Page 92 of Heavenly Bodies

‘I’ve missed those eyes,’ he murmured. She closed them again as tears ran freely.

‘El,’ he said. ‘Please don’t cry. You’re safe. I promise.’

She opened them again, and he was still there. His hands in her wet hair, stroking and soothing.

‘You’re real?’ she whispered, the tears still streaming.

‘I’m real,’ he whispered back and took her face in his other hand.

He leaned forwards and kissed one of her tears. She cried more at that, and he bent to kiss the other tear gently off her cheek. And the next. There was just the sound of his soft kisses soaking her pain and the drip of water. He moved her away once her sobs had quieted, running oils through her hair, humming that same gentle melody.

‘I loved him more than the Dark loves the night,’ he sang, ‘and he loved me more than the day loves the Light—’

‘Lions may fly, and lovers will die, but my love—that will live on,’ she sang along quietly, her voice cracking as she finished the verse.

His hands stilled in her hair. ‘How do you know that song?’

She frowned. ‘It’s an Asterian lullaby.’

A look passed over his face. ‘Strange,’ he said quietly. ‘I thought I’d dreamed it a long time ago.’

She wasn’t sure what to say, so she said nothing at all.

He reached for some oils as she drank in his details. His forearms, the way they looked when the muscles and veins were taut. The slant of his strong brows. The impatient flick he gave when his curls fell over his eyes. She studied him silently, pliable in his hands, tipping her head back as he ran oil through the ends, as he lifted her arms to rinse off the suds, as he scrubbed the awful memories off her.

Then he lifted himself out, trousers sodden as he grabbed a warm fluffy towel and bundled her in it, picking her up andcarrying her back to the bedroom. She felt herself land on pillows, a soft cotton nightgown shrugged over her, before sheets smelling like vanilla were pulled into place. Enzo disappeared into the bathroom for a moment, returning in dry loose trousers, his chest bare. He walked towards the door, and she saw a glimpse of Leo standing guard as Enzo murmured something to him, before he closed the door and settled into a chair beside her.

Elara reached out blindly for his hand, emotions chattering at the outskirts of her mind. She focused on his thumb stroking the back of her hand, and it seemed to quiet them for a moment.

A soft click, and a healer entered. She recognized the cool, stern voice she’d liked and looked up. A woman stood before her, hair hanging in straight copper sheets down her sides. Her eyes were clear blue, her face open.

‘It’s good to see you’re more aware of yourself, Your Majesty.’ The healer nodded and sank down on to the bed. She pressed tentative hands to Elara’s neck. ‘This wound’s looking much better. Looks like His Highness did a good job.’

Elara looked again at Enzo and saw his face completely blank. She squinted and saw the tick of his jaw. His eyes were ablaze as he stared at her wound.

‘I’ll make them both beg for death.’ The words were ice. Then reining himself in, he plastered a smile on for Elara and squeezed her hand.

Cool magick washed over her like a salve, as the healer scanned her body. ‘The venom has gone,’ she said, then opened her eyes. ‘And the wound at her neck will heal.’ She looked at Enzo. ‘It’s her mind that we need to worry about.’

‘You need not talk as if I am not here,’ Elara muttered.

Enzo hid a smile. ‘I think perhaps we need not worry as much as we thought.’

The healer gave a small smile as she opened a bag, pulling out two jars of liquid. As she tinkered with them, Elara saw that the contents of one were pale blue, the other darker in the falling Light streaming through the balcony doors. ‘This will help you sleep.’ Having finished mixing the vials, she gently prised Elara’s jaw open. Elara flinched at the direct contact, and she saw Enzo shift closer.

But the healer had already dispensed two drops of the potion on to her tongue, before packing up her kit. ‘Plenty of rest, plenty of food and fluids. I entrust her into your care.’ She looked sharply to Enzo.

‘I will be the finest nursemaid she’s ever had.’ He gave a tight smile, stretching in his chair. Elara’s lips twitched as the healer nodded and the door clicked softly closed behind her.

‘I’m scared to fall asleep.’ Her voice was barely a whisper. Enzo frowned, leaning down next to her. ‘I can feel the pain at bay. My thoughts crowding against the darkness. I’m worried I’ll dream.’

His face softened. ‘I can’t keep what you’ve endured at bay, but I promise you I will be here for you when you wake. I’m not leaving you.’

Elara grasped his hand once more and held on to it tightly—her anchor in tempestuous seas as she fell beneath the waves.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Days passed, and Elara floated in and out of consciousness. Mostly her mind was devoid of anything, but just before waking, a memory would resurface and slice her mental wounds open again, leaving her screaming. Each time she would feel warm hands encompass her, along with the sound of soft murmurs, a healer’s sweet voice, then more treacly elixir.

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