"I'm telling you, something is wrong with this bond," Aurex said, sprawled across his throne in a way that would make any royal etiquette teacher weep.
One leg dangled over the armrest, his head tilted back against the golden backrest, staring at the ceiling like it held all the answers to his problems.
Hyrin lounged on a raised platform to the right of the throne—a seat designed specifically for visiting deities, though he treated it more like a personal bed.
He lay on his side, propped up on one elbow, picking at his teeth with what looked suspiciously like a small bone. "What kind of wrong? Like 'I'm dying' wrong or 'this is annoying' wrong?"
"Wrong like—" Aurex sat up abruptly, running his hand through his golden hair in frustration. "Yesterday, I felt fear. Sudden, overwhelming fear. Then anxiety. Then stress that made my chest tight. And this morning—"
He rotated his right shoulder, wincing. "—my arm hurt for no damn reason. Like I'd slammed it into something."
