Mariah's POV
A breath shudders from my lips, my body aching as if I’ve been torn apart and stitched back together again. My eyelids feel impossibly heavy, my limbs sluggish, my throat raw. Every part of me protests as I force my eyes open, the dim light above me sending a dull throb through my skull.
“Nick?” My voice is barely above a whisper, but it’s enough.
A choked sound breaks the silence, raw and filled with so much emotion it makes my chest tighten. I blink slowly, my vision still blurred, but I don’t need to see clearly to recognize the warmth surrounding me, the familiar scent of pine and earth that grounds me even as my body trembles.
Nick.
The bed shifts slightly, and then his face comes into focus. His usually sharp, confident eyes are red-rimmed, his jaw clenched so tight
