When the door opened again Vhalla didn’t even turn. She held herself tightly, trying to fight away the shivers.Her fault, her fault, it was all her fault.
“Vhalla.” Elecia touched her shoulder gently, and Vhalla spooked, nearly jumping out of her skin at the contact. “Let me see you.”
Elecia’s manner left no room for objection, and the Westerner’s hands were suddenly wrapped carefully around Vhalla’s neck. She moved her fingers up Vhalla’s cheek, the other hand ghosting over her shoulders, down the middle of her chest and on her thigh.
Vhalla pressed her eyes closed.
“It’s the same nonsense they used on Aldrik,” Elecia sighed. “But much weaker. Shouldn’t be a problem.”
It was weaker than what Aldrik had endured?He had more and could still use his magic, where hers had already faltered. Vhalla had a whole new appreciation of the crown prince’s strength.
“Where is Aldrik?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking.
Elecia sighed, rummaging through the small bag she’d brought.
“Figuring out how to keep you safe.” Elecia sat down next to her, inspecting Baldair’s work and making her own additions. “You and him ...”
“I love him.” Vhalla shook again, the words bringing a fresh batch of tears to her eyes. “I love him, but I am only death. I am death to everyone I love. Someday I will be the death of him.”
Elecia grabbed her face roughly, turning Vhalla to face her. The woman’s emerald eyes burned red at the edges from exhaustion or tears. “You will not be. I will not let you be.”
“But—” she whined.
“If you are going to be with him, then you will find the strength to wear that mantle. You don’t get it both ways, Vhalla Yarl,” Elecia said fiercely. “He’s risking everything for you tonight, so you better be ready to do the same. Because if you hurt him, I swear I will kill you.”
Vhalla made a choked noise when her lips failed to form words. Elecia put her hand on Vhalla’s back with a frustrated sigh, creating a tingle as her magic activated the salve she had applied. She repeated the process on Vhalla’s calf and forced two more vials down Vhalla’s throat before thrusting the third into her hands.
“Deep Sleep?” Vhalla instantly recognized the smell from what Baldair had given her months ago during her trial.
“You can’t heal if you don’t sleep. Get the rest while you can.” Elecia stood.
“Wait, don’t leave me.” Elecia was the last person Vhalla ever expected to cling to. But grief wasn’t logical.
“I can’t do anything more for you.” Elecia frowned down at the Eastern woman, but didn’t pull her hand away.
“Don’t leave me alone, please.” Vhalla bowed her head again. Larel, she wanted Larel. She wanted to feel safe and warm and unconditionally loved.She wanted Larel.
“Lie down,” Elecia sighed and sat. The woman didn’t offer her any further comfort. She didn’t whisper soothing words or wipe Vhalla’s tears away. But she stayed until the Deep Sleep took effect, and Vhalla’s mind was finally forced to shut down. And Elecia never untwined her fingers from the grieving Easterner.
Vhalla stirred some time later when she was lifted into someone’s arms. The momentary panic was quickly quelled the second she felt his warmth, heard his matching heartbeat slow and strong through his chest. Aldrik carried her off the chaise to the bed, settling her beneath the covers.
She whimpered pitifully. It hurt so much to be awake after sleep had been so blissfully void of everything. The bed sagged as he curled around her.
“Aldrik,” Vhalla murmured, pressing herself into him.
“My Vhalla,” he sighed heavily. “Sleep, it’s not yet dawn.”
Vhalla shook her head, earning another sigh. She needed to know what had happened. Cracking open her eyes, she was met with an exhausted shadow of the prince she knew. Dark circles perched upon his cheeks, taking up residence under his tired eyes. His hair was limp and tangled. She saw the makings of a bruise on his jaw that she wasn’t sure she wanted to know how he got.
“Aldrik.” One of the larger remaining pieces of her heart cracked and fractured at the sight of him.It was her fault, it was her fault he looked as he did; she had put him in this position.
“Sleep. You need your rest,” he insisted again. No matter the state of his appearance, his voice was calm and level.
Vhalla pried herself away. “Don’t you care?”
“What?”
“Larel, Larel is dead and I killed her!” Vhalla’s words were wet with tears. “Don’t you care?”
