His hand was quiet in mine. But it was there. And that was enough.
KALLUM
Iwoke to warmth.
Not the fever-heat of the wound. Something else. A weight against my side, a presence I recognized before I opened my eyes.
Anhara.
She was curled in a chair beside my bed, her head resting on the mattress near my hip. Her hand was wrapped around mine. Even in sleep, she held on.
I didn’t move. Didn’t want to wake her. Just watched the rise and fall of her breathing, the way her dark hair fell across her face, the exhaustion written in every line of her body.
She’d stayed. The whole time I’d been under, she’d stayed.
The medical bay was quiet. Monitors beeped softly.
My body felt strange. Weak but healing. The wound in my side was a dull ache instead of a screaming fire. The one in my thigh barely registered. Whatever they’d done, whatever they’d filtered out of my blood, it was working.
Anhara stirred. Her fingers tightened on mine, and her eyes opened slowly. Green. Sharp. Finding me immediately.
“You’re awake.” Her voice was rough with sleep.
“How long?”
“Three days.” She sat up, wincing. The chair couldn’t have been comfortable. “Tamsin said the toxin took time to filter. Your body had to catch up.”
Three days. I’d lost three days.
“Turnip?”
“Fine. Better than fine.” A smile flickered across her face. “Bronwen’s been spoiling him. She says he’s the most beautiful murder pig she’s ever seen.”
I blinked. “Murder pig.”
“Her words. She’s... interesting.”
“That’s one way to describe her.”
Anhara laughed. The sound loosened something in my chest. She was here. She was safe. We’d made it.
“The Regalia piece?” I asked.
“Rylos has it. They’ve been waiting for you to wake up. Something about combining all five.”
I tried to sit up. My body protested. Anhara’s hand pressed against my chest, holding me down.
“Not yet. Tamsin said you need another day at least.”
“I’ve had three days.”
“And you need one more.” Her eyes met mine. Steady. Stubborn. “You almost died, Kallum. Multiple times. You can wait one more day to save the galaxy.”
I could have argued. Could have pushed past her and gone to find Rylos, demanded answers, insisted on being part of whatever came next.
Instead, I lay back against the pillow and let her win.
“One day,” I said.
