I still feared what had happened earlier. I couldn't leave him alone like this.
So I stayed.
I sat beside him through the long, heavy hours of the night, the cold seeping into my bones, the silence pressing against my skin.
Somewhere along the way, I must have fallen asleep.
When I woke, morning light bled weakly through the narrow window, and the small room smelled of old wood, blood, and bitter herbs.
I blinked slowly, disoriented.
I was lying on the bed — covered with a rough, scratchy blanket.
Cassius sat upright in the battered chair beside me, his arms crossed, his gaze distant.
I scrambled up quickly, heart thudding, pulling the blanket tighter around myself.
"I'm sorry, Athena," he said roughly, his voice still hoarse from the night before. "I didn't mean—"
I widened my eyes a little more sharply, cutting him off without words.
"I understand," I said quickly, stiffly. "You don't want to talk about it."
I rose from the bed, smoothing my cloak with shaky hands.
