Hunting Royalty

25. Heartbreak and Healing

A new figure step onto the balcony and makes a strangled noise. He collapses down next to my body; his fingers shake as he tilts my head back upright. "Alia," he whispers, "Wake up." He takes an unsteady breath. "You can't be dead," he chokes on another noise as his thumb strokes my cheek, "Alia." He gathers me in his arms and cradles my head against his chest. He closes his eyes in pain, a tear slips out from the corner marring his cheek. He rocks me back and forth as he cries into my hair repeating my name again and again.

Oh god, he looks so devastated and broken. I never meant for him to see me like this, a bolt of hatred pierces me as I look at Eva who is still crying inside, beneath it I can see her watching intently. I shift my attention back to Nate, I feel the tears well in my own eyes, this is a complete disaster and it's my fault. I could have chosen a different plan but I wanted to catch her red handed.

The king and queen arrive in the doorway with a host of guards, I'm glad they all survived whatever happened. They take in Nate and my forms against the balcony, Queen Laurelle presses a hand to her mouth and Kind Vincent's expression drops.

Nate raises his head to look at them. "I can't-" his words break off, "She's not-" He pulls the illusion closer to his body.

Vincent picks the flower out of my hands, he crushes it in his fist. He's upset and furious. "Find who did this!" he yells at the guards. One of the guards is already questioning Eva, while rubbing her back reassuringly, no doubt she is feeding them some lie about an unknown attacker. The rest fan out to fulfill the kings order.

Laurelle crouches down next to her son, "I'm so sorry, honey. You have to let go." She tries to separate me from him, but he shakes his head and tightens his grip.

"I c-can't," his whole body is shaking and he can barely get his words out.

My heart is breaking for him; I'm going to fix this. I look for Eva but she's gone, the guard must have taken her away from the scene. Good, I don't want her to see this. I make the alteration to the illusion, giving myself faint breathing and a heartbeat. Now for the next part. So slowly that it is barely visible I have the illusion start to heal. The queen is leaning over me, she is the first person to notice.

"Stop," she orders Nate and surprisingly he listens, he stills his rocking. She tilts my head back and examines the wound, I make a small piece of skin knit itself back together. "She's healing," she says with wonder. Laurelle presses two fingers to my wrist, she checks for a pulse and smiles, "She's alive."  Nate closes his eyes and leans back against the rail in relief.

The queen snaps into action. "Bring her inside," she orders Nate, he shifts the illusions weight away from him so he can kneel, he slides a hand under its knees and stands.  Laurelle leads our group through the ballroom flanked by a team of guards. She grabs the shoulder of a maid, "Fetch the healer, we'll be in the green guestroom." I'm really liking this no nonsense side of her.  She opens a door and holds it for Nate, I slip in behind him into what I assume is the green guestroom judging by the color of the wallpaper.

Nate lays the illusion down on the bed gently, the king fetches his son a chair and Nate sits next to the bed with the illusions hand between his own. He watches my neck intently, every time a new piece of skin visible heals he releases a breath and relaxes a little more.

The queen has managed to acquire a bowl of water and a cloth. She sits on the other side of me and begins wiping the dried blood from my skin. "Her gift must be healing," she muses as she wrings out the cloth.

"She must be very close to her ascension." The king has pulled up his own chair.

"She healed me once," Nate adds, he still seems to be in his own world.