"Brannon is gone."

—Recovered Text Message, Unlisted Number, Location Unknown

Iris ached. Everything ached—her head, her arms, the muscles along her chest and abdomen, her thigh.

Every time the car hit a bump or jostled, Iris clenched her teeth against the pain. It was a sharp ache in some moments, a dull throb at others. And yet...

Her hand found the spot on her thigh. The other at her stomach. She had stitches. She could feel the raised threads under her gown. But there was no pain at either site. No sharp stabbing underneath.

She glanced out the window into the dark skies beyond. She was alive. After everything in the warehouse, after the crash landing, after running for her life across Aeriana, she was alive.

Tucked among trees, the safe house was a quaint, dark cabin. It rested at the end of a gravel driveway that jostled the car so much Iris had to grit her teeth and take slow breaths through her nose. When they parked around the side, the lights from inside cast an orange glow into the car. Though the blinds were closed, the light was bright enough to help them navigate.

Two other cars were parked further down. Wylan ignored them and had her door open, his arms under her to pick her up. She curled one arm around his shoulder automatically, gritting her teeth against a full body ache that flared.

Wylan's grip loosened. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Not you," she told him, selecting her words carefully. Her throat still felt scratchy, irritated, and burning.

It was better than the alternative. It was better than being brain dead.

Brain dead. Unlike the stories or the random article or two she'd read, there weren't any bright lights. She hadn't been listening. She wasn't locked in her body.

She simply was in the warehouse, watching the ceiling and walls collapse... and then she'd woken up in the hospital with Wylan.

And Wylan was admitting he was her Destined.

Something in her stomach clenched. A good clench. If Wylan was telling the truth—

Of course, he was telling the truth. He was not one to lie. Not for something like this.

Besides, when she thought about it. When she opened herself up to the idea, it just felt... right.

Wylan moved her to a side door for them to enter.

Iris, unable to resist, hummed.

Wylan froze. Right there, in the early morning hours, with an escaped hospital patient in his arms, he froze.

Heat traced the edge of her pinky finger, where her hand rested along the top of Wylan's shoulder blade. Frowning, she slipped her hand further down his back. Heat radiated off his shirt there in a small area.

Wylan shivered.

Iris laughed, pressing her forehead to Wylan's jaw. He hadn't been lying.

Agent Wylan Garrick was her mate. Her Destined. Her soul's match.

Surprisingly, she was... happy.

She'd always thought she'd be frustrated, aggravated, or annoyed by the concept. She's thrown the idea of a Destined so far out of her mind, she'd assumed it would never happen.

The Stars had had different plans.

"Bully," Wylan muttered.

Iris chuckled again. "Had to be sure."

"Of course you did."

Wylan maneuvered them into the small cabin home. Inside was a flurry of activity. The cabin itself was one overly large open concept room with vaulted ceilings and modern yet rustic furniture. Security personnel lined the walls, statues of protection. In the middle of the living area, Prince Ethan Alexander was on one knee in front of the black leather couch. Laying on a stack of pillows was Lady Elizabeth Leonger. Another gentleman with rounded spectacles sat on the edge of the couch next to Lady Elizabeth, shining a light into her eyes.

Iris frowned at the scene in front of her. It made little sense. Why was one of Sarias' most famous couples in a safe house on the other side of Aeriana?

Dimly, she remembered Wylan asking his father about Lady Elizabeth's condition back at the hospital. Right after she'd woken.

Did she...? Had Lady Elizabeth...?

No. Not possible.

Prince Ethan Alexander glanced up when they walked in, then went back to Lady Elizabeth.

The man on the edge of the couch frowned, taking his hands off Lady Elizabeth's wrist. "Your reactions are a little slow, and it appears you've suffered many subconjunctival hemorrhages. These should go away in anywhere from two days to a week, however I'd like to schedule a brain scan to ensure no further unseen damage has occurred."

Wylan carefully settled Iris on an armchair across the room. Out of the way from the three in near the couch.

"What causes that kind of reaction?" Prince Ethan Alexander asked. His voice was a lot deeper in person.

Belatedly, Iris wondered if she was supposed to bow when they entered the room. Or formally acknowledge the Prince and Lady Elizabeth's presence.

"It could be a variety of issues, but I've seen this happen because of extreme stress, or damage below the surface."

"We need to get you back to Sarias as soon as possible," Prince Ethan Alexander told Lady Elizabeth.

"First flight out," Lady Elizabeth said. Her voice sounded thin. In pain. "I think I'll be able to hold out until then."

"Not funny, Lizzie," Prince Ethan Alexander said. "You're done here. No more."

Lady Elizabeth gave a small laugh. One without much effort. "I overdid it a little."

Prince Ethan Alexander cupped Lady Elizabeth's face. "You always do," he said, warmth threaded through his words.

Lady Elizabeth looked past Prince Ethan Alexander's shoulder at them. Iris jolted at the sight of Lady Elizabeth's eyes.

Lady Elizabeth sent a smile Iris' way. "It looks worse than it feels," she told them.

The man with the spectacles got up slowly. "I'll place a few calls and have my team prep for your arrival. Other than several stress fractures and an unconfirmed brain status, it seems you are alright for the current moment. We'll get you checked in and do an all-inclusive check up. Until then, I want you immobile, and I'll get you something for the pain."

The doctor made his way to the door. It clicked shut quietly behind him.

"I cannot thank you enough for today," Wylan said.

Prince Ethan Alexander took the heavy blanket from the back of the couch and dropped it over Lady Elizabeth's legs. "Lizzie wouldn't have had it any other way," he muttered, a little sullenly.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Lady Elizabeth told Iris. "It makes every bit worth it."

Iris' entire body went ice cold, the aches and pains and every time she had to grit her teeth against the flairs of uncomfortableness taking on a new meaning. Wylan, who had settled into the armchair next to her, put a careful, comforting hand on her bicep. "You—how—?"

Lady Elizabeth patted Prince Ethan Alexander's knee as he sat on the edge of the couch, right at her side. "Destined's are quite handy these days," Lady Elizabeth said, "and the abilities that come from the bonds are... useful when it comes to saving those that need it."

Lady Elizabeth had healed her.

And it'd done a lot of damage to her as a result.

Iris shook her head, the muscles at the back of her skull flaming even with just the slight movement. "What it's done to you... I—I'm not worth the trouble."

Lady Elizabeth glanced at Wylan, then back to Iris. "Funny, I can count at least four people who would think otherwise."

Iris wanted desperately to make her understand. She was just her, and Lady Elizabeth, Lizzie, as Prince Ethan Alexander called her, was the future queen of their neighboring kingdom.

But then she thought about it further, about what happened in the warehouse, and what Brannon had told her. What her DNA had confirmed.

She was Princess Driana Stasia Antonov.

While that helped justify, it still didn't mean Lady Elizabeth Leonger should've gone to the trouble.

The momentousness of what Lady Elizabeth Leonger had done, especially considering the impact it had on her own health, settled like a boulder in her stomach. Iris' throat ached in a different way as she said, "I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

The woman raised a hand and waved it lazily from side to side. "No repayment necessary," she said. "However, I would really enjoy it if we could get a cup of coffee together sometime."

Iris laughed, though it hurt. "That, I can do."

~

By six in the morning, Prince Ethan Alexander and Lady Elizabeth were on a secure private jet headed back to Sarias. Wylan had Iris resting on the fold-down bed that was tucked away in a large wardrobe inset in the wall. After Lady Elizabeth and Prince Ethan Alexander were settled and ready for their return flight, Wylan had the doctor look at Iris to make sure nothing was amiss.

Other than some really sore muscles and some scar tissue, the doctor cleared her.

Cleared.

In less than four hours, she'd been brain dead, healed almost to normal, found her Destined, met the future king and queen of the neighboring kingdom, invited to a cup of coffee, and determined to be in good health. Other than a promise to visit a hospital for her own brain scan, the doctor urged her to rest for the next week.

She could do that.

She curled herself into a ball under the heavy blanket and settled into a half-slumber. Wylan's voice was a dim yet comforting drone, clear but not in her half-sleep state. "She's resting."

A pause. "I'll drive us back when it's safe to move her. She needs to rest for a few days."

"Mhm. No, send Thad our way when he's cleared by his docs."

Another pause. This one was more tense. "When will we release the DNA? I don't want to risk anything until she's safe and back to full health."

"Three months? Do you think that'll be enough?"

"Okay." Wylan said. "Check in with the Crown. I'll keep her safe until then." Silence. "Alright. Thanks, Dad."

Something clattered on the counter in the small kitchenette. Wylan's sigh from across the room drifted through her ears.

For now, and for the foreseeable future, Wylan would keep her safe.

Iris settled into a comfortable rest, images of two children running through estate gardens playing behind her eyelids.

~

Back at the Second Palace, King Demitri watched the sun rise through the crack in the blinds of his chamber windows. Small warm threads speared through the air, casting an orange glow about the room.

Demitri tried to tilt his face to welcome the sun in whatever way he could. But even as time passed and the early hours came and went, he felt nothing on his skin.

He was cold. So cold.

A wet, wracking cough forced its way through him. When he pulled his hand back, it came away dark red. He wasn't fast enough to catch the next cough in his hand. A warm stream dribbled down his chin. The only warmth he'd felt in the last few days.

And yet, Demitri smiled to himself.

This really was it. He could feel it.

He was okay with it. A few short hours ago, Galina had entered with the best news he'd heard since his sister-in-law announced her pregnancy:

Princess Driana Stasia Antonov was alive. Lady Elizabeth had seen to it.

That was the last thing holding him here. He'd done it. He'd found a way to bring his brother's daughter, his niece, back to life. He could go with one less heavy regret.

I can go now.

Settling back into his bed, Demitri closed his eyes.