Even after everything, she is still trying to crack a joke. Even though she can laugh, I glance at Oak, and he isn’t smiling. He’s still horrified, and I know how he feels.
Once you see someone you love go through something like that, it changes you, and not for the better. He refuses to let his eyes leave hers—as if he’s waiting for something else to happen.
I squeeze his hand, and he slowly glances at me, but doesn’t say anything. I almost flinch under his gaze, but he doesn’t release my hand, only squeezes harder—like he can’t imagine losing us. I believe that in this moment, he needs to sense that this is real, that she is truly here with us.
“I can’t believe you came into the library with them,” I whisper. “It was too dangerous, Maines.”
She attempts to lift herself higher but winces and leans back on the bed. “You were gone for hours. I don’t regret my decision at all, because even knowing for a moment that you were okay was worth it.”
She coughs, and Oak stands, getting her a sip of water.
“I got the book,” I fill her in. “I achieved what I set out to find. I’m not sure what happened once you all entered the library, but it caused Eldursyth to halt in his tracks like he was startled. I believe you all coming in is why I’m sitting here right now.”
“It has a name?” she asks, and closes her eyes, exhaustion weighing on her. “Great.”
“I’ll tell you more about it later. You rest right now.”
“So bossy,” she rasps.
“Rest.”
She cracks open her eyes, staring at Oak, and extends her hand. He immediately takes it.
“Don’t leave until I fall asleep,” she tells him. “Please.”
“I’m not leaving,” he responds, planting a kiss on the back of her hand.
She snuggles back into bed, and within seconds, she’s asleep again. The magic flowing into the body during an intense healing overwhelms both the healer and the person being healed. I’m thankful that they managed to get three healers to assist, given the severity of the injury.
We fall back into silence, and I glance at Oak. He kisses her hand once more and places it gently beside her body.
He stands, grabs my hand, and pulls me to the corner of the room, wanting to speak privately.
“Are you alright?” I ask, as we get to the farthest corner of the room from Maines.
He shakes his head. “I’m alright because she is.”
I lean forward and embrace him. He rests his head on top of mine, but his body remains tense.
“What are the healers saying?” I sigh, looking back at Maines resting.
“What you would expect.” He shrugs. “They are surprised she is even awake and speaking. They said any more time, and she would be dead.”
The door creaks open slightly, and I see Silas peeking through, hesitant to disturb us. I wave him over, and he slips through the opening, joining us on the far side of the room. He rushes to Oak and pulls him into a hug. I smile, watching their sweet, awkward embrace.
“I don’t think I’ve ever hugged you,” Oak says, pushing Silas away.
“It was a good one, wasn’t it?” Silas chuckles.
A healer shushes us, and we all flinch.
I glance toward the healer, but she shields her face, making it impossible to see past her flowing white hair. I ignore the urge to walk toward her and return my gaze to the men.
“Should we let her rest and take this somewhere else?” I ask.
“I’m not leaving her,” Oak says.
Silas nods. “We understand.”
