Zaelyn groaned, his head pounding fiercely, and his mouth felt drier than desert sand. His eyes didn’t obey his commands to open, and another sound of pain escaped his lips. This time, he felt a soft fullness occupying his gullet, but he couldn’t muster enough crity to consider anything unusual about it. His consciousness cwed its way back, leaving him to ponder for a few moments if he was dead and this was the waiting room to Hell.

  It did feel a bit hot.

  “Nanlnie?” he called out, his eyes furrowing when his voice reached his ears. He cleared his throat, noting a soft fabric id atop his tongue. He bit down, grinding his teeth against the material before attempting to spit it out.

  “Whm fa fuhm!?” he excimed, his eyes snapping open in panic when he realized a heavy piece of cloth was draped over the gag wedged in his mouth.

  He tried to reach for the source of his discomfort, but his hands stopped just a few inches from where they had been effectively tied down on either side of the bed. He could lift his wrists only three inches upward before they abruptly halted.

  Zaelyn bit down harder on the cloth, refusing to believe this was happening. He had died; this had to be the afterlife. Being tied down to a bed and… forgotten?

  He attempted to bring his feet upward, releasing a muffled curse when he discovered they had been bound as well. Lifting his head slightly, he inhaled deeply to calm himself, aware that his neck felt sore and tender. But other than that, he was breathing.

  Which means I’m not with Natalie. I’m alive. Someone saved me, but… why would they do this? Zaelyn thought frantically, his mind racing as he screamed for help. His pleas were muffled, hardly carrying past the door, thanks to how efficiently his captor had gagged and restrained him. He still didn’t understand why this intruder felt the need to do any of it.

  Unless they wanted to rob me and leave me for dead.

  He thought worryingly, though he dismissed it. After all, he had breathed in someone’s air and bcked out — if they had only wanted his belongings, they would have come in, taken his things, and left without bothering to help him.

  No. This person hadn’t just cut him down; they had tied him to his bed and tenderly tucked him in, pulling his bnket snugly over him like one would do to a sick child. Although, he still didn’t understand why he was gagged and tied up.

  His door creaked open with a soft squeak, the person’s footsteps light and tentative.

  Zaelyn’s gaze darted to the door, where a young, pale woman stood holding an ice-cold gss of water in one hand and two white opal pills in the other.

  “Oh, thank God you’re awake,” she sighed with relief, closing her eyes briefly. “I thought for sure you’d never wake up. It’s been over thirteen hours.” She informed him, coming to his side and kneeling to bring her eyes to his level.

  “Wh—whm rhm uhu?” he attempted to ask, jerking his arms up, but the ropes held firm as her concern shifted from concern to a half-gre.

  “My name isn’t important. You’ll get a name when I get a fucking reason why I broke into a man’s humble abode and found him hanging there like a store fish, neck side up! Why the FUCK were you about to 86 yourself and yeet your damn idiot self off this G to the D pnet? What the fuck is wrong with you? I mean, just, WHY?!” she demanded, her voice rising to a yell as she reached over and yanked the gag from his mouth so he could spit out the balled-up cloth and actually answer her.

  He sat up as much as he could, spitting the cloth over the side of the bed and narrowing his own cold stare at her.

  “Why did you break in?” Zaelyn demanded, calmly ignoring her queries and wanting her to answer his.

  She tsked and raised the cold gss to his lips. “I see neither of us will get anything right now from one another.” The stranger recognized how he jerked back from the offered water. His eyes were emotionless and impatient, making her sigh as she unfolded her other hand to reveal two strong painkillers from her personal medical box. “I’m not going to hurt you,” she assured him softly. “I would be much obliged if you took these. I promise they’re only painkillers. No sense in me trying to kill you when you were already in the midst of doing that yourself.”

  He swallowed as his eyes met hers. Zaelyn took a few extra seconds to look her over; he had to admit, she was undeniably beautiful, though her eyes bore a deep sadness.

  “You’re a yank,” he observed, not holding back the intended insult. “Which state do you hail from? I lived in London for a few years but was born in Cheshire. You're obviously not from around here.” He revealed, noting her American accent, his deep one affirming his roots id deep in the UK.

  She let out a sigh, continuing to gnce at his face.

  “I’ll make you a deal, Zaelyn Ravenwood,” She chuckled at the shock that crossed his features, his mouth slightly agape. “If you take these—” she shook her palm side to side, making his stare shift to the white opal pills before returning to her face, “then I’ll answer one of your questions. Do we have a deal?”

  Zaelyn swallowed, unsure about taking medicine from someone he didn’t know. But before he could reply, her palm suddenly smmed against his mouth, the two pills slipping inside effortlessly as she sealed the opening of his gullet with her hand. Hurriedly, she took the gss and forced it to his lips, allowing some water inside before expertly using her bottom palm to seal his jaw shut.

  “Swallow!” she demanded, noting the panic swelling in his green eyes as he tried to jerk his head back. She kept his head steady, pushing him back onto the pillow, allowing her other hand to massage beneath his Adam’s apple.

  He sputtered and coughed, but he had finally managed to swallow the pills.

  “You manky, minge-fucking cun—” Zaelyn began, but the woman swiftly pulled the vender gag up from beneath his chin, reducing his insult to a muffled hiss and a slight coughing fit.

  “I gave you a choice, and you hesitated. When I phrase something like a compromise, it’s really an order disguised as a suggestion. You’re going to do what I ask, whether it’s your way or mine.” She smiled, patting his cheek before standing up, hearing him curse at her in a way that would make a nun blush.

  “Personally, my way is hard because I like it rough, and I love a challenge. Next time, let’s try it the easy way, yeah? Because it’s less forceful, and we don’t have to go back and forth.” She chuckled at his expression while now standing at ease. “By the way, Zaelyn? My name is Private Aurelia Whitaker, but you can call me Aura. All my friends do.” She introduced herself, watching his eyes cycle through different emotions as she continued to speak.

  Mostly anger and rage, with a hint of curiosity.

  “I’m a bomb specialist for the US Army. I’m twenty-four years young and from Orndo, Florida. I was honorably discharged st month from Fort Garrison-Miami. I am at your undivided service, and considering what I walked in on, you, Master Ravenwood, have my undivided attention.” She saluted him, holding her hand sideways to her forehead before dropping it to her side.

  They both stared at one another, his voice silenced beneath the heavy strip of cloth.

  She cleared her throat, knowing he wasn’t going to respond.

  “Listen, I noticed you didn’t have any food—which is actually quite concerning, considering the state you’re in. It’s obvious you haven’t been taking care of yourself, so I went shopping about six hours ago. Supper—or evening tea, as you Brits love to call it—should be ready in an hour. Hopefully, those pills will have kicked in by then. You must be experiencing some pain, and I hope those pills help. They’re pretty strong, so you might start feeling a little weird.” She warned, seeing him close his eyes and release a shaky breath.

  “I’m a little angry at you, though.” She admitted, making his eyes snap back to hers. He scrutinized her face, noting an unreadable emotion flicker across her pale features, but he offered no response. Instead, he remained there, forced to listen.

  He gnced at her again, realizing that she had the same deep blue-sea eyes as Natalie, but her hair was a caramel brunette with bright, soft, natural blonde highlights, stopping just at the base of her shoulders.

  She had recently styled and cut it, indicating a visit to a salon; he couldn't tell if it was done in the UK or stateside.

  Didn’t really matter. He didn’t care. All Zaelyn really wanted to know was when Aurelia would leave his house.

  Mainly so he could finish what he had started. This was merely a temporary setback in his mind, and he would try his luck again once she left. He blinked the thought away, his gaze traveling down to take in the rest of her.

  Aurelia was an inch or so shorter than Natalie and possessed a rugged heart-shaped face. Whatever had happened in her life seemed to age her. Natalie was youthful and kind. She also cked the circur face shape of Natalie, who was born without a prominent chin. Aurelia’s stood out, complementing her narrow, small neck. That feature alone enhanced her beauty.

  She had nearly the same body type—thin but very pale. Almost gothic but unnaturally sickly. However, Aurelia would fit perfectly into his embrace, like a puzzle piece.

  He wouldn’t, of course; she wasn’t Natalie. There was and would ever be only one Natalie for him, and she no longer existed.

  She was gone, just like he would be.

  …Well, when he either escaped from those ropes or she let him go.

  “I’m not wasting any more breath on you. It’s clear you don’t give a fuck about what I have to say, so you can lie there until I bring supper in. I saw a recipe book out there and chose one from there. Hope you like it,” she sneered, turning to walk out the door, but Zaelyn muffled a plea for her to come back. Aura paused at the threshold, turning to meet his desperate gaze.

  “You need time to think and for those pills to kick in, and I need to make sure evening tea doesn’t burn. We’ll try to be cordial here at supper. Until then, perhaps think about other means to life that don’t involve killing yourself.” She suggested sardonically before finally leaving the room and smming the door behind her.

  Zaelyn groaned in frustration, bringing his head toward his shoulder in a futile attempt to rub the gag down.

  He sighed, giving up after only a few minutes and choosing to y quietly, reflecting on what she had said. But nothing in his mind changed. He was still determined to meet Natalie on the other side. There was nothing left for him in this world. But that was before he met Aurelia, and she was nowhere near finished with him or the long bucket list she hoped to accomplish over the next six weeks that Zaelyn was unwittingly and knowingly tagging along for.