Kaelen sat rigid in the chair, the heart monitor a frantic, insistent beat beside him. Each beep echoed the fear that had threatened to consume him since he’d found her broken in that cell. He’d almost been too late.
Elara blinked, her eyelids fluttering like trapped butterflies. The harsh fluorescent light of the hospital room made her wince. She struggled to focus, her vision swimming until a familiar silhouette coalesced into sharp relief.
“Kael…” she whispered, her voice a dry rasp, barely audible.
His name on her lips, however faint, was enough to shatter the carefully constructed wall around his emotions. He saw her hand, pale and thin, reaching towards him.
He leaned forward, desperate to be closer, to feel her presence solid and real. “Elara… Elara, you’re back,” he choked out,
