86: Ada's POV

Darius had compromised, which was just fine with me. He had arranged for Adrian and me to walk through the gardens while he took a meeting on the veranda, where he could see us, but where we would have privacy. I think he’d assumed I needed to be able to talk to a friend and hadn’t questioned it much.

Which is how I found myself walking arm in arm with Adrian through the gardens again. The early afternoon sunlight cascaded through the hedges and flowers, making everything glow. I had plastered a smile on my face as Adrian had asked me about which flowers were my favorite and had made other small talk. It was almost easy to forget we were being watched, and we somewhat felt like we were normal wolves. Okay, maybe not *normal*. More like the ones you read about in novels that courted each other.

We approached the tall hedges at the back of the gardens. It would take us about thirty seconds to get beyond those hedges, but then our backs would be to Darius for the rest of the path we were on. As my heeled boots clicked against the stone path, Adrian tapped my arm. We were behind the hedges.

“Did you sort everything out?” I asked quietly. Adrian nodded, blonde hair glowing golden in the sunlight. “Alright. When?”

“Tonight,” he whispered back, slowing his pace.

I shook my head and pulled him along. We got to the other side of the hedges in forty-five seconds. I turned to look at Darius. His eyes were tracking us. With a quick wave, I turned my back to him again. Adrian kept pace with me, our legs moving in tandem. We remained silent for a few moments, looking at the bugs and flowers as we passed.

“At the place we discussed?” I asked with a smile, playfully shoving his arm.

He feigned rubbing his arm where I’d shoved him and gave a small laugh. His eyes darted nervously around us as he nodded. After a few beats, Adrian looped his arm back through mine. He risked reaching up with his other one and trying to lace our fingers together. I let him, a pang of guilt piercing my stomach. Adrian deserved better than what I could give him, and I knew that. I just couldn’t risk staying here with the Princes. I’d try my best to be what he needed. I would.

“Ada,” Adrian cleared his throat, “I know that you won’t tell me what’s going on. Can you at least tell me if you’re planning to reject them before—”

Blinding pain shot through my left side. A scream, high-pitched and full-bodied, escaped from between my lips as I clutched at it. Dizziness made me stumble, and my vision blurred. Adrian tried to grab me, and I shoved him away as I stumbled. Confusion filled my mind for a brief moment until I felt it. The bond with Phoenix had reappeared. It was weak, but present. And what I was feeling wasn’t my own pain, but his. My feet felt scorched and like I was walking on razor blades.

Tears spilled from my eyes as I blindly scrambled forward. For a second, my vision blurred around the edges. I had to stop the pain. I was going to pass out if I didn’t. With great effort, I pushed a wall against the bond. It dulled the pain being sent through just enough for me to be able to look around. He had to be close. With the bond back, and for the feelings being sent to me to be so strong despite that bond feeling strained... he just had to be.

At the edge of the gardens, just beside the gate, I could see him. Really, I could see his fiery-golden hair. I didn’t wait to see who was around and who was following. My body projected forward, running toward Phoenix. When I was about ten feet from him, Phoenix’s peppermint eyes found mine. He smiled weakly. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. His knees hit the stone pathway just as I reached him.

I half-caught-half-fell with him. I laid his body down as gently as I could, giving him a once-over. He had scratches all over his face and gashes on his body. His clothes were practically in tatters, and he didn’t have any shoes on. Nothing seemed to be healing. Blood was smeared all over him from head to toe.

Adrian was beside me, kneeling and saying something I couldn’t make out. Tears pricked my eyes as I stared at Phoenix. Was he breathing? What was happening to him? Why wasn’t he healing? A hot tear fell from my cheek and onto his. I opened up the bonds to Nik and Darius. *Please, help. Please. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Hurry.*

Neither of them responded. Darius had to be here soon. He’d been *right there* on the veranda overlooking the garden. He had to have seen me running off and away from Adrian. They both had to know that something was wrong. There’s no way they hadn’t felt what I did when the bond came back. I sniffled and wiped my nose with the back of my hand. Adrian was talking to me gently, tearing Phoenix’s shirt open.

His voice slowly came back into focus, “—hind you, Ada. That’s yarrow. It’ll help the bleeding.”

I blinked at him several times before processing his words. In a fluid motion, I turned, grabbed a handful of the yarrow he was asking for, and spun back around to hand it to him. Adrian crushed the leaves in his hands and began packing some of the deeper wounds on Phoenix’s chest. I held onto Phoenix’s hands, tears falling.

The entire time he was working, Adrian was talking to me, “It’s going to be alright, Ada. Prince Phoenix will be okay, you don’t need to worry.”

Feet were pounding against the ground behind us. Darius skidded against the stone ground, sliding into a sitting position beside me. He worked in tandem with Adrian wordlessly, grabbing more yarrow to pack into oozing wounds. Nik was next to appear, with the doctor who had done my initial assessment at the Selection at his side. The doctor knelt and began barking out orders to Darius and Adrian.

After a few moments, Nik and Darius worked together to get Phoenix off the ground. They began walking toward the castle. Adrian slid over to me, pulling me into his arms. I leaned against his chest, silent tears trailing down my cheeks. His hands smoothed down my hair and ran down my back. Right as Adrian placed a small kiss on the top of my head, Nik happened to turn and look at us. His black eyes narrowed as he took in Adrian and me.

For a second, I thought he somehow knew everything. Then he simply jerked his head for me to follow them. I scrambled up and away from Adrian, running after the three Princes. It was safe to assume Nik didn’t know—

If he had, both Adrian and I would have been dead right then.