Her eyes connected with his. “But—”
“I know,” he breathed. “Panacea is healing you right now. The more you fight me, the more you’re going to feel. I saw the wound. You don’t want to go back yet.”
Her throat bobbed. “Will I die?”
“I don’t know.”
Even as tears welled up in her eyes, she lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders. “Thank you.”
A quiet chuckle left him. “Why?”
“Because you’re honest. It’s better to have the harsh truth than pretty lies.” She looked out over the golden field. “And thank you for this. If these are my last moments, I don’t think I could’ve picked a better place.”
He stared at her. After everything, her gratitude surprised him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, before he could stop himself. “For how I treated you when you were first brought to me. You didn’t deservethat.”
Appearing thoughtful, she asked, “You’re not a cruel god, so why did you?”
“I haven’t been around anyone for a while. You were the first person in my home besides my family for centuries. I was annoyed. And curious.” He exhaled. “You fought me. Humans fear us, but no matter how many times I put you back to sleep, you kept fighting.”
She laughed, the sound light and warm. “What can I say? I’m stubborn.”
His smirk returned. “I’ll take your word for it.”
The silence surrounding them was different, free of the tension that existed between them in the real world.
He felt a tug on his hold over her. At that moment, he wasn’t sure if it was the curse attempting to take control again or if her body was attempting to wake. He could hunt the curse later. First, she had to live.
“Hypnos?” Thanatos spoke through their connection.
“Will she make it?” Hypnos asked his brother while keeping his eyes on Iliana. She’d lain down again, twirling a flower she’d plucked in front of her face.
“Yes,” the relief in his brother’s voice matched his feelings. “Panacea expects her to be fully healed in a few hours, but she needs to sleep for now. She will be fine. We want to move her to a bed, but need you to stay with her.”
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
He relished the few moments with Iliana when she was this relaxed in his presence, before finally speaking. “You’re going to be fine. The healer wants you to remain asleep for a while longer to finish healing.”
“Really? That’s good to hear,” she said, sounding relieved. “Can I stay here?”
He cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, when I pull away to move you to the bed, your mind will no doubt move on to typical dreams. I won’t be present to hold us here.”
She sat up and hugged him. “Thank you again.” She pulled away and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek, letting it linger softly.
His eyes closed for a brief moment, capturing the warmth of that closeness. He swallowed thickly, not used to the show of affection.
She wouldn’t remember any of it.
He would.
And he knew it would haunt him.
Chapter twenty-four
THANATOS
Thanatos inclined his head toward the healer. “Thank you for coming.”
