“Cora –”
I looked down and to the side. “Is all well in your princedom?” I tried to inject lightness in my tone and knew I failed when he spoke next.
His voice was so firm it was steely when he commanded, “Look at me.”
I did as he asked, lifting my head and moving it in a swift arc, my eyes catching his for a brief second before I tried to look down to the other side but one of his hands caught me, fingers at my chin, and forced me to face him.
Foiled!
“Bloody hell,” he muttered. “By the gods, what happened to you?”
“Nothing,” I replied instantly.
“Nothing?” he asked, his voice dripping with impatience and disbelief.
“Nope, nothing,” I repeated. “Everything’s cool. How are you? Did you have a good day?”
He stared at me. Then he stated, “Don’t lie to me, Cora.”
“I’m not –”
I stopped speaking when he shook me gently but firmly and semi-repeated, “I said, don’t lie to me.”
I looked into his gorgeous face, into his beautiful eyes, eyes that held mine the entire first time he moved inside me, eyes I could fall in love with and I lost it.
Completely.
I dissolved into tears in his arms, dipping my chin and shoving my face into his chest, my fingers fisting in his shirt by my cheeks as I wailed.
“Sweets, what on earth?” he murmured into the top of my hair and I jerked my head back so fast he had to jerk his up too.
“They hate me!” I cried.
“Who?” he asked.
“Everyone!” I shouted then shoved my face back into his chest and as quickly as I did, I pulled it out, looked through my watery eyes at his face and yelled desperately, “You have to find a witch! A wizard! There has got to be someone here who knows how to send me home. There’s always some magical type… person who inhabits enchanted animated movies that knows how to help!” I pulled his shirt out then slammed it back in and kept going. “You have to find someone to help. I have to go home. I have to.”
His body grew rock solid against mine but I was too far gone to notice and kept right on babbling.
“They hate me, God! You cannot imagine how much. The other Cora was a bitch!” I screeched the last two words at the top of my lungs. “And I like you. Your world is so beautiful. And you saved Aggie for me. And last night was so… so…” I hiccoughed through my sobs, “good. The best I’ve ever had by, like…” I couldn’t find words to describe how much so I shouted, “A lot! I don’t want to have it once then have to let it go.” I slammed his shirt into his chest and kept wailing, “I told you we shouldn’t do it! Now, forever and ever I’ll remember what we had and want it again and I’ll never have it!” My sobs turned to anger and I yelled, “See! I knew! I tried to tell you but would you listen? No! You jerk!”
“Sweets,” he whispered.
“You owe me!” I cried. “That’s our deal. I gave it up… three times… and now you have to pay. You have to find me a wizard or a gypsy or someone, anyone who knows how to send me home!”
Then I dissolved again, my knees buckling and he caught me in his arms, lifted me up and swung around. I shoved my face into his neck and held onto his shoulders with both arms, my body wracked with tears and I dimly heard the firm, angry beat of his boots hitting the ground as he stalked wherever he was stalking.
“Gods, what on… is she well?” I heard a woman ask.
“Find me Perdita,” Tor growled. “I’ll want an explanation for the state of my wife.”
“No!” I cried, lifting my head and looking at his hard, angry profile. “Don’t blame Perdita. I think she may be the only one who likes me.”
“I gave her charge of you and you’re a gods damned mess.” Tor’s voice rumbled with fury. “So, my love, I’ll bloody well be talking to Perdita.”
My hand went to his cheek and I pleaded, “Please, please, don’t, Tor. You do, you’ll do me no favors.”
“Quiet, Cora,” he commanded low.