THIRTY

AVA

Darian stirred as I dabbed his forehead with a damp towel. Four hours had slipped by since we returned home. Keegan had fallen silent. He was sitting by the window, staring at the sunlit afternoon sky. I knew he was taking his time to process his feelings about the whole thing that had happened a few hours before.

"He's not dead yet, Keegan" Darian suddenly said, his eyes still closed.

"You're awake" Keegan stated, rising to his feet.

Darian opened his eyes, his brows furrowed slightly.

"I was never asleep. I couldn't. Especially not when your mind is unsettled" he said, his gaze trained on Keegan.

"How do you know that? I was sure I blocked-" Keegan started to say.

"You probably succeeded in hiding your feelings from Ava. However, you failed to completely block me out" Darian cut him off.

Keegan sighed, running his fingers through the locks of his hair.

"How're you feeling? The poison must be lethal if you're still feeling the effects."

"Don't change the topic " Darian brea