Page 3 of Desperately Yours

The desperation and fear crackled between us as he realized there was no way he could get to me in time.

I thought I would die.

We crashed into rock sooner than I thought and pain was all I knew. An outcropping of stone prevented Leila and me from falling into the depths of the cavern. Without thinking, I covered her body with mine to shield her from the falling debris and dirt. Time made no sense there. Every moment stretched into eons and yet, without light or interaction, I had no way to judge. All I knew was when the dirt finally settled, we had a small cavern of air packed in by dirt and rock on every side.

I shook my head and blinked my eyes, wishing I could stop thinking about it.

“M’lady?” It didn’t matter how many times I asked Dahlia to call me Mick, she insisted on the title. “I have your soup.”

Using my palms, I pushed myself up to a sitting position, surprised again by how much I had healed in such a short amount of time. It had been only a day since Fitz had pulled me out, but every hour I felt stronger. That had to be, at least in part, due to the miracle soup.

Dahlia shifted the tray across my lap and went about readying the meal. Silver spoon, a mug of something dark and brothy, and then the bowl that had been filled to the limit with the soup I’d been eating every two to three hours around-the-clock. The broth had a green tint to it, off-putting at first, but I recognized at least thirty-five percent of the vegetables that bobbed in the slightly creamy depths. Ginger, orange, and other scents I didn’t know before Nolcovia curled into my nostrils, welcoming me back like a friend I’d come to appreciate. I always started with a carrot. At least I knew what that was.

“Lady Sadira is at the door,” Dahlia spoke slowly and pronounced every word as if I wouldn’t understand. “Do you have energy to talk with her?”

“Yes, of course.” I set the spoon aside and picked up the slice of bread instead. Dahlia left me and returned quickly with Sadie behind her. Though I was still weak, I smiled at my benefactor as she came into view. “I know I didn’t believe you when you offered, but this soup has been nothing short of a miracle.”

Sadie blushed under the praise and gave a short curtsy. “I’m pleased your strength is returning, m’lady.”

I avoided her strict adherence to cultural propriety and went back to the subject at hand. “I’ve never been one for alternative medicine, but this has made all the difference.”

The mattress depressed as Sadie took a seat on the edge of my bed. “It’s been a powerful tool in my village against injuries and illness.”

Apothecary. It wasn’t a term I knew very well a day ago. But when doctors wanted to check me into the hospital, Sadieoffered her services privately. She worked as a healer of sorts in her small village and she knew a soup that could restore my strength.

It wasn’t exactly something I was planning to sell to Campbell’s, but once I got past the odd flavors, the benefits couldn’t be beat. I braced myself and ate a small spoonful. Sadie laughed softly as I winced.

“The flavors are…” I couldn’t think of a word that wouldn’t be offensive.

“Horrendous,” she offered. “And if I told you what was in it—”

“Please don’t,” I stopped her early. “In fact, you can keep that secret to yourself, okay?”

Her head bowed forward. “As you wish.” When her chin came up again, she wore an uncharacteristically large smile. “I can’t tell you how positivelychuffedI am to see you brightening again. The prince will be pleased you’re healing.”

I focused on my soup, unsure of what to say. We were interested in the same guy. Anything I said would sound either petty or prideful. Thankfully, Dahlia wasn’t one for silence.

“He was just here again,” Dahlia announced, “but fret not, I sent him away once more so you could rest, just like the other five times.”

“Five?” Sadie and I asked in unison. Our eyes met a second later, the awkwardness heavy in the air. Our tones and words mirrored each other, but I knew our motivations were vastly dissimilar.

“Yes, but I am under strict orders by the queen herself not to let him disturb you so that you can rest.” Dahlia crossed her arms over her chest like a bodyguard, positively pleased with her attention to the rules. “And look how you’ve recovered.”

“Yes.” I hid my disappointment. Between my own weakness, and Dahlia’s vigilant protection, I hadn’t found any time to see Fitz. To be honest, I was worried he was mad at me sincehe hadn’t come to visit, but knowing he’d come five times… I couldn’t help the way my thoughts ran away with the possible implications of what that meant.

“He’s going to pick you,” Sadie assured me before she looked away. “For a moment, I thought maybe he would choose me,” she shook her head and cut her words short, “but watching him search for you… and then when he pulled you free of the…” She couldn’t finish. Straightening her shoulders, she focused her stare on the window where the sun had long since set. “Of course it wouldn’t be me. Such a vain hope.”

“I—I’m not—” I wasn’t sure how to proceed. Her feelings for him were real and my guilt became palpable. “He was going to send me home at the next choosing ceremony before the earthquake happened.” Her head whipped around to stare at me, confused but curious, so I explained more. “The prince told me his plans during the festival so I could prepare. The trip home takes a little more work for me, after all. If I hadn’t fallen—”

Her lips parted with hope, but she didn’t say a word about it. Instead, she rubbed her hands together in her lap. “The last choosing ceremony never happened.”

I frowned. “So, he might still send me home once the next—”

“No,” she interrupted me, tired at even the thought of it. “Prince Leonidas was so distraught, he made all of his decisions in the moment. Some felt it was… unfair, considering his emotional state. After all, he sent home four last time. There are only three of us left.”

It wasn’t hard math. Sadie, me, and… someone. Blair? He had such a strong connection with her. Maybe she stayed. Chantal had stuck it out despite everything stacked against her, and then there was Gwen who’d served as his backup plan since the beginning.

“Who did he…” It didn’t feel right to ask. As if they were lingering in the hall and might overhear the gossip. But, again, Dahlia had no such reservations.

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