Chapter 46 AWAKE
CHAPTER FORTY SIX
SAMANTHA’S POV
I sucked in air desperately, coughing, choking, my hands flying to my neck as I staggered backward. My throat burned like it had been scraped raw from the inside. Tears blurred my vision as I fought to breathe properly again.
“Please” I managed to force out, my voice broken and barely audible.
Kane froze.
His eyes locked onto mine and something shifted in them. Confusion, Recognition and Horror.
His hand dropped immediately.
He swayed where he sat, his grip loosening not just on me but on himself. His face tightened like pain had finally caught up with him and the dizziness from the anesthesia hit him full force.
I didn’t wait for him to fall.
I stepped forward and guided him gently back onto the bed, ignoring the way my hands trembled as I touched him. “Easy,” I whispered. “Please don’t move. You’re not well yet.”
He resisted at first, his pride clearly fighting his weakness, but his body betrayed him. He sank back against the pillows with a low groan, his breathing uneven.
“It’s okay,” I said softly, even though my heart was still racing wildly. “Don’t worry. It’ll be alright.”
My fingers hovered near his chest, close enough to feel the warmth of his skin through the bandages.
“I don’t want to hurt you, my voice trembling despite my effort to stay calm. “I just want you to be okay.”
He stared at me for a moment, his gaze unreadable, then his eyes fluttered shut again. Exhaustion dragged him under, stronger than his will.
I stayed there, watching him.
The urge came suddenly and fiercely. I tried to fight it. I really did. I told myself to step back, to keep distance, to remember everything he had done to me.
But my hand moved anyway.
Slowly, carefully, I threaded my fingers into his hair. It was softer than I expected, thick beneath my palm. I stroked it gently, running my fingers up and down, letting them tangle and slide free again.
I played with his hair the way you soothe someone you love, the way you calm a child after a nightmare.
His breathing evened out.
Within minutes, he was asleep again.
And I stayed right there, guarding his rest like it mattered more than my own fear.
KANE’S POV
The pain i felt woke me up
It tore through my back like fire. I tried to push myself up on instinct and immediately regretted it. My body gave in and I collapsed back against the mattress, my jaw clenching as agony rippled through me.
I refused to make a sound.
Pain was weakness. Weakness was not allowed.
Fragments of memory flooded in. The ambush. The knives. The widow collector. Rage burned hot in my chest as clarity returned.
He had gone too far.
I had been patient. Reserved. Calculated. I had taken my time, moving pieces carefully, watching and waiting. But that restraint had nearly cost me my life.
No more.
The executioner would be first. Then the knights who conspired behind my back. And last, the widow collector himself. Slowly. Thoroughly. Nothing would be impossible.
I shifted slightly and my movement stilled when I noticed someone beside me.
She was there.
Sleeping.
Samantha.
For a moment, I simply stared at her, confused by her presence. Then memory struck like a blade.
My hand around her neck. Her gasping. The realization crashing into me that it was her and not an enemy. The instant I released her.
Guilt twisted sharply in my chest.
I remembered more.
Her fingers in my hair.
The way she touched me gently, familiarly, like she had done it before.
Like Sally.
The thought unsettled me deeply.
The resemblance. The same softness in her features. The same calm presence that slipped past my defenses without effort.
This was not coincidence.
I could not ignore it anymore.
I watched her sleep, her lashes resting against slightly swollen cheeks. She had cried. A lot. I wondered if it was because of me.
Why was she here?
I would ask Abel. I would ask the Ephraim.
Slowly, carefully, I lifted my left hand. Pain flared, but I ignored it. My fingers hovered above her head before I gently brushed her hair aside, tucking it behind her ear.
I traced her cheek lightly, barely touching, like I was afraid she would disappear.
She was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
And terrifyingly familiar.
It felt like falling in love all over again and I hated myself for it.
The door opened suddenly.
I withdrew my hand instantly, my expression hardening as instinct took over.
“Kane,” the doctor said as he stepped inside.
Abel stirred and woke immediately, alert in seconds.
“How are you feeling?” the doctor asked.
I straightened slightly, pulling my aura back around myself like armor. Weakness disappeared from my face even though my body still screamed.
Abel followed my gaze to Samantha.
“She insisted on staying,” he said quickly. “I’ll get her moving now.”
I nodded once.
Abel tapped her shoulder gently. She jolted awake, sitting upright instantly. Her eyes met mine and I saw it all in them.
Fear, concern and compassion.
Her eyes were swollen and red. She had definitely cried.
“Good morning,
Master,” she said softly. “How are you doing?”
I didn’t answer.
I focused on the doctor as he administered my morning dosage, pretending her presence did not affect me the way it did.
“Let’s go,” Abel said quietly, guiding her up.
She allowed herself to be led away, casting one last look at me before the door closed behind them.
Only then did I speak.
“How many people know about this?” I asked.
Doctor Ephraim met my eyes calmly. “It’s a secret. None of the other boys know.”
I nodded slowly.
Good.
Some truths were too dangerous to be shared.