#Chapter 54: Ember and Edge

I woke in Richard’s bed with the morning sun creeping through the curtains, my cheek pressed to the warm plane of his chest. I shifted, trying to ease out without waking him, but his arm tightened reflexively around me. For a second I let myself stay there, breathing in the clean, woodsy scent of his skin and the sharp chemical note of antiseptic from his bandages. Then guilt and dread twisted in my stomach. Staff would see. They’d talk. They already had. Richard blinked slowly and looked at me with a grimace. "What happened?" he rasped. I hesitated, sitting stiffly at his side. He frowned. "Amelia. Tell me." I swallowed hard. Richard watched me closely. "Tell me all of it, I—I don't remember anything after we got back from the facility" he pressed, voice hoarse. I let out a long breath. "After we left," I took a breath. "It was chaos. The council meeting was brutal. They accused me of leaking information, called me your bedwarmer to my face. You just sat there and let them. Th