“I thought—” He broke off. “I thought you were going to die.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“Can you try to eat or drink something?”
“Sure,” I said, but my stomach churned at the thought.
Kal returned with a glass of juice and a piece of bread. I took a sip, and it almost immediately came back up. I swallowed convulsively in an attempt to keep the liquid down. I didn’t drink much, and I ate even less.
Kal watched me, tail writhing.
I tugged him down next to me. “Hold me.”
Warmth enveloped me when he settled behind me. I fell asleep as I felt his tail wrap around my ankle and his wings drape over me.
He woke up.
I pressed my nose against his neck and breathed in his scent. My Seth was going to be alright.
I rubbed my forehead against the nape of his neck, holding him close. My tail was wrapped securely around his ankle and up his calf and my wings covered him. I threw a leg over his hip. I wanted to keep him as close as possible. I wanted to feel all of his bare skin pressed against my scales. I needed to feel his chest rise and fall with each breath, letting me know he was alive.
When we got to Tamkolvanloknol, I was going to have a bioshield placed around our house, and we were never going to leave. He was never going to be out of my sight ever again.
If he stays.
My arms compulsively tightened. I couldn’t think about that. Seth was in my arms, safe. He would survive, and everything else would resolve itself.
I took another deep inhale of his scent, and it drove the tension from my body.
Lucy curled against Seth, and I stroked her back. “It’ll be alright, Lucy.”
She’d been frantic when Seth was in the medbay, then had refused to leave his side since he’d come back.
After an hour or so, I called out in a low voice, “NAID.”
Her voice was hesitant as she asked, “Yes, Prince?”
“Seth woke up.”
She visibly relaxed. “I’m so relieved.”
“I am as well.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Let Doctor Qinlin know, please.”
“At once.”
The room went dark, and I listened to Seth breathe. I’d never heard a more wonderful sound in the universe.
“Seth,” Kal whispered.
I struggled against the darkness. I was more tired than I’d ever been in my entire life, and it felt like weights were tied to my limbs, dragging me down.
“Seth,” he said, sounding desperate. “Please, Husband.”
The neediness of his voice made me fight through the exhaustion. Kal hovered over me. “Babe,” I said as I blinked, trying to clear the blurriness from my vision.
