Page 36 of Branded By Shadow
Cassandra smiled, her eyes warm with relief. “The Realm won’t be able to attack you now. Not unless something destabilizes the bond again.”
I sagged against the pillows, exhausted beyond anything I’d ever felt. Every fiber of my being seemed to hurt. “Get some rest,” Helena said, giving me a knowing look. “We’ll be right here when you wake.”
Elara didn’t speak. She just left quietly, the door closing behind her with a soft click. I knew she’d be going to talk to Damon, to let him know I would breathe another day.
But just thinking about that drained me more than the entire healing process. I closed my eyes and forced myself to relax once again.
The memory of Damon’s angry eyes was still a gaping wound, and that was something no power could fix. But for now, just for a little while, I wanted to pretend.
When I woke again, the world was quiet. The crushing weight on my chest had lifted, and I could breathe without pain.
For the first time since the crisis began, my mind was clear, my thoughts no longer scattered fragments.
I had survived.
Nearby, Cassandra was packing her tools in a pouch carrying House Hestia’s symbol. Helena stood on the other side of the room, and with them was Damon. At some point while I’d been unconscious, he must have returned. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. His customary perfect appearance was disheveled, his shirt wrinkled, stubble darkening his jaw. He must be exhausted if he had yet to notice I was awake.
“The contamination is contained at the claiming mark,” Cassandra said, glancing toward him. “Six hours ago, I wouldn’t have believed this outcome possible.”
“The stabilization worked,” Helena added with a careful nod. “The bond is no longer trying to become permanent. That should prevent another attack.”
A tremor of relief went through Damon’s shoulders. “Thank you, Helena. I owe you more than I can ever express.”
Helena’s gaze snapped to his, cold and unforgiving. “Don’t thank me. I didn’t do it for you. This is unacceptable, Damon. You must know that.”
To his credit, Damon didn’t try to explain or provide excuses. “Believe me, I’m well aware.” He paused, clenching his jaw. “How long will it take for her to recover?”
“Several days at least,” Cassandra answered, her expression carefully neutral. “Her resilience is remarkable, but we can’t take any chances. And the only real solution is claiming her for real. But right now…”
She trailed off, as if hesitant to say what we were all thinking. As if speaking the words out loud would make the horror more real.
Damon grimaced and ran a hand over his face. “I know. I wouldn’t push her again. It’d just make things worse.”
My throat was desert-dry. There were so many things I wanted to say, to ask. Where did this leave us? What were we going to do now?
Before I could speak, Helena reached into her pocket and produced a small crystal device. It was so much like the one she’d first shown me in Damon’s study that my heart immediately started to race.
“I shouldn’t be showing you this, not after yesterday,” she said, her voice deliberately low. “But if I don’t… I fear things would only get worse. For Cora.”
The crystal projected a series of documents, the blue light illuminating the grim set of his face. “Alexander filed these with the Council yesterday. Statements from the lab personnel. They all claim they witnessed you behaving abusively toward Dr. Ellis.”
Damon bristled, anger radiating off him in waves. “Those claims are—”
“Not wrong, Damon,” Cassandra cut him off. “And the Council asked me about my assessment, you know what I’d have to say.”
Of course. Like any doctor, she’d have to testify about what Damon had done. This wasn’t good.
I pushed myself up slightly. Dizziness spiraled through me, black spots dancing at the edges of my vision. But anger burned hotter than the physical discomfort.
“Cassandra’s right.” Helena tapped the crystal, changing the displayed document. “They’re already considering it, even without us saying a word. And Alexander is requesting emergency custody transfer of Cora to House Zeus.”
The words hit me harder than the Shadow Realm had. Alexander wanted custody of me. After I had nearly died because of their fight, a fight I tried to lead away from innocent people, he was using my condition to get control of me.
“Absolutely not,” Damon hissed like a snake. “I won’t allow it.”
“You might not have a choice, Damon,” Helena answered. “The hearing is scheduled for three days from now. And not even you can ignore the Olympian Council.”
Three days before the Council might hand me over to Alexander, they discussed it like I wasn’t even there. Making decisions, forming plans, determining my fate without acknowledging my existence beyond a medical problem to solve.
