Faye's POV
"Your Highness, are you injured?"
"Your Highness!"
I doubled over, coughing violently as my hands flew to my throat. The burning sensation spread through my windpipe like acid, making each breath feel like swallowing razors.
Hardy lay motionless on the bed where I had pushed him away. His arm hung limp over the edge, his head tilted against the pillow at an unnatural angle. His breathing came in short, ragged gasps before his body went completely still. He had lost consciousness again, exactly like the incident at the cave.
The bedroom door exploded inward. Heavy footsteps pounded across the wooden floor as Allen and Parker burst through the entrance.
"My lady—" Parker lunged toward me, but I jerked away from his outstretched hand.
"I am fine," I croaked, forcing myself upright despite my shaking legs. My knees threatened to buckle, but I locked them in place through sheer willpower. "Get him back on the bed properly. Restrain him before he injures himself."
