Page 204 of Fractured Fate

Riley sat with her back to him, head down.

He stared at her without moving, and Charlotte watched as his eyes became glassy.

“Firecracker,” he said, voice rough.

Her head snapped up, and she twisted to see him. Dropping her blood packet, she scrambled up from the floor and barreled into him, clinging to his waist as he winced, but didn’t push her away. She buried her face against his chest and wailed like a child.

He buried his face in her pink hair, whispering words Charlotte couldn’t make out. He moved his hands to the side of Riley’s head, tilting her face to look her in the eye before kissing her deeply.

Charlotte looked away, catching Aiden’s eye.

“He’ll be okay,” he said, motioning for her to eat. She’d barely touched her biscuit.

Seth led Riley over to sit with everyone and lowered himself cautiously to the floor. His movements weren’t natural, and he favored his left side.

“Are you still in pain?” Charlotte asked.

“Sore, but my ribs aren’t broken anymore. I’m still bruised, but that should be fine soon enough.”

“What about the bites and the stab wound?”

Seth lifted the edge of his shirt, showing the dip near his abdomen next to the V at the edge of his jeans. A faint raised pink scar marred his skin, with minor discoloration in various spots where bruising had faded.

An intricate tattoo of a horizontal S edged with lines and spikes bordered the scar. She’d seen a similar tattoo on Riley when she changed her clothes the other night when Charlotte was in the room.

That must be their Korrena mark.

“That’s incredible,” she said.

“What?”

“How you’re able to heal like that.”

“Oh. Yeah. The surface wounds heal faster, but there’s still some muscle damage that needs to repair itself. It’s not like the bites. Most of them are gone except the ones near my neck, but those will be gone in the next couple of hours.”

It amazed her how their species worked. What she wouldn’t give to recover from ailments and injuries at the rate they did.

Her gaze traveled to Blaire, who sat talking with Lukas, Noah, and the headmistress. She worried how the bite from earlier would affect Blaire. She never healed properly. Bruising that would only last a few days for one person would last weeks on her skin. Doctors never discovered the reason why.

Blaire noticed Charlotte’s gaze on her, and she smiled, getting up and moving over to where they sat. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright. This has been a lot, but I’m not hurt or anything.”

Blaire nodded in understanding. “It overwhelmed me at first. I didn’t expect to join a university where I’d be pulled into fights and crazy rituals, that’s for sure.”

Seth snorted, putting his arms around Riley when she crawled into his lap. It was clear to everyone how shaken his brush with death left her. She still looked frazzled.

“How’s your neck?” Aiden asked.

Blaire touched the bandaged side of her neck. “It feels fine. I mean, it isn’t comfortable, but it’ll heal.”

Charlotte placed her biscuit on the wrapper in front of her. “Are you going to be okay, though? Like, with the bruising.”

“Oh, let me tell you.” Blaire laughed, her eyes lighting up with joy. “So, remember how I told you about when I almost died to that ritual down in the temple below us?”

Charlotte nodded.

“You did die,” Lukas said, joining them. His lips brushed her temple before he looked at Charlotte. “One of the worst days of my life.”