WILLA

The scent of antiseptic and bleach hit my nose all at once, dragging me out of my daze.

"Kol," I breathed, my heart still hammering wildly in my chest.

"Are you alri—"

I cut him off, surging upward from the infirmary bed and throwing my arms around his neck in a desperate hug. The sudden movement nearly dragged him down on top of me.

"Whoa," he murmured, catching his balance just in time.

His strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me fully up against his chest and lifting me slightly off the mattress.

"Are you alright?" Kol whispered against my hair, his voice thick with worry.

I shook my head, unable to lie.

Nyra had pulled me from the lake’s depths, but the nightmare still clung to me — the girl who looked exactly like me, the silver chains, the spear, the crushing hands around my throat. Even though it was just a dream, it had felt terrifyingly real.

I could still feel the phantom pain blooming at the back of my skull. The girl’s agony. The terror etched across her face.

A choked sob escaped me. I sniffed hard as fresh tears burned my eyes and spilled down my cheeks, sliding salty into the corner of my mouth.

"Are you crying?" Kol asked softly.

I shook my head again, biting down hard on my lower lip.

"Elyse," he murmured.

I couldn’t answer. The thick lump in my throat made it impossible. Kol gently pulled back from the embrace, studying my face.

His brows drew together in a deep frown.

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," I sniffled, wiping at my wet cheeks with the back of my hand. But more tears came anyway.

He gripped my shoulders, searching my eyes like he could pull the truth out of me. After a moment, he seemed to think better of it and drew me back into his arms.

"I’m sorry," he said, one large hand stroking slowly through my hair. The warmth from his palm seeped into my scalp and spread across my face, soothing and steady.

"Why are you apologizing?" I asked, voice finally breaking through.

Kol sighed, his broad shoulders rising and falling against me. "I should have fought harder. I shouldn’t have let him throw you into the water."

My chest squeezed painfully. But the tears finally slowed.

"Blame me," he said quietly.

"No." I clutched his shirt tighter in my fists.

"Please do," he urged, pulling back just enough to look at me again, my hands still fisted in the fabric.

I looked away from Kol’s sincere gaze, letting my eyes drift around the sterile hospital room until they landed on the steady green numbers of the bedside monitor.

It was my fault anyway. I should have fought harder instead of just accepting my fate in that freezing water.

"Else, I won’t forgive myself, Elyse," Kol said. "What happened showed how fucking incompetent I was... how unprepared I am for the real world..."

"It’s not your fault." I cut him off.

"It is," he insisted through gritted teeth. "I watched him do it. I saw everything, and I still tried to convince myself I was imagining it..."

I let out a shaky breath.

"Punish me," he urged.

I scoffed. Why would I want to punish him?

My mind wandered, imagining Dash standing right in front of me instead. It would be so much easier to direct the blame at someone.

"Look at me," Kol said, his fingers gently catching my chin.

He tilted my face up until our eyes met again.

"It’s Dash," I told him. "You don’t have to apologize for him."

Kol let out a short, bitter snort. "I’m not apologizing on that idiot’s behalf. I’m taking full responsibility for my own inaction."

Still, I saw no reason for him to carry that weight. I let my hands slip from his shirt and stepped out of his embrace, though I stayed close. "Kol..."

The door burst open before I could finish.

Lance, Eric, and Elliott strode in without hesitation. They rushed me at the same time, enveloping me in a bone crushing group hug.

Mind you, all three were well over six feet tall!

Their combined scents hit me all at once. Heat radiated from their bodies, flooding into mine. I flushed and shoved against Eric’s chest, but he didn’t budge an inch.

This was the most I’d ever been hugged in my life. At Ridgewood, no one would even consider touching me without feeling revolted.

But here, the boys held me like I was something precious.

I couldn’t deny how good it felt — the warmth, the attention, the solid reassurance from each of them. But right now, I desperately needed air.

"Guys..." I groaned, shoving harder against their chests.

"Give her some breathing space," Kol grunted. He caught my hand and pulled me back against him, one arm sliding possessively around my waist.

My face burned. Eric’s eyes narrowed, tracking Kol’s hand on my hip. He didn’t say anything, but his jaw tightened as his gaze returned to my face.

I looked away, guilt twisting in my stomach. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I shouldn’t feel like I was cheating on any of them. Yet somehow, they always managed to make me feel that way.

"Are you alright?" Lance’s voice broke through the tension. "Do we need to call the doctor? And why the hell are you out of bed?" He pointed sharply from the mattress to me. "You should be resting!"

"Yeah," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "If I wasn’t fine, I’d probably still be lying there."

Lance scowled.

"I’m fine," I repeated. "It’s just..."

The door flew open again. Verah.

"Where is my best friend?!" She screeched, even though I was standing right in front of her.

"Geez," I winced.

"Elyseeee," Verah bawled, arms flung wide open.

I let out a soft laugh and shook my head at her dramatics. Her mascara was streaking down her cheeks in black rivers, and snot was freely flowing from her nose, but she didn’t seem to care.

Kol released me, and I stepped into her waiting arms.

I hugged her back just as tightly, realizing I was the one who needed the comfort more than she did.

"I really scared you, didn’t I?"

"I thought you died!" she wailed, voice cracking.