CHAPTER 489: IMPROVEMENTS

Evaline:

I placed a soft kiss on the back of Draven’s hand, my lips brushing against the coldness of his skin. That familiar chill... unmoving, unchanged... was something I had grown used to over the past weeks.

It had been over a month since he had closed his eyes and drifted into a sleep that wasn’t really sleep at all.

Over a month since everything inside me cracked open.

I pressed my lips there a moment longer, memorizing that cold... because somehow, it grounded me. Reminded me he was here. Still breathing. Still alive, even if I hadn’t heard his voice in forty-two days.

"Hi," I whispered against his knuckles before pulling them against my cheek. His hand felt heavier than it used to. Or maybe it was just the weight in my chest that made everything heavier.

The room was dim - Healer Cao said low light soothed unconscious patients - but the faint glow from the lanterns along the wall was enough for me to see Draven’s face clearly. And it was pale, too pale. His lashes still dark against his skin, his lips colorless without the warmth that used to curve them every time he smirked at me.

I pulled my chair closer until my knees touched the side of his bed. My other hand smoothed over his forearm, tracing faint lines of muscle still visible under the sheet.

It had become routine now - coming here after my day ended. Almost every night.

Sometimes I talked to him about my day.

Sometimes I told him about all the antics Lioren had been learning somehow.

Sometimes I talked about my past - though there wasn’t much good in that file - but he always listened when he was awake, and some foolish part of me believed he was listening even now.

And sometimes... sometimes I just laid my head on his chest, listening for the faintest sound of his heartbeat. Slow. Unchanging. Like a clock ticking under water.

Tonight wasn’t any different.

Except I was exhausted enough to sink straight into the floor.

"I don’t think I have stopped moving since morning..." I murmured, resting my chin lightly on his hand. "I have had a long day, Draven. A very long day."

It started with paperwork... mountains of dusty records that needed to be digitized. The archive room felt like an ancient crypt, and by noon, I had inhaled enough dust to be considered partially embalmed.

Then Kieran and Healer Cao decided today was perfect for an "intense practice session."

But something had changed lately.

My power had started to respond again.

For weeks after Draven fell, my ability had felt sluggish, dimmed, like someone had thrown a heavy blanket over it. Elder Ren insisted there was a reason - probably my emotions, my stress, my fear?

And I knew he wasn’t wrong. It was hard to breathe, let alone heal, with the memory of Draven unconscious burned into my soul.

But the past two weeks... my power had sparked again. Stronger. Sharper. Less hesitant.

Healer Cao even let me help with the patients today at his hospital. Deep wounds, feverish bites, poisoned bloodstreams... things I hadn’t tended to before.

And I healed them. Not perfectly. Not easily. But I did.

And Cao had stared at me with something dangerously close to pride before forcing me to stop.

"Then," I continued softly, "because apparently I like living dangerously, I went to combat training."

I huffed a tiny laugh.

"And I fought a warrior from Oscar’s new recruits."

My fingers tightened on Draven’s hand as warmth prickled behind my eyes.

"You should have seen River’s face," I whispered. "He was pretending to be calm but I know him. His soul was hovering three inches above his body."

The warrior had gone easy on me at first.

Bad mistake.

I wasn’t the girl I used to be. I wasn’t fragile. I wasn’t helpless.

I didn’t have a wolf, but I had speed, focus, sharper instincts, weeks of relentless training, and the kind of stubbornness that would make even River swear under his breath.

When I disarmed the warrior and pinned him to the mat, his stunned blink had been priceless. The proud nod River gave me afterward felt even better.

"And then he saluted me," I muttered, shaking my head. "An actual salute filled with acknowledgement."

It was a good day overall despite the fatigue.

After the training, I had showered until the hot water washed the sweat and aches off my skin, until my muscles loosened, until I could breathe again.

Then I came here before dinner, and all my exhaustion almost melted away.

"Look at you," I whispered, brushing a strand of hair away from his forehead. "Missing all my heroic moments. You owe me."

His chest rose and fell with that soft, steady rhythm that made my heart unclench just a little.

I leaned closer, resting my forehead lightly against his arm.

"I miss you," I whispered. "More than I know how to explain. More than I thought was possible."

My throat tightened.

"I’m doing better," I admitted quietly. "I really am. I’m stronger. My control is improving. I even healed someone with a deep venom wound today. Healer Cao said my power is stabilizing again."

I lifted my head and looked at his sleeping face.

"But none of it feels enough. Not unless you are here to see it."

The silence in the room was thick, but it wasn’t empty. It was filled with him. The scent of him. The echo of his energy. The memory of his strong hands holding my waist. His voice calling my name. His smirk when he teased me. His tenderness.

I pressed his hand against my cheek again.

"I’ll find a way," I whispered fiercely. "I don’t care how long it takes, or what it costs. I’ll find a way to bring you back. To me. To your brothers. To our son. To your family."

My voice trembled.

"I’m not giving up on you, Draven. Not now. Not ever."

A small part of me always hoped he would squeeze my hand. Open his eyes. Whisper something.

He didn’t.

But his heartbeat stayed steady under the machines.

And that... that was enough to keep the fire inside me alive.

I bowed my head, resting it gently on his arm. My fingers threaded through his.

For a long while, I simply stayed like that, breathing with him, letting exhaustion slip through my limbs and peace settle over my bones.

Eventually, it was time for me to head for dinner.

I lifted his hand one last time and pressed another kiss to his knuckles.

"I’ll be back tomorrow," I whispered and stood slowly, my heart pulling like something was tethered to his chest.

Then I turned toward the door.

Just before leaving, I glanced back again.

"Goodnight," I whispered.

And even unconscious, he felt like home.