Chapter 253: Long Night XVII
Athena tried to open her eyes, hearing murmurs around her, but her eyelids felt heavy, her brain fuzzy, unable to process the sounds. The words buzzed like bees—uncomfortable and disorienting.
She wished she could tell whoever it was to stop talking, but her tongue felt heavy too. What medication had they given her?
She inhaled softly at first, then exhaled just the same, needing to reorient herself before taking deep breaths.
She tried to remember the circumstances that had led her to feel like dead weight. Slowly, she began retracing her steps—from having dinner at Old Mr. Thorne’s house to going on the mission. And then the floodgates opened, memories pouring and tumbling over one another.
Athena inhaled sharply when she remembered overhearing Heron and Dax talk about her. It wasn’t an illusion. It had actually happened!
Her eyes shot open, and she jerked into a sitting position with startling speed, catching the attention of everyone surrounding her bed. Her brows furrowed, however, when she saw Ewan stepping toward her. How was it that he was awake before her?
"According to the specialist, you had strained yourself, even after treating yourself, hence the delay in your recuperation. You were on the lookout?" Ewan asked, concern visible in his eyes and voice tone.
Athena nodded, not saying a word as Ewan sat on the bed beside her. Instead, she took an inventory of the people in the room, realizing she was back in her actual room at Old Mr. Thorne’s house.
There was Old Mr. Thorne, Aiden, Zane, and Sandro. And then there was Colt, the chief of the president’s secret security service.