Chapter 129 - A New Dawn, Lingering Shadows

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, warming my face as I sat by Alaric's bedside. A week had passed since that terrifying night when he'd sacrificed his ancestral power to break the dark covenant. Though the castle's physician assured me he would recover fully, my heart still clenched whenever I looked at his pale face against the pillows.

"You're staring again," Alaric murmured, his eyes still closed.

I smiled, reaching for his hand. "I thought you were asleep."

"Hard to sleep with you watching me like I might disappear." His fingers laced through mine, weaker than before but still warm and solid.

"Can you blame me? You nearly did." I couldn't keep the accusation from my voice.

Alaric's eyes opened then, no longer carrying that strange otherworldly shadow that had always lingered there. They were simply his eyes now – warm brown, tired, but clear.

"I'd do it again." He tried to sit up, wincing slightly.