I shift my gaze and see Kai.
Sitting close, one arm draped along the back of the couch, his posture casual, his face anything but. And for a moment, I don’t move. I just watch him.
The firelight casts him in gold and rust, but it can’t quite touch his face. It flickers and bends, but his outline eats the light. His shadow stretches the farthest, and curls long across the rug, reaching up the walls, spreading faintly over the other figures in the room… and over me.
I don’t know why I notice that—only that I do.
And maybe I should look away. But with Kai, it always feels far easier to close my eyes and follow the dark.
His eyes are fixed on me, sharp and unreadable, though there’s something else, too. Something dangerously close to worry.
It both unsettles me and intrigues me at the same time.
“Look!” Elliot blurts, scrambling forward from the chair beside him, his face lighting up. “She’s waking up!”
The sound is too loud, too bright, but I don’t mind.
That’s when I notice the man standing near the fire—mid-forties maybe, in a dark jacket, bag at his feet. A doctor.
“You collapsed from shock and exhaustion,” he says. “Your feet are badly cut from running barefoot, so I disinfected and dressed the wounds. Your knees are bruised and scraped—I’vecleaned those as well. You’ll be sore for a while, but nothing permanent.”
I blink, trying to process. My head still spins, my body still aches.
“You’ve also strained the muscles in your chest and throat from overexertion. Running while screaming,” he adds gently. “That’s why breathing still hurts. I gave you fluids to rehydrate you, and a mild sedative to calm your system. You’ll feel weak, but it’s temporary.” He pauses, studying my face. “Does that make sense?”
I nod faintly, though my throat is tight. “So… I’ll be okay?”
His mouth tips into something like reassurance. “Physically, yes. But you’ll need rest.”
I let out a shaky breath, sinking further into the couch, the blanket pulled higher around me.
Out of the corner of my eye, Kai still hasn’t moved. He leans back, arms folded, expression carved into calm, but his eyes don’t leave me. The firelight catches on the faint curve of his mouth.
I can’t tell if it’s comfort, or if it’s calculation.
Maybe both.
Maybe something else entirely.
“Thank you, doctor,” Kai says suddenly, his voice cutting clean through the silence.
Then his gaze flicks to Elliot. “Show him out.”
Elliot nods quickly, almost too eagerly, before turning back to me. His eyes are wide, soft with relief, and he gives me a smile that’s so earnest it almost hurts.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he says.
I force a smile in return, because what else can I do? I don’t have the heart to tell him he might be wrong. That okay is still miles away from here.
So, I just hold the smile until he looks away, until he follows the doctor out, and the sound of footsteps fades down the hall.
And then it’s just me. And Kai.
The fire cracks again, sharp, and it’s the only sound for a long moment.
Then Kai leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on me. “So,” he says lightly, “do you want to tell me what happened, or should I guess?”
His tone is smooth, almost teasing, but underneath it there’s steel.
