-Sebastian Lightwood:
By the time I reach the room, my pulse is still running high from the sprint down the hall. I don't knock. I don't hesitate. I push the door open and step inside—
—and the first thing I see is them on the bed.
Aurelian is sitting there as he belongs. Like he never left. Like the last two weeks didn't happen.
Elias is propped up against the headboard beside him, a plate absolutely overloaded with food balanced on his lap. There's fruit stacked high, eggs, toast, enough protein to feed someone twice his size. It looks ridiculous in his smaller hands.
But that's not what makes my jaw tighten.
It's the way Aurelian is angled toward him. Close. Comfortable. Watching him with that calm, infuriating composure.
My gaze lifts slowly until it meets his.
He looks up at me instantly, like he's been waiting for me to arrive.
And then he smirks.
"I told you I could've helped you get here faster," he says, voice smooth, unbothered. "But you refused."
The audacity.
