Page 61 of Chained

“C-Cade?” I sputtered in the low light of the strange room.

Inherently, I knew I was still in the palace, the stone walls unmistakable, but I had never been in this odd medical facility with the IV bags lined at my side. Machinery blinked and beeped around me as I blinked several times, lifting my throbbing head, and saw him passed out on my stomach. Suddenly, the flood of memories pinned me back down to the bed. The storm tornado that had lifted me up and dropped me to my death, the choking darkness that had undoubtedly been unleashed to kill me.

“Cade, Cade!” I whimpered, pushing on him gently, but he didn’t stir, and I struggled to understand why he was lying there like that. His listless form pinned me to the gurney as I whipped my head around, looking for anyone else to help us.

“Oh, what did you do?” I whispered, understanding how I had managed to survive while he clung to life.

“Cade,” I begged, trying futilely to lift his head, but in my weakened state, I was in no shape to move his weight. “Cade, wake up, please!”

He remained in place, his breathing deep and slow, each breath scaring me more.

I put my hands on his head, stroking his hair tenderly, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of evil that clung to the walls of the palace as we lay in place like sitting ducks, waiting for the darkness to finish us off. I had to find us assistance.

Where were the healers? The nurses? Where were the Royal Guards?

“Help!” I called out. “Help us!”

A small moan escaped Cade’s lips, and hope sprung into my heart as I realized that he was not dead. “Cade!”

Very slowly, he raised his head, his azure eyes hazy and unfocused as he stared at me. “Zephy!”

Relieved tears flooded my eyes, and I cupped his face, drawing him to me for a sweet kiss. “You fool!” I choked, sniffling. “I-I thought you were dead.”

“Now you know how I felt seeing you in the courtyard. What were you thinking? Why did you shake your guards?”

Shame overwhelmed me, and I hung my head. “I didn’t think there was danger anymore,” I whispered. “I had no idea that they were just watching, waiting…”

“It’s all right,” he told me tenderly, straightening himself, but the effort appeared to take everything out of him. “All that matters is that you’re all right now.”

Every move he made seemed exaggerated to me, and it was plain to me that he was drained as he struggled to right himself.

“Come on,” I urged him. “Let’s go somewhere safer. That spell—the danger...”

I wasn’t sure what to call it, but I could feel it swirling around us, and with both of us in such a bad state of physical distress, it wasn’t where I wanted to be.

“Yes,” he agreed, standing, but the moment he did, he fell back to the bed, shaking with the effort.

“Oh, Cade,” I whispered, my eyes huge. “Wait here. I’ll get us help. The guards—”

“The guards are securing the perimeter. Aradia thinks the threat still remains.”

“It does. I can feel it, can’t you?”

He reached for my hands and shook his head. “All I feel right now is relief that you’re unharmed,” he croaked, swallowing thickly.

Again, I blinked, emotion clouding my vision as I touched his cheek with my hand.

“You gave me everything you had to heal me.”

He managed a weak smile. “It was nothing,” he joked lightly, but I didn’t return his smile. “I’m going for help, Cade. Stay here. I’ll be back.”

Unsteadily, I rose, guiding Cade to the bed in my place. He wanted to resist, but he couldn’t, his energy fully depleted after spending it all on me. I leaned over to kiss him again gently, my hair falling over his face to curtain us both.

“I’ll be right back,” I reassured him. “Rest and gather your strength—”

“ZEPHY!”

I whirled around as his eyes popped, the shadow overtaking me as it had in the courtyard. But this time, my reflexes kicked in, and I dove out of the way, my pulse roaring in my ears as the blanket of black overtook Cade instead.

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