XAVIER
It was her voice that dragged me from the darkness.
One moment I was lost, floating in an endless void, and the next, I was staring up into the warm glow of firelight with her face above mine.
A gasp escaped her lips, and her grip tightened. "You're awake," she breathed, with disbelief and relief mingling in her voice.
A single tear slid down her cheek, and I reached up instinctively, catching it on the pad of my thumb. She flinched slightly but didn't pull away.
"Are you… did you fall asleep crying?" My voice rasped like gravel.
Her cheeks flushed. "No," she said quickly, looking away. "I just got something in my eye, that's all." She gently placed my hand back on the floor. "How do you feel?"
The moment she asked, I felt it.
White-hot bolts of pain shot through every nerve, stabbing from my shoulder outward and drowning every breath in agony. I clenched my jaw and sucked in a sharp breath through my teeth, trying not to scream.
"What happened?" I managed hoarsely.
