Page 78 of The Shadow King's Brother

A faint cry.

Closer this time. Clearer.

“Nica?” I call out, voice breaking on her name.

I spin, scanning the room. My eyes rake over every shadow, every corner, hunting for anything.

And then—

I see her.

A small, almost imperceptible figure slumped against the far wall.

Pale. Sweating. Leaning there like she’s seconds from collapsing.

My heart stutters, then kicks into overdrive.

It’s her.

"Elio!" she cries out, her voice barely a whisper. "Help—"

I don't hesitate.

Somewhere in the distance, I hear something—sirens? Maybe. I barely register it. My head is still spinning, my pulse a frantic drumbeat in my ears.

No time. Keep moving.

Her face is a canvas of raw fear.

The color has leached out, leaving her skin the shade of bleached bone.

When her gaze locks onto mine, something flickers in her eyes—not quite relief, but a fragile spark of recognition.

Like a pilot light sputtering to life after a long, bitter outage.

“Elio,” she breathes, her voice frayed, barely there. “You… you came.”

My throat tightens. I can’t swallow.

“Of course I came,” I manage. “I’ll always come.”

Eddie’s sneering face flashes through my mind. The poison. The threat.

I move toward her, each step like wading through quicksand. Kneeling before her feels like genuflecting at a broken altar.

"Are you okay?" The question feels inadequate, almost insulting. It's like asking a tidal wave if it feels damp. "Are you hurt? Did he... did he touch you? The poison?"

A single tear escapes, carving a clean track through the grime on her cheek.

"I'm... I'm still here," she whispers. "You're here. That's all that matters…"

She doesn't know about this potential poison that can kill her. Or does she?

"How do you feel?" I ask, tilting her chin up to meet my gaze.

She's too pale, her pulse is weak. My thumb skims her lip, and something tightens in my chest. I don't think—

I pull her in, holding her close.

---