"Rather?"
"Extremely."
"Thank you." I let my eyes drift closed. "For being honest now. It helps."
"You have pack now." The word is deliberate, meaningful. "Not Dorian's pack that you were forced into. Ours. Something we're building."
The warmth that blooms in my chest at those words is different from the heat. This is choice. This is real.
"Yeah," I murmur. "We are."
By the third evening, I wake up clearheaded and absolutely starving. The fever is gone, the desperate edge dulled to nothing. My heat has broken.
"Hey." Dorian is sitting in the chair by the bed, watching me. "How do you feel?"
"Like I've been hit by a truck." I stretch carefully, wincing at the ache in my muscles. "But good. Clear."
"You should eat." He's already moving, grabbing the food Oakley insisted on having ready. "Real food, not heat snacks."
I accept the plate gratefully—pasta with actual vegetables, bread that's still warm. It tastes like heaven.
"So." I take a bite, watching him. "Now what?"
"Now we figure it out." He sits on the edge of the bed. "The heat's over. Biology isn't controlling us anymore. So now you decide—do I get that chance to prove I meant everything I said?"
I study his face—the uncertainty there, the hope, the fear. He really doesn't know what I'll say.
"You hurt me," I say quietly. "Three days of silence hurt me more than everything in Book 1."
"I know."
"And I'm still angry about it."
"I know."
"But—" I set down the fork. "But I love you. And I want to trust you. So yeah. You get your chance."
The relief on his face is almost painful to witness. "Thank you."
"Don't make me regret it."
"I won't." He takes my hand. "I swear to you, Vespera. Never again."
Oakley and Corvus appear in the doorway, drawn by the sound of voices. They're both smiling—Oakley openly emotional, Corvus with that subtle curve of lips that means he's pleased.
"Welcome back," Oakley says. "We missed you."
"I was here the whole time."
"You know what I mean."
I do. The Vespera lost to heat is different from the one sitting here now. Choosing to stay instead of being compelled by biology.
"So." I look at all three of them. "What did I miss while I was out of commission?"
"De Scarzis emailed," Corvus says. "He's excusing you from rehearsals this week but expects you back Monday. Also wants to schedule a one-on-one to discuss your 'health concerns.'"
"Ben texted," Oakley adds. "Checking in. I told him you had the flu."
