LUMA POV
Six hours.
Luma didn't know how long she'd been standing there with her hands pressed against Drake's chest. Time had stopped existing the moment she touched him. There was only the curse and her magic and the desperate battle between them.
Her hands glowed so bright that no one could look at them directly anymore. Thomas had left the chamber maybe an hour ago. The other healers had disappeared even before that. Now it was just Luma and Drake and the curse that was slowly, inch by inch, losing its grip on him.
Her arms were shaking.
Her entire body was shaking.
She was pouring magic into him faster than she'd ever poured magic into anyone, and it still didn't feel like enough. The curse was ancient. It was angry. It wanted to kill him and it was fighting her with everything it had.
But she was fighting harder.
Luma closed her eyes and leaned into the pain. She could feel Drake's heartbeat under her hands. It was weak but it was there. It was getting stronger because of her. Because she wouldn't stop. Because she couldn't stop.
Her magic was responding to his need in ways that terrified her.
She'd never felt connected to a patient like this before. Her healing magic had always been something separate, something she used and then pulled back. But this was different. This was hungry. This wanted to merge with Drake's body and never let go.
Every time her magic touched the curse, she felt that familiar signature again. That dark magic that smelled like someone she'd loved and lost. Like someone who'd taught her things no healer was supposed to know. Like someone who'd warned her before he died to hide what she was and never let anyone close enough to discover it.
Her father had been right to warn her.
Because if anyone found out that she could recognize dark magic like this, if anyone found out that this curse signature meant something to her, they would assume she was connected to it. They would assume she'd sent it. They would assume she was a traitor.
They would kill her.
Luma's hands burned hotter.
She pushed the fear away and focused on the healing. The curse was getting weaker. She could feel it. The dark veins were receding slowly, pulling back from the edges of Drake's skin. His breathing was getting more regular. His body had stopped convulsing hours ago.
She was winning.
But it was costing her everything.
Sweat dripped down her face. Her legs felt like they were made of liquid. Her vision kept getting blurry and then clearing again. She didn't know if she could keep going much longer. She didn't know if her body had anything left to give.
But Drake needed her to keep going.
And somewhere in the last six hours, Luma had realized something that made everything worse. She wasn't just healing the Alpha because it was her job. She was healing him because something inside her needed to. Because the moment she touched him, something in her recognized him. Something in her wanted to keep him alive more than she wanted to keep herself safe.
That was dangerous.
That was how you got destroyed.
Luma opened her eyes and looked down at Drake's face.
Even pale and broken, he was beautiful. Strong cheekbones. Dark hair falling across his forehead. A face built to command attention. A body built for war. An Alpha built to rule and control and never need anyone.
Except right now he needed her.
Right now she was the only thing keeping him alive.
The thought should have terrified her more. Instead, it made her hold on tighter.
Her hands glowed so bright now that it was like the sun was rising from her palms. The curse was almost gone. Just a few dark threads left, fading, weakening, dying.
Luma gave everything she had left.
She felt it the moment the curse finally backed down. The dark magic retreated, pulling away from Drake's body like something that knew it was beaten. The veins on his skin faded from black to dark purple to just barely visible marks.
Luma pulled her hands away and the light faded.
Her entire body collapsed at the same moment.
She couldn't feel her legs. She couldn't feel her arms. She could barely feel anything except the pain of every muscle in her body screaming that she'd pushed too hard, given too much, broken herself completely.
The floor was coming up fast.
Then James was there, catching her before she hit the ground. He was holding her up, his voice coming from far away.
"What you just did, nobody could do that."
Luma didn't answer. She couldn't. Her mouth wouldn't work. Her mind was still caught between her power and Drake's body, still feeling the connection they'd formed. Still feeling the pull.
James carried her toward the door. She could hear him talking to someone, giving orders, doing all the things he needed to do. She was fading. Her consciousness was slipping away like water through broken fingers.
As they reached the chamber door, Luma heard something that made her eyes snap open.
Movement.
Behind them, Drake moved on the healing table. His body shifted. His hand reached out like he was searching for something.
Like he was searching for her.
Then his eyes opened.
Even through her fading consciousness, even though she was barely able to stay awake, Luma felt the weight of his gaze. Felt him looking for her. Felt him finding her just as James was pulling her through the doorway.
For just a second, their eyes met.
Drake's eyes were gold instead of their normal color. Shifter eyes. Alpha eyes. The kind of eyes that saw everything and missed nothing. The kind of eyes that could tear through lies and see right to the truth of what you were.
The kind of eyes that looked at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.
Then the door closed and he was out of sight.
But Luma could still feel him. Could still feel the connection they'd made during those six hours. Could still feel her magic tangled with his, not pulling away like it should have. Not separating from him like it should have.
Staying connected.
Wanting to stay connected.
James carried her down the hallway and Luma's last conscious thought was both a wish and a terror.
She wished she could go back to that moment when she was invisible. When no one noticed her. When no one looked at her like she mattered.
Because Drake Ashford looking at her like that was the most dangerous thing that had ever happened to her.
And she'd already given him too much of herself to take it back.