The bright fluorescent lights above stung my eyes, forcing me to squint as consciousness slowly seeped back into my limbs. A steady, rhythmic beep echoed off the sterile walls, accompanied by the subtle, plastic scratch of a oxygen cannula resting beneath my nose.
I blinked, my head heavy, and glanced down at my left arm. A small strip of medical tape held an IV line securely against the back of my hand, the cool fluid trickling slowly into my vein.
Sitting in a vinyl armchair right beside the bed was Drakon. His broad shoulders were hunched forward, his face buried deep in his calloused hands, his posture radiating a raw, broken exhaustion I had never seen on him before.
"Drakon..." I rasped out, my throat dry as sand.
His head shot up instantly. The sheer terror in his dark eyes vani
