Kieran's POV
I paced outside the door like a damned ghost.
Every second that passed without a sound of her from the room felt like another nail being driven into my chest. I could still hear her screams echoing in my skull "Stay the hell away from me!" like they'd been carved into the stone walls themselves.
I clenched my fists. This was all my fault. Every goddamn piece of it.
The moment she lost that arm, the moment she collapsed bleeding out, it was the cost of every decision I've made. The price of becoming king. And she was paying it. Not me.
The door creaked open and Astrid stepped out, q Magnus quickly stepped forward on sighting Astrid
I was in front of her before she could fully close the door. "How is she?"
Astrid looked tired. Defeated, even. She shook her head. "She's… breaking down. I don't think she's ready to see anyone. She wishes we hadn't saved her. She wants to be alone."
I felt something twist in my chest. Hard and deep.
