Awakening to Magic and a Painful Snub

Sinking deeper into the warm bath, I closed my eyes and savored the sensation of being clean after apparently spending six weeks in a hospital bed. My mind was still reeling from the news. Six weeks. Gone. Just like that. But here I was, awake and alive, even if my muscles felt like they belonged to someone else entirely.

I ran my hands over my legs, grimacing at the stubble. Great. Six weeks of unconsciousness and no one had thought to shave my legs. Not that it should matter, but something so mundane made me feel more human again.

"I wish all this body hair would just disappear," I muttered, dragging my fingers along my calf.

A warm tingling sensation spread across my skin, starting where my fingers touched and radiating outward. I watched in shock as the hair on my legs literally vanished before my eyes, leaving nothing but smooth skin behind.

"What the—" I yelped, jerking upright so quickly that water sloshed over the edge of the tub.

The bathroom door burst open with a bang. Kaelen appeared first, his expression fierce and ready for battle, followed immediately by my other four bonds. They crowded into the small space, eyes wild with concern.

"What happened?" Kaelen demanded, scanning the room for threats.

I stared at them, suddenly very aware of my nakedness beneath the water. "I... um..."

Rhys was already rolling up his sleeves, ready to pull me from the water. "Are you hurt?"

"No! No, I'm fine," I said quickly, trying to sink lower while keeping my head above water. "I just... something weird happened."

"Define weird," Jaxon growled, his eyes still darting around the bathroom as if expecting an attacker to materialize from the tiles.

I held up one leg, keeping the rest of me submerged. "I wished my leg hair would disappear, and it... did. Just like that. All of it."

Five pairs of eyes stared at my smooth leg.

Silas pushed his glasses up his nose, leaning in for a closer look. "Fascinating. A manifestation of your magic responding directly to your desire."

Kaelen's posture relaxed slightly. "Your powers are evolving. This is to be expected given your unique... situation."

"So I'm not dying or anything?" I asked.

"No," Kaelen replied, his lips twitching in what might have been the ghost of a smile. "Though perhaps next time, try not to sound so alarmed when discovering a new ability. We thought you were being attacked."

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "Sorry for the false alarm."

Jaxon made a dismissive noise and turned away. "I'll be outside."

Kaelen glanced between Jaxon's retreating back and me. "As will I," he said formally, following Jaxon out.

Lyra appeared in the doorway, hands on her hips. "Okay, out! All of you! The poor girl needs privacy!"

Silas, still examining my leg with scholarly interest, shook his head. "We'll take care of her. You can go."

Lyra looked ready to argue, but something in Silas's expression made her sigh dramatically. "Fine. But don't tire her out."

After she left, I gave the remaining three men a pointed look. "Um, guys? I'd like to get out now."

Rhys grinned and reached for a towel. "That's the idea, beautiful."

Before I could protest, he'd scooped me from the water, wrapping the towel around me in one smooth motion. My weakened muscles couldn't have managed it alone, but his casual display of strength still made me blush.

As Rhys set me on my feet, steadying me with his hands, his expression changed from playful to intense. Without warning, he pulled me against his chest, burying his face in my damp hair.

"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, voice cracking. "Six weeks of watching you lie there, not knowing if you'd ever wake up..."

I felt his tears against my scalp and wrapped my arms around him, startled by the depth of his emotion. For me, it felt like I'd just seen them all yesterday, but for them, it had been weeks of uncertainty and fear.

Silas stepped forward next, gently taking me from Rhys's arms and holding me like I might shatter. "I read to you every day," he said softly, his fingers tracing my face as if memorizing it. "Medical journals, mostly. I thought... if your brain was still active, maybe you'd find it interesting." His smile was wobbly. "I think I've memorized every article on head trauma published in the last decade."

When Ronan stepped forward, I was shocked to see tears flowing freely down his cheeks. This was the man who could turn into a battle-ready beast, yet here he was, crying openly as he enfolded me in his strong arms.

"You're really back," he murmured against my temple. "You're really here."

I nodded against his chest, suddenly overwhelmed by their reactions. To me, no time had passed. To them, it had been an eternity of waiting and hoping.

"I need to get dressed," I finally said, my voice muffled against Ronan's shirt.

They reluctantly left me alone, though Ronan lingered at the door. "Call if you need help. I mean it, Hazel."

After dressing in comfortable clothes someone had left for me, I sat on the edge of the bed, my thoughts drifting to the two bonds who hadn't stayed—Kaelen and Jaxon. While the others had been openly emotional, those two had withdrawn almost immediately.

Then a memory surfaced—a fragment from the darkness of my unconsciousness. Jaxon's voice, raw with desperation: "Don't you fucking die on me, Hazel! Lyra, do something, please. She can't die!"

The anguish in his remembered voice didn't match his cold departure minutes ago. Before I could overthink it, I stood on shaky legs and made my way to the door. I needed to see him.

I found my bonds in the hallway outside my room. Rhys, Silas, and Ronan were talking quietly together, while Jaxon stood apart, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Kaelen was speaking to him in hushed tones.

When they noticed me, conversation ceased. Jaxon straightened, his expression shuttering closed.

"You should be resting," Kaelen said, his tone professionally concerned rather than personally worried.

I ignored him, walking unsteadily toward Jaxon. The memory of his desperate pleas while I was unconscious drove me forward. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my face against his chest.

"Thank you for caring," I whispered.

But instead of returning my embrace, Jaxon went rigid. His arms remained firmly at his sides, his body tense as steel.

"Jax..." Rhys's voice held a warning.

"Get her off me," Jaxon said flatly.

I froze, the rejection hitting me like a physical blow. I started to pull back, confusion and hurt washing over me.

"Now," Jaxon added, his voice dangerously low.

Rhys was beside me instantly, gently pulling me away. "Come on, beautiful. Let's get you back to bed."

I stared up at Jaxon's face, searching for any hint of the man who had begged for my life, but found only cold detachment. Without another word, he turned and stalked away, shoulders rigid with tension.

"What did I do?" I asked, my voice small.

Kaelen watched Jaxon's retreating figure with an unreadable expression. When his eyes met mine, I was surprised to see something like sympathy there.

"It's not you, Miss Thorne," he said softly. Then he turned and followed after Jaxon, leaving me staring after them both, confused and hurt by a rejection I couldn't understand.