Lucian crouched in front of the wheelchair, lowering himself until he was eye level with his mother.
"Everything is going to be okay," he said quietly, holding her hand as if it were the only thing anchoring him to the ground. "I'll make sure he won't come again."
Arienne's lashes fluttered. She closed her eyes for a brief second, then nodded weakly.
After Severin left, and Lucian calmed down, slowly, the cold began to fade from the room.
The frost that had crawled across the walls melted into thin streams of water. The air no longer bit at the skin. The heavy pressure finally lifted.
Only then did I release my flame barrier.
The warmth rushed back into my body all at once, and I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding.
Lucian straightened and turned toward me. For a moment, he just looked at me as if checking whether I was still here and not something he had imagined out of fear.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
