Page 216 of Golden Eagle

The wife, Lily, lifted her head on a soft gasp, eyes wide and startled, as green as the room around her.

Liam sat up, expression tight, pulling the loose collar of his shirt up higher on one shoulder. It was a brave show at dignity, but an unsuccessful one.

“Prince Valerian,” he greeted coolly, his own eyes heavy-lidded, blue, and calculating. “This is a surprise.”

“That’s obvious, given your state ofdishabille.”

Lily pulled the halves of her robe together over her nightgown, an ivory silk that shimmered faintly in the lamplight.

“Do you ever let my brother see you so discomposed?”

Liam bared his teeth in a semblance of a smile. “What do you think?”

Val smiled back, and flashed his fangs. “I think I just walked in on the two of you attempting to break the binding that holds you to Vlad.”

Liam’s laugh sounded like the scrape and grit of rusty door hinges.His throat’s still damaged, Val realized.He hasn’t fully healed.

“Wouldn’t that be a trick?” Liam asked with a sneer. “Divesting oneself of an unwanted master.”

“My Familiar tells me it’s possible,” Val said. “He’s done it, and so have you.”

“Your Familiar–” Liam started.

“Stop,” Lily said. She laid a hand on her husband’s arm, and he turned to her, the aggression melting off his face. “You’re tired, baby,” she murmured, and reached to smooth his shoulder-length curls off his face.

Val knew she was Anna’s sister, but he realized he’d never heard her speak before; for some reason, her Southern accent surprised him. Two Southern sisters married to two very different Brits.

“I’m not,” Liam protested, petulant as a child.

“Shh.” She stroked his face. “You are. You need your rest.” She turned to Val, her hand resting at the back of Liam’s neck. “We weren’t trying to break the binding. Liam is – healing slowly.”

Oh, Val thought. “And you’re…knitting him back together.”

“I’m doing what I can.”

“Are you a necromancer as well?”

“No,” she said.

The same moment Liam snapped, “I’m notdead.”

Lily’s fingers massaged his nape, his hair rustling, and he sighed. “I have the power to make things grow,” she explained. “Plants, generally. Sometimes flesh…bones.”

“Your dear brother broke every bone in my face, and very nearly crushed my esophagus,” Liam said, teeth bared again, without a suggestion of a smile this time. The shadows beneath his eyes lingered, still, dark and unhealthy. “And I–” He hesitated, and then sighed, shoulders slumping. “I’ve failed to return to my full potential after raising Mr. Dyomin.”

“You’ve run out of magic?” Val guessed, hopefully.

“I’mweakened. It takes an immense amount of power to raise the dead.”

“It’s draining,” Lily said, softer. “It takes time to fully recover, after.”

And then Vlad had broken his face, and he hadn’t been healing like he should.

“I see,” Val said. “Perhaps you’ve learned a valuable lesson about dabbling with necromancy.”

“Oh, sod off.”

“And attempting to compel immortals much stronger than yourself.”

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