Riley’s POV
"It’s Daphne..." I whispered, my voice barely holding together, my lips dry as I tried to get the words out.
But I was already out of breath.
My chest felt tight, and my head was spinning badly from everything that had happened. I wasn’t even sure if the words ca out clearly or if they just stayed stuck in my throat.
Caden didn’t react.
He didn’t even look down at .
"Save your strength," he said instead, his voice firm but not harsh. "Talk later."
That alone told he didn’t hear .
Or maybe he just didn’t understand.
I wanted to say it again.
I wanted to make him understand that the danger wasn’t just Ethan.
But my body gave up on .
Before I could push another word out, he lifted fully into his arms, holding securely against his chest like I weighed nothing.
Then he moved. Fast.
So fast that my breath caught instantly.
The wind rushed against my face as he ran at a speed that made everything around us blur completely. His grip on was steady, careful, nothing like Ethan’s. One hand supported my back while the other held close, making sure I didn’t slip.
I found myself clutching his shirt weakly.
Not because I wanted to. But because my body needed sothing to hold onto.
Everything inside hurts.
The wound.
The exhaustion.
I could barely keep my eyes open.
My head dropped slightly against his chest as the rhythm of his movent surrounded , steady and controlled.
For a mont, everything felt distant.
The pain didn’t go away.
But it felt... less sharp. Less imdiate.
My fingers tightened slightly against his shirt.
And then slowly—
Everything went dark again.
***
I didn’t know how long I was out.
But when I woke up, it was not peaceful.
Pain hit first. Sharp. Burning.
"AHH—!" I cried out instinctively, my body jerking slightly as sothing hot pressed against my wound.
"Keep still," a young girl’s voice said quickly.
Her tone was urgent but not unkind.
I blinked rapidly, trying to focus as my breathing beca uneven.
My surroundings slowly ca into view.
White walls.
Clean surfaces.
The sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air.
It looks like a d room and I was lying on a bed.
My clothes had been changed, or at least adjusted enough to expose my wound, and soone was treating it.
The girl standing beside looked young, maybe not much older than , but her expression was serious as she worked carefully on my hip.
"Don’t move," she repeated, her hands steady despite my reaction. "The poison is still active. If you move too much, it will spread faster."
My chest rose and fell unevenly as I tried to calm down.
"It hurts," I whispered, my voice shaking.
"I know," she replied softly. "But I need to clean it properly."
I clenched my teeth as she pressed sothing against the wound again.
The burning sensation spread instantly.
My fingers gripped the sheets tightly beneath .
"Just a little more," she added.
My eyes moved around the room again.
And then I saw him.
Caden.
He was standing at the side of the room, watching everything.
His posture was still, but his presence filled the entire space. His eyes were fixed on , dark and intense, like he was holding back sothing heavy inside him.
He hadn’t said a word since I woke up. But the way he was looking at ...
It made my face heat slightly.
The girl finished applying sothing to my wound before stepping back slightly.
"She was stabbed with a Bane-coated dagger," she said, turning toward Caden.
Her tone was serious now.
"The poison has already spread through her system, but not completely."
Caden didn’t respond imdiately.
He just stared at .
Then he finally spoke.
"Can you stop it?" he asked.
His voice was calm.
But there was tension beneath it.
The girl nodded slightly.
"I’ve slowed it down," she said. "But it’s not sothing that disappears instantly. It will take ti, and she needs to stay still."
She paused slightly before adding,
"If the blade had gone any deeper, she wouldn’t have made it here alive."
A chill ran through my body at those words.
Caden’s jaw tightened slightly.
"I want it out of her system," he said.
"I’m doing everything I can," the girl replied. "But she also needs rest. Her body is already weak."
My eyes shifted back to Caden again.
He still hadn’t moved. Still hadn’t looked away.
There was sothing in his expression now.
Sothing I couldn’t fully read.
Anger. Relief maybe sothing else.
He stepped closer finally. Slowly.
Each step asured.
When he reached the side of the bed, his eyes moved over carefully.
Taking in everything.
The bandage.
The weakness.
The state I was in."You’re safe now," he said quietly.
I swallowed slightly.
My throat felt dry.
I wanted to respond, but the words didn’t co out imdiately.
Instead, I just looked at him. For a mont, everything felt quiet.
Then his expression changed slightly, more focused.
"Riley," he called, his voice steady.
My fingers tightened slightly against the sheets.
"Look at ."
I already was.
But sothing in his tone made focus more.
"What happened?" he asked.
My chest rose slowly.
Everything that happened started replaying in my head.
The fight.
The poison.
Ethan.
And then—
Daphne.
My heart skipped.
I tried to speak, but my voice ca out weak.
"I..." I started.
Caden didn’t interrupt.
He just waited."Who did this to you?" he asked again.
His voice was calr now.
But there was sothing underneath it. Sothing that made it clear he already had an idea.
My lips parted slightly. For a mont, I hesitated.
Not because I wanted to protect her.
But because saying it out loud I know is going to make everything worse.
But then I rembered the pain, the look of triumph on her face.
And the words she said.
My fingers tightened again.
Then finally—
I spoke.
"Daphne, your sister," I dropped the words but he didn’t move. "She stabbed , she’s not what she seems to be and she’s into Sapphire."
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