Love me in the Shadows of Our Memories (🇬🇧)

Chapter 18 - Between fleeting moments

Between a fleeting glance and a kiss,

There lies a brief moment.

It is so quiet, yet so magical.

It is so intense and full of anticipation.

A moment,

That brings us closer

And then,

When it ends,

Something new begins.

Magnus

Magnus felt as if someone had slammed his head against a wall and sanded it from the inside with sandpaper. With a groan on his lips, he opened his eyes. In the first moment, he only saw five shadowy figures hovering above him. The light behind them stabbed into his brain like small daggers through his eyes. Magnus brought his hands to his face to shield himself from the piercing light. Someone called his name. He knew that voice. It was his alpha's.

"Magnus, can you hear me?" Alec asked again.

"I'm okay," he called out, waving a hand through the air while still keeping the other in front of his eyes.

"No injuries. I'm okay."

Someone—was it Alec?—helped him into a sitting position. Magnus felt like his stomach was somersaulting multiple times.

"Or maybe not," he groaned. "Bucket."

A container was held in front of his face. Just in time. God, he felt so crappy. He only vaguely registered how his brain took stock of his condition. Concussion, he thought. Definitely a concussion.

Izzy took the bucket from him and disposed of its contents in the chemical toilet, which was located behind the driver's cabin in a small, enclosed area. Andrew handed him a bottle of water, and Magnus took a few sips, rinsing the unpleasant taste from his mouth.

"Do we have the antibiotics?" Magnus asked.

"Yes," Jace said with a grin, lifting the backpack.

Magnus let out a relieved sigh.

"Is everyone unharmed?" he continued.

Alec jumped to his feet at his words, snorting angrily, and turned his back to them. Magnus blinked in confusion at the reaction.

"No one injured," Andrew finally answered his question. "Except..."

"You!" Alec exclaimed angrily, spinning around.

Magnus watched as Alec clenched his fists repeatedly, struggling for composure. The smell of charred wood hit Magnus' nose, indicating that Alec was pretty furious. Magnus observed a wave of various emotions rolling across Alec's face. Concern, desperation, and anger were the most prominent.

"Why did you do that?" Alec asked, upset.

Magnus hesitated.

"Why did I do what?" he asked back. He had barely spoken the words when he realized what Alec meant.

"You mean, why did I save your life?" Magnus asked with disbelief in his voice. He struggled to get to his feet and would have almost tumbled over if Garrett hadn't grabbed his arm and stabilized his stance. The world spun as if he were sitting in a carousel, and his head felt like someone was inside, hitting his skull with a jackhammer.

"The forsaken could have killed you," Magnus said, fighting against dizziness. His words brought back the images to his consciousness: the forsaken charging at Alec with a mighty leap, raising a hand as if to rip Alec's head from his shoulders.