Chapter 92 – Azaria
AZARIA
Imust have dozed off. I blinked, and suddenly the light through the window had shifted. Still dim, but different. Late afternoon. My head throbbed. My ribs ached with every breath.
Quinton still sat in the chair beside my bed, head tilted back against the wall, one arm draped across the armrest. His other hand still held mine, but his fingers were fingers slack now. Gods, he looked exhausted.
The door opened quietly. Kalias stepped inside, in human form this time.
Silver hair pulled back, face freshly washed, clothes damp from mist. His boots made no sound across the stone floor.
He stopped short of the bed, bright silvery-blue eyes scanning the room.
His gaze landed on me first, then on Quin.
A faint smile touched his mouth. “He looks worse than you.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” I murmured.
Kalias raised a brow.
I turned my gaze back to Quin. My thumb brushed softly against his hand. He didn’t stir. “Can you help him sleep?” I asked quietly. “Really sleep?”
Kalias considered him for a moment. “You want me to ease him into rest?”
“He is exhausted and he won’t listen. He keeps sitting here as though if he closes his eyes, I will disappear.”
Kalias stepped closer. His voice remained calm. “I can weave a sleep charm with restoration. He will wake rested. His body will mend what it can. It will not heal him the way a shifter heals, but it will give him strength.”
I nodded. “He would consent if he were awake.”
“I know.”
He spoke softly in his own tongue, a melodic shifter language. He lifted two fingers and brushed them gently through the air near Quin’s temple.
Quin blew out a breath. His body relaxed deeper into the chair, tension finally bleeding out. His grip on my hand loosened enough that his fingers went soft.
Kalias moved to the opposite side of the bed and lowered himself carefully into the seat. I reached out with my free hand, found his wrist, and slid my fingers into his palm. He didn’t hesitate. His hand closed around mine, warm and steady.
“I didn’t get to thank you,” I said softly.
His brow furrowed faintly. “For what?”
“For finding me. For keeping me alive until they could fix me.”
Kalias looked down at our joined hands. “It was not a choice. My wolf knew the moment it happened. It was instinct, nothing more.”
My throat tightened.
“I felt you,” he continued. “Not as distance. As pain. My chest burned as though it were my own.”
I stared at him. “You felt my pain?”
He nodded.
My chest tightened. “How?”
“My wolf forced a pack bond.” His voice was quiet and matter-of-fact. “When he first started projecting to you. I did not realize what he had done until the forest. Now, I feel your distress and your pain.”
I processed that slowly. “So I’m part of your pack now?”
“Yes.”
Another person tethered to me. Another connection I didn’t ask for. I must have looked stricken because Kalias squeezed my hand.
“I would endure it a thousand times if it meant finding you,” he said firmly.
I swallowed hard and nodded. We sat in silence for a moment.
“What happened?” he asked finally.
“Dimensional trap. Concealment spell after.” I kept it short. “I didn’t see them coming. Then—boots.”
His jaw clenched. A low growl rippled beneath his breath.
“We killed them,” he said quietly. “When we saw you on the ground, we lost control. We tore through them with teeth and claws.” He stopped, shaking his head. “I do not even know how many there were.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He met my eyes. “Whatever this bond is, I will never ignore it.”
I nodded faintly.
The door opened again, with more force this time.
Elaria.
My sister moved fast but controlled, eyes wide and wet, cheeks flushed. She crossed straight to the bedside and reached for my free hand, clasping it with both of hers.
“You stupid, reckless—“ Her voice cracked. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking,” I rasped. “Not fast enough.”
Her lip quivered as her tears spilled freely.
“You nearly died, Az,” she whispered. “I thought—gods, I thought I’d never see you again.”
“I’m here,” I said softly. “Elaria. I’m here.”
“I had a feeling,” she said, voice shaking. “I couldn’t shake it. Then the call came—you were being carried into the healing ward. I ran so fast I almost knocked over two patrols.”
Kalias huffed quietly beside me.
“Myrin practically had to throw a barrier up to keep me out,” Elaria continued, voice wobbling.
“I’m not surprised,” I murmured. “You’ve always been stubborn.”
“You’re one to talk.”
That got a faint smile out of both of us. Then her voice softened. “Don’t do that again. Please. You’re not just my sister, Az. You’re everything.”
I felt the weight of her words settle deep. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Elaria leaned in carefully, forehead pressing gently to mine. Pain flared across my ribs with the contact. I ignored it.
“Next time you get injured, I’m grounding you,” she said.
I tried to laugh, but it hurt too much. “Deal.”
She sat with me like that for a while as her tears dried, her hand never leaving mine. When she finally pulled back, her gaze drifted past my shoulder. “Wait… is he asleep?” She squinted at Quin.
“I asked Kalias to knock him out,” I said.
“You what?”
“He wouldn’t rest.”
Kalias shifted beside me, tone nonchalant. “I wove restoration into his sleep. It is not healing. It simply helps the body use what it has.”
Elaria blinked, clearly impressed. “You’ll have to teach me that.”
“If he consents,” Kalias said dryly.
I smirked despite the ache. “He’ll thank you for it.”
Elaria shook her head, looking at Quin slumped in the chair. “I’ll have someone move him to a proper bed.”
“Don’t wake him,” I said quickly.
“I won’t. I’ll make sure it’s gentle.”
Kalias gave my hand a squeeze. I watched Quin sleep, and for once the stubborn idiot was motionless.
Elaria shifted in her seat, glancing at Kalias. “Can I ask you something?”
He lifted his eyes to hers. “Of course.”
“That rejuvenation spell you used on Quin,” she began carefully. “Could you try it on her?”
Kalias’s brows furrowed. “I used it in the forest to keep her stable until Quin arrived. It cannot replace healing. It only restores what remains.”
Elaria nodded slowly. “I know. But your magic is different. I can sense it. The cadence is gentler, more natural than ours.”
He was quiet for a moment, considering her words. “Her body has been under a great deal of magic already. Myrin’s work, Quin’s healing, my stabilization. I am uncertain adding more is wise.”
“Please,” Elaria said softly. “Try.”
He looked at me. “All right. I will be careful.”
I felt it before I saw it. His magic moved over me like cool mist: soft, careful, gentle in a way that caught me off guard. It didn’t carry the force of healer wards or the heat of Quin’s blood magic. It smelled of pine and rain, clean enough to make my lungs ache. I exhaled slowly.
“Kalias?” I murmured.
“I am here,” he said quietly. “I am trying something.”
His magic moved through me gently, and little by little my body felt lighter. I was still sore, still bruised, but not as drained as before.
“I can feel it,” I whispered.
“I will stop if it is too much.”
“No. Don’t. It’s helping.”
Beside me, Elaria let out a soft exhale. “I’ve never felt anything like that.”
Kalias said nothing.
The door opened again, and Dain stepped in quietly. His gaze moved over the room—Quin asleep in the chair, Kalias at my bedside with my hand in his, Elaria still close beside me—and something softened in his face.
“The squad is about two seconds away from forcing their way in,” he said. “I’m delaying the inevitable.”
A tired smile tugged at my mouth. “Thank you.”
He gave a small nod. “Get some rest. I’ll keep them back a little longer.”
Then he slipped out, the door clicking shut behind him.
Kalias’s magic stayed wrapped around me, steady and warm. Elaria was beside me. Quin was here. Dain was outside, holding the line.
For the first time since the forest, I felt safe.