Serena's eyes opened to blood.
Not hers. Maelor Vantheos was standing over her, and a thin line of red tracked from his left nostril to his upper lip. His mismatched eyes were glowing, the green one bright as foxfire, the gold one burning like a coin held over a flame.
She looked down. Her hands, her arms, the skin visible above her collar, all of it was glowing a soft, steady pink. Not gold. Pink.
Her pulse spiked.
Dex's hands were on her before she could do anything. One cupped the back of her head, the other pressed flat against her spine, and he pulled her into him with the kind of force that said he'd been standing on the edge of something terrible for however long she'd been out.
His mouth found her temple. Her forehead. The crown of her hair. Not kisses, exactly. More like confirmation. Like he was checking that she was still here.
His breathing was fast.
"I'm okay," Serena murmured against his chest.
He didn't answer. His hand tightened in her hair.
