Page 128 of Cursed Evermore
Tonight was as far as my emotions could go. I had to bridle them before they weakened me any further.
I'd allow myself the rest of the voyage to tend to Elariya and bleed whatever this thing was between us out of my system.
Then, as soon as we docked in Galaythia, I'd get my head straight and focus on my plans. I couldn't allow her to distract me from what mattered.
“I have to stay focused, Bastian. It’s imperative. Failure is not an option, regardless of what I sacrificed. Or how I feel aboutmy mage.”
He grinned, appreciating my acknowledgement and bobbed his head in quiet confirmation.
“Once we sail through the Veil, you should feel better, physically and mentally.” His expression relaxed. “The magic in the air should hopefully do the rest of the healing forbothof you.”
“Yes, it should.” Good, we’d shifted the conversation.
Bastian crouched and cleared the bandages from the floor. “What are you thinking of this attack tonight? It was odd that a being as powerful as a Ruskiel snuck up on us without us sensing her.”
“Of course, it was odd. The witch even managed to trap us in the shadow’s obscura before we knew what was going on.”
The magical shackle alerted me to her presence, but I couldn’t get to Elariya in time. The moment I stepped out of my chambers, I was swallowed by the shadow realm like the others. The only ones who hadn’t been trapped were Arielle and Sirril. Both had been in the kitchen.
If Arielle hadn’t broken the shield, we might still be stuck in darkness. As handy as the shadow realm was for stealth missions, you could get lost there if dark magic like the Ruskiel’s sealed you inside.
“Chances are she just happened upon us. There are a lot of creatures here. It was just…strange.”
“I’ll ask Arielle to look into it once we’re home.” Right now, I was eager to get off the sea and away from the tempting woman recovering in her chambers.
A quiet knock sounded at the door, then it opened and Arielle walked in. Her eyes found mine straightaway, and the relief was evident when she saw I was sitting up.
“Oh, Wolfe.” She rushed up to me and nearly hugged me, but she stopped herself when she saw the bandages around my chest.
“He’s going to be fine,” Bastian assured her.
She flashed him a look of appreciation before returning her gaze to me. “You scared us half to death.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. How is Elariya?” The tightness in my chest refused to loosen until I was assured she would be okay.
Arielle gave me a faint nod, her expression weary. “We stabilized her. She’s going to be okay, but she’ll need lots of rest.”
The knots in my soul came free. Elariya was alright. I cut Bastian a glance. He dipped his head, an acknowledgment of ourprevious conversation. My actions and sacrifice weren’t in vain. And Elariya wasn’t going to die.
“Is she awake?”
“She woke briefly but went back to sleep. We didn’t wake her again. We had a lot of wounds to close, so it was best she was asleep. The leech wounds wereeverywhere.” Arielle shuddered, bringing her hands to her heart. “Wolfe, what you did for her was… it was beyond heroic. You saved her life.”
I didn’t feel like a hero. But I was damn glad she was going to be okay.
“I’m glad the worst is over and she’s recovering.” I gave her a small smile. “How are Garrick and Alaric?”
“They’ll be just fine. Sirril is making them a healing brew. You need to rest, Wolfe. It’s just gone midnight.”
Only midnight?Gods.I would have believed her more if she said a whole century had passed. “You need to rest, too. As everyone seems to be on the mend, take your leave.”
She shook her head and wrinkled her nose. “I can’t rest after everything that’s happened. That Ruskiel is the scariest thing I’ve ever faced in my life. What if there are more like her? We’re about to pass through the Veil’s trench.”
“The chances of seeing another Ruskiel are slim.”
“But we don’t know.”
Bastian cleaned his hands, walked up to her, and slipped an arm around her shoulder. “Come, you will stay with me for the rest of the night.”
