“Talk to me,” he murmured. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”
“My ribs hurt when I breathe deep,” she said after a moment. “And everything is… too loud.”
“That’s the adrenaline,” he said. “It’ll fade. You’re doing exactly right.”
Her fingers curled into his shirt again. He covered her hand with his, holding her there as the city fell away behindthem.
The drive back felt unreal, the world narrowed to the sound of Sera’s breathing and the steady pressure of her body against his. He kept his hand at the back of her neck, thumb stroking slow and measured, grounding themboth.
“There’s a doctor heading to your place,” Magnusinformedthem.
The words landed like a marker in time. Not relief, exactly, but direction. The last of Alaric’s wild adrenaline begin to drain, leaving behind something heavier and colder. The crash was behind them. The consequences were not. He shifted slightly, tightening his hold on Sera as the house came into view, already cataloguing what came next: assessment, treatment, containment. Only then did he let himself breathe.
“You scared the hell out of me,” he said quietly toSera.
She let out a shaky breath. “I asked you if I was going to die. How ironic was that?”
He closed his eyes briefly, forehead resting against hers. “You’re not going to die.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I won’t let you.”
The words came out rough and absolute. He didn’t soften them. He didn’t qualify them. He meant them with every brutal certainty in hisbody.
Magnus pulled into Alaric’s garage and cut the engine. The space closed around them, private and secure.
The doctor arrived ten minutes later.
Those ten minutes stretched endlessly. Alaric refused to sit. Hepaced instead, restrained and silent, every sense still tuned outward. He noted the locks engaging, the security system cycling, the way Magnus positioned himself near the entry without being asked. This was family businessnow.
When the doctor finally arrived, Alaric watched every movement with ruthless focus. The man’s hands were steady. His questions specific. He checked Sera’s pupils, her reflexes, pressed carefully along her ribs while Alaric counted her breaths with her, silently, willing themeven.
Every small win became survival. Every hiss of pain cutdeep.
Alaric caught himself clenching his fists and forced them to relax. This wasn’t about him staying checked. It was about her feeling safe enough to heal. The doctor examined Sera carefully while Alaric stood close enough to touch, close enough to see every flicker of discomfort cross herface.
“Bruised ribs,” the doctor finally said. “Whiplash. Mild concussion symptoms, but nothing alarming. No fractures. No internal bleeding that I can detect. You were lucky.”
Alaric didn’t believe inluck.
“She shouldn’t use heat yet,” the doctor continued. “Give it an hour.Then warm water only. Not hot. Ten minutes at a time. And no alcohol for a bit.”
Sera glanced at Alaric. “He’s going to ignore that.”
Alaric shot her a look. “I’m not.”
The doctor’s mouth twitched. “One drink later, if you insist. And only after you’re settled.”
Magnus assigned guards to patrol the grounds before leaving. When they were finally alone, the house felt too quiet.The silence pressed in, thick and unnatural after the violence of the night. Alaric moved through the space methodically, checking doors, windows, sightlines, even though he knew Magnus had already done the same. Only when everything was secured did he allow himself to focus inward again.
He guided Sera to the couch slowly, every step measured. When he knelt in front of her, the distance between them became unbearable even though he was close enough to touch.
His own body had begun to protest now, deep aches setting in along his shoulder and spine, but he ignored them. Pain was background noise. Her breathing was everything.
“You shouldlie down,” hesaid.
She shook her head. “Not yet. Idon’t want to close my eyes.”
