“I’ll—I’ll be—” Taiyo started as he began to move for his door but quickly had to catch himself on one of the posts to keep himself from hitting the floor. He closed his eyes. “I’m—I’m fine. Just dizzy.”
“H—He—Healer—” Hellebore managed to choke out. “Y—You.”
He shook his head. “No. It’s just for you. I’m going to be fine in a minute.”
“W—Wear o—off.”
He turned back and looked at her, something strange in his eyes.
She whispered, “Stay.”
“You…” Taiyo turned around fully, an intensity to his gaze that would have frightened her if she hadn’t just been nearly abducted. “You want me to stay?”
“Yes,” she breathed out.
The last thing she wanted was to be alone, completely helpless, even if the paralytic was wearing off.
Taiyo staggered back to the bed, climbing onto it in the space he’d left beside her. His bed was huge, so there was plenty of room for two people to lie side by side and not touch, as evidenced by them at that very moment.
They lay there exactly like that as the minutes stretched on. The only noise in the air was their breathing. Little by little, more feeling came back, but it was agonizingly slow and terrifying to be so vulnerable.
Hellebore didn’t really know what possessed her to make such a request, but she had. It wasn’t like she was much safer with him nearby when he looked two seconds away from death and was refusing to get a healer for himself.
It only meant one thing…
She turned her head, finally able to move her neck so that she faced him. He was lying on his side, facing her, eyes never having left her even when they were half lidded from exhaustion.
“You’re dying. Aren’t you?”
“Clever girl.” His eyes opened wider. “What gave me away?”
“Healthy elves don’t bleed black blood. But I should have put it together sooner.”
Looking back now, it felt painfully obvious.
“Well, I’m not breathing my last tonight. I will tell you everything tomorrow.”
“How did you find me?”
He sighed, burrowing his head into his pillow. “It was late. You hadn’t come back. I was worried. Turns out I had good reason to be.”
She could feel her calves. That was good. She shifted her feet.
His hand found hers, resting in the space between them. His fingers skimmed over her palm, and when she shifted them in response, he laced his fingers through hers. “What happened?”
She closed her eyes but she didn’t pull her hand away.
He’d accused her of being a stone wall incapable of cracking.
She wished he was right.
“I was foolish.” Her voice broke.
Taiyo pushed himself up slightly, shifting slightly closer but not fully closing the gap between. “Tell me.”
She closed her eyes. “You’ll be angry.”
“Not tonight. Tonight all I care about is the fact that you’re safe. Tomorrow? I will still be glad I got there in time, and maybe I will be frustrated, but that will be tomorrow’s problem.”
