Their Fireheart

Chapter Forty Five

All of the men and demons she'd eviscerated in leopard form did not agree with her human stomach, apparently.

Not that he hadn't deserved it. Even Fenrys and Gavriel could barely contain their amusement with poorly disguised coughs. Cassian had insisted Rhys show Aelin that memory as soon as she woke up - certain that she would laugh until she cried.

I had a sneaking suspicion he wasn't wrong.

It wasn't long after that Rowan all but threw Lorcan out on his ass, telling the three former blood-sworn to stay out of sight until Aelin called for them if they insisted on sticking around. They'd obeyed, though none of us missed the forlorn glance Gavriel had thrown over his shoulder, his wandering eyes desperately seeking out a glimpse of the progeny that did not appear.

The three fae males were now sequestered within chambers on the opposite side of the castle, as far from Aelin's rooms as possible, with one of my shadows trailing their every move. A far different kind than the one now permanently attached to my precious mate, of course.

Lysandra had eventually stopped throwing up, and claimed a room across the hall to rest, between the rooms Aedion had claimed and the chamber where the Crown Prince and Chaol still slept. Which, after everything - the magic the Crown Prince had wielded and the injuries the Captain had been dealt - was hardly surprising.

The day had taken its toll on Aelin too. Since collapsing, she'd been asleep for well over thirteen hours, with no signs of waking anytime soon. We all knew she sorely needed it, her body recovering from the long hours of planning and the physical strain of the day - not to mention the impact of such an impressive display of magic.

But just because it was understandable didn't mean it was easy on any of us. None of it was, the waiting, the sight of her slumbering, unmoving form - as still as death. Being separated from her during the battle had been a nightmare in the first place, but considering how it all went down - the ambush in the sewers, nearly failing to take out the clocktower, the fucking glass castle being torn to smithereens with Aelin inside it - well, saying the plan went off the rails was the understatement of the century.

And I knew I wasn't the only one desperate to reassure myself that she was alive and well. To hold her close, hear her melodious voice, her tinkling laugh. To make her swear never to do anything like that ever again.

But all we could do was wait.

There was much to be done, but none of us seemed to be able to tear ourselves away from her. Instead, we lurked by her bedside like besotted vultures - only managing to take the time to scrub away most of the dirt and grime from the battle, sleeping in shifts for a scant few hours each.

In an effort to keep busy - and likely because the four of us weren't the least bit helpful - Aedion had taken the lead on the practical aspects of managing the castle, from compiling death counts to organizing the staff. Anything and everything to distract himself from the fact his cousin was not yet awake.

My shadows had never felt more like a blessing in those long hours, continuously monitoring her heartbeat, her breathing - ensuring that she was, in fact, unharmed. I had no doubt she'd have some choice words about how all four of us had our magic wrapped around her in varying degrees - from Rhysand's impenetrable shield that coated her like another layer of skin, to Cassian's various wards set to notify him of any change in her status or intruder in her rooms, and Rowan's ever-changing wall of wind and ice that kept all but her most inner court from her bedroom - but I couldn't find it in me to care.

This was what happened when she insisted on terrorizing us with her near-death experiences.

While none of us could say we were handling it well, it was Rowan who seemed to struggle the most during those long hours Aelin lay unconscious. I lost count of the number of times he insisted the healer look over her, adamant that there must be something wrong that was keeping her from waking up.