I woke to voices. Low. Tense. Coming from the living room.
My hands throbbed. My ankle ached. Everything hurt worse than when I’d fallen asleep. The medication had worn off.
Through the bond, I felt Lycian’s stress. Sharp and jagged. He was trying to keep it from me but failing.
I sat up slowly. Winced. My body protested every movement.
The clock said seven PM. I’d slept for six hours.
More voices. I recognized Damien’s. Then Cade’s. Something was definitely wrong.
I got out of bed carefully. Put weight on my good foot. Hopped to the door. Opened it quietly.
“She can’t know yet,” Lycian was saying. “Not until she’s healed. The stress will make recovery harder.”
“She’s going to find out eventually,” Damien said. “Better it comes from you than someone else.”
“Find out what?” I asked
