Aria's POV
"Aria… open your eyes. Please, you have to look at me."
The voice wasn't Lila's. It was Damon's. His breath was uneven, ragged, like he'd run through fire just to get here. My head whipped around so fast my neck ached, because if Damon sounded like that, then—
"Lila?" My voice cracked, barely a whisper.
The room seemed to tilt when I saw her lashes flutter. My little sister's chest rose slowly, shallow but steady. Her lips, once drained of color, were tinted with pink again.
"I—" I choked, stumbling toward the bed. "She's breathing. Oh God, Damon, she's breathing!"
His arm slid around me as if he needed to hold me upright. My body was trembling so violently I thought my bones might shatter.
Lila's eyelids parted a fraction, glassy brown eyes peeking through. Weak. Uncertain. But alive.
"Aria?" Her voice was scratchy, paper-thin.
