Page 75 of Hunger & Harmony

In the quiet of this room, I can’t bring myself to ask.

Her blue eyes soften, and it’s painfully obvious she doesn’t want to be the bearer of this message.

“I know your intentions are good.” She leans in to place a hand over mine. “But the road ahead is fraught. Everyone was witness to your blood changing everything,” she says, voice low like she’s afraid to say it. “They call you Dissonant.”

My brows furrow, and I open my mouth to retort.

Only, another bolt of pain has me reeling. Selene takes and opens the vial for me, gently pressing it to my mouth.

“Drink. You will need your strength.”

Feverish minutes pass. Selene’s hand stays on my forearm, though her words are too muffled to make sense of them. I faintly register the click of a door. Relief only comes when another hand joins hers, and I gasp for air.

“Oh, sweet girl . . .”

Every sound has been uncomfortably piercing since I’ve woken up, but not his voice. Niko’s gentle murmuring is a balm of honey and heart, and it’s a sharp contrast from how terrified his eyes are when I meet them.

This should be different.

Resonant.

“Careful,” Selene says, and I whimper when she eases his hand off ‌me. “We still don’t . . .”

I jolt in agony; the tinnitus returns with a vengeance when we’re no longer skin-to-skin.

“We can’t leave her like this,” he says, and my body relaxes limp against the bed when his fingers smooth over my wrist again. “Give it time.”

“But—”

“The Court can wait.”

Every breath is a struggle, but when I feel him, the pain vanishes. I’m too worn out to wonder why.

Selene lowers her head. I want to reassure her, to tell her I’ll try to do better, but at some point, my heavy eyelids win. When I gather the strength to open them again, she’s nowhere to be found. Niko has taken her spot next to me. I hate the contour of apprehension on his face.

My limbs are lighter now, so I shift under the blanket to curl towards him. The saddest smile ghosts over his lips.

“How do you feel?” he asks, and I find the energy to half-smile back.

“I don’t know.”

“Mm.” He hums thoughtfully, his thumb stroking my wrist. “I can hardly blame you.”

Fire crackles beside us, and its strange warmth pulls my attention again. Despite the million questions I could ask, it confuses me the most. When I glance over the room, he speaks.

“Sancte Noctis has changed.”

I take in every detail. Color. Warmth. Flowers that burst with sweetness and genuine life. This room alone, as expansive as it is, teems with an energy I haven’t felt since arriving. Ivy vines make a home in each corner, and firelight casts graceful shadows along vibrant tapestries.

“It’s alive,” I say, unable to believe it. “Like . . .Like when the music played, but . . .”

“Permanent.”

My lips part in awe. Permanent change. With my blood as the catalyst?

“Wh . . .”

What? Why? I can’t decide which is the better question. Or if I even dare to ask. When I find Niko’s gaze again, only one thing clouds his burgundy irises.