Page 37 of Shattered Galaxies (Tears of the Siren #6)

Rhett

The glass coffin was something out of a fairytale.

No. It wasn’t a coffin—I had to stop fucking thinking like that.

The crystalline chamber was very similar to the one that had surrounded her back in the Demonic realm after she’d defeated Mr. Black.

So why did it feel so much more dire? Why did the shimmering cocoon around Lorcan feel so suffocating? So final?

My fingers traced over the glass, my knuckles itching to shatter it, to watch the prismatic shards rain down.

But I couldn’t risk hurting her. Emotion clogged my throat as I stared down at my beautiful and brave bunny.

Her hands rested over her heart and her eyes were closed, her expression completely at peace. Like she was sleeping.

This didn’t feel like sleep, though, and if it wasn’t for the pulsating magic that surrounded her, I would fear the worst. Especially since we couldn’t really get a read on her vitals.

“Come on, bunny,” I whispered, my voice nearly cracking. “You did it—you beat them. Just…just wake up. Please.”

My eyes stung with tears as I put my head down on the bed, glad I was alone outside of Dean.

No one had left Lorcan’s side in the past five days, unable to fathom the concept of being away for seconds, let alone longer, but tonight the healers had finally convinced everyone to take a minute to clean up and eat.

Dean and I were going to go last, but I still wasn’t sure I’d be able to manage leaving.

“Do you think she can hear us?” Dean’s voice was small as he stood on her other side. His dark gaze was filled with agony as he stared at her, but his expression was devoid of emotion.

“I hope so,” I admitted, closing my eyes as my chest squeezed in pain.

We’d learned before that none of us handled Lorcan being away—or unconscious—well, but this time was the worst by far.

The state the others were in, the way they were clashing and arguing with one another, had me worried what would happen if Lorcan didn’t wake soon.

“The others will be back soon; then we can go ask the healers for an update,” Dean offered. I knew their update wouldn’t bring any new information, but it was better than nothing.

Neither Lorcan nor Nova had woken following the cataclysmic end to the war.

Honestly, I hadn’t even been sure how we’d fucking survived the enormous energy blast that leveled the battlefield, if not realm, until I’d woken up in the god realm.

Specifically, a private estate owned by Isis, one of the gods that Nova had recruited to the cause.

While I hadn’t explored anything beyond this medical wing, I had a feeling most of the estate was outfitted for the purpose of healing those wounded in battle. Allies and enemies alike.

Apparently—only confirmed through word of mouth and not by the gods themselves—some of the more ancient deities had arrived just in time, on the cusp of destruction, to save all of us from being slaughtered in the backlash of Lorcan and Nova’s accomplishment.

Their victory that shattered space and time.

When the world eaters collapsed, the unlikely allies of Apep, Atum, and Shiva used their power to transfer everyone.

The opposing side had immediately surrendered, the shock and horror of almost being ripped out of existence bringing them to their senses.

It made me wonder how much they’d actually known before signing up for the war.

None of that had mattered to me in the moment, though, because Lorcan had been missing.

After a panicked second, Isis had appeared to us and explained that both women had been transferred into the walls of her estate to heal…

and we’d been here ever since, unable to look away in fear that we would miss her waking up.

I knew she was most likely healing, but it didn’t make it any easier.

“Take your time, bunny,” I said. “We’ll be right here until you wake up.”

Draven

10 days after the war…

“When we get home, that little pup is going to be so excited to see you,” I told Lorcan, the bustling medical ward a backdrop to my words.

Her expression remained unchanged, but at this point I’d convinced myself she could hear us—which is why I continued to talk to her.

“Although I’ve been wondering if we shouldn’t have brought him with us. He may have done well in battle.”

I never talked this fucking much, but I couldn’t stop. I was willing her to hear my voice. “When I led my own military, we had wolves that were excellent in battle. He could do the same, I have no doubt.”

“I’ll be happy to return home after she wakes,” Zander commented from his chair nearby.

Where I felt like I was going crazy, Zander was trying to maintain a strong sense of calm in monitoring the logistics of her health. I didn’t completely buy it; late at night I’d heard him whispering to her in low, mournful tones.

The only thing I’d caught so far had been: “You’re stronger than this, Lorcan—you’ve got to come back to us.”

Despite his facade, I recognized the importance of his message, especially him referring to the Arizona estate as home. I wasn’t sure I’d heard him do that previously.

“Agreed,” I said. “I have no interest in any more politics or warfare.” Especially the series of meetings going on about the future of the God realm. It was none of my damn business. After everything we’d been through, I wanted a simple existence.

A home with Lorcan and these other men that had become like brothers to me.

“You’ll give up your throne? Officially?” Zander asked, clarifying. I nodded immediately. I’d never intended to keep it in the first place. A throne was useless to me in the face of my love for Lorcan—my desire to create a sanctuary of peace and hope for her.

“I do not want you anywhere near her. No one should be—not until she wakes up.” Desmond’s voice sounded from the hall as he pushed past some of his soldiers that had remained in the realm with us.

Much of the Demonic realm had returned home, but Desmond’s parents had insisted we keep reinforcements here—after all, the God realm was a very different place.

“Your Majesty, I have news?—”

The door shut as Desmond approached the bed, looking more out of sorts than ever.

I watched as Zander stood and made his way to the door, clearly planning to get the information the soldier was trying to pass on.

Somehow, despite the anger and tension running through our group, we were working in unity more than ever before.

Especially considering how volatile some members of our group were right now.

“You need to calm down, Desmond. He’s part of your guard.”

“You think that matters to me?” he snapped. “I don’t want anyone to touch her until she wakes up. Until I can tell that she’s fucking breathing.”

Dean let out a rumble of agreement, and I nodded in understanding. I didn’t disagree with him, which made it hard for me to come up with a reason he should calm down.

Lorcan would know what to say. But until she woke up, all we could do was hope.

Cash

15 days after the war…

I could remember every single moment with Lorcan, every expression I’d ever seen cross her beautiful face. The pinch of her brows, the brilliant way she smiled when she laughed, even the way she rolled her eyes when she found me frustrating.

The memories were carved into my very being.

Lorcan was etched into my very soul.

My kitten had done so damn good—so fucking good.

She had defeated them in a display of bravery and pure, awe-inspiring magic.

But that victory meant nothing without having her here with us.

I had no doubt she would eventually wake, but the days had moved past torturously slow, bringing our family to the edge of insanity.

“You’re scaring the hell out of us, kitten,” I whispered into the darkness of the night, feeling my voice grow tight. How many times had I held her when she’d shattered to pieces? How many times had I comforted her, been her strength until she could find her own?

All I could do now was watch and wait.

Adriel

21 days after the war…

The glass exploded into glittering shards around Lorcan.

A pregnant pause filled the room before we rushed to Lorcan’s bedside, the glass turning into silver glitter as a phantom wind swept it away. Hope surged through me as I reached her side, my knees breaking in relief as my hand captured her much more delicate one.

My eyes were glued to her chest as I watched proof that she was alive. The rise and fall of her chest. The beating of her pulse in her throat. The way her eyes shifted beneath her lids. The glass had obscured so much that we hadn’t been sure, but now there was no denying it.

Lorcan was alive .

Putting my head down, I rested my lips against her hand as if I was a knight vowing my fealty to a monarch. And I fucking was. I mean, this woman had me in an absolute tailspin of emotions, but the one thing I didn’t doubt?

My love for Lorcan.

“I’m going to try star-traveling,” I said. “I have no idea if I’ll be able to find her, but now that the glass is down it’s worth a try.”

“If you don’t find her, I can try as well,” Zander said immediately. I looked at him in silent understanding; I knew we were both worried about losing our ability to star-travel with her. I let my eyes close as my power expanded out around me, encompassing both myself and her.

The past three weeks had massacred me. I didn’t think I would ever be the same. My brain felt permanently changed, so that the only thing I could focus on was finding her. As I blasted out of my body into the peaceful cosmos, I let our bond surge with energy as I reached out to Lorcan.

Immediately, I was soaring through the cosmic skies. It was almost dizzying how fast I moved, my magic beyond eager to find our woman. Seconds or maybe years later—there was no way to tell—we came to a hard stop.

In the distance, surrounded in an angelic blue light, was Lorcan. Her skin glittered with stars, and she hummed softly under her breath while resting her head against the fabric of space itself. I could have stared at her for eons, but now wasn’t the time for that.

“Princess. It’s time to come home.”