Page 68 of Cursed Sight

The machines around her beeped in a rhythmic way, and she smiled. The sterile smell of the hospital was still fresh from her last visit, and she wondered what the nurses had to say if they recognized her.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Ethan teased.

Serena turned her head in his direction and smiled. “Hi,” she whispered as she forced her eyes to focus on him. “What did the nurses say this time?”

He chuckled. “You’re actually at a different hospital.”

“How are you feeling?” Carter asked from the doorway.

Serena looked down and noted she was not covered in bandages. “Better than I should…”

His lips twitched. “You gave us quite the scare. They had to give you some blood to make up for the amount you lost.”

“How—”

“I’ll leave you two. If you need anything, give me a buzz,” Carter said to Ethan.

“Thanks again, Car.”

Carter looked from him to Serena and nodded.

“What was that about?” Serena asked as Ethan moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

Ethan pressed his lips to hers. “He healed you. There was so much blood loss, you passed out and… Shit, I thought we lost you.”

He pulled her in close, and she held him as he was overcome with emotion. Neither spoke until a soft knock sounded at the door. Turning her head, she smiled at Brandy and Ryan in the doorway, with a bouquet of wildflowers in his hands.

“We can come back if—”

Brandy rushed into the room and wrapped Serena in a hug.

“Or we can attack you,” he said with a chuckle.

“Oh my God, I thought we were too late!” Brandy whispered into her neck as sobs shook her body.

Serena sighed, her heart expanding. “I’m okay,” she whispered.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Ryan asked.

Brandy pulled back, and three sets of eyes watched her carefully. Serena looked into the distance as she recalled what had happened. “I was so cold and exhausted. Everything went black after I knew I’d be okay because Ethan was there.”

Ethan squeezed her hand and pressed his lips to her temple. “You’ve been out for two weeks.”

Her eyes bugged out as she shook her head. “Two weeks?”

Ryan pulled Brandy onto his lap. “I explained to Carter that when we surge, we’re wiped for days. I mean, it didn’t help you were bleeding out when we got to you.”

“What happened to Aja?” Serena whispered.

The others looked around at each other, and she heard a collective sigh in the room. “She didn’t make it.”

Her stomach clenched, and a weight pressed against her chest. “She’s gone?”

At Ryan’s firm nod, Serena shut her eyes, tears welling behind her lids. A tremble rolled through her, and Ethan must have felt it too. He pulled her into his body and ran a hand along her back in a soothing motion.

Aja may have become an enemy, but it did not negate that Serena had taken the life of a fellow witch. Life was precious. When she had performed the three-fold spell, she had done so out of self-defense.

“Are you okay?” Brandy whispered.