Chains of Silver (Alchemy Empire Book 1)

Chapter 33

Only one more chapter to go! Dedicated to Divine_Dragon. 

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Consciousness crept back to me in tiny details: the feel of coarse fabric against my toes, softness under my back. A warm weight on my chest.

A dull ache in my head.

I struggled to open my eyes. Groaned.

The weight lifted. 

I opened my eyes, and Nadine’s gentle, weary face filled my vision. She must have been resting her head on my chest. 

“Claire,” she breathed, her eyes shining. She kissed my forehead. “Thank God.”

“My head…” I murmured. 

A second woman joined Nadine. It took me a moment to recall her. “Hello, Auntie Lu.”

She smiled at me. “Head ache?”

“Awful,” I rasped. 

“Effect of the drug, I expect, and a nasty concussion,” she said. “Allow me.” 

Nadine pushed her chair back from the bed I was lying on to make room for Lucy. 

“What…drug?” It seemed I should know what she was talking about, but I couldn’t quite figure it out. My eyes drifted shut again. Too much work to keep them open.

“Don’t worry about that right now, my dear,” Lucy said, putting her warm hands on either side of my head. “Just relax.”

A pleasant tingle of magic flowed into my scalp, seeping deeper into the center of the pain. The ache intensified for a moment, then melted away.

“Thank you,” I said when she was finished.

Nadine offered me a glass of water, and I savored its coolness on my parched throat. 

I tried to look around, but my vision was a little blurry. “Where are we?”

“At my house,” Lucy said. 

“Do I want to know why?”

She gave me a tiny smile as she headed for the door of the room. I heard her speak to someone outside. She returned—followed by Thea and Raymond.

A fierce joy bloomed in me when I saw them. Nadine gave up her chair, and Raymond took it. Thea sat on the edge of the bed. 

She threw herself down on me, gripping my shoulders. I felt her shaking, and heard the muffled sound of her crying. 

I wrapped my arms around her, my thoughts still unfocused and fuzzy.

Raymond looked like he hadn’t slept in days. But he smiled down at me and smoothed my hair back from my face in gentle, slow movements. 

“You had us a little worried,” he said.

I blinked some more, trying to clear my vision.

Standing in the doorway was Dietrich. My heart leapt at his darkly beautiful face. But when I smiled at him, he looked away from me, his expression troubled. 

I had to concentrate. Had to remember.

At first, my memories were nothing but a gray haze. Gradually, bits and pieces flashed in snatches of vivid color. 

The play.

Backstage.

The lift.

The catwalk.