23. Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Three
Eli
Eli must’ve heard incorrectly. There was no other explanation.
The baby?
But he watched as Nik hunched over and sobbed against Ali’s torso and knew that Zeke hadn’t misspoken.
Ali had been pregnant…and now she wasn’t. How long had she known? It was evident that Nik already knew. Eli caught Grace softly crying out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to hug her. Something about her expression told him she wasn’t surprised by the pregnancy either.
Was he the only one who hadn’t known?
A piece of him ached over the knowledge that his best friend had kept something so special from him, but he couldn’t linger on that hurt when too many of his thoughts were consumed by the fact that he’d almost lost Ali again…this time permanently.
He was sure she had her reasons for keeping this secret, and hopefully one day she’d share them with him. For now, he could only pray she would wake up.
He studied her. Ali continued to breathe quietly with her eyes closed.
Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy braid and her lips were slightly parted.
A blanket was pulled up to her chest and underneath, Eli spotted the smallest bump on her stomach.
She had been gaining weight, but he’d assumed that, like him, it had been the result of no longer wondering where their next meal would come from.
He should’ve been paying closer attention. He’d been so absorbed in his own life and hardships that he hadn’t noticed his best friend was pregnant. And as soon as he’d discovered it, it was over. His mouth turned dry, and he tried to swallow his hurt and disappointment.
It was nothing compared to what Ali would face when she woke up. He could only imagine the devastation she would feel. The overwhelming loss that Nik visibly felt.
Eli reached forward to comfort Nik, gently patting him on the back. His pain was so significant, it expanded and filled the entire room with heartbreak and despair. It was impossible not to feel for him.
“I’m sorry,” Eli said softly.
Grace echoed his sentiments and pulled at Eli’s arm. “We should give him a moment,” she whispered. Then she spoke louder for Nik to hear. “Let us know if you need anything.”
Nik didn’t look up, still nestled against Ali’s chest. Eli wasn’t certain if he’d heard Grace, but they left the room regardless, Zeke and Meg not far behind them.
They walked in silence until they reached the hallway outside of the medical chamber, and then Eli turned to Grace. “You knew… You knew that Ali was pregnant?”
Grace nodded and tried to read his expression as he did hers. She looked sympathetic but firm in her decision not to tell him, the weight of defensiveness bringing down her shoulders.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“It wasn’t my news to share.” She reached for his hand, but he pulled back, his mind still whirling with tangled thoughts. Grace frowned. “Ali didn’t even tell me—I guessed it. She planned to tell you.”
“Then why didn’t she?”
Her brows pulled together. “Just waiting for the right moment, I suppose.”
Eli rubbed the back of his neck and looked both ways down the hall, unsure of what he was searching for. He felt lost in more ways than one.
Grace reached for his hand again and this time he accepted, letting the touch of her skin bring him back to earth.
He was grateful for the stability she provided, even if she’d kept this knowledge from him.
He pulled her into his arms and squeezed her tight, releasing some of the tension he’d been clinging to.
“I’m sorry, Eli,” she said against his chest.
“You don’t need to apologize. I understand why you didn’t tell me.”
“Not for that,” she said. “Ali is the only family you have. That child would’ve been like a niece or nephew to you. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Eli struggled to breathe. It was true. As her best friend, Eli would’ve had a significant role in the child’s life.
The blows kept coming.
He pressed his cheek against Grace’s head and lost himself in her embrace. They stood in the middle of the hall while people passed on their way to work or social engagements for the morning. Eli didn’t know how long they remained immobile. All he knew was that he didn’t want to lose Grace’s touch.
Eventually, he sighed and pulled back. “Thank you. For being here for me.”
He pushed her brown hair behind her ear, and Grace smiled. “I’ll always be here for you, Eli.”
The research lab was bustling with lively and energetic faces. People hustled around gathering materials and scratching down notes at the surrounding worktables.
Eli propped an elbow on his table and rested his chin on his palm. His pencil was reduced to a dull stub, but he continued to scribble mindlessly on his notepad.
In the chair across from him, Luka tinkered with a metal device, attempting to disassemble it but failing miserably.
Eli was supposed to be helping, but his mind was elsewhere. He would’ve taken the day off work if he hadn’t already missed so much due to his training schedule for the Rite. Luka was extremely understanding, but Eli refused to take his patience for granted.
“Could you grab those pliers over there?” Luka asked, pulling Eli from his thoughts. He glanced at the counter behind him, noting several tools they commonly used in the lab. He picked up the ones that looked similar to shears but with serrated pincers at the end and handed them to Luka.
“Thanks,” he said. “Are you all right?”
Eli sighed, meeting Luka’s gaze for the first time all day. He should’ve known he couldn’t be distant-minded all day without someone noticing, especially Luka, who never let anything slip by him. “I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. Makes it hard to focus, I guess.”
Luka huffed a laugh. “I hear you. I remember being your age, running wild with friends and chasing my future wife. Living like sleep was optional and suffering the repercussions the next day.” He sighed as though fondly recalling those days.
Eli wished that was all he had going on. He gave Luka a half-hearted smile.
“You must be even more occupied with the Rite. Well done on the second round, by the way. I see all that training is paying off.”
“Yeah, it is. Thanks again for letting me take time off. Once this is over, I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
Luka brushed his comments aside. “Forget about it. What kind of man would I be if I stood between two soul mates?”
Eli’s smile was genuine at the thought of his soul mate. While the morning had been rough and there was still much healing to come, Eli was grateful he had Grace on his side.
That moment of gratefulness was short-lived with the threat of the third round just weeks away.
He could already picture it: standing at the end of the Rite, watching another man hold Grace’s hand and kiss her lips. Ali might try to console him, but she had her own heartbreak to work through. And she had Nik too. He’d be left alone—completely abandoned.
“Eli,” Luka said, snapping his fingers.
Blinking, Eli cleared the nightmare from his mind. “Sorry,” he said. “Did you need something else?”
Luka snorted. “I need you to go home. You’re certainly not in the right headspace to be here.”
Eli shook his head. “No, I can stay.”
“I mean it, Eli. The lab can be a dangerous place if you aren’t paying attention. We don’t need any injuries today.”
He wasn’t wrong. A month after Eli had started working in the lab, a coworker had sliced through a finger with a blade because he’d been distracted. Instinctively, Eli flexed his hand and counted each of his fingers—all ten still attached.
“Okay, but I’ll be here early tomorrow,” he said, gathering his things and heading for the exit. “Thanks, Luka.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Eli walked aimlessly from the lab. He wasn’t hungry, and it had been raining all day, so he didn’t feel like going for a run or visiting his horse, Obsidian.
Grace would be in meetings until later in the afternoon.
The only place he felt called to be was in the medical chamber, next to Ali.
So it was no surprise when he looked up from his wandering feet and found himself in the reception area.
The woman at the desk greeted him with a warm smile, which he returned before heading to Ali’s room.
He gently opened the door, and his eyes were immediately drawn to Ali’s face—still fast asleep.
Nik hadn’t moved positions either. He was still draped over her body with his cheek pressed against her chest. By the soft sound of his breathing, he was asleep as well.
Eli quietly pulled up a chair and sat on the opposite side of Ali’s bed. Then he leaned forward and held her other hand, staring at it as if she might squeeze his at any moment.
When she didn’t, he sighed. All he wanted to do right now was talk to his best friend. He couldn’t help but think of their life before Andus was attacked. How simple everything had seemed back then. They had been foolish to think that life would always be that carefree.
Or at least he had been. Ali had always dreamed of a life beyond Andus’s borders. She had craved adventure and experiences that she never would’ve found back home. Would she have chosen this if she’d known everything she’d lose in the process?
“You deserve better than this,” he said softly.
Across the bed, Nik grumbled indistinctly. His shoulders shifted, but then he settled back into place, breathing heavily.
“Nik,” Eli whispered.
Nik didn’t stir.
“Hey, you asshole.”
Still no movement.
Satisfied that Nik wasn’t eavesdropping, Eli relaxed and returned his attention to Ali.
“I’m sorry this happened to you, Ali. And I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t tell me.
I don’t know how we got here. I suppose it was silly to think that nothing would ever change.
You’ve got Nik and I’ve got Grace. I just thought we’d always be close, you know?
After Nik and Rysburg, I thought we’d made it through the worst of it.
Maybe I should’ve made it clear that you can always come to me with anything.
I know I reacted poorly when I found out about Nik, but I’m a different person now.
I’m more mature and less stubborn. You can tell me things. I want you to tell me things.”
Eli’s shoulders slumped, and he leaned back in his chair, dropping Ali’s hand. “I miss who we used to be, Ali. I miss my best friend.”
“I’m still here,” a hoarse voice said.
The words hit Eli in the heart. His head shot up to find Ali smiling faintly at him, though there was confusion in her eyes.
“Where is here exactly?”
“Thank god,” Eli said, lunging forward to embrace her.
He bumped Nik’s head on the way, and Nik grunted unintelligibly as he sat up. “What the fuck is wrong with—” His words faded before he inhaled a sharp breath. “Ali.”
Nik nudged Eli out of his way and held Ali in his arms. From the way his shoulders shook, Eli assumed he was crying tears of joy.
Ali’s face was visible over Nik’s shoulder, and she still looked bewildered. “What happened?”
Nik pulled back enough to meet her gaze. “I’m hoping you can tell us.”
She shook her head. “I don’t… I…”
Understanding slowly sank in, and her demeanor shifted from confusion to fear to all out panic. Her breathing became erratic, and she pushed up into a sitting position on the bed.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay,” Nik repeated, rubbing her arms in a feeble attempt to soothe her.
“It’s not,” she said frantically. “I was… I was grabbing my bag and there was… I opened it and then… and then it was black and everything was black and…”
She was hyperventilating, and even Nik was struggling to ease her anxiety.
Eli moved toward the door, opening it quickly and shouting down the hall, “We need help in here!”
Meg, the medic from that morning, rushed through the door, pushing Eli’s chair back and taking his previous spot.
After some convincing, Nik sat back and allowed Meg to check Ali over.
She continued to breathe heavily, so Meg procured a clear vial with a translucent pink substance.
She convinced Ali to drink it, that it would calm her nerves, and Ali did as the medic asked.
After a few moments, her breathing seemed to steady, but her face was still full of terror. “How did I get here?”
Nik moved closer now that her panic had subsided. He rubbed circles on her back and explained how he’d found her in the council chamber, passed out and alone. Then Meg explained the steps they’d taken to treat her and that she’d been poisoned with helberries.
“Was anyone there with you?” Nik asked. “Did someone give them to you?”
Ali shook her head. “No, no one else was there. It was… It was an envelope. I saw it lying there, and I didn’t know who it belonged to. It wasn’t berries, though. It was a powder.”
Meg crossed her arms and nodded. “When they’re dried and ground up, they become even more potent. That explains why you reacted so quickly.”
“Who would do that?” Ali asked, looking between the medic, Eli, and Nik. “Why would they leave it there for someone to find?”
Eli clenched his jaw. He had a guess as to who might be miserable enough to poison one of the council members.
That poison hadn’t been meant for Ali. There was a very high likelihood that it had been meant for Grace or her mother.
He ground his teeth at the thought of Eamon, Trevor, and every other rebel who wanted to take Grace’s family down.
“I’m sure there will be a full investigation,” Meg said. “But there is one more thing we need to discuss.”
Eli shifted uncomfortably. “I’ll step outside.”
No part of him wanted to be present when Ali heard the fate of her and Nik’s child. Not when she hadn’t even told him about her pregnancy. He felt like an intruder in this difficult moment.
Ali frowned as she watched him move toward the door. After he closed it, he leaned against the wall and clutched his aching chest.
Moments later, a devastated cry shattered his already broken heart.