27

I woke up when I felt a certain cold. My sleepy eyes swept across the room, finding Kaanadan standing in a corner of the room. It's dark except for the faint yellow light of a lamp on a table next to Kaanadan, and it's just enough for me to see his bare torso sprawled with cuts and stitches. The biggest ones are on the belly and a single one under the ribs, also the only ones with stitches. I gasped when I saw blood still oozing from some cuts.

That was enough for her gaze to come to me. My breath hitched. Her gaze was cold and gloomy... terrible, if it's any clearer. I thought I'd already known his dreaded look, in that engagement, That the look that for years haunted me was the ultimate of shadows, but... this one is worse.

I swallowed and then sat down on the bed. "Kanadan..."

- Go back to sleep. Her voice was harsh, cutting me off quickly with a hoarse, tired sound. It looks like it hurts, since right after, he touches his own throat.

I feel a different fear invade me, but I i