A small line of raised skin stood out where Ryland had stabbed me in his attempt to kill me. The scar was rough from the quick healing he had done in the brief time that he had regained control of his body. That was the last time he was himself; before his mind had been erased forever.
I ripped my eyes away from the scar and they landed on the ruby necklace that hung around my neck; another gift from him. I reached up and grabbed it, removing the chain from around my neck, and scraping off the blood that had dried to the beautiful ruby to reveal the bright stone underneath.
I hadn’t touched the stone since I had used it to see an adorable five year old boy who had promised to take my pain away and who said he loved my eyes. It was the final proof that Ryland as I knew him was gone.
I threw the necklace into the sink, the stone clinking loudly against the porcelain. I didn’t want to enter the T?uha ever again. Seeing it there in the sink made me want to snatch it back up and keep it safe. But I hadn’t felt the beat of Ryland’s heart emanate from it for days. The connection had died.
The bathroom had filled with the steam from the shower and I was surrounded by the sweet smelling fog. It smelled vaguely of plant life – making me wonder what Ilyan had placed in here to react to the steam that way. Something to help settle my nerves, I was sure. The hot mist seemed to fill my head and I swayed again, my hands clenching the sink in an effort to steady myself.
I turned the cold water tap of the sink on with one quick movement, bringing my hand back to its position against the counter to keep myself upright. The water flowed over the ruby, removing bits of blood that swirled down the drain. I let it flow for a minute before shutting it off, leaving the necklace to sit in the bottom of the sink, some blood still attached to the smooth surface.
I slunk out of my pants and stumbled into the shower. My stomach shifted, the lack of contents adding to my swirling world.
I fell into the small shower. The hot water scalded my skin, but I didn’t care. I let the water run over me as it burned the heavy makeup off of my face, washed the ash and blood from my body, and singed away the dirt and rubble from what used to be Ryland’s home. The heat moved into me as if it was trying to thaw the emotion out of me.
I leaned against the side of the shower, breathing deeply in an effort to regain some stability.
It wasn’t working.
The spinning was only increasing. I looked at the faucet of the shower, trying to focus on it to steady myself, the silver fixture moved, spun, and duplicated itself, even though I was sure I was holding still.
My eyes closed as I breathed in the steam, hoping that somehow the dizziness would leave.
It got worse. I was forced to stumble out of the shower, hair unwashed, only to have my foot catch on the shower curtain and send me slamming into the ground.
My shoulder impacted hard on the tiles, a jolt of pain searing down my spine. I yelled out on impact and frantically tried to right myself. The dizziness expanded and I collapsed back onto the floor. The cool tiles under my skin seemed to clear my mind a bit, so I focused on them.
“Joclyn!” Ilyan yelled through the door, his voice panicked. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” my voice was muffled by the tile. I wasn’t sure Ilyan heard me, and he continued to pound on the door. I tried again but his panicked yelling drowned out my voice. Great, he was going to barge in and I was lying naked in the middle of the bathroom floor.
I forced myself up and grabbed the hoodie and pajama pants from the counter, pulling them on over my damp body. I pulled the hoodie down, my body collapsed again as the door was flung open, allowing Ilyan to tumble into the room, his blonde hair swinging.
“Joclyn!” he yelled.
“I’m here.”
I was surprised by how weak my voice was. I knew I wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t think it was that bad. I shook my head hoping that the dizziness would leave, but it only got worse.
Ilyan kneeled down next to me. His hands flew to my cheeks, his magic plunging into me as he checked for any injuries.
“I’m fine, Ilyan.” I batted his hand away from me, breaking the connection.
“Are you sure?” His accent was so thick, I barely understood him.
I nodded, but I was starting to wonder if I really was. This was beginning to feel more like I was being drained than a dehydrated dizziness. It was as if someone was reaching inside me and scrambling everything together.
Ilyan wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to standing, his body supporting me as my head continued to spin. I didn’t dare say anything, so I let him lead me out of the bathroom.
“Bacon?” I asked, surprised at the smell of bacon and eggs that had filled the small living space. Ilyan was a vegan and had eaten no more than fruit or vegetables for the last few centuries. The fact that he would even attempt to make bacon and eggs was humorous as well as heartening.