My hands…they were on soft wool. Not a sticky marble surface, nor a chilled cavern. I rubbed the blanket between my fingers, the material grounding me.
And my back didn’t sting. No, it was sore, but surprisingly whole as I caught my shaking breath.
“You’re okay, Malakai,” that voice before me said again. The one that had come to mean comfort and warmth and support.
Mila. I met her eyes, so wide with concern. Or perhaps it was fear. Torment, maybe.
Mila. The inn. We were back in the inn. In Valyn.
Titus…he had me whipped. And Mila had to watch, but she…
“You’re okay?” I asked frantically. Gripping her wrists over her gold cuffs, I turned my head to kiss her palm.
She smiled slightly, brushing my hair back from my face with glassy eyes. “I am. And so are you.”
It was coming back in flashes. Getting here from the chancellor’s manor. After Vale had…Spirits. Vale hadkilledhim. That was going to be an issue.
The ride back had been one of the most disorienting experiences of my life. Ombratta was gentle as she carried us—me leaning heavily on Mila to compensate for my back—but every step had sent a bolt of pain through my open flesh. Every breeze had stung like my skin was lit on fire.
“How long have I been out?” I asked. A storm raged outside the windows, so I couldn’t tell what time it was.
“About a day and a half,” Mila said, and my heart sank at those words. She spoke so clinically, as if she were a healer reporting casualties to their superior. “Your wounds are fully healed, though I’d be careful for another day so you don’t reopen them.”
She’d bandaged my back and wrapped a dressing around my torso. That tender care made my chest feel crowded. Now that I noticed it, the white linen was tight with every breath, but that firm brace against my ribs was another comfort. Another reminder that someone had been there to heal me this time. That I’d taken a punishment, but things were different.
My voice was thick as I asked, “And is everyone else okay?”
Before she answered, the door slammed open, and Cypherion filled the frame. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I heard your voice. Figured you were awake.”
Cyph approached the bed, looking over my bandages. Emotion burned beneath his stare, piercing down to my fresh wounds.
“I heard what happened. Saw—” He swallowed, choking up. “Thank you.”
It was only a few words, but it said enough. Thank you for taking that punishment. For withstanding it. For getting Vale out.
“I promised I would get her back,” I said.
Cyph looked between me and Mila, his cheeks slightly pink. “I’ll leave you to it.”
The exchange was over so quickly, his words brief, yet his gratitude was thick in the air. He left, and that feeling of accomplishment lifted my bones and spirit.
“Everyone made it back,” Mila answered my previous question, still in her orderly tone. “There were some injuries, but they’re all here.”
They were all alive. Mila and I were alive. I dragged my hand up her arm, solidifying her presence. No cells or chains or bars were keeping us apart.
We survived.
I repeated that to myself as my fingers danced along her leathers, from shoulder to wrist, counting our breaths. Her skin was likely so warm beneath the material, so soft and scarred. Fucking beautiful and real. I wanted to cement the feel of her in my mind.
“Did they get the emblem?” I asked, voice hoarse. My forehead fell against hers.
Mila swallowed, the air heavy as she breathed, “We can talk about all of that later. You should rest now.”
My eyes flashed to the door Cypherion had left through, his gratitude ringing in my ears still. Gratitude because he loved Vale and wouldn’t waste another day pretending otherwise.
I looked to Mila. Took in those bright blue eyes and full lips.
“I don’t want to rest,” I told her. “I could have died a few nights ago. Everything could have been taken, and all I can thinkis life is too damn short to not live it.” I may have had new scars slicing across my old ones now, but we’d damn well made it out of the manor. “So, I don’t want to rest, Mila.” I sighed, locking my eyes with those crystal blue ones. “I just want you.”
