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He looks up at me, and then his eyelids fall shut.
I smooth his hair back a few more times, hoping it’ll rouse him, but he doesn’t move. His forehead is cool and clammy. I check his pulse. There’s no question that his heart is beating more quickly than logical considering he’s scarcely moving.
As I’m leaning over him, his body twitches and his eyes snap open. When he sees me, he starts breathing hard, and then he scrambles back, wide-eyed.
“Declan?”
He holds his hands out, shaking hard. Then he looks down, murmurs something.
“Are you all right?”
He looks confused.
“It’s just Finley…here to help you.”
He looks up at me, but the terror on his face won’t dissipate.
“Sailor…you know me, right?”
I watch him swallow.
“Siren,” I say gently. “We met on the island.”
Once again, he looks around. When his gaze lands on me again, his features twist into a grimace.
“Finley…” he rasps. “Something’s wrong with me.”
When I close the distance between us, he pulls me up against him, burying his face in my hair as his big body quakes against mine. I cling tightly to him, wanting to make him feel he’s not alone.
Instead, he makes me feel that way. His hand smooths over my hair, his fingers spreading gently over my head, lightly massaging even as he shakes and pants.
“This is…just a phase of it,” he manages.
“Of course. It will fall away, and you’ll feel so much better.”
His grip on me tightens. I feel him struggling to breathe.
“Let’s lie down, darling. Is that all right?”
His eyes cling to my face as we lie on our sides. I cover him with my sleeping bag and reach beneath the blanket for his hand.
“You’re so strong,” I murmur, stroking his trembling fingers. “I’m so sorry we’re still here. I tried to get us out. I think we’re almost there.”
“It’s okay.”
He seems tired now, half asleep. I move a bit closer to him and tuck his fist between my hand and chest to warm it.
“How long since you’ve slept, my darling? Really slept?”
He blinks at me, and I push back the hair that’s fallen into his eyes.
“A while,” he whispers.
“How long?”
“Like…back in November.”
He’s shivering again, and I feel tears burning my eyes. “I think you need to sleep. Do you think that’s possible?”
