••{RHIANNON'S POV}••
It's been twelve days since I married Azrael.
Twelve days since Nayeesha collapsed and never woke up.
I count them without meaning to, the way someone counts heartbeats in the dark. Every morning I wake up hoping today will be different.
If not for Nayeesha, I would have died that night.
That truth settles heavy in my chest as I stand at the foot of her bed, watching the maids move around her. They work carefully, reverently, as if she might shatter beneath their touch. One adjusts the blankets. Another wipes her forehead with a damp cloth. Nayeesha lies still, her dark hair fanned across the pillows, her skin far too pale.
She looks like she's sleeping.
But I know better.
I need her to wake up. Now more than ever. She's the only one in this entire castle who won't lose control in the presence of my blood. The only one who can protect me when things go wrong.
Azrael stands beside me, close enough that I can feel his presence without looking at him.
