Page 44

V rok

Darkness slowly gives way to blurry shapes and dim light as I crack my eyes open. My head throbs like it’s been split open by the claw of a tiniio. Each beat of my heart is a dull thud behind my eyes. My mouth is dry, and every breath sends a sharp ache through my chest.

Where am I?

I blink again, and the world around me gradually sharpens. Wooden beams stretch across the ceiling above, and the air smells faintly of herbs. It’s a comforting scent that tugs at the edges of my memory. I turn my head, and pain lances down my neck, sharp enough to make me grit my fangs.

I’m lying on a bed, covered by soft furs. The room is quiet except for the soft breathing of someone nearby.

My gaze drifts to the side, and my heart stutters when I see her.

Emily is slumped forward in a chair beside the bed with her head resting on the mattress. Her face is half-hidden by the tangled curtain of her hair. Her shoulders rise and fall with each slow, even breath she takes.

I breathe in her sweet scent and my chest tightens with relief. Or maybe disbelief? A rush of warmth blooms inside me, spreading through my veins. She’s safe, and she’s still here.

I close my eyes and let out a shaky breath as the memories come flooding back.

The battle. Zahrik fighting beside me. My father’s sword sinking into my abdomen.

The pain of his betrayal. The cold darkness that followed.

I thought I was dying. Perhaps I did die.

Maybe this is the afterlife the ancient Laediriians believed in, and she’s the spirit sent to guide me.

I shift and pain shoots through me. No, this isn’t the afterlife. I’m very much alive. Broken, but alive. The ache in my chest with each breath I take and the wound in my side throbs with each beat of my heart… No, my hearts .

Emily is my amoris. The realization stuns me. She’s my spirit mate, and I’m hers. And she came back for me. She risked everything and fought for me. The weight of that hits me harder than the sword that nearly ended me.

I force my eyes open again and take in the room around me. The familiar shelves are lined with jars and bowls, the neat stacks of bandages, and the rows of beds. I know this place. This is the medic’s hut back in the village.

But it feels empty. The humans were all staying here after the crash, but they’re gone now and so are their belongings. The hut feels strangely hollow without their lyrical voices and unfamiliar laughter.

How long have I been lying here?

The door creaks open, and I tense. My hand instinctively reaches for a weapon that isn’t there. In fact, none of my weapons are on me. A surge of unease courses through me, but I barely shift before pain pins me in place. I bite back a groan.

Warrix steps inside carrying a cup of steaming liquid. His sharp eyes land on me, and they widen when he sees I’m awake.

“You’re conscious.” He crosses the room swiftly before pulling a chair up beside the bed. “I wasn’t sure you’d wake at all.”

I try to speak, but my throat is raw and the words emerge in a muffled rasp. “How… long?”

“Two days,” he says with a heavy exhale. “You were in bad shape, Vrok. That foolhardy stunt nearly killed you.” His voice is firm, but I hear the concern in it. Warrix has always been the one in the tribe who gets along with everyone. The one who takes each injury and sickness personally.

“Taking on that many Tussoll with just one other warrior…” He shakes his head at me, but he doesn’t say any more. His eyes shift to Emily, and his expression turns gentle before he releases a resigned sigh. “She hasn’t left your side. These humans are loyal, even if it costs them.”

My heart gives a painful twist, and I glance at her again. At her small form curled up in that uncomfortable chair, her face pale and lined with weariness even in sleep. She stayed for me.

I close my eyes, letting the warmth of that knowledge settle deep in my bones. My body is broken, my strength drained, but for the first time, I feel whole. And it’s because of my mate. My amoris.

Warrix shifts beside me. “The chief will want to speak with you when you’re stronger.”

I tense as dread curls low in my gut. Is this it? Is this when I’ll be exiled from the tribe and made an outcast? Forced to leave the village… and Emily?

My throat is still raw, but I force the question out. “About what?”

Warrix studies me, then shakes his head. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” There’s a quiet reassurance in his gaze that eases some of the tension coiling inside me. “Focus on recovering.”

He stands and places the cup of broth on the table beside the bed. “Drink this when you can. You need to regain your strength.”

As if on cue, Emily stirs. A soft sigh escapes her as she shifts against the mattress. Her fingers twitch, and then she lifts her head.

She blinks blearily, then her gaze locks with mine and her eyes widen. “You’re awake,” she breathes out.

“Hello, little female,” I rasp.

Something unfamiliar tugs at the corners of my mouth, and a slow, unsteady smile stretches across my face before I even know it’s there. It’s bigger than any I’ve worn in a long time. Maybe ever.

Her lips part, and she stares at me for a heartbeat before a breathy sound escapes her.

“Is that a smile?” She looks at me as if I’ve just performed some impossible feat. “I was starting to think you didn’t know how.”

The warmth in my chest flares hotter. “It turns out I do. I just needed the right reason.”

For a heartbeat, we just look at each other. The world fades away to nothing but the two of us. Her eyes shine with unshed tears, and her lips curve upward in that smile that slays me.

Then, Emily launches forward and throws her arms around me, burying her face against my neck.

The warmth of her and the way she clings to me nearly undoes me.

I can barely breathe through the ache in my chest, but it’s not from pain anymore.

It’s from the overwhelming relief of having her in my arms again.

I move to pull her into my lap, but a sharp jolt of pain stops me. A groan slips out before I can catch it, and she immediately jerks back.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she scolds while glaring at me like I’m the biggest fool on the planet. “You’re supposed to be resting!”

I huff out a weak laugh. “I will. If you stay in bed with me,” I murmur, reaching for her hand.

She rolls her eyes, but the pink flush spreading across her cheeks betrays her. Her fingers curl around mine without hesitation like they were always meant to be there.

“You’re trouble,” she mutters, but I can hear the affection in her voice. “Big, brooding, impossible trouble.”

I pull her hand to my chest and place it over the steady beat of my hearts. “But I’m yours. If you’ll have me.”

Her breath catches and for a moment, she’s silent. Her eyes shimmer with tears. Then, she squeezes my hand. “I already do. I love you, Vrok,” she says softly.

Her words hit me with a quiet force, sinking straight into the marrow of my bones. They echo in the spaces I thought would stay hollow forever. I can’t speak at first, only nod, because I’m so overcome by the emotion shining in her eyes.

“I love you, too,” I manage. “I didn’t know how much until I thought I’d never see you again.”

She leans in and brushes her lips across mine in a gentle kiss that feels like a promise.

And then, as if to betray me, my stomach chooses that moment to release a low, rumbling growl. Emily startles, then lets out a soft laugh. She glances toward the table beside the bed and her eyes land on the cup of broth.

“Here,” she says, shifting closer. “You need to eat.”

I reach for the cup, but she swats my hand away. “Let me help. You can barely sit up.”

A small smile tugs at my mouth. It feels easier now, more natural. “You just want an excuse to fuss over me,” I murmur.

She lifts the cup to my lips, and I sip gratefully. The warmth slides down my throat, soothing the rawness there.

As I drink, her gaze sweeps slowly around the hut, and a faint frown creases her brow. “It’s weird seeing this place so empty,” she murmurs.

“Where are the other females?” I ask between sips.

“They moved into the empty huts in the village. They wanted to give you space to recover in peace,” she explains. Her lips curve faintly. “They tried to get me to go with them. To rest. But there was no way I was leaving you.”

Warmth swells inside me at her words. I still can’t believe she’s here beside me. I reach for her hand. “You stayed,” I murmur.

Her fingers curl around mine. “Of course, I did. You’re my amoris. You’re stuck with me, now.” She says it with a teasing lilt, but her voice is soft and sure.

Her lips tilt up at the corners, drawing my gaze. Even with weariness lining her face and dark smudges beneath her eyes, she is the most beautiful being I’ve ever seen. A sense of peace settles deep in my chest.

I squeeze her hand. “I can think of worse fates.”

She chuckles and shakes her head. “You’re impossible.”

I want to tease her again, to keep that soft look on her face just a little longer, but fatigue is already pulling at me.

I fight against the exhaustion threatening to drag me back into unconsciousness, but I can feel the heaviness of my eyelids and the sluggishness of my limbs.

I don’t want to sleep. I want to be with my mate, to bask in her loveliness.

Emily must notice because her expression softens. “You need to rest,” she murmurs. “You just woke up. You don’t have to prove you’re a big, strong warrior. Not to me.”

I snort, though my eyes are already drifting shut. “I think you already know.”

She lets out an exasperated sigh, but she doesn’t move away. Instead, her fingers brush lightly against my forehead. The touch is gentle and comforting.

“Will you stay?” I whisper.

There’s a pause, then the soft press of her lips against my forehead.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she promises.

With that, I let sleep pull me under.