The Edge (Book 5 of The Claiming Series)

Chapter Eighteen

I don't see Eris and Charlie for about another hour. They come in through the door in silence. Eris's cheeks are puffy, and her eyes are glistening. Charlie looks flushed.

"You guys okay?" I ask, sitting up in the bed.

"Us?" Charlie says, his eyes widening. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. I didn't know if Dr. Reeve found you guys or not. She said she would..."

"She wouldn't have been able to," Eris says, her voice weak. She walks across the room and sits on the bench against the opposite wall. Her eyes fall to her hands resting in her lap. "Are you going to be all right, Mave?"

"Yes," I say. "I'm fine. But you're not. What's going on?"

She squeezes her hands together.

Charlie leans his back against the closed door of my room, his arms crossed loosely over his chest.

I turn my head back to Eris. She lifts her gaze and puts on a smile. And... it seems genuine. "I was scared that you were about to go through the same thing I did. I'm glad you don't have to."

"Eris..."

She rolls her shoulders back and lets out a heavy breath. "How is Eli?"

I frown. "He'll be in the psych ward getting treatment."

Both Charlie and Eris let out audible gasps.

"Don't say anything about it to anyone," I say. "It's up to Eli how much he wants to disclose to the court. We already know we have a snitch somewhere in the kingdom. They could very well be on the court. If anyone asks, he's sick. Okay?"

They both nod.

There's a knock at the door, and Charlie shifts over a few steps.

The door cracks open, and Oliver peers in. "It's your parents, Your Majesty."

"And me!" Aria's voice screeches from out in the hallway.

I snort a laugh. "They can come in."

The door flies open and slams against the wall as Aria comes barreling in, shoving past Oliver and my parents, both baffled in the doorway.

"Are you stupid?" Aria says. She hops onto the end of my bed on her knees and grabs my ankles with her hands. "Why do you always end up here?"

I shrug. "Accident prone?"

"Leave her alone, Aria," Dad says. He strides across to her and pulls her off the bed by her underarms.

My mom comes in and sits on the bench next to Eris. "We saw Angel and Ruth in the lobby. Where is Eli?"

My stomach twists itself in knots. I can't make something up with them. They see right through me.

So, I tell them everything.

Eli's PTSD, his nightmares, hallucinations... and the event that landed us both in this place.

They're shocked. I knew that much would happen.

But they don't try to push for much more information. I think it shows on my face how exhausted I am. It's almost five in the morning, and I'm impressed my parents were able to get Aria up and out of bed at this hour.