Page 82 of Unearthed Dreams
“It’s about dragons,” I said, the details feeling solid even as other memories slipped away. “And magic. And...”
I frowned. Someone had read it. Someone had given me notes. Important notes. But who...?
“My baby sister, the author.” Elliot’s voice was gruff with emotion. “When can we read it?”
The simple acceptance in their voices made my eyes burn.All those months of hiding my writing, and here they were, looking at me like I’d done something amazing.
“I’m tired,” I managed, overwhelmed by both the pain and the emotions crowding my chest.
“Of course, baby.” Mom’s fingers brushed my hair back from my forehead. “Rest. Everything else can wait.”
I let my eyes drift closed, but sleep didn’t come. Instead, my mind kept circling back to Kai’s face when I’d woken up. The way he’d looked at me, like... like...
But the memory slipped away before I could catch it, leaving only an ache in my chest that had nothing to do with my injuries.
Chapter Thirty-One
KAI
I hadn’t gone far.Couldn’t. Even though every cell in my body screamed to run, to get drunk, to dosomethingto dull this fucking pain, I stayed. Paced the hallway like some caged animal instead.
Five fucking months of memories, erased in one moment of metal meeting pavement. Our beginning, our middle, and now what felt like our end—all of it existing only in my head.
God, I’m gonna be fucking sick.
My hand brushed against something in my pocket. Billy’s letter.You deserve good things, son.
But maybe this was karma. The universe’s way of telling me I’d been right all along—Charlie deserved better than a bartender carrying too much baggage.
I stopped pacing, planted my elbows against a nearby wall, and pressed my forehead to my crossed wrists.
I needed to breathe, but the air wouldn’t come. The world narrowed to pinpricks of sensation—cold wall against myelbows, rough texture of my shirt collar against my neck, thundering pulse in my ears.Breathe. Just fucking breathe.
But my lungs refused to expand. The hallway’s antiseptic smell mixed with lingering traces of copper, making my stomach roll.
Footsteps approached, light and quick. A gentle hand touched my shoulder.
“Kai? Hey, look at me.”
Elena’s voice cut through the static in my head. I managed to turn, finding her concerned face swimming in my blurred vision.
“Come on.” She gripped my elbow, steering me away from the wall. “Let’s get you somewhere quiet.”
My feet moved on autopilot as she guided me down a side corridor, away from the harsh fluorescent lights and beeping monitors. The sound of my ragged breathing echoed off the empty walls.
“In through your nose, out through your mouth,” Elena instructed, her tone shifting to doctor mode. “Count with me. One...”
She pushed open a door marked Staff Break Room and led me inside. The space was mercifully dark and cool, smelling of coffee and old magazines instead of blood and disinfectant.
“Sit.” She pressed me into a worn sofa. “Head between your knees.”
I complied, feeling the room spin less as blood rushed back to my head. Elena’s hand rubbed slow circles between my shoulder blades.
“That’s it. Just breathe. She’s okay, Kai.”
A choked sound escaped my throat—somewhere between alaugh and a sob. “I can’t—she doesn’t even—” The words fractured, splintering like glass.
“Shhh. One thing at a time.” Elena’s voice remained steady, anchoring. “Right now, just focus on breathing. The rest will come.”
