“Don’t argue. This will help your body regenerate faster, even for a shifter. You’ve pushed yourself too far.”
She returned to his side, dipped her fingers into the mixture, and pressed it gently over the stitched wound. The warmth spread instantly, soothing the ache in a way that felt more magical than medicinal. The faint glow of the mixture lingered on his skin before it began to seep into his body, leaving behind a slight shimmer.
“Now, sit still for a few more minutes while it takes effect,” she ordered. “You’re not running off to fight another battle just yet.”
Grayson exhaled a resigned sigh but stayed where he was. Despite his reluctance, the sensation of the spell working in tandem with his natural healing abilities was impossible to ignore. The tight pull of his wound began to ease, and his muscles relaxed for the first time since the fight.
“Thanks,” he grumbled.
Elena sighed. “Just…try not to make a habit of this, okay? Some people care whether you come back in one piece.”
Grayson gave a faint nod, though the weight of her words lingered long after she’d walked out of the room. He leaned back in the chair and let out a slow breath as he tried to piece himself together.
The sound of the front door opening and closing reached him moments before Cora’s voice called out. “Elena? Are you—” She froze in the doorway to the kitchen, and her eyes widened to the size of saucers as they landed on him. “Grayson?”
“Hey,” he said, trying for a casual tone that didn’t quite land.
She was at his side in an instant, her hands hovering near his bandaged side but not quite touching. “What happened? You’re—You’re hurt.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he assured her. “Elena patched me up. I’ll be fine.”
“Fine?” she repeated, her voice rising. “You’re bleeding through your bandages, and you want me to believe you’re fine?”
Grayson shifted under her gaze. “It’s part of the job, Cora. You know that.”
She let out a curt laugh. “That’s your answer? That this is just…normal?”
“It is,” he insisted. “We knew what we were walking into, and we got out. That’s what matters.”
“What matters is that you came back alive? Do you even realize how close you came to—” She cut herself off, pressing a hand to her mouth as her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“Cora…”
“I can’t do this,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t keep watching you throw yourself into danger like this and pretend it doesn’t terrify me.”
“I don’t have a choice. This is who I am. It’s what I do.”
“And what about me?” she demanded. “What about what I feel every time you leave, not knowing if you’ll come back?”
He didn’t have an answer for that. He hadn’t let himself think about it—about what it might mean for her to care about him in a way that went beyond the bond.
“I can’t lose you, Grayson,” she stated. “Not now. Not when…”
Her words trailed off, but the implication was clear. Grayson reached for her without thinking, taking her hand in his. “Cora, I—”
“Don’t,” she whispered, shaking her head again. “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”
He cupped her face gently, brushing her cheek with his thumb as he met her eyes. “I have never said anything to you that I didn’t mean.”
Her breath hitched, and for a moment, neither of them moved. Then she leaped forward, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce embrace that made him forget the pain in his side.He held her just as tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head as he whispered, “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
She pulled back just enough to look at him. “You can’t make that promise.”
“I can try. And I’ll keep trying for as long as it takes.”
The tension between them seemed to melt away, replaced by something quieter but no less intense. Grayson leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.
Cora rested her head against his chest, clutching the fabric of his shirt as if letting go would make him disappear. “Just…be careful. Please.”
