The Avarian Chronicles: A Tear In The Veil

by K. M. Randall

  I pulled my phone out of my bag and frowned when I saw Blaine’s name on my screen. I hesitated.

  “Blaine?” dad guessed.

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you going to answer?”

  I considered rejecting the call but ended up answering it, wondering what he wanted.

  “Hello?” I said once I’d put it to my ear.

  “Ashley? Is that you?”

  “Uh… who is this?”

  Dad frowned at me.

  “It’s Fred.”

  Something in my stomach churned. Why was Fred calling me from Blaine’s phone?

  “Where’s Blaine?” I asked. “Is he okay?”

  “He’s… not good.”

  My heart began beating faster as Fred launched into an explanation.

  “We were called in for security at a tear near Reading… While they were repairing the veil, a few Impius got through. He got hit bad. He’s on his way to hospital now.”

  “Where is he?” I demanded, dropping my bag. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “He’s cut up pretty bad but they rushed him off quickly. I found his phone and his dad wasn’t answering… so I called you.”

  “Tell me where he is.”

  It felt like hours before I was finally able to see Blaine. Dad had driven me to the hospital he was at and waited with me while he was in surgery. After demanding to know what was going on, a doctor came and explained that he had several deep wounds on his chest and abdomen but they were hopeful he would make a full recovery.

  “That’s good news,” dad said, giving me a nudge. I gave a mute nod, unable to speak yet. Even though things were tense between us, the idea of him being seriously hurt scared the crap out of me. Even though I’d witnessed how formidable the Impius were first-hand, it was easy to forget how dangerous his job was.

  “He’s out of surgery but he’s still under. He won’t be awake for a while.”

  “Can I see him?” I managed to ask. The doctor seemed hesitant.

  “We’re only meant to allow family in,” he admitted. “But I’ll make an exception.”

  I glanced at dad.

  “I’ll see if I can get hold of Darren again,” he told me. “Go see him.”

  I swallowed hard and followed the doctor through the hospital to Blaine’s room. When he gestured for me to go inside first, I braced myself for whatever state he was in.

  The first thing I noticed was the tubes and wires attached to him. His blonde hair was pushed off his face and there were cuts and bruises across one side of his face. My eyes moved to his body, which was heavily bandaged.

  “How bad was it?” I asked the doctor, my throat tight.

  “Most of the wounds were superficial but two of them were quite deep. No vital organs were damaged but he’s lost a lot of blood. And he has some cracked ribs.”

  “Will he be okay?”

  “As long as there are no other complications, I expect he’ll be fine. We’ll have to keep him here for a few days regardless.”

  “He won’t like that,” I mumbled as I walked slowly into the room. I studied the machines around him. One of them was making a steady beeping sound. “When will he be awake?”

  “Not for a while yet. You’re welcome to sit with him. If there are any issues, press that button.”

  He closed the door behind me and I sat down on the chair next to the bed. His hand was lying on top of the cover so I reached out and gripped it gently, careful not to move any of the wires.

  Now I was here and knew he was okay, I relaxed a little. His jaw was swollen and there were stitches along his cheek but my eyes kept drifting to the bandages. I remembered how easily the Impius had ripped that man apart.

  The idea of Blaine having the same fate terrified me more than I wanted to admit.

  Chapter 19

  I don’t know when, but I drifted off in the chair. As much as I wanted to stay with Blaine, there wasn’t much else to do but wait and the stress of the evening had worn me out. When I was nudged awake some time later, it took me a moment to remember where I was and what had happened.

  “The doctors need to check him over,” dad said. I blinked at him then looked at Blaine again. He was still unconscious.

  “How long was I asleep?” I asked as I followed him out the room.

  “I’m not sure but you’ve been in there an hour.”

  I rubbed my eyes as we made our way back to the waiting room. My neck felt stiff after dozing in the chair. Dad led the way to a coffee machine and began pressing the buttons.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Tired,” I yawned.

  “He’s going to be okay,” he said as he placed a cup under the nozzle.

  “Did you get hold of his dad?”

  “I did. He’s on his way.”

  I really didn’t want to see Darren again. I hadn’t seen him since the night he pretty much accused me of being a slut and offered to get a doctor to check me over. I almost shuddered at the idea of talking to him again.

  We took our drinks and went to sit down. The chairs here were super uncomfortable but I leaned back anyway, warming my hands on the cup.

  “Did you want to go home?” he asked me. “We can come back in the morning.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “All I’ll do is worry until he wakes up.”

  “It might be a while yet.”

  “I’ll wait anyway. You can go if you like. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I leaned against him, letting out a sigh.

  “I take it you two patched things up in the end?” he asked.

  “I wouldn’t say that,” I admitted.

  “No?”

  “I was hoping Avaria would help me to clear my head a bit. So much for that.”

  “You can go there anytime. Once Blaine’s out and back on his feet you can go and spend some time in the realm. It will do you some good.”

  “I suppose so…”

  About twenty minutes later, Darren appeared. He spotted us and marched over.

  “Where is he?” he demanded.

  “He’s being checked over,” dad replied calmly. “He’s not awake yet.”

  “I want to see him.”

  “They’ll let you in when they’re done. Sit down, Darren. It might be a while.”

  Reluctantly, he sat down on the chair beside my father. He cast me a glance but I looked away.

  “How long have you been here?”

  “Just short of two hours.”

  “My phone was off,” Darren admitted, rubbing his chin. “When I saw all the missed calls I thought the worst.”

  They began chatting quietly about what happened. Not wanting to hear the details again, I zoned out and stared at the tiled floor.

  When the same doctor who’d taken me to see Blaine earlier stopped in front of us, I sat upright.

  “Everything looks good,” he confirmed at our expressions. “He’s awake now but he’s a bit groggy. That’s normal though.”

  “Where is he?” Darren asked, rising to his feet. “I want to see him now.”

  The doctor hesitated.

  “Actually, he asked to speak to his fiancé first.”

  Darren’s face went pale. His eyes shot to me, anger and shock clear on his face. Part of me wanted to smirk at him but I was too preoccupied with the thought of seeing Blaine to react to his expression.

  I followed the doctor to Blaine’s room again. A nurse was adjusting one of the machines when I arrived. Blaine was sat up a little more now and though his eyes were open, he looked like he was ready to fall asleep again.

  The nurse glanced at me then quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. I sat down in the chair again and met Blaine’s gaze.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked, my voice uneven.

  “Shit,” he muttered. “How do I look?”

  “Shit,” I replied. A small smile played on his lips, though one side of his mouth was too sw
ollen to move much.

  “The doctor said you’ve been here hours.”

  “Fred rang me from your phone,” I said, lowering my gaze to my hands.

  “Is he okay?”

  “Yes. Everyone else is fine and safe.”

  “I thought you were in Avaria.”

  “I was about to leave,” I shrugged a shoulder.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t,” I warned him. “You nearly died. If I’d already left…”

  I didn’t want to think about it. It would’ve been a while before I got the news of his hospitalisation if I’d been in Avaria. With no phones or internet, the main communication was letter.

  “Give me your hand.”

  I reached my hand over to his. His grip was weak but it still made my throat go tight. He ran his thumb over the engagement ring gently.

  “Why’d you ask to see me?” I mumbled. “Your dad’s pissed.”

  “My dad’s bedside manners aren’t great.” He let out a deep, dry cough. “I’d much rather see you than him.”

  A tickle on my cheek told me that one of the tears I’d been holding onto slipped down. I didn’t wipe it away, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

  “Why are you crying?” he asked, turning his head to look at me properly. I pulled my hand from his and ran my knuckles across my eyes.

  “Because I thought you were going to die!” I told him angrily.

  “I’m indestructible, Princess.”

  “You’re not. One of those monster’s ripped you open!”

  “I’m a survivor. It’ll take more than a few claws to kill me.”

  I lowered my hands, which were shaking from repressing my feelings. His dismissal of the fact he’d nearly died made me want to punch him. But more than that, I wanted to crawl onto the bed and curl up next to him.

  “I’m sorry you were worried,” he said, lifting his hand off the bed. I slid my fingers between his again. He closed his eyes.

  “I’m sorry you were hurt,” I whispered. He didn’t respond and after a few moments I figured he’d fallen asleep. Tears pricked my eyes again. Why was I crying? Sure, I had feelings for him but he was okay. He was going to be fine. I lifted our hands up to my mouth and pressed the back of his hand to my lips. I didn’t kiss it but I held it there and squeezed my eyes shut as more tears escaped.

  His fingers flexed and I froze. He gently pulled his hand free and moved it to press against my cheek. I looked back at him and saw his eyes on me, though they were half-open, as if he was trying hard to stay awake. He ran his thumb under my eye.

  “Don’t cry,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

  “Get some rest,” I told him, my voice coming out far too shaky.

  “Not until I see you smile.”

  I couldn’t bring myself to smile so I turned my face into his hand, savouring his touch. His fingers brushed through my hair, pushing it behind my ear. I could still feel tears pooling in the corners of my eyes but I forced them to stay there.

  The door opened suddenly. I jumped but Blaine didn’t move his hand.

  “Blaine, I’ve been going out of my mind,” Darren said furiously. His eyes landed on me. “I would like to speak to my son. Alone.”

  I looked back at Blaine. He glowered at his father but turned his gaze to me. His thumb brushed over my cheekbone one last time.

  “I’ll be back,” I told him quietly. When he moved his hand, the loss of his touch made me feel cold inside. I rose from the chair and walked towards the door. I felt Darren’s eyes on me until I was out the room and the door was closed.

  Even though the door was shut, I could hear his raised voice and had to clench my fists to stop myself going back in there and telling him to shut up. Why was he shouting? His son had nearly died.

  “I’ve been waiting here for ages to see you and you ask to see her instead?”

  I didn’t want to hear what else they said so I made my way back to the waiting room where my dad was sitting, his phone in his hand.

  “How is he?” he asked when he saw me, tucking his phone into his pocket. I sat down beside him.

  “He’s okay.”

  “Oh, sweetheart.” He held his arm out and I leaned against him. “I know it’s been an awful night but it’s okay. Don’t be upset.”

  “I’m fine,” I mumbled, pulling my sleeve over my hand to wipe my eyes. “It just sucks to see him like this.”

  “I know. But he’s on the mend.”

  “His dad came in and… he was awful. He started shouting at him.”

  “Some people deal with stress in… unconventional ways.”

  “His son is lying in a hospital bed! He shouldn’t be shouting at him. He should be supporting him.”

  “I agree. But it’s not our place.”

  I pulled away from him and slumped back in the chair.

  “He’s an asshole,” I muttered. Dad gave me a sideways glance.

  “You really don’t like him,” he observed. I could almost hear the question in his voice. I didn’t meet his gaze.

  “I just don’t think he cares about his son as much as he should,” I said. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him about the conversation I’d had with Darren. It would hurt him far more than it hurt me. “You’d never shout at me like that.”

  “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about his son,” he replied. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

  Chapter 20

  “Did you sleep here?”

  I sat down in the chair beside Blaine the following morning, my eyes running over his face. The swelling had gone down a lot and the bruising was already turning yellow. His skin had regained a little colour too.

  “I stayed in the hotel down the road,” I replied. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better,” he said. He was sat almost upright today. “You didn’t have to stick around.”

  “I did.”

  “You look worse than me.”

  “Trust me, I don’t.”

  He smirked a little and reached his hand out. I slid my hand into his again.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. I raised an eyebrow.

  “It should be me asking you that.”

  “We both know how I am.”

  My eyes drifted down to the bandages on his body.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “A bit. They’ve lowered my dosage of whatever miracle drug they gave me last night. I’m healing faster than they thought I would.”

  “That’s good,” I said, relieved to hear that he was healing. “How long will you be in here?”

  His face fell.

  “I’m hoping they’ll let me out tomorrow. But I’m not allowed back to work for a week at least.”

  “Good,” I said bitterly. “That’s why you’re in here.”

  He gave me a hard look.

  “My job comes with risks. I knew this might happen eventually.”

  “You could’ve died.”

  “But I didn’t.”

  I nibbled on my lip.

  “I’m sorry I ruined your plans to go to Avaria.”

  “It’s not like I can’t go another time,” I shrugged. “Avaria will always be there. Last night, I wasn’t sure you would be.”

  His face softened a little.

  “Fred didn’t know if you were going to make it,” I said, shifting in the chair a little. “He just said that… you were really hurt and that you’d been rushed to hospital. For that hour, I had no idea if you were alive or dead.”

  I said it offhandedly but that hour had been horrific. If he hadn’t survived, I wasn’t sure what I’d have done with myself. Whatever was going on between us, he meant something to me.

  “Come here.”

  He shifted over a little, giving me space to move onto the bed beside him. I hesitated before sitting down on the edge, facing him but not meeting his gaze.

  “What can I say to stop you looking so upset?” he asked, his hands resting on my arms.

  “Tell me that you wo
n’t get hurt again.”

  “I can’t promise that.”

  “Then promise me that you won’t do anything stupid that might end up killing you.”

  “I promise.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded once, unsure of what else to say. Our relationship was so complicated but the idea of losing him altogether made me feel physically sick. He pushed himself up a little more, wincing at the movement.

  “I didn’t think you’d care so much,” he admitted.

  “Of course I care,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “I know our relationship is confusing but I don’t know what I’d have done if you’d died.”

  My voice broke a little on the last word. His eyes roamed over my face as if he was searching for something. When he lifted his back way from the pillows, I stiffened.

  He drew his face close to mine, running his fingers up my arm to my shoulder.

  “Can I kiss you?”

  I had no idea why he was asking permission but it made my heartrate pick up. He didn’t close the distance between our faces, waiting for my answer. Instead of giving him one, I just kissed him.

  His lips moved gently against mine, not like the kiss we’d shared at the fundraiser. This was… sweet, almost loving. I imagined it hurt him to move his lips too much but that didn’t change the way his lips felt on mine and what it was doing to my heart. His hand found its way to the back of my neck, holding me close to him.

  When I drew my lips back, he kept his hand there.

  “When I woke up,” he said quietly, his eyes dipping down to my lips again, “I asked the doctor if you were here.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you were the only person I wanted to see.”

  “Should I be flattered?”

  He smirked.

  “You should be honoured.”

  I lifted my hand up to his face and ran my fingers gently over the bruising.

  “Your dad wasn’t happy when the doctor told me I could see you first.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  I frowned slightly.

  “I heard him shouting at you.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “Not much. I didn’t really want to listen.”