Dark Princess: Shadows (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance #89)

32. Ell-rom

32

ELL-ROM

A s Ell-rom entered Morelle's room, his heart nearly stopped when his sister's eyes found his. His other half was finally awake and looking at him with recognition and love.

Tears slid down her cheeks in twin rivulets.

He rushed to her bedside, gathering her in his arms carefully, mindful of the tubes and wires still attached to her. "Morelle," he whispered, his voice breaking with emotion. "You came back to me." He pressed his cheek to hers, his own tears mingling with hers.

He was vaguely aware of Brandon, Bridget, and Gertrude quietly leaving the room, giving them privacy for this reunion.

"Morelle, Morelle, Morelle," he kept whispering her name like a prayer, holding her close, overwhelmed by the reality of having her truly present and aware in his arms.

When he realized that she wasn't moving, he loosened his hold and lowered her head back to the thin pillow.

"Was I squeezing you too tightly?"

He hoped for a smile, but all he got was a double blink of her eyes, and somehow, he knew it was her way of saying no.

Was it a memory?

Had they developed a language of silent communications?

She was looking up at him, and as another tear slid down her cheek, she lifted her hand shakily toward his head but then dropped it back down.

Understanding what she wanted, he took her hand, leaned down, and helped guide it to his mostly bald scalp, where only a light fuzz of new growth had started to appear.

The question in her eyes was clear, and he managed a small laugh through the mist in his eyes. "The stasis chambers malfunctioned, and the only thing that kept us alive was our godly genes that allowed us to enter unaided stasis. We were found completely emaciated, with only clumps of long strands of dry, matted hair remaining. It wasn't a pretty sight, so the medics shaved off what was left." He saw her eyes drift upward, clearly wondering about her own head. "Yes, yours too. The trauma to our bodies must have slowed down the growth because I should have more by now, but it will come."

Gently, he guided her hand to her own scalp, letting her feel the similar fuzzy growth there. Her fingers moved slowly over the unfamiliar texture, and another tear slipped down her cheek.

"It's okay," he assured her. "Our bodies were too busy rebuilding our organs and muscles to worry about something as trivial as hair. Julian, one of the medics, explained that our bodies were prioritizing the most important repairs." He smiled at her. "I promise that it will all grow back, just as full and beautiful as I remember it." He paused. "I have to admit that I don't remember much of our lives on Anumati. My memories were lost during the long stasis." He cupped her cheek. "I hope you've retained your memories and can help me understand who I was, who we both were as people."

Morelle blinked once, deliberately, and somehow, he knew this was her way of saying yes. Relief flooded through him. At least one of them remembered their shared history.

"Why aren't you speaking?" he asked gently. "Is it too difficult?"

One blinks. Yes, then. It was too difficult for her to speak.

"That's alright," he said. "Your voice will come back. I'm certain of it." He hugged her again, pressing kisses to her tear-stained cheeks. "I love you so much, and I've missed you terribly, even when I couldn't remember exactly what I was missing. There was just this huge hole in my chest. Jasmine filled some of it, but it would never mend completely unless I had you back in my life."

Settling more comfortably on the edge of her bed, he kept hold of her hand. "I have so much to tell you. Jasmine is the one who helped our sister's people find us. We would have died if they hadn't reached us when they did. The stasis chambers had stopped working long ago, and they were sealed, so we couldn't absorb nutrients from the environment. We were nearing our end."

When Morelle's eyes widened, he realized that he was jumping ahead of the story. "We have a half-sister here on Earth, the daughter of our father. She is the leader of this community that shelters us, and she is incredible. Her name is Annani, and she is a full-blooded goddess. She is as magnificent as our father was, and maybe more. She is also loving and warm and has welcomed us into her clan with open arms." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips. "I wonder how much Brandon has told you. Did he tell you about Annani?"

Morelle blinked twice.

"That's odd. I was sure he was telling you about the gods and immortals and their history on Earth." He chuckled. "Now I wonder what he has been telling you through the long hours he sat with you. Jasmine also sat by my bedside for days, talking to me, singing to me, pulling me back to consciousness. She did the same for you, just not as often, but it didn't work. I guess you needed a different kind of voice to reach you."

A small smile curled Morelle's lips, the first expression she'd managed other than the widening and narrowing of her eyes.

"Brandon has barely left your side since we moved to the village." Ell-rom put Morelle's hand down on her chest. "I think he fell in love with you at first sight." He chuckled. "As Kra-ell, we are not supposed to believe in love, let alone love at first sight. But the humans believe it, and I've learned that it can be very real. It happened to me with Jasmine."

He noticed Morelle's eyelashes starting to flutter, her eyes fighting to stay open. "You're tired," he said softly. "You should rest." Leaning down, he pressed another kiss to her forehead. When her eyes popped wide open, he quickly added, "Don't worry. I'm in the room next to yours, and I'll come back as soon as you wake up again. I'm not leaving you. I promise."

Morelle's eyes closed, and she let out a sigh.

He stayed for a moment longer until her breathing evened out into the rhythm of sleep that seemed frighteningly similar to a coma, but he had to trust that this was natural rest.

Morelle was back. His other half returned to him.