*Kryzen*
I tried to ignore the irritation I felt toward Drius hugging Briella since I knew she would be happy that her best friend was back and wasn’t upset with her.
That didn’t an I had to enjoy the physical contact between them.
Briella looked up at , her eyes half-open as she smiled gently. She looked completely worn out and was a little pale.
I reached for her. “Hey, are you alright–”
Drius and I both yelled Briella’s na as she passed out and started to fall backward.
I used the very last of my strength to propel myself forward so I could catch Briella before her head hit the hard, rocky ground.
So swiftly that I didn’t have any ti to react, Drius placed one arm behind Briella’s shoulders and the other behind her knees and stood up with her in his arms, cradling her to his chest.
“We need to get her to a healer right away!” he yelled as he turned on his heels toward the stairs.
I was a second away from protesting and ordering the bastard to hand her over to but realized that I had exerted more energy than I realized. All my muscles ached from holding that shield up for so long with the shadow creatures attempting to claw their way through.
I would allow Drius to carry Briella for now. I followed him closely as we hurried up the stone steps
We were able to get a swift, royal escort to the Celestial City healing center, a state-of-the-art hospital that I was told my grandmother had been treated in years ago. I was told that her condition had appeared bleak, but there were skilled dical staff that were able to give her the best care probably in the entire Light Realm.
The healing center was so grand that it looked more like a museum, with crystal fountains and marble floors. It reminded a lot of the temple back in Celestial Valley, except this sleek, white building looked more like a palace with the signature Celestial City spires that towered over everything around it.
Drius insisted on carrying Briella inside.
“Hurry up then,” I spat, not liking how pale Briella looked. She was breathing evenly and appeared to just be asleep, but I knew I would feel much better if she was seen imdiately by a capable healer.
Drius scoffed at but obliged, breaking into a jog as soon as we were out of the white transport.
We didn’t have to wait once we burst through the glass doors, Briella’s limp form hanging from Drius’ arms. A slim older woman with long white hair was approaching us quickly.
“I was inford by the Alpha of your arrival,” she said, her dark blue eyes wide and serious. She gestured down a brightly-lit hallway. “This way.”
Everything happened so fast. We entered a large room with a long sterile table that the healer ordered Drius to set Briella down on. He looked reluctant at first but quickly did as the healer ordered, setting Briella down gently. A couple more younger healers rushed into the room and started to run tests on her, listening to her heart and checking her breathing.
“It looks like she was exposed to a lot of dark energy,” the healer, Elethea, said seriously. “We will need to conduct a cleansing ritual imdiately.”
Drius and I nodded and were asked to leave the room while the ritual was completed. We paced outside the door for what felt like days but was probably only a few hours. We didn’t speak the entire ti, ignoring one another as we each dealt with the worry for the girl on the other side of the doors.
Finally, the doors opened, and Elethea stepped out. She looked completely poised, her stern face giving nothing away as she approached us.
“Is she alright?” Drius asked before the woman even got to us.
“She has used a lot of energy,” the healer answered. “That kind of exertion takes a huge toll on the body, especially for one so young and petite. She should be fine but might not wake up for several more hours.”
“Can we see her?” I asked, trying not to make my tone demanding.
Elethea nodded once. “We will have her transported to a more comfortable room. Then you will be allowed to see her.”
It felt like another couple of days before they finally got Briella settled in one of the healing beds. Drius and I were practically shoving each other away to get to her.
We both froze in front of Briella’s bed as we stared down at her.
Briella Black had always been small. Even when she was a child, she seed much shorter than the other children her age. That didn’t make her weak though. She started combat training when she was extrely young, probably around the ti she started school. Even though she was tiny, she was fierce and strong.
My stomach twisted up when I realized that she didn’t look strong now. She looked even smaller in the large hospital bed, her long wavy hair hanging limply around her head. She didn’t appear to be resting peacefully. Her jaw was a little tight, and her eyebrows were knitted slightly.
She looked so small and vulnerable that it made want to wrap her up and hide her sowhere.
The healers had been considerate enough to bring in a couple of small chairs so that we could sit at Briella’s bedside.
We each pulled a chair as close to Briella as possible before sitting down. We each took one of her hands and just stared at her.
I stroked the back of Briella’s hands with my fingers, feeling regret start to flow through . I knew it was impractical to bla myself for her current state since I had saved all of us by keeping my shield up, but sothing in wished I had been able to rescue her from this as well.
It was Drius who broke the hours-long silence between us. “I’m going to fight for her, you know.”
I didn’t have a response to that. I just gripped Briella’s hand more firmly and lifted my head to look over at Drius.
He wasn’t looking at . He was staring intently at Briella’s face. It did seem like he sensed my eyes on him since he continued. “I’m not going to lose Briella to you,” he said firmly. “I’m going to keep fighting you for her.”
I had a few different responses that wanted to rear their aggressive head. I thought about bursting his bubble right then and telling him that Briella only sees him as a friend, but I knew it wasn’t my business. That was between the two of them.
Another part of wanted to point out that it was Briella’s decision to who she wanted to be with.
I ground my teeth for a mont before finally responding. “I’m willing to take on that challenge,” I said. I thought I would be fighting even harder than him, however.
Briella didn’t wake up until the following morning, which didn’t concern the healers. They explained patiently that this was to be expected. It didn’t keep from worrying. I stayed at Briella’s side, holding her hand and murmuring softly to her.
I hadn’t even noticed that she woke up at first, too preoccupied with my thoughts about the recent events.
Tian was still out there. He nearly killed us all and was free, roaming out there, possibly still in the city. It had been over a full day since the feast, and we hadn’t left Briella’s side. A ssenger from the Alpha ca saying he needed to speak with us as soon as Briella was well enough.
“Kryzen?”
My head snapped up, and my heart started thundering hard when my eyes t Briella’s vivid green eyes. She looked at groggily, her long wavy hair mussed as she squinted at .
She was still breathtakingly gorgeous.
“You’re awake,” I said breathlessly, hearing the heavy relief in my voice. “How are you feeling?”
Briella frowned and wriggled as she considered my question. “Fine,” she said finally. “Tired. And sore.” She moved a little more, wincing slightly. Her eyes widened. “Drius? Is he alright?”
“He’s fine,” I assured her quickly. “He went to get so lunch I think. He seems to get antsy in hospitals.”
Briella relaxed slightly. I watched her carefully, concern twisting my features as I realized how pale she was. I grabbed a cup of water from the nightstand and carefully placed my hand behind her neck, helping her sit up slightly and drink. She took a few small sips and then smiled up at .
“Thanks,” she murmured. She pushed herself up in the bed and looked around. “Am I okay? Am I injured or sothing? Why am I here?”
“You’re going to be alright,” I told her, brushing so stray hair away from her forehead. It was such a relief to be able to speak to her again. “You exerted a lot of energy. Do you rember what happened?”
Briella nodded gravely. “If you hadn’t have shielded us...” She didn’t finish, shuddering at the dark thought. She then looked at in alarm. “General Tian?”
“Gone,” I told her regretfully. “No one knows where he is. Alpha Ray has guards searching all over the city and just beyond its borders.”
She looked down at the blankets, digesting all of this. I could see the fear in her eyes and wished I could just take it all away from her.
“You shouldn’t be worrying about this now,” I told her, gently pushing her back down against the pillows before straightening. “I’m going to call a healer to check you over. I was strictly told to make sure one was summoned once you woke up.”
Briella looked like she wanted to argue but nodded seriously and settled back down, watching silently as I left the room.
“Thank you for letting know,” Elethea said when I found her down the hall. “I will head in there right away.”
I moved to follow her but then heard my na and whirled around toward the voice.
Roy was heading toward , his expression serious.
“Hey, glad to see you’re alive,” I told him once he was in front of .
“You too,” he said with a smirk. He craned his neck as he watched Elethea disappear into Briella’s room. “Is she alright?”
“She’s fine,” I said quickly. “She just woke up actually. The healer just went in to examine her. She should be alright. She exerted a lot of energy saving all of our lives.”
Roy’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “You’ll have to tell everything later,” he said seriously, his expression darkening as the gravity of what nearly happened to us settled in.
Sothing in his tone alard . “Sothing else happened.” It wasn’t a question.
Roy nodded. “I just received word from Briella’s brother in Celestial Valley,” he said, making my heart drop. “It sounds as if the dark illness has made its way there. It has taken hold of several of the valley’s leaders, including the head healer.”
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