Christian's POV There was this heavy pressure tightening in my chest with every step I took.. And I took many, like a madman walking in circles for the damned millionth time. It was not okay. None of it was okay. And my mind was exploding. Something in my body felt numb and I knew that only one thing could ease it.. To see her open her eyes. To see her look at me and make sure she was alright. To— Damn, my thoughts were torturing me. She was out for hours and there didn't seem to be a stop sign for the fears that crossed me. Only for her could I fear like that.. Only for her could I lose my mind so many times, over and over again, like a storm had taken over my mind and nothing could calm it. My only wish was for her to wake up, because— Hell, something definitely wasn't right. She killed him. She did the thing none of us could do for years.. She ended the monster that ruined her family, that ruined us all. But at the same time, destroying that necklace.. It was connected to her blood. Amelia's too, but she showed no such effects of faintness.. Of any kind of ache. While my Lana.. She didn't seem in pain either. When I was carrying her out of the old house, she assured me that she wasn't hurt. But she was barely conscious. She was limp in my arms, completely weak, and my heart broke at the damn sight of it. Her father.. He was alive. The death of the witches proved that the explosion they created was an illusion and all of those that lost their lives that night.. They didn't. They came back to life the second the third witch was dead. He came after his daughter the second he stood on his feet. And she— she saw that. She saw him, and passed out. Now she was in her room, laying in her bed. Calliope was with her, making sure she was alright. She was. She had to be. She was breathing. She even talked to be before she— she just fainted. That's it. Nothing more. No, I refused to think it was anything other than that. For the millionth time that night, I searched for her heartbeat. I heard it. Calmed and steady, from the room she was in, beating rhythmically and giving me at least some peace to breathe in. I couldn't help myself. I walked in the room, just to find Calliope over Lana, holding her hand and mumbling a few words. She was checking if it was all alright, but that didn't seemed to be a reason enough for me to stop. Her father too was in there a second ago but now it was just the two of them. I reached the bed, looking for an answer. And Calliope seemed very much aware I had entered the room. After a second or so, she place Lana's hand back beside her and looked back at me. "She's alright. From what I can tell, the destroying of the necklace just weakened her." She released a slow breath, looking down at Lana. "She ended the very monster we all wanted dead for years, Christian. She's merely exhausted." That gave me relief.. It gave me the chance to breathe in some air again. To look down at her and— Gods, admire the beauty that laid unconscious on that bed. With her eyes closed peacefully, those thick lashes seemed to be sending shadows down her face from the dimmed light from the lamp on the nightstand. Her skin was so fair it almost seemed pale, but it had that usual creaminess, that rosiness in her cheeks.. And there was ripeness in her lips, so much that they were almost that ruby red, that familiar color I could never resist.. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically as she breathed, and there didn't seem to be even a single bad thought crossing her mind because she was peaceful. Simply peaceful. And she deserved rest without someone— myself actually, paranoid as always, waking her just so that I would make she should would wake up. Damn, my mind was too messed up. For her— for her I feared everything. I took her hand, so limp against mine, small and warm, and brought that silky skin to my lips. I kissed her palm, inhaled her scent, and observed her for another few seconds. Yes, she was alright. She was— she was just tired. So I somewhat found relief in my chest. It was perhaps supposed to frighten me just how much I cared for this girl.. The things I was willing to do for her. Hell, was it even normal to love a woman that much? It just seemed impossible not to, because Lana was.. She was something our world hadn't seen yet. Courage and beauty.. The kind of fearlessness I had yet seen. "Christian," It was the voice of the man that returned to life that night. Her father. I turned to look at him just to see him standing at the door of the room. The gesture he preformed with his hand for me to follow him. I understood he had things to discuss with me. He knew.. He must've. What Lana and I had was no longer a secret. So I followed him into his office, wondering how Lana would react once she woke up. Would she even remember seeing her father before she passed out? I highly doubted that. She was barely conscious. I closed the door behind me, wondering whether Khan would decide to make things difficult.. Whether he would accept my devotion to his daughter, or threaten me to never approach her again. Either way, nothing could change what I felt for Lana. It simply burned inside me.. It could not be tamed. "I'm certain you do know the consequences to this union.." Khan started with a lean of his hands over his wooden desk, while I was still at the door. "There is no union yet." I walked closer slowly, looking around the office.