Gabriel's eyes snapped open to the ceiling, and a splitting headache hit him so hard that his jaw clenched on reflex. He sucked in a rough breath, then forced it steady, sitting up with one hand pressed to his temple as if he could hold the pain in place.
The room was not the same one he had fallen in, and when he turned his gaze, he saw Anna leaning over him, frozen in shock, her face pale and tight, her eyes wide like she had just watched a corpse stand up.
She stumbled back half a step, her hands hovering in the air, and her voice came out broken as she tried to speak.
"Master… you… you were not breathing."
Gabriel blinked once, slow, and his calm did not crack even though the ache kept pulsing softly.
"I'm awake," he said. "So talk properly."
Anna's throat moved as she swallowed, and she shook her head as if she could not accept what she was seeing.
"You stopped," she said. "Your chest did not move. I checked. I checked again."
