Chapter 44: What’s Left Unsaid
Josie
My head was pounding.
A slow, throbbing ache that pulsed through my skull with every breath I took. The dull fluorescent light overhead didn’t help either. I wanted to keep my eyes closed, to slip back into the numb quiet of unconsciousness, but my chest felt tight—like something essential was missing.
Varen.
I didn’t even have to say it. The moment the thought formed, I felt him. His scent. His aura. Like sunlight cutting through the fog.
"Josie," he murmured, and his hand found mine.
That was all it took.
My fingers curled into his like they were made to. My body sagged into the thin mattress, every muscle unclenching at once. My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was his face—drawn, shadowed, but still so devastatingly familiar.
"You’re safe now," he said softly, brushing his thumb across my knuckles.
I wasn’t sure if it was the words or his voice, but I melted.
The pain in my head receded a little. My breathing slowed. The storm of fear and confusion quieted inside me because Varen was there. He always made me feel like the world couldn’t touch me when he was around.