Consciousness returned slowly to Kimi, her eyelids heavy as lead. The sterile scent of antiseptic filled her nostrils, and the unfamiliar firmness beneath her back made her frown. This was not her dorm room bed. She pushed herself upright with trembling arms, disoriented and aching.
"Take it easy."
The voice cut through her confusion like a blade. She turned toward the sound and found herself face to face with Brennan Graham, his expression as unreadable as stone. Kolton's best friend sat in a chair beside the infirmary bed, his dark eyes studying her with clinical detachment.
The events before her collapse came rushing back like a tidal wave. The storeroom. Kolton's cruel words. The searing pain that had torn through her chest until darkness claimed her.
"How did I get here?" The question escaped her lips in barely more than a whisper.
Brennan stood from his chair, moving closer to the bed with deliberate steps. "Do you always speak like that?"
