──────────────⋆˖☽ ​𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 ☾˖⋆──────────────

The pressure on my throat hitched—a fractional loosening that offered the cruel illusion of a breath. I snatched for it, a desperate, useless gasp, before his fingers clamped down again, a vise of bone and sinew intent on crushing the life from me.

“Emeric!” Mira’s voice was a sharp crack in the suffocating silence, somewhere to my right.

He paid her no mind. His focus was absolute, his green eyes burning with a fury so pure it was terrifying. My muscles had turned to water, my limbs disconnected from my will. I commanded my hand to rise, to claw at his face, but it flopped to the floorboards with a dull thud. A high-pitched keen began to bore into my ears, drowning out Mira’s frantic footsteps, drowning out the world. The edges of my vision fizzed with black stars.

Not like this. Please, not like this.

My fingers gave a pathetic twitch, a final, futile spark of defiance. It wasn’t enough.

Then, a new sound: heavier footsteps thundering into the room. A blur of crimson flared at the periphery of my sight. A violent wrench, and the world-ending pressure on my throat vanished. I was dropped. Air rushed back into my lungs not as a relief, but as a torrent of broken glass, each breath a searing agony. The black stars converged, swallowing everything as I felt Emeric being torn away from me.

Death had brushed its lips against mine. A phantom touch, cold and final.

My vision returned in waves, the world swimming in a hazy, dark fluid. The ringing in my ears faded, leaving a hollow silence. My limbs were still boneless, leaden things. The blurry ceiling gradually sharpened into the intricate pattern of pressed tin, and then a face swam into view—Mikaeus, his molten gold eyes wide with frantic worry.

“Alanah,” his voice was a low, urgent rumble. “Are you with me?”

What do you think? The words formed in my head, a snarl of silent sarcasm, but my mouth refused to cooperate. I managed only a slow, deliberate blink.

“She’s alive,” Mikaeus breathed, the relief in his voice so profound it was almost a prayer. He glanced over his shoulder, and my head lolled to the side, following his gaze. Mira stood like a statue, her face unreadable. Then another figure became a blur of white linen and frantic sobs—Celia, her nightgown askew, collapsing at my side with tears streaming down her face.

Why is she crying? The thought was distant, foggy, as if it belonged to someone else. We barely know each other.

A deep, throbbing ache began to conduct its symphony through my body. I ignored it, focusing on the faint tremor that signaled the return of strength to my muscles. As I fought to sit up, two sets of hands instantly braced my back, guiding me with a gentleness that felt foreign after the recent violence. Celia and Mikaeus.

Turning my head to face Celia was a monumental effort. “Thank you,” I rasped. The words were gravel dredged from my throat, each one a fresh spark of pain. I tried to offer a reassuring smile, but I felt the weak, trembling line it formed on my lips.

“Don’t,” she whispered, her eyes still huge and wet. “Are you… are you truly all right?”

“I’m all right,” I managed, giving a single, slow nod to convince her—and perhaps myself.

“We need to get her to another room,” Mikaeus said, his voice strained but regaining its firmness.

My gaze drifted to him, catching the deep lines of concern etched on his brow. The irony was a bitter acid in my mouth. The man who dragged me to this nightmare was now playing the part of my concerned protector.

“Can you stand?” he asked, his eyes scanning me, ready for me to collapse.

I nodded stiffly. He moved to help, his hands starting to slip under my arms to support me.

“No.” The word was a splinter of sound, but I infused it with every ounce of strength I had, pushing his hands away. I don’t want his help. I need to do this myself. He had bought my life tonight, and I refused to let him own it.

Gritting my teeth, I forced my protesting muscles to obey. My legs trembled, each muscle a quivering wire strung too tight, but I pushed myself to my feet. I stood. Alone. The triumph soured almost instantly. I wouldn’t be standing at all if it weren’t for him.

“We’ll take you to the study,” Mikaeus said, his tone leaving no room for argument. My vision had finally cleared. “We can discuss this tomorrow.”

My eyes snapped to his. “No,” I insisted, my voice a raw whisper. “We talk about it now.”

He held my gaze for a long moment, the air between us crackling. I could feel the hatred radiating from the man he’d pulled off me, a venomous glare that I forced myself to ignore.

“Fine,” Mikaeus conceded with a weary sigh, his gaze flicking to the other man. “We don’t need a repeat of this.”

My eyes followed his. Emeric. Now that the haze was gone, I saw him clearly. His brown hair was a wild tangle, his frame powerfully built, towering even from across the room. A dark streak of blood ran from his nose to the collar of his shirt. A nasty, purple bruise was already blooming on his temple. His jaw was clenched so tight a muscle jumped in his cheek.

A grim, cold satisfaction settled in my chest. Good. He’s hurting, too.

Mikaeus took charge. “Mira, fetch the medical kit. Celia, once Alanah is settled, go back to your room.”

“I can walk,” I cut in, my voice sharper than I intended.

Every eye was on me as I willed myself to take the first agonizing step. A jolt of pain shot up my leg, but I bit back a gasp and took another, then another. Each step was a small, defiant victory.

“I’ll be back,” Mira announced, her voice flat, before hurrying out. Celia, however, fluttered nervously at my side.

“Please, miss,” she said softly, “let me at least see you to the other room.” I wanted to tell her to stop calling me ‘miss,’ but the effort felt crushing.

Mikaeus’s attention snapped back to Emeric. “You,” he said, his voice hard as flint. “Follow.”

No verbal reply came, only the heavy, reluctant sound of a third set of footsteps falling into line behind us. We shuffled into the adjacent room, a study with dark wood paneling and the scent of old paper. It was blessedly untouched by violence.

Ignoring the others, I made a direct line for a plush armchair by the cold fireplace and collapsed into it, a fresh wave of helpless frustration washing over me.

Mikaeus claimed the matching chair. Celia hovered. “I will see you in the morning, miss,” she murmured. With a slight, formal bow, she slipped quietly from the room.

The click of the closing door shattered the fragile peace. Mikaeus fixed his cold gaze on Emeric. “Chair.” Not a request. A command.

The shriek of wood on floor was a raw nerve. Emeric dragged a straight-backed chair forward, then lifted it, stalking across the room before slamming it down beside Mikaeus with a deliberate, contained violence.

“I don’t agree with this,” Emeric growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.

Mikaeus didn’t flinch. “Clearly. Now sit.”

A sharp knock preceded Mira’s return. She entered carrying a basket of supplies. She moved with a silent, unnerving efficiency, crossing directly to Emeric and handing him a damp cloth. Her expression was a perfect blank. “Your face.”

Her attention returned to the basket. She uncorked a small bottle, releasing a potent, herbal scent. She pushed it into his hand. “Drink.”

Next, she opened a second, identical vial and crossed the space to me. “You, too,” she said, her face an emotionless mask as she offered it. I took the vial, staring at the murky, green liquid.

“It will dull the pain,” she stated.

I gave a curt nod and downed it. The bitter, medicinal taste was foul, and my face twisted in disgust as a warmth that felt suspiciously like poison spread through my stomach.

She placed the basket on a nearby table. “If that is all, I’m leaving.” Without waiting for a reply, she turned and was gone, the door closing softly behind her. The silence she left crashed down, heavier than any sound. Across the room, Emeric stared at me, his eyes a volatile mix of fury and something else, something I couldn’t name but that felt just as dangerous.

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𝓓𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓭𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓽𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓵𝓲𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓼𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾’𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓮𝔁𝓽 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓭𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓼. 𝓐𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼, 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽!