Voren woke up instantly, his senses snapping to full alert. The first thing he noticed was that the bed beneath them was completely soaked.
A chill hung in the air throughout the room, but intense heat radiated from the woman still wrapped in his arms.
It wasn’t normal warmth—Seraphine’s body felt like it was burning up from the inside. Her brows were tightly knitted in distress as she tossed and turned restlessly, struggling against sothing only she could see in whatever nightmare gripped her.
Every few seconds her hands clenched the sheets like she was fighting for her life.
Voren’s heart clenched hard at the sight. The shaman’s instructions ca rushing back to him in a flash. Without wasting another second, he carefully lifted Seraphine into his arms.
Even unconscious, she kept fighting whatever horrors played out in her mind. "It’s okay, baby," he whispered softly, his voice thick with worry. She didn’t seem to hear him, or maybe so part of her did. Either way, he carried her, and gently lowered her into the jacuzzi.
The mont the warm water touched her skin, the tension lted from her body almost instantly. The frantic struggling stopped.
Her breathing gradually evened out into sothing calr and more steady. Voren let out a long breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding, relief flooding through him.
He carefully rested her head against the side of the jacuzzi before hurrying back to the bed to deal with the soaked sheets.
Within minutes, he stripped the bed completely and replaced everything with fresh linens. Once he was satisfied, he returned for Seraphine. The burning heat coming from her body had eased up a little.
Using a soft towel, he gently dried every strand of her hair and every drop of water from her skin, his movents slow, patient, and full of tender care.
After dressing her in clean clothes, he carried her back to the bedroom and settled her comfortably beneath the blankets.
Only after making sure she was as comfortable as possible did he head to the bathroom for a quick shower himself. When he returned, he lowered the air conditioner temperature and slipped into bed beside her once more.
His eyes had barely closed when a mindlink reached him. ’Voren, your mother and I will accompany you to the city.’
His father’s deep voice echoed in his mind, and relief washed over him instantly.
Before now, he hadn’t been entirely sure his parents would agree to attend. A small smile tugged at his face. ’Thank you, Dad.’ After a brief hesitation, he added, ’Please keep everything secret for now.’
Silence followed for a mont, then his father’s response ca through, sharp and cutting. ’I have no intention of announcing a daughter-in-law I am not proud of.’
The words hit Voren like a punch to the gut. The warmth he’d felt seconds earlier vanished completely, replaced by a bitter taste in his mouth.
Part of him wanted to argue right then and there, to defend Seraphine fiercely and make his father see the truth. But he stopped himself. This wasn’t the right mont.
His parents didn’t truly know her yet. They only knew rumors, assumptions, and fragnts of a story told by others. One day they would see the incredible woman he saw. One day they would understand. Voren was certain of it. Until then, he would stay patient.
The connection ended, and he wrapped his arm around Seraphine, pulling her closer as he closed his eyes once more.
Several hours passed in relative quiet. When Voren woke again, he imdiately sensed sothing had changed. Soft murmurs filled the room.
At first, he couldn’t quite make out what Seraphine was saying. Her words blended together into incoherent whispers. He checked the ti and realized four hours had already slipped by.
According to the shaman, she should be waking up in another four. Since she’d probably be starving when she did, Voren decided to prepare sothing for her.
He quietly climbed out of bed, grabbed his phone, and started searching for simple recipes.
His cooking skills weren’t exactly impressive, but he was determined to make the effort for her. After scrolling through dozens of options, he finally settled on a al that looked manageable.
Rice, grilled chicken, fresh salad, and so tomato sauce. Simple enough, or so he thought.
Soon the kitchen turned into his personal battlefield. His phone sat on the counter with step-by-step instructions while he followed along as carefully as he could.
Every few minutes he’d abandon whatever he was doing to check on Seraphine, then co back to the cooking, then check on her again. The cycle repeated for hours. Thankfully, nothing caught fire.
By the ti he finished, the al actually looked surprisingly decent, not perfect, but definitely edible. Maybe even good.
Pleased with himself, he cleaned up the kitchen and returned to the bedroom. There were still two hours left before Seraphine was supposed to wake up.
Voren slipped back under the blankets and settled beside her once more. This ti, her words ca through much clearer, and his heart imdiately skipped a beat.
"V... when are you coming back?"
The voice sounded so much younger, softer, like the Seraphine from years ago. Emotion tightened in his chest as he listened. "V, are you hurt?" A small frown creased her sleeping face. "I’m a doctor. I can treat your wounds."
A shaky laugh escaped Voren even as tears gathered in his eyes. He rembered that day so vividly. He’d been injured after doing sothing reckless and stubborn, trying to act tough instead of admitting he was hurt.
Ten-year-old Seraphine had puffed out her chest proudly and declared herself a doctor, then spent nearly an hour ’treating’ his injuries with all the earnest care in the world.
The mory felt so real it almost seed like yesterday. His throat tightened with the weight of it. "It’s working," he murmured softly. The restoration was actually working. More mories were coming back.
Then Seraphine spoke again, her voice drifting. "Daisy, let go." Her face twisted with distress. "Don’t touch the golden fish. That’s and V’s. No..."
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, and Voren imdiately brushed them away, his heart aching fiercely for her. For a brief mont she cald down, but another mory surfaced quickly. "No..." Her voice trembled. "What is that? Get it away from ."
Suddenly her entire body tensed up, a violent tremor running through her. Voren wrapped his arms around her right away. "Sera."
She couldn’t hear him—she was trapped sowhere deep in the past. "Daisy, don’t." Fresh tears stread down her cheeks. "Voren likes , not you." Pain cracked through every word. "He would never like you."
Voren’s chest tightened painfully as he held her. "No..." She shook her head frantically. "Voren will co back." Her voice grew desperate. "He promised ." Another tear rolled down her face. "He never lies."
Voren closed his eyes briefly, guilt clawing at him deep inside
The mories kept pouring out. "I don’t want Ravyn." Confusion filled her voice. "Daisy... who is that woman? Send her away."
Then everything changed without warning. Seraphine’s body began shaking violently. A terrified scream ripped from her throat.
Voren grabbed her shoulders imdiately. "Sera!" Her breathing turned frantic, her eyes fluttering rapidly beneath her eyelids. Another scream echoed through the room.
Then her eyes flew open. She gasped desperately for air.
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