Page 48 of Ruler

I almost drop the phone as shock and pain surge through me.

“What?” I gasp.

Morgana shouts something about the hospital before answering me. “I was with him when… oh, Cia, someone knocked me out and when I woke up, he was gone.”

“Gone?”

“Yes… like fucking poof. Gone as in there no more.”

I frown as she goes on, explaining that she took him to the hospital after Kai removed his mark. When they were there, she thought something was off with one of the guards, so she stepped out to call Arthur for help.

“Once I came back into the room, Alexander was clutching his throat, frantically trying to speak.”

Fresh tears fall as I listen to her.

“He managed to tell me that his time was up. Those were literally his last words before his spit turned to froth and he couldn’t breathe.” Morgana’s words are coated in a mixture of grief and anger, and her voice cracks.

Oddly enough, her panic keeps me calm. It’s harsh and not okay, but a part of my brain keeps wondering when I can get away with ending the call.

“A few months back, Alexander told me he didn’t have long left to live. He wanted me to know the Tribunal was going to claim his life.”

I pull the phone from my ear and look at it. Then I frown, no longer feeling like it’s me moving.

“Cia? Hello? Are you still there?”

Without answering, I hang up and let my phone fall onto the tiled floor where it cracks into pieces.

At the sound of my phone splintering, all three of my men come running. As they simultaneously ask if I’m okay, I can only nod. Gah, my head feels like it’s filled with water. My brain is sluggish, and I belatedly realize I’ve lost my balance.

“Hey, it’s okay. I got you,” Kai coos.

It’s only then I realize he’s caught me, and that I’m sitting on the floor. The lights flicker, or maybe my eyes are closing again. I fight to stay awake because I don’t have time to sleep. I… I thought I could deal with one thing at a time, but clearly that’s a luxury I don’t have.

If only I wasn’t in so much pain.

If only I wasn’t so tired.

Sleep… yes… no. No, I can’t sleep. Not before I talk to Abel. I’m in no condition to talk to anyone right now. I can’t even… wait, have Kai’s arms always been this soft?

“Did he drug her without us noticing?” Gus asks.

Why is he sounding so angry? Can’t he see the pretty dust dancing in the air?

“No,” Kai growls.

Liam sounds sad as he says, “I’ve seen this before. This isn’t drugs… she’s… it’s…”

“Spit it out already,” Gus snaps.

I blink as Abel crouches down in front of me. “She needs to sleep. Her mind is protecting itself from too much information.”

Rather than paying attention to his words, I giggle and reach for his beard. “So soft,” I say when the tips of my fingers run through it.

Someone—maybe Kai—groans in discomfort as I try to get closer to Abel. It suddenly strikes me as very important to tell Abel that I trust him, so I do.

“You’ve always looked after me,” I say seriously. “I trust you, Abel. I’ll do whatever you think is right.”

He nods before asking the guys to clean me and get me dressed in some comfortable clothes. I frown as I notice him handing something that looks like big pads to Gus, who looks at the objects with horror.

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