Page 131 of BounBound By Scars

Kaylan?

Wait—was she in D.C.?

My eyes fluttered open, blurry shapes sharpening into sterile white walls and a too-bright ceiling.

I tried to speak. Pain shot up my throat like fire. Like I’d swallowed glass and it was clawing its way out.

Then, a familiar face filled my vision—red-eyed, smiling, fighting tears.

“Hey…” Kaylan croaked softly. “Stay still, okay? I’m going to take the tube out.”

I nodded.

Big mistake.

My throat erupted in flames.

Kaylan worked quickly, gently, and as soon as the tube was gone, I gasped in shallow, ragged breaths. The pain was still there, but I could breathe on my own again.

I blinked, eyes scanning the room.

They were all there.

Logan. Zarek. Sebastian. Delara. Leora.

Each one with a smile that didn’t quite reach their eyes.

Each one holding something back.

Joy? Relief?

Or was it grief?

I looked again. Harder.

Where was Kabir?

Where the fuck was my brother?

I tried to speak, to ask something—anything—but only a rasp came out.

“Don’t,” Kaylan said gently, placing her hand on mine. “You’re safe. Just breathe, okay?”

She leaned in, checking my pulse, flashing a light in my eyes, asking me to follow her finger side to side. Her voice was steady but her hands were trembling just slightly.

“How many fingers?”

“Two,” I whispered hoarsely.

Logan stepped forward, arms crossed tightly.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

I closed my eyes, digging through the haze.

“D.C…” My throat felt like sandpaper. “The White House… Situation Room. Then…”

Nothing.