OPERATION WINTERSPINE (Strings Between Us Book 2)

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: OF WHITE CAGES, JEALOUS FLAMES, AND FRAGILE FREEDOM

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: OF WHITE CAGES, JEALOUS FLAMES, AND FRAGILE FREEDOM

RIYEE'S POV

The moment my eyes fluttered open, I already knew where I was—hospital.
The sterile scent of alcohol and faint hum of machines gave it away before I even registered the room.

Everything was white. The ceiling. The walls. The sheets pulled tight around me. Too clean. Too quiet. After the Abyss, it felt almost unreal.

And this wasn't just any hospital.
It was the Dela Vega Medical Center—KD's family hospital. Which meant I was wrapped not only in sheets, but in his control.

I don't exactly remember what happened. All I could remember was being kidnapped by Lucian—the cold bite of orichalcum cuffs, the endless whispers clawing at my mind, shadows twisting into faces that weren't there, illusions bleeding into reality. Hallucinations that made me question my own heartbeat, my own senses.

And then... nothing. Just fragments. Pain. Fear. Darkness.

Now, everything is quiet. Too quiet. My body aches in ways I can't place, every movement a reminder that I survived—but barely. For a moment, the shadow in the corner bent wrong—too sharp, too human. My pulse spiked. But when I blinked, it was just a coat stand. I forced a breath. I wasn't going to let Lucian's ghosts win.

And Xythe.

"Xythe!" I almost shouted, my throat tight and raw. My chest felt like it might explode just trying to draw in air. I remember him. I remember seeing him before I fainted.

I knew it was him—he was the one who saved me.

"Ouch!" My eyes widened when I saw KD. I hadn't even noticed him in the visitor's chair by my bed, posture perfect, aura coiled tight like a storm waiting to break.

"I was here the whole time, and the first name you say is your ex?" His voice was sharp, clipped—colder than it needed to be.

But the anger never reached his eyes. For a moment, the Ice President mask cracked; his jaw tightened, his hands twitched, and behind that glare was something else—uncertainty. Almost like a lost puppy trying to figure out how to look dangerous.

I couldn't help it. A laugh bubbled out, quiet but genuine, and I watched his composure wobble. He opened his mouth to respond, hesitated, and then just gave me this tight, almost imperceptible exhale. Like he was letting go of the tension—or maybe just letting me win this one.

He rolled his eyes, that exasperated sigh already tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Don't laugh."

"Are you jealous?" I teased, letting a little grin slip.

"I'm not," he said, sharp, but there was a hitch in his voice—the tiniest twitch in his jaw, a flicker in his eyes before he forced them away.

Classic KD: trying to be all stoic and in control while failing spectacularly.

"I'm sorry, okay?" I added, still grinning, just enough so he wouldn't storm out on me.

He looked at me, eyes narrowing for a brief second before he let out a long, heavy sigh. "You let yourself get kidnapped. You never fail to make me worry, Del Rio."

I frowned. "To be fair, I didn't want to get kidnap—"

I never finished. KD wrapped me up in his arms before I could protest, hugging me so tight I could barely breathe, but I didn't care. His chest was warm against mine, steady, grounding me after everything I'd been through. His hands were cold—always cold—but right now that chill felt like the only thing keeping me tethered.