My dreams were confused blurs, snippets of stories that I was far too exhausted to follow.

The Xathi were there, making guest appearances in my thoughts like the overgrown pests they were. I was used to seeing them in my head—they’d obsessed me for years.

I paid them little mind.

Leena was there, too.

Flashes of her face, her smile—those dreams I paid attention to.

I clung to them like the last life raft in a bad storm.

I woke slowly, not sure if the glimpses of the med bay were real or just another part of the illusion. The bright lights and the crisp white walls appeared for the shortest second, and then it would be back to blackness.

After about the tenth time it happened, I started to understand what was really going on. From there on, I fought for consciousness, slowly drawing the brief moments out, longer and longer.

Conversations drifted past me as I struggled my way back to the surface, little pieces of the talk going on around me. Tu’ver was there, I was sure of it, and Mariella, too.

But not the voice I craved.

“Leena,” I croaked.

I couldn’t remember a time my throat had ever felt so raw. It was like I’d spent the last few days vacationing on a desert island with nothing but salt water to drink.

“Axtin,” Tu’ver said. “Welcome back.”

“Leena,” I repeated, not caring about anything else.

“Mariella, he’s awake,” he called out to the female.

I groaned, clearly not going to get any information from the two of them. I tried to sit up, determined to find her myself.

The moment I tried, though, I was pulled back to the bed. It was only then that I noticed the pain in my wrists. I looked down, seeing the ties that looped around my ankles and arms.

“What the—”

“Relax, friend,” Tu’ver offered, leaning over me. “You were grievously wounded. Don’t go trying to leave just yet.”

“Srell, Tu’ver, what is this? Let me out of these things!”

My heart beat faster, my fists clenched in their bonds. After everything I’ve been through, these idiots tied me to a bed in med bay? Had they absolutely lost their minds?

“Axtin…”

“I said, let me out, Tu’ver! Where is she?”

I could feel my anger rising with each passing second, fury starting to burn deep in my core. I needed to see Leena, to know that she was alright.

“Tu’ver,” Mariella said, walking over to him.

She pressed her hand to his chest, leaning in to speak quietly. “I need to talk to Axtin. Can you give us a minute?”

He looked hesitant, glancing from me to her and back again.

Really, what did he have to be so protective about?

I was quite clearly tied to the recking bed. Not that I was any kind of threat when I wasn’t. Not to Leena’s sister anyway, no matter how angry I was.

“Very well,” he finally said, “I’ll just be outside.”

Mariella stood silently, waiting for him to go. The moment the door closed behind him, she turned to me.

“Can you let me out of these things?” I asked, shaking my wrists for emphasis.

She shook her head. “Sorry, doctor’s orders.”

I had to remind myself that it would do no good to absolutely lose it on Leena’s sister. I groaned, biting my lip to control myself.

“If you’re going to leave me tied to the bed, can you at least give me some water?”

She flushed slightly, apparently feeling guilty that she hadn’t thought of it herself. She headed over to a tray, grabbing a pitcher and cup.

After downing an entire glass, I felt a little better.

“Where is she?” I asked, this time in a voice I could actually recognize as my own. “Is she well?”

I remembered seeing her collapse, but after that, my mind was a blank. I didn’t think she had been too badly injured, or I hadn’t anyway. But this silent treatment was starting to make me nervous.

If something had happened to her…

“She’s fine, Axtin.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, letting my head fall back onto the pillow.

“Can you let me out so I can go see her now? Where is she?”

She shifted her feet, looking suddenly very uncomfortable.

“What I mean is, she’s fine physically.” She crossed to the chair near my bed, sitting with a sigh of her own. “Mentally, well, that’s another story.”

I lifted my head again. The concern that had only so recently left flooded my chest once more.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“She locked herself in the lab the day she woke up, and she hasn’t been out since. She refuses to come out.”

My thoughts spun, and my heart started to race. “Have you tried to talk to her?”

“Of course I have. But she won’t listen to me, or anyone else for that matter.”

“Oh srell,” I said, feeling guilt pour through me in waves. “This is all my fault.”

Her brow furrowed. “How could this possibly be your fault?”

“I didn’t get to her fast enough! She was trapped there with those blasted monsters! I know what she saw there, what they did to those people.” I sank against the pillows. “I’ve seen it. I should have been there sooner. I never should have left her to begin with!”

She ran a hand through her hair, taking her time to think before answering.

“Axtin, listen to me. This is not your fault. You only left because you had to. What other choice did you have? Leena understands that, trust me. She doesn’t blame you.”

“If that were true, she’d be here, not hiding in the lab. She blames me, and she’s right to. I dishonored us both.”

“Oh, enough,” she snapped, scooting her chair closer with an awful screech. “What’s happening right now, that’s not about you. It’s about Leena. She’s overwhelmed. She’s hiding. Believe me, as someone who has known her my entire life, this is what she does.”

I rolled my eyes, a habit I probably picked up from Leena.

“Axtin, Leena is scared right now, okay? And I know you think you understand, but you don’t.”

“Well then, enlighten me!” I half yelled.

She stared me down evenly, not flinching at my outburst. For the first time, I truly saw the family resemblance. When Mariella looked at me like that, it was Leena I saw.

“Leena isn’t hiding in that damn lab from the Xathi,” she said, her tone hard. “She’s in there hiding from her feelings. Being emotionally vulnerable terrifies her. It always does.”

She paused in thought for a moment. When she continued, her voice had softened.

“Look, you were hurt really bad, Axtin. That’s why you’re tied up. It’s not to punish you or piss you off. It’s so that you don’t jump out of bed first thing and ruin all the doctors’ hard work.”

“But—”

“No, just listen. Leena freaked out when she saw how badly you had been injured. That’s why she hid. She isn’t mad at you. She’s completely terrified of loving you.”

That last part had my attention.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

Now she smiled, a ghost of one, sure, but a smile nonetheless.

“Positive. She wouldn’t be in the state she’s in right now if she didn’t really care about you,” she replied.

“I really care about her, too, Mariella. I would do anything for her, will do anything for her.”

She nodded, seeming to relax at my words.

“Okay, good. Because right now, she needs you to get well. You don’t need to jump up and play hero, you need to rest,” she told me.

“But—”

“Nope. No buts. You’re in here for a reason. Just relax for a bit, okay?”

I didn’t like it, not one little bit.

I glanced back down at my bonds, suppressing a growl. It didn’t appear that I had much choice in the matter.

“Fine, but you’ll talk to Leena for me. Tell her I’m awake,” I said.

“I will.”

I nodded in response, letting my head fall back to the pillow.

“Okay, then. Just tell her I’m well. Tell her I really want to see her,” I added.

“I’ll tell her.”

There was nothing else I could do. I pulled again at my ties, confirming the idea. Yeah, I was pretty well strapped down.

Mariella left the med bay and this time I didn’t bother to suppress my growl. It’s not like anyone was around to hear it.

I didn’t care about resting or getting well.

I just needed to see Leena.