Chapter 96

I floated. Not in water. Not anymore. But my limbs felt loose, weightless, like gravity had forgotten me. I drifted in and out of sleep, memories slipping through the cracks. Ashton’s arms. The sting of pool water against my skin. A towel. A bed. Sleep. But not for long. Then the blur of movement—his chest under my cheek, the lurch of a car. I was somewhere else after that. Multiple voices, hands on my forehead and wrist, an electronic beep, receding footsteps, then a different kind of quiet. Cooler air. Sterile, sharp. A hospital. I knew the smell. At some point, something slid into my arm. A tube. IV fluid dripping, seeping into my bloodstream. Cold trickled in. I shivered in relief. There were voices again. One of them soft, tight with worry. Yvaine? Maybe. I couldn’t hold onto it long enough to be sure. Then sleep again. Real this time. Deep. Still. My body sank, just for a moment. But peace didn’t last. Something inside me stirred. A flicker at first. Then a steady burn, crawling