[ Back at Autumn's fortress ]
Autumn did not move for some time.
She had told herself she hated him. Told herself she would never falter again. Yet even as the words echoed in her mind, she kept staring at Kieran.
She simply could not look away… he was right there… so close… yet it all seemed so far away…
She stared at the way his face, even bloodied and pale, carried that infuriating quiet strength. At the faint rise and fall of his chest…or was it only her imagination?
Her breath caught at that.
Suddenly, instant panic clawed through her. She couldn't hear him breathe. She couldn't actually see the rise and fall…not exactly like it was supposed to be.
Was he…?
"No…" The whisper tore out of her throat. Her hand shook as she lowered it, pressing her palm flat against his chest.
She held it there. Waited.
A beat. Weak. Faint. But it was there.
Still, she was not satisfied. Her panic did not calm down at all.
