Chapter 76 - What You Did
Athena woke to warmth.
Not the warmth of fire.
The warmth of a hand wrapped around hers.
Her eyes fluttered open slowly, her body feeling heavier than she had ever known. Every muscle ached like she had run for miles without stopping.
The ceiling above her was unfamiliar for a moment.
Then memory rushed back.
Smoke.
Fire.
Silas.
Her breath hitched sharply as she tried to sit up.
A hand tightened gently around hers.
"Easy," Silas's voice said softly.
Her head turned.
He was sitting beside the bed.
Alive.
Awake.
Watching her with an intensity that made her chest tighten.
Tears filled her eyes instantly.
"You're okay," she whispered.
Silas nodded once.
"I am."
She searched his face for burns.
For damage.
There was none.
Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"How...?"
Elara stepped forward from the other side of the room. Rowan and Kael stood near the wall, quiet but attentive.
"You healed him," Elara said gently.
Athena blinked.
"I what?"
Silas didn't look away from her as he spoke.
"The burns were gone before we could treat them."
Her heart began to race.
"I don't remember doing anything."
"You were crying," Elara said softly. "Begging him to live."
Athena's throat tightened.
"And then... it happened."
Athena looked down at her hands like they might explain something to her.
"I just touched him," she whispered.
Silas squeezed her hand slightly.
"You did more than that."
She looked back at him, confusion filling her eyes.
"You said something," Rowan added quietly.
Athena frowned.
"What?"
Silas's voice lowered.
"You said you loved me."
Heat rushed to her face, but it was quickly replaced by something heavier.
More important.
"After that," Silas continued, "I felt something. Warm. Powerful. Like life being pushed back into me."
Athena's breathing grew uneven.
Elara stepped closer.
"No one has ever seen healing like that," she said.
Athena shook her head slowly.
"That's not possible."
Silas's eyes darkened slightly.
"There is only one bloodline known for that kind of power."
Her heart thudded painfully.
His voice softened as he said it again.
"Goldenthorn."
The name settled in the room like a truth waiting to be accepted.
Athena's lips parted slightly.
"That's... my name."
Silas nodded once.
"You are not just one of us," he said quietly.
His gaze held hers steadily.
"You are theirs."