Chapter 41 - 39- Darian’s Awake?

Darian’s head felt like it was splitting in two.

His skin burned beneath the sheets, his body heavy and aching as though he’d been beaten from head to toe. Even breathing seemed to take more effort than it should.

He shouldn’t have listened to Ryver about using his powers. He knew better than to trust that elf bastard, especially when the suggestion involved using his abilities on nearly twenty men at once.

Darian slowly opened his eyes.

For a few seconds, his mind remained foggy. He stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above him, trying to piece together where he was and how he’d gotten there.

Nothing.

The last thing he remembered clearly was getting onto the horse with Neria.

Then everything after that was a blur.

His brows pulled together.

Fuck.

Neria.

Darian jolted upright despite the ache that immediately tore through his body.

The room spun violently. He caught himself against the mattress, breathing through the wave of dizziness as his eyes darted around the unfamiliar room.

"Where is she?" His voice came out rough, barely more than a rasp.

He pushed the blankets aside and tried to stand, only for his legs to feel unsteady beneath him. He gripped the edge of the bed until the room stopped moving.

Where was Neria? Did someone take her? Where was he?

Darian’s jaw tightened.

If anything had happened to either of her while he was unconscious, he blamed the elf and was going to kill him for this.

He forced himself upright again, ignoring the heat radiating through his body as he looked toward the closed door.

How did he even get here?

Darian staggered towards the door and pulled it open. The hallway beyond was unfamiliar, narrow and quiet, with pale lantern light spilling through the windows and stretching across the floor. Somewhere farther ahead, he could hear voices, low and muffled at first. He didn’t recognize the accents, but he could make out a feminine voice speaking to someone.

He started walking, one hand dragging along the wall to keep himself steady. His body still felt like it was burning from the inside, and every few steps sent another dull ache through his muscles. He ignored it, focusing on the voices ahead as they slowly became clearer.

"Come on, Gale, go get your tools so we can take it off her," the woman said, her voice carrying a note of concern.

Darian slowed.

Take what off her?

Then another voice answered.

"Can you really take this off, sir?"

His eyes narrowed.

He knew that voice. That soft, innocent tone was impossible to mistake.

Neria.

He quickened his steps, his mind already working through what he’d heard. They were talking about taking something off her.

Her collar?

She had probably told them some ridiculous story and now they were trying to help her get it off.

"No."

The word left his mouth before he even reached the room.

The voices stopped.

Darian turned the corner and found himself facing an old couple and Neria. The couple stared at him, both looking surprised to see him standing there, while Neria sat behind the dining table with her hands resting in her lap.

Even through his fever-fogged vision, he could tell she looked annoyed. Like he had interrupted something.

At least she was alive and hadn’t been taken again.

Darian’s shoulders loosened slightly before he could stop himself.

The old couple looked to be somewhere in their seventies, probably human from what he could tell. The woman was short, with grey hair pulled away from her face and pale blue eyes that immediately softened when she noticed him.

"Oh, you’re awake!" she said, stepping toward him.

Darian instinctively took a step back. His eyes remained on Neria.

The woman seemed to mistake his reaction for confusion. "Oh, he must still be disoriented. We found you and your wife on the road."

Darian went still.

His gaze slowly shifted back to the old woman.

His wife?

For a moment, he wasn’t sure if the fever had finally affected his hearing.

He frowned, his brows drawing together as he stared at the older woman.

"I have a wife?"

The woman gave him a pitiable look, her pale eyes widening slightly. "Oh dear. He must have hit his head."

Darian opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Neria finally spoke.

"It must be the fever," she said, and there was a slight nervousness in her voice. "He must have forgotten that I am his mate."

Darian stared at her.

For a moment, he genuinely thought she was joking.

Then the old man moved around the table and helped Neria to her feet, gently guiding her in his direction. She walked toward him with that same carefully innocent expression, and Darian realized she wasn’t joking at all.

She had actually told them they were mates.

His eyes narrowed at her, he wished she could see how annoyed he was at whatever she was saying. "He still needs some more rest," she said as she reached him.

Before Darian could react, she lifted her hands and placed them against his face.

He froze.

Her palms were cool against his burning skin, and the relief was immediate. The heat that had been crawling beneath his skin seemed to ease beneath her touch. For a second, he almost forgot about the ridiculous story she had apparently created while he was unconscious.

Almost.

Darian looked down at her.

Neria probably couldn’t see the face he was making now, but there was something strangely calm about the way she stood there with her hands against his cheeks.

Maybe she was confident he wouldn’t do anything in front of these people.

"Edina, take them to their room," the old man said. "I will go boil those herbs."

Darian finally snapped out of his thoughts.

He looked toward the man, then back at Neria.

Their room?

They had a room? What?

Neria’s hands fell from his face, and for a moment Darian simply stared at her.

Then she reached for his hands, taking them in hers before leading him toward the hallway.

He stared down at their joined hands. Something about their hands together like this just wasn’t right, yet he allowed himself to be pulled along. Her palms were still cool against his feverish skin, and despite his suspicion, he found himself reluctant to pull away.

He studied everything around them as they walked, his thoughts slowly becoming clearer. The fog that had clouded his mind when he first woke was beginning to lift, leaving behind a pounding headache and a growing list of questions.

Edina walked ahead of them, her footsteps soft against the wooden floor as she led them farther down the hallway. The house smelled faintly of herbs and something warm cooking somewhere nearby. Darian could hear the quiet clatter of dishes from another room, along with the occasional creak of the old floorboards beneath their feet.

"I am sure some rest and medicine will do you some good," Edina said, glancing back at them. "Your wife was quite worried, you know."

Darian looked back down at Neria.

No, she wasn’t.

Knowing her, she was probably more worried about that collar around her neck or making sure he wouldn’t survive long enough to cause her trouble again.

He was certain the only reason she hadn’t left him out in the woods was because of that collar. If she had managed to find a way to get rid of it, Darian had no doubt she would have disappeared without a second thought.

Edina stopped at the end of the hallway and opened a wooden door.

"Here we are."

Neria guided Darian inside, still holding his hand as though she was afraid he’d collapse the moment she let go. At least that’s what it looks liked.

Edina moved around the room, lighting the lanterns one after another. The small flames flickered to life, filling the room with a warm glow.

"I better go check on Gale and those herbs," she said, lighting the second lantern. "I’m sure you two would want to talk."

Darian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Before he could respond, Edina gave them both a knowing smile and walked out, pulling the door mostly closed behind her.

Darian waited.

He listened as her footsteps moved down the hallway and faded.

Only then did he turn back to Neria.

His hands were still in hers.

He wanted to pull away, but her hands were so cool against his burning skin that he found himself holding on for another moment.

"How are we here?" he asked, tightening his grip on her hand.

Neria immediately tried to pull away. "I met them on the road after you fell unconscious."

Darian didn’t release her. "I said, how are we here?"

"I just told you."

"That’s not what I meant."

Her fingers shifted against his as she tried again to free herself. "Let my hand go."

Darian finally released it, but only to catch her by the upper arm when she stepped back.

Neria stiffened.

"And why," he asked, his eyes narrowing, "are we apparently married?"

"You rather I tell them you’re the Grand Duke?" She said sharply.

There she was.

He scoffed, "And the collar?"

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Hello there please do not open the next few Chapters till I am done reworking them. You can see they don’t have Chapter names please don’t open them! Thank you.

Instead as you wait read my other book please