Chapter 166: Caught in The Same Bed

Elara:

"Jasper...!"

My eyes flew open as Jasper’s name escaped my lips in a painful, desperate gasp.

For one terrifying second, I had no idea where I was or what had happened, only that something inside me was screaming his name, but before the panic could completely take over, strong arms tightened around my waist and pulled me carefully back against the mattress.

"Jasper is alright," a familiar voice whispered directly beside my ear. "He’s alright, Argentis. Stop trying to move."

My breathing stuttered as Reign’s words finally pierced through the fog clouding my mind. I turned my head toward the entrance of the room, and that’s when I noticed another hospital bed positioned not far from the doorway. The curtains had been pulled around it, shielding the person sleeping there from the bright sunlight streaming through the windows, but the silhouette behind those curtains was unmistakable.

My heart clenched. Jasper. He was here. In the same room as me. Out of the operating theatre. Alive. My brain slowly pieced together what that meant, but I couldn’t make myself fully trust the conclusion until Reign spoke again.

"His operation ended two hours ago," he told me quietly. "The doctors said he’s no longer in danger. He lost a lot of blood and his injuries were severe, but he fought just as hard as they fought to save him. Apparently, that stubborn knight of your’s has no intention of leaving you anytime soon."

A tiny breath escaped my lips.

Reign’s voice softened as he added, "He wanted to come back, Princess. And he did. He’s safe now. He’s sleeping."

I closed my eyes again and inhaled deeply, allowing those words to sink into every exhausted part of me. Jasper was safe. He was alive. He had survived.

Only then did I begin putting the pieces of the previous day together. The accident had happened late yesterday afternoon. I had finally allowed the doctors to admit me at around eight in the evening, which meant the bright sunlight filtering through the open window could only mean one thing. Morning had come and I had slept through the entire night.

The realization should have surprised me, considering how terrified I had been of closing my eyes while Jasper remained in surgery, but instead an immense sense of relief washed through me. My body felt strangely different too. The unbearable agony that had consumed me before I’d collapsed was gone, replaced by a dull soreness scattered throughout my body. My shoulder still ached, my ribs protested faintly whenever I breathed too deeply, and my hand felt heavy beneath its support, but compared to yesterday, it almost felt like nothing.

I shifted slightly, testing my body, and then finally registered the second thing my exhausted brain had somehow ignored until that moment. There were strong arms wrapped securely around my waist, and a considerable amount of warmth pressed against my right side.

My eyes snapped open.

Slowly, I turned my head, and the first thing I saw was a familiar pair of blue eyes staring directly back at me. Reign Valemont was lying on his side in my hospital bed, close enough that I could feel every breath he took. One arm was wrapped around my waist, his body pressed carefully against my uninjured side, while his other arm was bent beneath his head. And suddenly, I became painfully aware of the strange tingles spreading across every inch of skin where he touched me.

His hand rested against my waist. His arm brushed my side. His chest was almost against my shoulder. There was far too much of him touching far too much of me.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What exactly are you doing in my bed?" I demanded, attempting to sound stern. Unfortunately, what came out was little more than a soft rasp, utterly destroying the effect I had been aiming for.

Reign’s mouth twitched upward. He scoffed as though I had just accused him of some unforgivable crime before lifting one hand to support his head and looking down at me from a higher angle. "You are really asking me that?" he murmured. "After spending half the night crying all over me and refusing to let go?"

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"I should be asking you that question," he continued, completely shameless. "You were the one clinging to me like your life depended on it."

I stared at him in utter disbelief. The audacity of this man was genuinely impressive. "Who was crying?" I demanded, my voice thankfully sounding much stronger now. "Because unless my memory has suddenly failed me, I distinctly remember you throwing your arms around me and hugging me. Not the other way around."

Reign’s expression changed instantly. He glared at me, but there was no real hostility behind it, only the faintest hint of wounded pride mixed with amusement. "You really woke up with enough energy to start arguing with me again." He let out a slow sigh before shaking his head. "I suppose I should have expected it."

His gaze moved briefly over my face, checking me in a way that made his expression soften for half a second before the familiar arrogance returned. "But I’m glad you are feeling better. Apparently, you have enough strength now to bite the hand that kept you alive through the night."

I opened my mouth to argue, but another familiar voice suddenly came from somewhere behind us. "What exactly are you two doing?"

My entire body went rigid. Lorien stood by the entrance of the private room, and right behind him were Kairo, Esme, Alaric, and a group of doctors.

My eyes widened, and panic shot through me with such force that I didn’t even think. They were going to see me lying in the bed with Reign Valemont wrapped around me. And they might end up misunderstanding. There was absolutely no explanation in existence that could make this look normal. So I did the only reasonable thing my half-awake, heavily exhausted brain could come up with.

I kicked Reign straight off the bed.