Her movements unconsciously softened as her hand slowly reached toward his face.
The moment her fingertips brushed against his skin, Elias’s eyes suddenly opened slightly.
Before she could react, his hand lifted and firmly grabbed her wrist.
The next second, he pulled her onto the bed beside him.
“Elias—”
Amara gasped in surprise, but he didn’t even give her the chance to react properly.
With one sharp pull on her wrist, he dragged her forward. She lost her balance and fell onto the bed with a soft gasp, landing against the pillows behind her.
Before she could sit up properly, Elias had already shifted closer and dropped his head into her lap. His arms slid tightly around her waist, locking her in place against him as though afraid she might disappear the second he let go.
A small, satisfied smile appeared on his pale face.
“Elias!” Amara frowned immediately, trying to pry his arms off her. “Let go.”
She pushed against his forearms, but he suddenly groaned softly, sounding almost genuinely uncomfortable.
“Stop,” he muttered weakly. “I’m sick. I want some silence and comfort.”
As if proving his point, he rubbed his face lightly against her stomach and inhaled deeply, surrounding himself with her scent. His arms tightened even more around her waist.
Amara let out a frustrated breath.
“Gosh, stop throwing childish tantrums.”
Elias didn’t feel even the slightest shame.
Instead of moving away, he buried his face deeper against her and held onto her like a stubborn child refusing to let go of his favorite person.
The warmth of her presence slowly eased the exhaustion crushing his body.
At some point, without even realizing it, the sleepless nights and emotional strain finally caught up to him.
He fell asleep.
The room became quiet except for the soft sound of the IV drip.
Some time later, Elias slowly woke up.
Still half-asleep, his arms instinctively tightened, wanting to pull Amara closer again.
But something felt wrong.
His brows furrowed.
The softness beneath his head didn’t feel like her lap anymore.
His eyes snapped open immediately.
Instead of Amara, he was hugging a pillow.
Elias instantly jerked upright on the bed, his sleepy eyes scanning the room frantically.
“Amara?”
