Page 242 of Nemesync
Niko nodded before planting a soft kiss on my hand. “It’s okay. You’re here now, you’re here.”
Am I? Am I really here? Because I don’t feel anything anymore.
Breathe, Zee, breathe.
Before I could respond, Brian entered the room, her eyes filled with the same relief I saw in Niko’s.
“Zanae, you’re awake!”
I chuckled weakly. “I’m not easy to get rid of, Brian.”
“Good. This world would be a boring place without you,” Nikolai added.
Where is Elijah?
He left you.
“You’ll have to be careful with your wound Zee. You’re tough, but you lost a lot of blood and need to rest,” Ben said.
Niko gave me a serious look. “You’ll rest. If Ben says it’s important, then you’re not even going to walk by yourself.”
I forced a smile, but my eyes remained empty.
Were they hearing them too, or was it just me? The voices—the ones that repeated every word Lukas had told me.
‘She wasn’t here because it was an accident, we knew you loved her, and it was just fair for her to suffer because of you.’
It’s my fault, she was here because of me, because I loved her.
My attention was drawn to the entrance, I wanted to see the only face I hadn’t seen yet. And after a few more minutes, my breath caught in my throat when Elijah entered the room. His gaze locked onto me, and the world narrowed down to just the two of us.
“Milaya…” he said softly.
“Hayati,” I replied, naturally calling himmy life, as if it had always been like this, tears welling in my eyes. Just by his presence, I felt the energy to let go of everything that was making my heart heavy.
With him, I could be broken, I could be myself.
Without a word, he pulled me between his arms, shielding me from all the dangers of the world. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, breathing for the first time since I woke up.
“I thought I lost you, Zanae,” he whispered.
“You didn’t. I’m here.”
You love him too, is he going to die because of you?
I’m so sorry for making you feel like this, Elijah. I’m so sorry.
He can’t hear you; you’re going to get him killed.
He leaned back to look at me, his hands cupping my face as if ensuring I was real. “MyLittle Nightmare. I was going insane while your pretty eyes were closed,” he confessed.
Tears welled up in my eyes, overwhelmed by the raw sincerity in his voice. In that small room, I was worn and torn, but I was alive, and in that moment, that was enough.
Nikolai patted Ben on the back, silently expressing gratitude for saving me. Brian discreetly wiped away a tear, and Elijah, with a nod at Ben, whispered a silent but honest “thank you.”
His hand was stroking mine, bloodstains everywhere on his clothes, the acrid scent of smoke surrounding him.
“Elijah, you look like you’ve been through hell and back. Literally.” Niko remarked.
