His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 106

**TITLE: Betrayal Births**
**by Joseph King**
**Chapter 106**

**Claire’s POV**

As the door creaked open wider, I felt my breath hitch in my throat. Dr. Adrian stepped into the room, and it was not just the sight of him that took me aback—it was the complete absence of a shirt. He stood there, clad only in a pair of grey sweatpants that hung low on his hips, his damp hair pushed back as if he had just run his fingers through it in a hurried attempt to tame it.

My gaze was drawn to him involuntarily, my eyes widening before I could muster any semblance of rational thought. The breath I had been holding caught in my chest, and I felt the heat creep into my cheeks.

Beside me, I felt Elijah’s hand tighten around mine, a subtle but unmistakable flex of his fingers that sent a jolt of awareness through me. When I glanced down, I noticed his frown; it wasn’t directed at Adrian specifically, but rather at the absurdity of the entire situation. It was clear that waking up to find me staring at a half-naked man was not the emotional reunion he had envisioned after the chaos of the previous night.

Adrian, however, seemed oblivious—or perhaps indifferent—to the tension in the air. “You’re awake,” he stated flatly, as if Elijah hadn’t nearly lost his life just hours before. He stepped closer, entirely unfazed by Elijah’s glare. “Good. Saves me the trouble of poking you awake.”

Elijah blinked at him, a mixture of confusion and irritation clouding his features. “Why are you here?” he asked, his voice laced with a hint of annoyance.

Adrian shot him a look that was anything but friendly, a glance that conveyed his weariness with the early morning and the foolishness that often accompanied it. “In case Claire hasn’t had the chance to fill you in, this is my sister’s cabin. Selene treated you here last night. You were brought to us bleeding out, if you need more details.”

Elijah seemed ready to argue, the remnants of pain still etched into his expression, but the steady weight of my hand over his seemed to ease him, allowing the tension in his shoulders to dissipate. He exhaled slowly, permitting Adrian to check his vitals, though his annoyance lingered in the air like a storm cloud.

Adrian pressed two fingers gently against Elijah’s wrist, nodding with a sense of professional satisfaction. “Vitals are good. You’re extremely lucky. And before you even think about it—no, it wasn’t your strength or resilience that saved you.” He turned to me, a teasing glint in his eyes. “It was her magic blood.”

Elijah’s body tensed at that. “What?”

I swallowed hard, bracing myself for the look I knew was coming.

“She donated three litres,” Adrian replied, cutting me off before I could say a word.

Elijah’s head whipped around to me so quickly that I half-expected to hear a crack echoing in the room. “Claire—”

Here we go.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said, sitting up straighter despite the evident strain it put on his body. There was anger in his voice, but it was the kind born from fear rather than pride. “Three litres? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Your heart—”

“Oh, so I was just supposed to stand there and watch you bleed out?” I shot back, my voice matching his frustrated energy but remaining steady. “What did you expect me to do, Elijah? Remain calm while you were dying right in front of me? Is that what you wanted me to say?”

His jaw clenched tightly. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Well, that’s certainly how it sounds.”

Adrian observed us with an expression that danced between amusement and disbelief. When Elijah turned back to him, forcing his voice to a calmer tone, he asked, “Is she okay?”

Adrian’s demeanor softened slightly, slipping into doctor mode. “She’s fine. Tired, obviously. She needs to take it easy for a while, especially considering her heart.” His eyes flicked to me, a brief pause laden with meaning, before returning to Elijah. “She pushed herself harder than she should have, but she’s stable.”

Then he addressed me directly. “Speaking of taking it easy—do you want to freshen up?”

“Yes,” I blurted out, my voice colliding with Elijah’s firm “No.”

Our heads snapped toward one another so quickly that, under different circumstances, it might have been comical. I narrowed my eyes at him, silently demanding an explanation.

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