Chapter 20
Twenty
RONAN
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
T he room Cheryl is in belongs to Dukie, Phylia’s son. She sent him to the market to fetch some herbs, but I suspect she just wanted the boy out of the house for a while. He’s a talkative youngster, full of energy.
His room is an explosion of colors. Each wall is painted a different shade of blue, and hanging from them are several paintings that I suspect were done by Dukie himself.
They have a childlike style. I don’t see any toys, but at the far wall, there’s a workbench with pieces of wood, metal, and gears scattered over the surface, plus one piece that seems to be a work in progress—an apparatus of sorts. I can’t tell what it’s supposed to be.
I pull up a chair and sit next to the bed.
Cheryl is sleeping on her belly, one hand tucked underneath her chin.
Phylia braided her hair so it wouldn’t get in the way, but loose strands frame her face.
She has a small bandage on her cheek, covering the small cut she sustained.
It wasn’t deep enough to require stitching, and Phylia said it won’t leave a scar.
I’m relieved the rosiness has returned to Cheryl’s face, and her breathing is even. Her heartbeat is also steady, a contradiction to mine, which is pounding so fast, I can almost hear it out loud.
My chest tightens when I remember I almost lost her again. I’ve faced many dangerous situations throughout my life, but the only times I’ve been scared out of my mind were when Cheryl was in peril. The very thought of her not existing anymore flares into an agony that’s nearly impossible to bear.
I touch her face with my fingertips. She doesn’t flinch, and her breathing doesn’t change. Likely, she won’t wake up for a few more hours. I think about Phylia’s suggestion. Maybe if I say what I feel while she sleeps, I’ll be able to confess it to her when she’s awake.
“You have to stop scaring me like this, Cher. I can’t lose you.” I shake my head, laughing softly in derision. “If you were awake, you’d probably roll your eyes and say I’m full of shit. I suppose I’ve never done anything that would make you think differently.”
Releasing a shaky breath, I rest my elbows on my knees and lean forward, keeping my gaze down.
“When you left with Karl all those centuries ago, you took my heart with you. I tried so hard to go on without you near me, and I thought that perhaps, with time, your absence wouldn’t hurt as much, but the ache never went away.
” I swallow the sudden lump in my throat.
“Then, one by one, we started getting weaker, needing to hibernate, and I worried you might suffer from the same malady, but there was no way to know for sure. All I know is that you were the last thing on my mind before I succumbed to that deep exhaustion, and my very first thought when I woke up again, years later.”
I rub my face, fighting tears. “I woke in a panic, fearing something had happened to you while I slept. Only when I felt your presence in my heart, pulsing, could I relax.
“What I’m trying to say is that I love you. I’ve loved you from our very first meeting, when you hated me, and I never stopped loving you since. I know you think my heart is torn, but it never was. It has always been you, Cher. Always you.”
I look up and stop breathing when my gaze collides with Cheryl’s emerald-green eyes. Suddenly, it’s like all the air goes out of the room. My palms start sweating, and my pulse goes at a hundred miles per hour.
“You’re awake,” I say like a dumbass.
“Do you really mean everything you said?” she whispers.
I swallow so hard that it’s audible. “Every word.”
Cheryl doesn’t move, doesn’t blink, and her expression remains the same. But I search our bond and discover her emotions are all over the place. I just don’t know if her reaction is positive or not.
A loud boom outside followed by shouting interrupts our moment. I jump from the chair and position myself in front of the bed to protect Cheryl.
“What’s going on?” she asks.
“I don’t kn?—”
The door bursts opens, and three Nightingale males storm into the room.
They aren’t wearing uniforms, but the malice in their eyes tells me they aren’t friendly.
I swipe my arm at the one closest to me, trying to claw him, but he tosses powder at my face, and I gag.
The strength whooshes out of me, my legs give out, and I fall to my knees.
“Ronan!” Cheryl yells.
I try to turn to her, but I’m pushed to the floor, and my arms are bound behind my back. A wolf snarl followed by a shout of pain tells me Cheryl shifted and got someone.
“Get that wolf under control!” one of the assholes commands.
A whimper follows, and then Cheryl collapses next to me with a dart sticking out of her neck. Her eyes are already closing.
“Cheryl!” I summon the last bit of strength I have left and manage to dislodge whoever was holding me down.
“For fuck’s sake. Restrain the vampire!”
Something pierces my skin, burning upon contact. My vision becomes fuzzy, and then everything goes dark.