He did what?
Rage simmers beneath my skin again. Enough rage to resurrect Doran, just to kill him again.
I let out a slow exhale, forcing the anger down. Everly needs calm right now, not more violence. I reach out, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay right here. Keep watch over you tonight.”
Surprise crosses her features, but she doesn’t speak, doesn’t argue. Instead, she watches me, her gaze searching my face, as if looking for...something. Reassurance? Sincerity?
I bring my hand back, letting it rest on the edge of her bed. Close enough to reach her if she needs me, but not touching. Giving her space.
“Can I have some water?” she asks.
I stand, striding over to the table where a pitcher of water sits. Grabbing a goblet, I fill it before returning to Everly.
“Here,” I say, holding out the goblet.
She pushes herself up on one elbow, reaching for the water with her other hand. She brings it to her lips and tilts her headback to drink. A trickle of water escapes the corner of her mouth. Without thinking, I reach out and brush it away with my thumb.
Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she hands the goblet back to me, her fingers lingering on mine for a moment longer than necessary.
I put the goblet aside and sink into the chair beside her bed. Everly tugs the blanket up to her chin. Her eyelids flutter, then drift shut as exhaustion claims her.
A fierce protectiveness surges through me. I let it settle deep in my bones until it becomes a part of me. As natural as breathing. As vital as the blood pumping through my veins.
Everly’s sleep grows restless. She tosses and turns, her brow furrowing.
“Elpis,” she calls out. “Where are you?”
Who is Elpis? A friend?
She calls out again, louder this time. “Elpis. No. Don’t go!”
I reach out, gently touching Everly’s arm. She settles at my touch, her breathing evening out once more.
The hours crawl by. My eyes burn with exhaustion, but I refuse to let them close. Every creak of the tent, every rustle of leaves outside keeps me alert. I stand, pacing the space, flexing my fingers to keep the blood flowing.
When dawn’s first light seeps through the tent fabric, I rub my eyes, feeling the grit of a sleepless night. But I don’t move from my post. I made a promise to keep her safe, and I intend to keep it.
Chapter
Fifty
EVELRY
I joltawake and thrash against the bed as memories suffocate me. Rough hands gripping me. Bruising me. Destroying me. Ale-soaked breath kissing me. Taking from me what was never his to take. Crushing the joy out of me, the happiness.
I whimper, and Cenric shifts closer to me, his hand settling against my arm.
“You’re all right,” he says, his voice low and soothing.
I turn enough to catch sight of Cenric still sitting in the chair next to my bed. “You stayed.”
“I told you I would,” he says in that same soothing voice. It does something to me—crushes those walls that Doran made me build last night.
I swallow through the grit in my throat. “You didn’t have to stay all night.”
Torchlight casts shadows across Cenric’s features, deepening the worry lines around his eyes. “I wanted to.”
His gaze roams over my face, lingering on each bruise and cut. I resist the urge to turn away, to hide the evidence of last night’s attack.
