful humor danced in his eyes and a soft smile played on his lips. Something had shifted inside him, like shutters removed from time-soldered windows, letting the light stream in and be reflected back, all the brighter for its long absence.

She traced the resurrection scar over his heart. The rolling hills of his Deathscape had been tranquil. He’d made peace with death long before it claimed him, yet he had sacrificed everything—his spirit, his humanity—to circumvent it.

Breaking Koschei’s Egg had fulfilled Ghose’s prophecy in unanticipated ways, bringing Malachy’s death to life and giving him another chance. With his dark blue eyes, she wondered if his spirit was whole now. Or as whole as it could be after… everything.

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