Chapter 80
Ella
My eyelids felt like they were weighed down by bricks.
The first thing I became aware of was the dull ache pulsing through my body, every muscle screaming in protest as if I had been crushed under a mountain. The second thing was the warmth—something comforting, something steady.
Voices.
Muffled at first, then clearer.
“She moved,” a deep voice murmured, relief woven through every syllable.
“Emmanuel?” Another voice, softer but just as intense. “Come on, open your eyes.”
A familiar scent surrounded me, a mix of something dark and crisp—Aidan. And another, similar but softer—Nikolai.
My heart stuttered.
Slowly, painfully, I forced my eyes open. The ceiling above me was white, sterile. The sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air.
Infirmary.
I tr
