"Aeliana's health is really down," he said, his voice serious. "She might die."
I felt my heart stop, just for a moment. The words hung in the air, cutting through the night like a blade. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I fought to keep my expression neutral. But inside, something was unraveling.
Aeliana... dying? No. That couldn't be true. It shouldn't be true. I wasn't supposed to care this much, wasn't supposed to feel like someone had just kicked the ground out from under me. But I did. I cared way more than I wanted to admit, even to myself.
The woman beside me, who moments ago had been the center of my attention, touched my arm lightly. "Hey," she started, her voice soft, probably trying to be comforting, "do you want to stay? We could..."
"No," I cut her off, the word coming out sharper than I intended. I didn't have time for this, didn't have time to pretend that anything here mattered. "Where is she?" I asked the guard, my voice steely, trying to keep the rising panic out of it.
He looked surprised at my intensity but answered quickly, "She's in the infirmary at Leora's castle."
Before he could say anything more, I teleported. The club, the noise, the people all of it vanished in an instant. I appeared in the familiar, sterile surroundings of the infirmary, the sudden quiet almost disorienting after the chaos of the club.
The room was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of herbs and antiseptics. I looked around quickly, my heart racing, expecting to find Aeliana lying on one of the beds, pale and weak, but the room was empty. Not a single soul in sight, and the eerie silence only amplified the tension gnawing at my insides.
I started to walk around, my boots clicking against the stone floor, the sound echoing in the stillness. Where was everyone? Where was she? The panic that had been simmering under the surface was now threatening to boil over, my hands shaking slightly as I tried to figure out what to do next.
"Ciara." The voice was sharp, almost angry, and I turned quickly to see Leora standing in the doorway. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her expression hard, with a mix of irritation and something else something that looked a lot like disappointment.
"Where is she?" I demanded, ignoring the look on her face. I didn't have time for Leora's attitude right now. I needed to see Aeliana, needed to make sure she was okay. The thought of her hurt, or worse... it was unbearable.
Leora's eyes narrowed, and she took a step forward. "Aeliana is healthy," she said, her voice cold. "The guard exaggerated to get you here."
Her words hit me like a slap. "What?" I breathed, the anger quickly overtaking the relief that she wasn't dying. "You mean—"
"She's fine," Leora interrupted, her tone clipped. "And I want to know why you didn't apologize to her."
I stared at her, the words not quite sinking in. Aeliana was fine. She wasn't dying. But instead of the relief I should have felt, there was only anger anger at Leora, at myself, and at the whole damn situation. "Apologize?" I repeated, my voice rising. "For what? For her running off to Nathaniel?"
Leora's eyes flashed with anger. "Don't be a fool, Ciara. This isn't about Nathaniel. This is about you not owning up to your mistakes, about you running away instead of dealing with your feelings."
"I'm not running away!" I shot back, the denial automatic, even though I knew it wasn't entirely true. "And don't lecture me about my feelings. Aeliana's the one who's with Nathaniel now, not me."
Leora sighed, her expression softening just a fraction. "Aeliana isn't 'with' Nathaniel. She's hurt and confused, just like you are. But instead of being there for her, you went off to a club to drown your feelings in someone else."
The accusation stung, but I wasn't going to back down. "What I do with my time is none of your business."
"When it affects Aeliana, it becomes my business," Leora countered, her voice firm. "You care about her, Ciara. I can see it, even if you don't want to admit it. But if you don't stop pushing her away, you're going to lose her."
I clenched my jaw, refusing to let her words get to me, even though they were hitting closer to home than I liked. "She's the one pushing me away," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest defensively. "She made her choice."
Leora shook her head, clearly frustrated. "She didn't make any choice, Ciara. She's waiting for you to show her that you actually care, that you're not just playing games with her heart."
I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could, the door behind Leora creaked open, and Aeliana stepped into the room.
She looked hesitant, her gaze flicking between Leora and me, obviously sensing the tension in the air. "Leora, you called for me?" she asked, her voice soft, uncertain.
The sight of her standing there, healthy and very much alive, sent a wave of relief crashing over me, but it was quickly followed by the familiar swirl of emotions that Aeliana always seemed to stir up in me anger, desire, frustration, and something I didn't want to name.
Leora turned to Aeliana, her expression softening. "Yes, I did," she said gently, before turning back to me with a pointed look. "But I think it's better if you and Ciara talk."
Aeliana glanced at me, her eyes questioning, and I could see the same confusion, the same mix of emotions in her gaze that I was feeling. It took everything in me not to just walk out, to escape before this conversation could even start.
But I couldn't run anymore. Not from this, not from her.
Leora nodded once, as if making a decision. "I'll give you two some space," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. She gave me one last, pointed look before she walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.
The silence that followed was heavy, thick with everything that had been left unsaid between us. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, every beat echoing in my ears as I tried to figure out what the hell I was supposed to say.
Aeliana stood there, just a few feet away, looking at me with those damn eyes that always seemed to see right through me. She looked like she was waiting for something, but I didn't know what. An apology? An explanation? I didn't even know where to start.
So I said the only thing that came to mind. "You're really okay?"
It was a stupid question, but it was all I could manage. She gave me a small, almost sad smile and nodded. "I'm fine, Ciara."
There was a pause, a moment where I thought I saw something flicker in her eyes, something that looked a lot like pain. And then she added, almost as an afterthought, "Thank you for asking."
The words were simple, but the way she said them, the way her voice trembled ever so slightly, made something twist inside of me. I could feel the anger draining away, replaced by something much more dangerous.
Vulnerability.
I hated it. Hated how much power she had over me, how easily she could make me feel things I didn't want to feel. And yet, despite all of that, despite everything that had happened, I couldn't bring myself to leave.
I took a step closer to her, close enough that I could see the way her breath hitched, the way her eyes widened slightly as she looked up at me. "Aeliana, I—" I started, but the words caught in my throat.
What was I supposed to say? That I was sorry? That I was a mess and I didn't know how to deal with any of this? That the thought of losing her had scared me more than I wanted to admit?
Before I could figure it out, the door to the infirmary creaked open again, and Leora stepped back inside, her gaze flicking between the two of us. "Sorry to interrupt," she said, her tone neutral, though I could see the curiosity in her eyes.
"But I thought it would be best if you continued this discussion somewhere more comfortable the nurse have some work to deal with."
Aeliana nodded, her expression unreadable, but she didn't move. Instead, she looked back at me, and for a moment, we were just standing there, staring at each other.
It wasn't much, but it was a start. And for now, that was enough.