My senses were returning as I came to. I blinked once, but my eyes were too heavy to hold open. Floating in empty space, the tranquility of the silence washed over me. Nothing mattered in that moment. Not a thing. If this was what death was like, I would welcome it with open arms.
“Maeve?”
“Someone grab a wet cloth,” a frantic voice demanded one of the others.
Cool water dampened my skin, forcing my eyelids apart. I held my gaze long enough to make out a blurred figure standing before me and some of my surroundings. I was in my room—I think. Everything within my view spun and wavered, so it was hard to know for sure. My arms left my sides, padding around on the surface I laid upon. My bed.
A groan of pain escaped me as I tried to sit up. My body was in pure agony. Every inch of it. My veins were on fire, granting me a sting of devastating pain with each pump of my heart. My finger quivered as I raised it to my forehead, trying to put pressure on the relentless throbbing.
“I don't know, guys, she's still pretty out of it. I did everything I could, but maybe we should bring her to the infirmary. There could be something else going on internally.”
I looked at the girl who was talking, recognizing her face as one of my friends.
“We could get her into the shower. The water might help her wake up.”
“Oh yeah, Sawyer, that's a great idea, you idiot. She can barely hold her head up. How is she supposed to stand in theshower?”
“Don't be an ass, Kohen,” the girl said.
Sawyer? Kohen? I knew them. And if they were here?—
The thought of him motivated me enough to lift my head, holding it as steady as I could.
The blurriness faded away as I rubbed my eyes. My friends came into view, one by one. I focused on them. Onhim.And everything came back to me in a jarring revelation.
Sebastian crouched by my side, putting his head level with mine. “How do you feel?”
I tried to tell him that the pain made me wish I were dead, but without warning, horrific nausea overcame me. My hand found my mouth, and though I was nowhere near ready to be walking, I forced myself out of bed.
I didn't even make it a few feet before I heaved and vomited all over myself and the floor. My sudden burst of movement took all of my energy and I fell to my knees, hanging my head and trying my hardest to stay conscious.
“Oh shit,” someone cursed.
My vision dissipated again and the last thing I felt was two strong hands lifting my limp figure from the ground.
Water rushedover my injured skin. It felt like rain, but that couldn't be right. The liquid warmed my scalp, though it burned my skin elsewhere. A film of sleep clouded my eyes when I opened them to discover that the shower was what produced the drizzle.
My heart skipped—there was someone here with me. My body was relaxed, limp against theirs, the firmness of their hands around my waist keeping me upright. My breath clenched as I started to panic.
A deep male voice shushed to calm me. He kept one arm wrapped around me for support, while raising the other to stroke my wet hair.
I looked over my shoulder, my panic instantly ceasing to see that Sebastian was the one holding me. Unlike my own bare skin, he was fully clothed, his eyes dark and sunken in.
Despite how my legs wobbled, I turned in his arms, putting us face to face. I had to put a considerable amount of effort into raising my head to meet his gaze. My breasts pressed against the fabric of his shirt, but nothing about this moment was sensual. It was safe.
“I'm sorry, but you weren't waking up and you had gotten sick. I needed to get you clean.” His voice was almost silent as he spoke. “I made sure everyone else left before I brought you in here. It's just us,” he assured me.
I forced my lips to crack a faint smile, appreciating that he was so concerned about preserving my dignity. “You don't need to apologize,” I rasped, attempting to find my voice. The words made my throat ache, as if my insides were dry and scraped.
His top clung to him, the soaked fabric caressing my cheek as I leaned into his chest. He supported most of my weight. If he were to let go, I would collapse.
“How do you feel?” he asked, his voice gruff.
“Not great,” I admitted. My veins no longer burned, indicating that the magic suppressant had worked its way out of my system. But my limbs ached and my face felt exactly how I’d expect it to.
Sebastian placed a kiss on the top of my head. I didn't look, but I heard him sniffle. “I thought you were going to die,” he breathed into my hair.
Sadness overwhelmed me as I recalled the details of what happened, remembering everything up until him and Sawyer showed up. I hated that Sebastian had to see me like that—bordering life and death. If the shoe were on the other foot, I would have been a complete wreck.
