Chapter 203: Would you have stayed

Azura’s POV

I sat quietly by the edge of the bed, my eyes fixed on Torin.

The room was incredibly still, save for the slow, rhythmic sound of his chest rising and falling.

His bruised face was already healing at a remarkable speed.

The deep purple and angry blue marks staining his jawline were finally fading, leaving just a little bit of discoloration behind before it would be completely gone.

His eyes remained tightly closed under the dim light.

He was still entirely unconscious, but his breathing was steady and calm. He was alive.

But even with the relief washing over me, a heavy weight sat deep in my stomach.

The image of her hardened face and glowing blue pearl kept replaying in my mind.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it, no matter how hard I tried to clear my mind.

A deep, low voice suddenly broke through the heavy silence of my thoughts.

"Why would you go out without informing me?" Rhydor asked, stepping out from the shadows near the doorway.

I did not turn my head to look at him. My eyes stayed glued to the pale skin of Torin’s face, my fingers tightly gripping the fabric of my skirt.

"You are not my father," I replied, my tone completely flat and dry.

"If I want to leave, I leave. If I want to come back at midnight, I do whatever I want to do."

Rhydor let out a sharp, frustrated breath, his heavy footsteps crossing the wooden floor until he stood right beside me.

"At least let me know where you are going. Or if someone dangerous is out there."

I finally tore my gaze away from the bed and turned to look up at him, my jaw tightening.

"Oh, so you do know your ex-girlfriend is dangerous."

Rhydor blinked, a sudden look of confusion crossing his rugged features.

"I do not know if Isadora is a dangerous person. But ever since we came back from the Dragon clan, I have noticed she has been off."

"So you know her that well to know that she is not Isadora?" I asked, my voice growing significantly sharper as I challenged him.

Rhydor lifted his hands quickly, shaking his head.

"No. That is not what I meant. I am not saying I know her that much."

"Save it," I said, cutting him off before he could scramble for another excuse. "I do not want to hear it."

I turned my back on him, focusing all my attention right back onto Torin’s quiet form.

Rhydor went completely quiet for a long moment, the tension thick between us.

He shifted his weight, his amber eyes dropping down to look at the unconscious man lying on the mattress.

"What happened to him?" Rhydor asked, his voice much more careful this time.

I did not answer him at first. I just stared at Torin’s swollen lip, and then the sheer absurdity of the memory hit me.

Amanda beating Torin. A literal sorcerer, a man who could throw deadly magic right out of his bare hands, had been thoroughly physically overpowered by her.

A sudden smile forced its way onto my face. I squeezed my lips together, trying my absolute best to hold the amusement back, but I failed.

"He got beaten by a five-year-old," I said, a soft chuckle slipping out of my throat.

Rhydor’s expression hardened into something entirely serious.

"Come on. I am not playing right now."

"I mean it," I insisted, the chuckling growing wider as I shook my head. "He got beaten by a five-year-old."

Rhydor frowned, looking at me like I had completely lost my mind.

"You mean a little girl beat him up?"

I nodded quickly, my eyes bright with a mix of humor and lingering shock.

"Not literally a little girl. Amanda."

The second the name left my mouth, Rhydor’s entire expression changed.

The skepticism completely vanished, and all the humor left his face in an instant.

"You saw Amanda?" Rhydor asked, his voice dropping into a dark, intense whisper.

"Yes," I said, my laughter dying out as my tone sobered up. "But she is not a little girl anymore. Still, she beat him up."

"Where is she now?" he asked, his expression serious.

"She escaped," I said simply.

Rhydor turned his head back to look down at Torin. A slow, wicked grin began to spread across his face, his amber eyes lighting up with pure mischief.

"I cannot wait for him to wake up," Rhydor murmured, his grin widening into a full smirk.

"He loves teasing people so much. I am going to haunt him with this information for the rest of his natural life."

The tiny bit of joy left my chest, and my brief laugh completely died out as the reality of our situation settled back into my bones.

Amanda was gone, and we were still left with nothing but questions.

Rhydor noticed the sudden shift in my mood. His eyes drifted down to my hands, and his brow furrowed in deep curiosity.

"What is that on your wrist?"

I lifted my right hand between us, turning my arm over so the light could hit the cold metal.

I looked down at the bangle. The heavy silver bangle that had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere during the heat of the battle, saving my life before transforming.

"Are they not beautiful?" I asked softly, tracing the dark metal with my opposite thumb.

Rhydor stepped closer, his eyes studying the strange piece of jewelry with extreme caution.

"Only if I know they are safe. For now, they are not. What are they even for?"

"They are part of me," I replied, my voice completely calm and certain.

"Just like those heavy axes are part of you."

Rhydor’s frown deepened.

"The axes are not part of me. They are just my favorite weapon."

I smiled up at him, a playful glint returning to my eyes.

"Yeah. Just like the axes are your favorite weapon, this is also my favorite weapon."

Rhydor let out a short, disbelieving huff.

"That is just a simple bangle, Azura."

I didn’t argue with him. Instead, I gave my hand a sharp, sudden fling in the empty air between us.

The silver bangle left my wrist in a blur. It moved swiftly down to my fingers, the metal shifting and expanding rapidly.

Within a fraction of a second, it completely transformed into a deadly ring blade.

Brilliant blue flames flickered fiercely along its sharp edge, lighting up the dim room with an eerie glow.

Rhydor’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he stepped back a full foot.

"What just happened?" he gasped, completely stunned.

I looked at his shocked face and let my lips curve into a playful smirk.

"You should be careful around me. I might accidentally cut you."

Rhydor didn’t take his eyes off the weapon, his muscles locked tight.

"Oh, I will be careful."

He stared at my hand for a long time, watching the blue fire dance on the blade.

Then his gaze drifted to the sharp metal, and finally right back up to my face.

"Does my mother know about this?" Rhydor asked quietly.

I shook my head slowly, letting the ring blade snap back into its harmless bangle form around my wrist.

"No. I just want to let her be with her mate for a while."

I paused, thinking about how happy Genevieve had looked when they were finally reunited.

"It seems like your father craves your mother a lot," I continued, a soft sigh escaping me.

"So let us just let them have their peace for now. But I will definitely tell her about everything later."

Rhydor nodded in agreement, finally relaxing his stiff shoulders.

He looked back over at the bed, staring down at Torin’s unmoving body.

"You can go stay with Isadora," Rhydor suggested, his tone shifting into something more authoritative.

"I will stay right here and watch Torin. When he finally wakes up, I will come let you know immediately."

"No," I said, my voice firm and completely unyielding.

"I am not leaving him. He threw himself in front of an arrow to protect me. So I am going to stay right here until he opens his eyes. You go to your woman."

Rhydor turned his head back to me. The playful, mocking look was entirely gone from his face.

His intense amber eyes locked onto mine, holding my gaze so tightly that I could not look away if I tried.

"You are my woman," Rhydor muttered.

The words hit the quiet air like a heavy stone. I did not reply to that statement, and I forced my facial expression to remain completely blank.

I absolutely refused to give him a reaction, even as my heart gave a sudden, traitorous thud against my ribs.

Rhydor took a slow step closer to my side, his voice dropping into a soft, vulnerable register that I had never heard from him before.

"If I were in his position," Rhydor whispered, his eyes searching mine with a deep, aching intensity.

"Would you have stayed for me?"

I opened my mouth to shoot back a sharp reply, but absolutely nothing came out.

My throat felt completely dry, and my mind went entirely blank under the weight of his question.

I quietly closed my mouth, lowering my gaze back down to my lap.

The heavy question hung in the quiet air between us, completely unanswered.

Would I have stayed?