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The heat pounding through my skull was unbearable, but I wasn’t about to let Violet know that. She already looked worried enough, sitting at my bedside with her beautiful hair tied back and a determined expression on her face. She’d been hovering for hours, making sure I had water and checking my temperature every ten minutes as if she expected me to combust.
I didn’t want to worry her. She had enough on her plate without adding my fever to the mix, so when she asked me how I felt, I muttered, “I’m fine, Violence,” and tried to sound convincing.
She raised an eyebrow at me. “Fine?”
“Yes.”
Her lips pursed, and I could see the storm brewing behind her pale eyes. She didn’t believe me for a second, but she didn’t call me out immediately. Instead, she reached out and brushed her fingers across my forehead, and I couldn’t stop the way I leaned into her touch.
“Xaden,” she said softly, her voice carrying that particular mix of concern and exasperation that was uniquely hers. “Your skin is burning. You’re sweating buckets, and your breathing sounds like you’ve been sparring for hours. But you’re fine? ”
“Exactly.” I tried for a smirk, but it fell flat when my vision swam and the pounding in my head doubled.
Her hand froze, and I regretted my attempt at humor immediately. She pulled back, her jaw tightening as she rose from her seat. “Fine,” she said, her tone clipped.
“What are you doing?” I rasped, my throat dry and raw.
“I’m leaving,” she said, turning toward the door.
Panic surged through me, cutting through the fever’s haze. “What?” I croaked, trying to sit up. “No, you’re not.”
She paused, her hands fisting her nightgown. “You don’t want to tell me the truth? Then you can take care of yourself, Lieutenant . ”
“Violence.” Her name came out as a plea, my voice weaker than I wanted it to be.
She glanced over her shoulder, her expression turning into one of pure terror though she tried to mask it. “What, Xaden?”
My chest tightened, the idea of her leaving me alone more painful than the fever itself. “Don’t go.”
“Then tell me the truth,” she demanded, her eyes softening.
I swallowed hard, my pride warring with my desperation to keep her close. Finally, I whispered, “It hurts.”
Her expression melted instantly, and she was at my side in an instant, her fingers threading through my hair. “Where?”
“Everywhere,” I admitted, leaning into her touch like the pathetic wreck I was. “My head, my chest, my arms… It feels like I’ve been run over by Tairn.”
Her lips quirked upward, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “See? Was that so hard to say?”
“Yes,” I muttered, closing my eyes as her hand moved to the back of my neck, her cool fingers soothing the fever burning beneath my skin.
“You’re impossible,” she said fondly, pressing a kiss to my temple.
I didn’t respond, too focused on the comfort her presence brought. The pain was still there, but it felt more bearable with her beside me. Tendrils of fear fisted my heart as I wondered if one day I wouldn’t be able to keep her at my side - if the small fleeting glimpses of hunger would morph into something more. Something dangerous. Something not me.
When she pulled back again, I opened my eyes to see her holding a small bottle and a spoon. “Time for your medicine.”
I grimaced. “No.”
“Yes.”
I shook my head, regretting the movement instantly when it made the pounding in my skull worse. “I’m not taking that.”
She sighed, setting the bottle down and crossing her arms. “Xaden, you’re acting like a child.”
“Don’t care,” I muttered, closing my eyes again.
“Fine,” she said, and I heard her get up. My stomach twisted. Where was she going now?
Before I could ask, her voice cut through the haze. “If you take your medicine, I’ll reward you with a kiss.”
My eyes snapped open, meeting her amused gaze. “What kind of kiss?”
“The kind that might make you forget how miserable you feel,” she said, her tone teasing.
I hesitated, torn between my stubborn pride and the promise of her affection. She raised an eyebrow, holding the bottle up again.
“Fine,” I grumbled, sitting up just enough to take the medicine. It tasted vile, but I swallowed it quickly, chasing it with a glass of water she handed me. “There. Happy?”
“Very,” she said, setting the glass aside before leaning in. Her lips brushed against mine, soft and warm, and for a moment, I forgot about the fever, the pain, and everything else.
When she pulled back, I let out a contented sigh, resting my forehead against hers. “You’re too good to me.”
“You’ve got that the wrong way around,” she said, her fingers brushing against my cheek. “Now lie down and let me take care of you.”
I didn’t argue, sinking back into the pillows as she adjusted the blankets around me. Her hand never left mine, and as the medicine started to take effect, I drifted off with the sound of her voice murmuring softly in my ear.
“I wasn’t going to leave you, I promise,” her lips ghost the shell of my ear, “It’s you and me forever.”
“You swear?” I mumble
I feel her lips curve as she burrows into the crook of my neck, her fingers caressing my scalp in that exquisite way only she could create.
”Always”