SERA

I woke up to the smell of coffee and the sound of someone breathing too carefully.

The infirmary ceiling came into focus first — white tiles, fluorescent lights dimmed to their lowest setting, the antiseptic tang of medical-grade cleanser. Then the IV in my arm, the monitor beeping beside me, the stiff hospital sheets tucked around my body.

Then Kael.

He was sitting on the floor beside the bed. Not in the chair — on the actual floor, his back against the wall, his legs stretched out in ...