The Risen | ✅

Chapter Twenty-Five

I opened my mouth to speak, but Dorian suddenly stopped in front of a door and held out a hand. "Your boyfriend should be right in there." He said simply.

I looked at Dorian, then the door, then at Dorian again.

Dorian rolled his eyes. "Oh please!" He groaned. He turned the knob and opened the door, practically shoving me inside. "I'll send Hira to escort you out when you're finished." Before I could respond, Dorian shut the door.

I looked behind me to see Alex lying on the medical bed, sleeping soundly. My heart ached as I saw how bandaged up his face was. This was my fault.

I walked over and reached my hand out to caress Alex's cheek with my thumb. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and flashed red. I squealed and jumped back, holding up my hands, preparing to summon a force field.

"Alex, calm down it's me, Circe! Okay, it's me!"

Alex's once frantic red eyes began to soften as he saw his surroundings. Then his eyes landed on my face. "Are we...Are we home?" He croaked hopefully.

My heart broke at the soft sound of his voice. He was scared. He wasn't going to bother hiding it now. There was no point.

I sat down in a chair beside the bed and held his hand. I shook my head softly and Alex's once bright eyes dimmed again. I saw his eyes water before he shut them tightly to subdue the tears.

In an attempt to calm him down, I ran my fingers through his untamed black locks. He laid his head down on my shoulder and suddenly I was back in the woods all those months ago. It was just him and I.

"I'm sorry..." He said suddenly. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough. It's all my fault. We're stuck here and it's all because of me, and-"

"Hey!" I said, suddenly cutting him off. "This is not your fault, do you understand? You didn't do anything wrong. I got you to come here. This is my fault. So don't blame yourself, okay?"

He looked up at my with his red rimmed eyes and he nodded. Alex truly tried to act tough, but I know that deep inside he was scared. He was probably more scared than any of us. He'd experienced loss first hand before and he didn't want to feel it again.

"So," He began, "You took Dorian's deal, huh?"

I nodded. "It was the only way, Alex."

He nodded. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." I answered. I grew a small smile. "You've seen better days though."

Alex smiled and shoved me gently."Oh shut up."

We laughed for a bit and for a moment, everything was normal. But it was just a fleeting moment.

Hira banged on the door roughly. "You two done in there?" She asked, irritation evident in her voice.

Alex looked over at me. "Want me to come with you?" He asked.

"No. It's fine." I said. I held out my arms and he hugged me tightly.

"I hope you know what you're doing." He whispered.

'So do I', I thought. I smiled at him softly and opened the door, Hira's ice cold eyes staring me down menacingly.

"Let's go." Was all she said.