Page 85 of Ice & Steel

Had I died?

I remembered Olivia with her bare feet in the sand.

Reaching for me.

From below, a door shut and footsteps sounded. They drew closer and closer and stopped on the other side. Then a petite, dark haired figure ducked into the room and russet eyes fixed on mine. Big, familiar, and wary.

My jaw dropped.

“Sienna,” I whispered.

“Lucien,” she said, clearing her throat.

We sat there, staring at each other across the room. Her fingers clenched and she hiccuped. Instinctively, I lifted my hand palm up. Her face crumpled and she surged forward, sinking onto the edge of the bed and wrapping her arm around my neck. Her face pushed against my shoulder and her body trembled.

Shocked, I lifted my leaden arm and slid it around her waist. She gave a short sob before pulling back. I shifted so I could look her over, taking in the sight of my cousin after a decade apart. She looked strong, healthy—being Viktor’s wife was treating her well.

“So Viktor found me,” I said.

She nodded, pulling back. Her fingers worked in her lap, a knot of anxiety.

“Where’s Olivia?”

“In the city,” she said. “Since yesterday.”

“Does she know I’m here?”

Sienna shook her head, dark hair falling over her face. “No.”

“Why?” I said forcefully. “Help me up, I have to go to her.”

Her hand came up, palm out and fingers spread. “No, stay put,” she ordered, her eyes flickering. That was the Sienna I knew—headstrong and demanding. An Esposito to her core.

“What the fuck happened?” I breathed, my entire body screaming with pain.

Her chin trembled. “You died, Lucien.”

My brain couldn’t absorb her words. Instead, it chose to short circuit and I was left staring at her with my mouth open. She ran a hand under her nose and sniffed.

“Viktor pulled you from the water two days after you fell,” she said. “You were barely breathing…he thinks you must have beached briefly and been pulled back under and got caught on a rock on the shoreline. You were alive and we sent for Olivia to come back, but that night, just as we were about to call her and let her know you were here, you died.”

“I died,” I repeated slowly.

She was pale as she nodded hard. “I was with you…so was the doctor. You just flatlined. They…they gave up on you after a while, but Viktor said he wanted to try one more time. And that time you woke up for just a second. Your heart restarted.”

“I…died?”

“For a few minutes,” she whispered. “Maybe longer. It was horrible.”

“I…I woke up?” I said. “I have no memory of this.”

“Your eyes came open and you said Olivia’s name once,” she said. “Then you passed out, but your heart was beating. It’s been two days and the doctor didn’t know if you were going to make it. He’s been here every second of the day until you stabilized earlier this morning.”

“But where is Olivia?” I pressed.

“Viktor went to get her once he felt comfortable leaving,” she said. “He took the boat. He’ll be back in a few hours.”

“And the boys?”