Chapter 86
Noland POV
Maya didn’t argue when we told her to sit.
That alone told me how bad it was.
Normally, she would’ve said something — sarcastic, defensive, anything to keep control of the moment. But now? She just lowered herself onto the edge of the cot like her body had already decided for her.
“Don’t move,” Camille said, already rolling up her sleeves. “Or I’ll make you regret it.”
Maya gave a weak half-smile. “You always say that.”
“And I always mean it.”
I stayed by the doorway, arms crossed, watching.
Not guarding.
Just… there.
Rhett stood a little further back, quieter than usual, his eyes following every small shift in Maya’s expression like he was reading something deeper than what we could see.
“Hold still,” Camille muttered, pressing lightly against Maya’s ribs.
Maya flinched.
“Yeah,” Camille said flatly. “That’s broken.”
“Just bruised,” Maya tried.
“Don’t lie to me,” Camille snapped. “I taught you better than that.”
Maya didn’t argue again.
That… bothered me.
Outside, I caught movement through the open doorway.
A figure leaning against one of the posts.
Watching.
Cael.
He didn’t come in.
Didn’t speak.
Just stood there like crossing that line would mean something he wasn’t ready to force.
I filed that away and looked back inside.
Camille finished wrapping Maya’s ribs, tightening the bandage just enough to make a point.
Maya sucked in a sharp breath. “You enjoy this too much.”
“Absolutely,” Camille replied. “Next time don’t get yourself half-killed.”
“Noted.”
Rhett stepped closer then, resting his staff against the wall. “Any lingering magic?”
Maya went still.
“Some,” she admitted quietly. “Not mine.”
That was enough to shift the room.
Camille’s hands paused. Rhett’s gaze sharpened.
“Explain,” he said.
Maya swallowed. “They didn’t just control me. They… layered things. Commands. Triggers.” Her fingers curled slightly. “I can feel where they were. Even if they’re not active.”
I pushed off the wall.
“Can you control it?” I asked.
She looked at me.
Really looked.
“I don’t know.”
Honest.
Too honest.
“That’s a problem,” Camille muttered.
“That’s a reality,” Rhett corrected.
I stepped further into the room. “Then we deal with it.”
Maya let out a quiet breath, like she didn’t expect that answer.
“You’re not locking me up,” she said, not quite a question.
“No,” I replied.
Camille glanced at me. “We are watching her.”
“I know.”
Rhett nodded once. “Quietly.”
Maya’s shoulders dropped just slightly. Not relaxed. Just… less tense.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
“I know,” I said again.
Silence settled.
Not uncomfortable.
Just careful.
After a moment, Camille straightened. “She needs rest.”
Maya gave a dry huff. “That’s not new advice.”
“This time you’re actually going to listen.”
“Debatable.”
Camille pointed toward the cot. “Lie down.”
Maya hesitated.
Then did it.
Slowly. Carefully. Like even that cost her more than she wanted anyone to see.
I stepped back toward the doorway, giving her space.
As I passed, Cael shifted slightly but didn’t move in.
“You can come inside,” I said quietly.
He shook his head. “She needs people she trusts.”
I studied him. “You helped her.”
“I found her,” he corrected. “She walked the rest of the way.”
There was no bitterness in his voice.
No expectation.
Just… truth.
“That matters,” I said.
He didn’t respond.
Inside, Maya shifted on the cot, trying to get comfortable and failing.
“Stop pretending it doesn’t hurt,” Camille told her.
“I’m not pretending,” Maya muttered.
“You’re bad at lying.”
“That’s rude.”
“That’s accurate.”
I almost smiled.
After a while, Camille and Rhett stepped out, leaving the room quieter.
I stayed.
Maya noticed.
“You don’t have to stand there like that,” she said without opening her eyes.
“I know.”
“Then why are you?”
I leaned against the wall. “Because I want to.”
That got her attention.
She opened one eye. “That’s a weird answer.”
“Get used to it.”
She stared at me for a second, then looked away again.
Silence stretched.
Then—
“I was scared,” she said.
Not dramatic.
Not loud.
Just… there.
“I know,” I replied.
“No,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “Not like that. Not ‘they might kill me’ scared.” Her voice dropped. “I was scared I wouldn’t care if they did.”
I didn’t interrupt.
“I felt it slipping,” she continued. “Pieces of me. Like… like I was watching myself from far away.” Her fingers tightened in the blanket. “And every time I fought it, it got harder.”
“You kept fighting,” I said.
“Not always fast enough.”
“That’s not the same as giving up.”
She let out a shaky breath. “It felt like it.”
I pushed off the wall and moved a little closer.
“You’re here,” I said. “That means something.”
Maya gave a weak laugh. “You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true.”
She turned her head slightly to look at me. “What if I lose control again?”
I didn’t hesitate.
“Then we deal with it.”
“That’s not comforting.”
“It’s honest.”
She held my gaze.
“And you won’t—” she started, then stopped.
“Won’t what?” I asked.
She swallowed. “You won’t give up on me?”
The question sat heavy between us.
I shook my head once. “No.”
“Even if I mess up?”
“You will,” I said.
She blinked. “Wow. Encouraging.”
“We all do,” I added. “That’s not the part that decides who stays.”
Her eyes softened just a little.
“Then what does?”
I shrugged slightly. “Whether you keep coming back.”
She looked at me for a long moment.
Then nodded.
Slow. Careful.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Outside, I could still feel Cael there.
Waiting.
Not pushing.
Just… staying.
I stepped toward the door. “Get some sleep.”
Maya shifted slightly under the blanket. “I don’t know if I can.”
“You can,” I said. “You’re safe.”
She didn’t answer right away.
Then, quietly—
“…okay.”
I stepped out, pulling the door halfway closed behind me.
Cael straightened slightly when I did.
“She’ll be alright?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Eventually.”
He nodded, eyes still on the door.
“You don’t have to stand guard all night,” I added.
“I’m not,” he said.
“You are.”
He didn’t deny it this time.
I let it go.
Some things didn’t need to be corrected.
Inside, everything went quiet.
No restless movement.
No sharp breaths.
Just… stillness.
For the first time since she walked back into Hollow Creek—
Maya slept.
And this time…
she didn’t look like she was fighting anything.