Ryker’s POV
I had left Valentina’s room and took Emerald to her room as well but now, I was going back to check on Emerald again because I didn't feel so comfortable after what happened.
I walked through corridors that smelled of smoke and old stone, each step heavy with guilt I refused to acknowledge. Guilt was a weakness. But regret… Regret had its own claws.
At the end of the hall lay Emerald’s room. I pushed open the door and saw her sleeping, small body curled in a bed far too large, sheets tangled in her legs and hair strewn like dark petals across the pillow.
I kneeled and gathered her in my arms. Carefully, gently, I lowered her onto myself as though she were spun glass.
She stirred, eyes blinking open, confusion and fear mingling in those ocean depths. Then something shifted.
