Page 146 of Heir of Illusion

The sound of shouting filters through the edges of my consciousness, followed by a loud banging.

“Open this door or I’ll kick it down!”

The growled threat comes from somewhere nearby, but the words mean nothing to me. My mind is a distant haze. The desire to open my eyes is strong, but my body is far too weak to comply. Muffled noises reach my ears, metallic clicks followed by a scraping sound.

“Pipe down, you—” The woman’s words end on a gasp. Where she came from, I have no idea. When she speaks again, her tone is far more serious. “Bring her inside. Now.”

“What’s happened to her?” a new voice asks, another male.

“I don’t know. I found her running for her life outside the palace. By that point, she was already bleeding from her eyes and nose.”

“Fuck,” the woman curses, her cool fingers brushing against my forehead. “She pushed herself too far, and now she’s depleted. Always so reckless.”

“Can you fix it?”

That voice… It stirs a comforting warmth in my chest. I latch onto the sensation, hoping it will lead me out of this haze. My mind clears slightly, allowing the world to press in on me. Dull pain radiates through every inch of my body. Each breath I take feels heavy and hard won. Am I dying? I try to pry my eyes open, but they don’t respond, leaving me trapped in darkness.

At least I’m not alone, I remind myself as I become aware of the strong arms wrapped around me, cradling me against a hard chest.

Thorne, I realize.I think his name is Thorne.

“Place her on the table, and open her mouth,” the other man orders.

A whimper climbs up my throat as Thorne’s body disappears, replaced by a cold surface.

“I’m right here, Angel.” His touch finds me once more, his fingers gently brushing over my face.

I focus on the feeling of his skin against mine, praying he doesn’t stop. Without this connection, I fear I’ll drift into the ether and slip away.

“I’m not leaving you,” he whispers, his warm breath tickling my cheek.

“Found it!” The other man returns as his footsteps race toward us. “I knew I had a bottle stashed here.”

“Hold her mouth open,” the female voice orders sharply. “This won’t taste pleasant, but she needs to drink all of it.”

Strong hands grip my chin, forcing my lips to part. I twist against his hold as a cold bottle touches my lips and a bitter liquid hits my tongue. My body jerks as I try to cough it up.

“Easy.” Thorne’s thumb gently brushes over my jaw. “This is going to make it better, I promise. Just keep drinking for me.”

I do as he asks, hating each disgusting gulp. Finally, when I’m sure I’m going to vomit, the bottle disappears. Soothing fingers brush over my hair, gently pushing the wayward strands away from my sweaty forehead. It feels nice.

“You’re touching her,” the other man says. There’s a strange tone in his voice as he speaks the words, almost as he’s awed by this fact.

The fingers go still against my skin. “I am.”

“She’s your?—”

His sentence abruptly cuts off as my eyes flutter open. Thorne, Darrow, and Della gaze down at me with varying degrees of concern. For a single moment, I feel at peace, but it’s broken the second the haze clears from my mind, and my eyes flare wide, landing on theenchanter.

“He’s going to track me,” I say desperately, my voice rough.

“Shit.” Darrow curses as he rushes to the cupboards on the other side of the room, pulling out various vials and bowls. Distantly my mind registers that we’re in the kitchen at MASQ. “How long has it been?”

My mouth goes dry as I try to remember.

“Maybe fifteen minutes from the time I found her to now,” Thorne answers for me.

My gaze flickers to where he stands over me on the other side of the table. His face is pinched tight with concern as a muscle jumps in his jaw. It takes a considerable amount of effort to lift my heavy arm and stretch my fingers toward him. Barely a second passes before his warm hand closes around mine.

---