Raven POV
My shoulder still stings where Kieran dug out the silver bullet. My hand is wrapped tightly around Oliver's while I wait for him to wake up.
I am sitting beside his bed, resting my head on his mattress. I haven't taken my eyes off him since I arrived in his room. There is a tube down his throat, and the site of his poisoned injection is covered in gauze.
The nurses come in every couple of hours to clean the wound. I want to look away each time, but I am unable to. Each time it looks worse than the time before, but Oliver doesn't seem to notice. He doesn't even flinch when they touch it.
His eyes are closed lightly as if he is just sleeping. I close my eyes and remind myself that he is just sleeping.
"Luna Queen," the doctor's grading voice breaks my mantra. "I must insist you return to your own bed."
My eyes fly open, and I turn my head to look at the elderly man standing in the doorway. "Fuck you."
The doctor straightens his coat and glares in my direction. "I wouldn't have expected such language from the Luna Queen."
"Seriously," I scoff at him. "Fuck you."
He clears his throat awkwardly again and looks over my shoulder. I know Leo is back there, and I know he is in agreement with the doctor. He thinks I should be in my own bed, healing from my bullet wound. But not even Leo can convince me to leave Oliver's side.
Leo looks at me and then back to the doctor. He shrugs his shoulders as if to say, "There is nothing I can do."
The doctor mumbles something under his breath and pushes his way into the hospital room. He nudges my chair with his foot. I am not sure if it is an accident or not, but it doesn't stop me from growling in his direction.
"Excuse me, Luna Queen," the doctor replies to my growl. "I need to see my patient."
I narrow my eyes at him before backing my chair away from the bed. Reluctantly, I let go of Oliver's hand and make room for the doctor.
As soon as I am not touching Oliver, the machines around his bed begin to go haywire. Loud beeping fills the room.
Leo lunges forward and pushes the doctor out of the way. He pushes him a little harder than necessary, and the doctor flies across the room. He hits the wall with a thud and slumps to the ground. He's knocked out.
I take only a moment to glance at the doctor before I climb into the bed with Oliver. I lay my head on his chest and stroke my hand up and down his face.
"I am here," I whisper. "I didn't leave."
The machines in the room begin to settle down, and Oliver is stable once again. I feel Leo's hand on top of my head, and he strokes my hair out of my face.
"I should have let him mark me," Leo whispers.
"You weren't ready," I respond flatly. "Oliver understood."
But Leo isn't listening to me. "He wanted the bond between us to be complete," he continues. "And I was too scared to be marked by a man. I was worried about what people might think. Now, I am afraid I have lost my chance."
I raise my head off Oliver's chest and look deeply into Leo's eyes. "Don't talk like that," I snap at him. "Oliver is going to be fine."
"How can you be so sure?" Leo yells at me. "He looks like he is dying."
I nestle my head back on Oliver's chest and let tears stream from my eyes. Taking one of his hands into mine, I stroke Oliver's thumb gently.
Suddenly, everything goes dark. In my moment of weakness, I have lost control of my powers. I am being transported into Oliver's memories.
I am standing outside of the restaurant. Oliver is sitting inside the car, listening to music. He isn't paying attention to his surroundings. His phone is in his hand, and he is staring at it intensely. I know what he is doing. He is reading a new academic article about pack formation.
A car pulls up beside him. It is completely black with dark-tinted windows. There is an out-of-state license plate on the front, but I can't make out the numbers. A man steps out of the car and walks to Oliver's window.
I want to yell out for Oliver to pay attention, but it is useless. This is nothing more than a memory. I try to sniff the air around me, but I can't pick up any scents.
The man taps on Oliver's window and flashes him a familiar smile. This is Mae's father. Even though I only saw him for a moment, I recognize him immediately.
Stepping closer to the car, I try to listen to what is being said. Oliver rolls down the window, and I shake my head in frustration. He has always been far too trusting.
"Can I help you?" Oliver asks.
Mae's father leans into Oliver's window, and I can see the glint of a syringe in his hand.
"I am lost," Mae's father responds calmly. "Can you tell me how to get back to the highway?"
Oliver backs away from Mae's father as far as he can in the confines of the car. "Yeah," he eyes him suspiciously. "Just follow this road South until you hit the junction."
"Thanks," Mae's father replies. "I have just one more question."
"What's that?" Oliver grunts.
"How many rogues can you take on at once?" Mae's father chuckles.
Then, it all happens too fast. Mae's father plunges the syringe into Oliver's neck and walks away. The sound of rogues howling in the distance fills the night air, but none of them dare to approach until Mae's father has gotten into the car and left.
Oliver struggles to get out of the car. He drops his phone to the ground as he limply approaches the front door of the restaurant. He tugs on the door, but it won't budge. It has been locked from the inside.
The sound of howling gets closer, and Oliver turns to face his doom. Five rogues appear out of nowhere. Foam is spewing from their mouths as they approach him.
I don't have the stomach to watch anymore. I force myself out of the memory.
Leo is standing beside the bed, shaking me violently. "Raven," he is screaming. "You have to wake up."
My eyes fly open and Leo gathers me into his arms. "I am right here," I whimper. "I just lost control for a moment."
"You were out for hours," Leo whispers, and he strokes my face.
"What?" I reply. "It was only a matter of minutes."
"No," an ethereal voice comes from behind Leo. "You have been in between worlds for a long time."