“We were worried,” she continues. “You were…worse than Dima let on. I’m still not sure how you are breathing without pain.”
“Where is he?”
“Hunting,” Ravelle says gently. “But he will be back soon. He’s…not exactly calm, in case that surprises you.”
It doesn’t. Dimitri is calm the majority of the time, but when someone he cares about is in danger, composure is the first thing to go. I just didn’t realize that I was still someone he cared about.
“I will let him know you’re awake,” she says, stepping toward the door.
“Ravelle,” I say softly.
She pauses.
“It’s really good to see you again.”
She grins widely. “You too, Ren. You always had a habit of showing up when the world needed shaking.” With that, she slips out of the room.
I lean back against the pillows, my thoughts racing.
It isn’t long before the door swings open without warning. I jolt upright, shadows curling instinctively around my fingertips until I see Dimitri.
He stands in the doorway, hair tousled and damp, tension cutting sharp lines into his face. Gone is the careful calm he usually wears like armor. His coat hangs open, boots covered in mud, eyes scanning me.
“Dimitri—”
“You’re awake,” he exhales, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.
He crosses the room in long strides, gaze sweeping over me as if confirming I’m still breathing.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, though my voice wavers.
He doesn’t say anything right away. He stops a foot from the bed, fists clenched at his sides, chest rising too fast. His mouth opens like he wants to speak, but nothing comes out.
I force myself to meet his eyes. “Dimitri, why am I in Noctheron?”
His jaw flexes. “You were dying, Serenya,” he says, his voice low. “You were covered in blisters. Your magic wasn’t healing you. You would have been dead if I hadn’tgottenyou to a healer.”
I blink, trying to recall the moment my body gave out. There are gaps in my memory. Pieces that are blurring together in pain and heat and—Koen.
“I’m a vampire, the king,” Dimitri adds. “I couldn’t exactly walk up to the fae court holding their unconscious princess covered in blood. They’d have killed me on sight or started another war.”
“... Right.” I swallow and give a small nod. “You did the right thing. Thank you.”
He’d taken care of me. But then—
“Where’s Koen?”
He doesn’t answer right away.
“The last thing I remember…” A lump forms in my throat. “He was almost burnt out. His magic...he looked like he was going to break.”
Dimitri looks away. “He’s alive.”
Relief crashes into me so hard I almost sob. “Is he here?”
He sighs and moves to sit at the edge of the bed, though his posture remains rigid. “He couldn’t come; the trial isn’t over. I made sure he made it to the other two champions. They had already found each other while we were tracking them.”
“So he stayed. Even after...” I trail off.
