By the following evening, Liam had recovered enough strength to glare properly.
Arik considered that progress.
Liam did not.
He was curled into the corner of the long sofa in their private sitting room, wrapped in a soft dark robe with one bare foot tucked beneath his opposite thigh. His hair was still slightly damp from the bath, loose around his shoulders, and the newly completed mate collar rested against his throat.
The stone at its center glowed faintly.
Gold and violet moved beneath its surface in slow currents, responding every time either of them released even a trace of ether.
Liam had spent most of the day touching it unconsciously.
He had also spent most of the day blaming Arik for everything else.
At the moment, his attention was fixed entirely on the plate in Arik's hand.
That did not make the glare less hostile.
"If I get pregnant from that," Liam said, "I am canceling the bond."
Arik cut another piece from the dessert.
"You cannot."
Liam's eyes narrowed.
