The drive to St Mary’s Hospital was exactly what she needed, Lilith sat near the window, looking at the passing trees and road maps.
Callum did not speak the entire way, which Lilith was grateful for. He drove with calm efficiency, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror occasionally to check on her, but he didn’t ask questions and he did not offer commentary.
When they pulled into the hospital parking lot he said simply, "I will wait here. Take your time."
Lilith nodded and got out, her legs unsteady as she walked through the automatic doors and into the sterile brightness of the hospital lobby. She knew the way by heart now...second floor, east wing. Her mother had been in that room for weeks, hooked up to machines that beeped steadily and kept her alive even though she could not wake up, could not open her eyes, could not come back.
Lilith pushed open the door to her mother’s room and stopped.
Her mother looked exactly the same as she had the last time Lilith had seen her. Pale and still, her chest rising and falling with mechanical precision, her face peaceful in a way that made Lilith’s throat close up. She looked like she was sleeping. Like she might wake up any second and smile and ask Lilith what was wrong and how she could help.
But she wouldn’t wake up.
Lilith pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down, reaching for her mother’s hand. It was cool and limp in hers and she held it carefully, her thumb brushing over her mother’s knuckles.
"Hi, Mom," she whispered.
The machines beeped steadily. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead. Her mother didn’t respond, of cause she wouldn’t, she hadn’t responded in months now.
Lilith took a shaky breath and started talking.
She told her everything. About the bond and the marking and the way Kael had taken over Nicholas completely that night and claimed her so violently she had thought she might break. About Sebastian in the woods and Rhen chasing her down and the way he had almost marked her but later held back. About Lucian in the training yard with his eyes gold and desperate, begging her not to touch him because he was barely holding on.
She told her about the waiting and the fear and the way the bond pulled at her chest every time one of them was close. About the way Nicholas looked at her sometimes like she was the only thing keeping him sane. About the way Sebastian held her like he was afraid she would disappear. About the way Lucian wouldn’t even look at her because if he did he would lose control completely.
She told her about the anonymous posts and how it is escalating, she told her how the brothers promised to look into it to find out who was behind it.
She told her she was scared.
And then she stopped talking and just sat there, holding her mother’s hand and she started crying quietly because her mother could not answer her, could not tell her what to do and Lilith had never felt more alone in her entire life.
The heart monitor beeped steadily.
And then it stopped.
The rhythm stuttered, skipped, beeped erratically for three seconds before settling back into its normal pattern. Lilith’s head snapped up and she stared at the monitor, her heart pounding. The lights overhead flickered once, twice, and then went steady again.
What the hell was that?
She looked around the room but nothing else had changed. The machines were still running. Her mother was still unconscious. Everything looked normal.
The door opened and a nurse stepped in, glancing at the monitor with a frown. "Is everything okay in here?"


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