Chapter 6Noemi woke disoriented. This wasn’t her room—wait, hadn’t she been in the forest…?
“Shh, it’s all right, ‘Emi,” said a soothing voice—Caterina. “You’re safe. Are you in pain?”
She certainly was, as if invisible daggers were jabbing her skull. Healing backlash, she remembered now. And this was her room after all, her new room at the hunting lodge.
Hers and Caterina’s.
“I’m glad you woke while this was still warm,” Caterina was saying, holding out a steaming bowl. “Come, you need to restore your strength.”
The soup in the bowl smelled delicious, but Noemi’s attempt to sit up and reach for it failed. Caterina set aside the bowl to help her, arranging pillows behind her back. Noemi reached for the arm that had been broken, examining the smooth, unscarred skin. Caterina paused, le
