He wasn’t kidding. I was pretty sure we were only a few short hours away from Lucien losing his absolute mind and trying to fight anyone he came across to get answers.
A coy smile tugged at Alexandra’s lips as she murmured, grogginess making her words sound a bit rough, “Always so bloodthirsty.”
Hearing her joke lightened the energy of the room. It felt like a vacuum had been released. It was as if every breath we took was stolen and condensed into one single bubble as we waited to see if she would wake up and be okay. As it popped with her words, the relief flowing between us was both immense and palpable.
My shoulders sagged as Elwin clapped his hand on my back and rubbed lightly. As my eyes fell closed, I forced myself to take deep, steadying breaths to try to calm my erratic pulse. I’d tried so hard to keep my cool during the tense period of waiting, to show that I had unwavering faith that everything would be okay. But inside, I was a ticking time bomb. Now that I could see that she really was okay, all of my fears that I was suppressing rushed through me in a churning current.
Fuck, she was really okay. She was back with us.
“Ky?”
My eyes snapped back open at the sound of her soft question, and I watched as Lucien helped her sit up. I reached for her back too, helping hold her up as she reached for me. As the warmth from her palms settled against my chest and we gazed into each other's eyes, I allowed my vulnerability a moment out in the open.
“You scared me, darling,” I whispered, searching her face and eyes for any sign of a lingering problem or pain. “I have never felt so helpless and weak as I did over the past few hours.”
Her eyes widened as a soft breath escaped her in a rush. “I was out for hours? It only felt like maybe thirty minutes to me. Shit, I’m sorry, Ky. I’m sure that was really concerning.”
Confusion blanketed my mind. She was aware that she wasn’t conscious?
She seemed to lose herself in her thoughts, so I simply pressed a kiss to her forehead, not wanting to rush her into giving us all the answers just now. I knew she would tell what had happened with time. All that mattered now was that she was here and she seemed okay.
She shifted from my hold after a few moments before moving to Elwin and nuzzling into his chest, allowing him to hold her with him on the floor.
“You’re never going to believe what I found out,” she murmured as she turned her head to gaze up at him. “I think your brain may actually explode when you hear just how wrong the countless books that we read on Pandora were.”
Well, consider my curiosity about what the hell happened while she was out doubled.
The sound of a loudly clearing throat pulled our attention out of our little bubble. We turned to see Ariel hovering a few feet away. “Alexandra, do you feel well enough to get back to training tomorrow?”
Her arms were crossed against her chest, and she gazed at Alexandra with a furrowed brow. Something had shifted between them, but I wasn’t sure what it was just yet. I saw her genuine concern for our girl when she brought her back here with the thought that the three of us could help access Alexandra with our powers.
But it was because I’d seen that fear for our girl’s safety that Ariel’s question caused my hackles to raise. She was there with us and saw how drained Alexandra was. How could she possibly think that Alexandra was good to go back to training the next day?
Lucien growled, and for once, I was right there with him, feeling fury rising within me. Clearly, something massive just happened to Alexandra. She didn’t need to push herself to commit to training so soon again.
“Yes. I’ll see you in the morning.” She answered without hesitation, making the three of us look at each other in confusion.
“Alexandra,” I started to say, but Ariel cut me off before I could remind Alexandra that it was okay to take the time to take care of herself.
“Stop that,” she demanded, turning her ire upon me before swinging her gaze to my two brothers in turn. Her eyes narrowed as she spat, “You must stop coddling her. What you are up against is nothing short of a massive struggle, but the outcome of this rests upon her shoulders. Alexandra is tougher than anyone here gives her credit for. She won’t be able to realize and feel that for herself until she pushes herself outside of the self-imposed boundaries she has placed on top of the ones you all have created for her.”
My blood simmered beneath my skin, enraged at her implication that we coddled Alexandra and thought her weak. That was so far from the truth it wasn’t even humorous.
Lucien jumped to his feet, red eyes burning as he defended us through clenched teeth. “We know better than anyone just how strong she is. We knoweverythingshe faced growing up–how she refused to bend and give up despite it all. She has taught herself how to be her own pillar of strength, and that is what we all admire the most about her.”
Alexandra released a small gasp at his words, and it made me realize maybe we needed to be more vocal about those feelings to her. It shouldn’t be a surprise to her.
Ariel let out a wicked laugh before shaking her head at Lucien. “Then I suggest you reflect on that a bit more and internalize it. Will you be able to go to the afterlife with peace in your soul at the end of this when you lose, knowing you held her back and caused all of your deaths?”
I’d had enough of her, and just as I was about to give her an earful, Elwin cut in, drawing my focus down to him as he cradled Alexandra. “She’s right. If Alexandra says she’s okay enough to train, then we need to respect that. We can’t force her to take breaks or slack off, nor should we. Our situation is only going to grow more dire each day. Every hour we have is precious.”
I could feel my brow furrowing in response to his words.
“It seems like one of you has a brain,” Ariel huffed before turning to Alexandra. “You deserve to rest tonight. Don’t try to access your powers, despite me saying you need to train every moment. Recuperate your strength now so we can push tomorrow.”
She disappeared in a flash of light, and I lifted my hand on instinct to shield my eyes.
“Well, I can see why you chose her, Raph,” Zurie murmured from the kitchen before taking a few sips of wine from her glass. “She’s a hardass, but a fair one it seems.”
