Page 83 of The Pakhan's Forced Bride

Her.

Her voice shines out above the rest. She’s still here.

I drift away again, no matter how hard I fight to stay and see her.

A soft touch brushes over my face. Her familiar warmth, that unmissable scent that curves a painful smile over my lips.

“Belle.” I groan, pain shooting through me.

“Don’t speak, Ardalion.”

“I—" It hurts. It hurts so badly.

She strokes my face and speaks in soothing, calm words. “I’m here, I’m not going anywhere. You were shot in the stomach. It went straight through, which is apparently lucky. And it missed your organs. But it did a lot of damage to your muscle.” She keeps talking, and I don’t even care what she’s saying; just hearing her voice is like listening to heaven.

I drift away again, the thick sleep of a man on painkillers.

When I wake up, I get the feeling I’m in a different place. Immediately, I panic. She’s probably gone.

“Hi,” her sweet, beautiful voice says to me. She stands up and walks to the side of the bed I’m lying in.

“You’re safe. They brought you here to heal with twenty-four-hour care.”

I turn my head towards her, but it hardly moves. My body isn’t obeying me. I just want to see her.

“Hey, stop that, you can’t move so much,” she scolds me. Her hands gently press against my chest. “I’m with you, Ardalion. All you have to do is focus on getting better, okay? Stay strong. You’re doing so well.”

She leans over me, her hair falling over her shoulder and brushing against my chest. It’s so soft. I smile. The smile hurts less than before.

“Hi,” I murmur.

She giggles.

I close my eyes as exhaustion pulls me away.

I don’t know how long it’s been. I can’t tell where I am when I open my eyes. The pain is marginally better. I blink intothe darkness and groan when I try to adjust and shift a little in the bed.

Movement to my left.

She’s at my side again.

She’s still here. I can’t believe it. I keep expecting her presence to be a dream. This time, I don’t try to say her name; I just turn my hand so that my palm is facing upwards.

Even in the soft darkness, I can see her smile. She slips her fingers between mine. Warmth radiates from her hand into my body.

I close my eyes and disappear again.

***

It’s early hours of the morning when I wake up. I can see the glimmer of sunrise. Wherever I am, it’s quiet. People are still asleep.

My head feels clearer than it has in a long time. The first thing that greedily pushes into my thoughts is her—wanting to see her. But I think I’m alone.

You couldn’t expect her to stay with you, Ardalion.

It takes effort, but I push myself up in the bed, wanting to sit up and ease the aching muscles of my back.

How long have I been lying here?