137

Nerthus

Opening my eyes, I struggle for a few seconds, until I get them to adjust to the bright light.

Blinking repeatedly, I think I am hallucinating at first as I see Aleksei, leaning against the wall near the door to my hospital room.

I rub my eyes, but as I look again, he is still hanging around leisurely, scooping pudding into his mouth unbothered.

“Aleksei?” I say raspily, my speaking turning into coughing.

“Whoa, slow down, princess,” he says with a full mouth, his Slavic accent heavy in his speech. “Drink something first.”

Taking a sip from my glass with a straw, I gulp painfully, “You… You… You are alive?”

He spreads his arms, distorting his face as if I was crazy, “Of course I am.”

“But I saw you lying in a pool of blood… I… And…” I try making sense out of my distorted memories even if there isn’t.

“Argh, yeah. Four shots in back, two in legs. Not the worst I ever got. You children are so carefree. Living around happily without seeing war, then there is a bit of blo