Page 6

SEVEREN

Hospitals are temporal vortexes. Time slows a crawl, and feels non-existent. It’s purgatory. Limbo. It’s torturous when you’re waiting for some kind of news. At the same time, it’s a blessing, because if nothing changes, nothing gets worse. For now, Skye was still with us.

“Have you eaten anything today?” I asked Crux, sitting next to me.

He lifted his head and blinked a few times, coming back to the present. “I don’t think so.”

“Me neither. We probably should. Keep our strength up.”

“I’m not leaving her,” Crux pressed his fingers into the arms of the chair.

Charisma looked up from her sketchbook. She had been passing the time plotting out new designs I assumed. “I’ll go. Is sushi alright?”

I wasn’t sure if Charisma was at that level of wealth that she was out of touch with basic things. I mean, a tuna sandwich from the hospital cafeteria would be fine, but if she was paying, I wasn’t going to turn her generosity away.

“Sushi would be great,” I said with a sigh. “Unagi is Skye’s favourite. If you could…?”

“ That’s why I suggested it,” Charisma shot me a knowing smile. “Anything else?” she asked, gathering her things.

I picked up the bag with the dress inside. “Can you take this to the house? Don’t throw it away. I don’t know, just shove it in a closet somewhere.” Taking a glance around the room, I said, “I think that’s all.”

“Skye has this blanket she loves,” Crux said. “It’s in the back of my Jeep.” He shifted in his chair and pulled out his keys, then held them out to Charisma. “Blue Wrangler. You can’t miss it.”

She took the keys from him and placed them in her bag. “I won’t be long. Text me if anything changes.” Then, Charisma drifted from the room.

Once she was gone, Crux said, “I wonder if that’s the most obedient she’s ever been to an alpha in her life?”

That amused me, but all I could manage was a mild expulsion of air from my nose. Silence once again permeated the space, except for the beep and wheeze of the machines keeping track of Skye’s vitals and even keeping her alive.

Now that it was just Crux and I, we could be a little more honest. “Just checking in,” I said, quietly.

“I’m maintaining,” Crux said. “Craving, but maintaining.”

“It wasn’t your fault. It was nobody’s fault.”

He shook his head. “You can say that all you want, and I know you mean well, but I’ll never buy it.”

He stood up, unable to contain his anger just by sitting.

“How is this fair?” He demanded as he paced the room.

“I take practically everything known to man, and for what? Boredom? Partying? To test my limits? And I’m fucking fine .

I shouldn’t be, but I am. Because apparently nature thought teaching me a lesson wasn’t going to work so it takes all my karma and shoots it right into her and now Skye is on fucking dea–”

Death’s door.

Crux couldn’t say the words. Not out loud. He ran his hands through his blue hair.

“Calm down,” I ordered.

“You fucking calm down,” Crux spat back at me.

I grit my teeth, let out a breath and forced myself to speak slowly, ensuring Crux would take in every word. “Skye is still bonded with us. Just because she’s asleep doesn’t mean the bond doesn’t still pick up what we’re feeling.”

Crux stopped cold, his eyes widening. The seriousness of my words captured him and he looked at her, on the other side of the room, sleeping peacefully.

He sat back down and took several deep breaths. “S-sorry. I’ll do better.”

“It’s alright,” I said. “We’re all scared. We just have to be strong for Skye. After she wakes up, and gets a new heart, then we can break down.”

“Careful, Sev,” Halo said, walking into the room. “You’re starting to sound like me.”

We both vaulted out of our chairs and hugged her tight.