CHAPTER 24

After war

RORY'S POV

I woke up feeling like my body had been trampled by a thousand wolves. My limbs ached, my throat burned, and my head pounded. The room smelled of herbs and something stronger—Renzo.

He was sitting beside the bed, watching me. His expression unreadable, but his eyes… dark, calculating.

“You are not dead. I wish you were.”

His voice was quiet, almost thoughtful, as if he were considering it. Then he leaned in, pressing a kiss against my hand. A mockery of tenderness.

I jerked my hand away, my heart pounding. “Then why save me?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he picked up a cup...