But I was breathing.
That had to count for something.
Movement beside me. Warmth. The familiar weight of someone who'd refused to leave.
I turned my head. Slowly. Carefully. Everything hurt.
Viktor sat in a chair pulled close to the bed. Not sleeping. Just watching. Dark circles under his eyes that said he hadn't slept properly in days. Bandages on his neck, his arm, his hands. But alive. Here. Real.
“Hey,” I managed. Voice rough from disuse.
His eyes opened. Met mine. Something in his expression cracked.
“Hey yourself.” He leaned forward. Hand finding mine carefully. Like I might break if he pressed too hard. “How do you feel?”
“Like I got tortured and thrown through a wall.”
“Accurate summary.” His thumb traced my knuckles. Gentle. “You have been asleep for two days. Noah said your body needed to shut down. To heal.”
“Two days?” I tried to sit up. Failed. Everything screamed. “My father. The palace. Marcel and Élodie?—”
“Are in cells. Your father is fine. The palace is standing.” Viktor's hand pressed against my chest. Not forcing me down. Just grounding me. “Everything is handled. You can rest.”
“I've been resting for two days.”
“Not enough.” But he helped me sit up anyway. Adjusted pillows behind me. Moved like he'd done this before. Multiple times. “Noah will be angry I let you move.”
“Noah can deal with it.” I looked at him. Really looked. Saw the exhaustion. The fear he was trying to hide. The way his hands shook slightly when he thought I wasn't watching. “You haven't left, have you?”
“No.”
“Viktor—”
“I watched you hang from chains.” His voice went flat. Controlled. The tone that meant he was barely holding it together. “I watched her put a knife to your throat. I watched you nearly die.” He paused. “So no. I did not leave. I will not leave. Not until you are better.”
“I am better.”
“You are awake. Is different.”
I wanted to argue. Couldn't. Because he was right and we both knew it.
“Have you eaten?” I asked instead.
“Yes.”
“That's a lie.”
“Dom brought food.”
“That you didn't eat.”
His jaw tightened. “I ate enough.”
“Viktor.”
“You were unconscious for two days.” His hand tightened on mine. “I was not going to sit in the dining hall making small talk while you were here. Alone. Vulnerable.”
“I had guards?—”
