Warrix moves swiftly, pulling out a handheld scanner. It’s the same scanner he used on me when I was injured after crashing on this planet. It emits a soft blue light as he slowly passes it over Vrok’s body. The medic’s eyes narrow as lines of glowing symbols flicker across the device’s small screen.
I inch closer. “What does it say?” My voice comes out in a shaky whisper. I’m so scared he’s going to say Vrok can’t be saved. That there’s nothing that can be done.
Warrix doesn’t look up. “Torn liver and fractured ribs. One of them has punctured a lung. Both of his hearts are beating, but if I don’t act fast...” He trails off. His silence says what he won’t.
My knees threaten to buckle. I grip the edge of the bed to keep myself upright. My eyes are glued to Vrok as I watch his chest rise and fall in shallow, labored breaths. Everything else around me blurs.
Warrix moves around the hut, quickly gathering supplies and setting out instruments. I see him, but it’s almost as if I’m watching through foggy window. Everything is distant and unreal, like it’s happening to someone else. His face is calm, buttension is visible in the tight line of his shoulders and the clipped precision of his movements.
Draggar appears at my side. “Come on,” he murmurs gently. There’s worry in his eyes, but not just for Vrok. I can tell he knows I’m barely holding it together. “Let him work.”
I don’t want to leave Vrok. What if this is it? What if I walk out and never see him alive again? But my body moves anyway, and I let Draggar guide me out.
The door closes behind us with a dull, final thud.
I stand frozen, staring blankly at the wooden surface. A sob rises up in my chest, threatening to break free. I press my lips together, fighting to hold it back, but the weight of fear and helplessness presses down on me.
Draggar stands silently beside me. In some distant part of my brain, I feel the steady weight of his hand on my shoulder. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to. The truth hangs between us, heavy and unspoken. Vrok might not make it.
That thought crashes through me like a tornado bent on destruction. A heavy weight presses down on my chest, making it hard to take a deep breath.
Then, a soft voice breaks through the chaos in my mind. “Emily.”
I turn, and Haley is there. Her face is lined with worry as she pulls me into a tight hug. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” she whispers.
The dam breaks, and tears spill over my eyelids in a flood. Sobs shake my body as I cling to her, burying my face against her shoulder.
“I can’t lose him. He’s my mate. I love him, Haley… I love him so much,” I gasp out.
“I know.” Her arms tighten around me while one hand rubs soothing circles on my back. “I know you do. And he loves you.He’s strong, Emily. So strong. And the amoris bond will make him even stronger. If anyone can survive this, it’s him.”
I want to believe her. I want to cling to her words with all my might, but all I can see is Vrok lying motionless on that bed.
“He was so cold,” I whisper. “I thought… I thought he was already…” I can’t finish the sentence.
Haley pulls back and cups my face in her hands. Her thumbs brush away tears I can’t stop shedding. “Don’t give up on him. Do you hear me? He’s your amoris. He needs you to be strong.”
Tears blur my vision. “I don’t know how. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
Her expression softens, and she hugs me again. “You’re not alone. I’m here. We all are.”
As if in silent agreement, Draggar steps closer. His silver eyes are full of quiet sympathy. “Warrix is the best medic on Laedirissae. If anyone can save Vrok, it’s him.”
Fear still has its claws in me. “But what if it’s not enough?”
His jaw tenses. “Then we will mourn him as the honorable warrior he is, and we’ll stand beside you.” His eyes flick to Haley, and I catch the faint shimmer of gold spreading in his silver irises. “Just as Haley stood by me.”
Haley pulls back just enough to look me in the eyes. “I nearly lost Draggar once. I didn’t think he’d make it, but he fought his way back. For me.” Her voice breaks a little. “These guys are tough, Emily. You have to believe that.”
She hesitates before placing her hand on her chest, right over her heart. “Do you feel him here?” Her voice is soft, almost reverent. “Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Can you feel his energy? His spirit?”
I press a hand to my chest and close my eyes. My heart is racing, and at first, all I feel is panic and the cold, empty space where his spirit should reside. But I force a slow, steadybreath into my lungs. Then, another. And gradually beneath the numbness and the fear, something flickers.
It’s faint. So faint I almost miss it. I focus on it, and the sensation grows until it becomes a softly pulsating warmth. It’s Vrok.
And with it comes a whisper of his emotions, distant but unmistakable. I feel his pain, the weight of his exhaustion, but beneath it all, there’s something stronger. A steady, unyielding force. It’s not anger or fear. It’s his relentless determination. His refusal to let go. He’s still fighting.
Hope surges through me, and my eyes snap open. “I feel him. He’s still with me.”