CHAPTER 19: THE AFTERMATH

"Ugh..."

I groaned as I tried to sit up. Pain shot through my body like a slap. My ribs ached, my chest felt crushed, and even breathing hurt. "Ow... great," I muttered, pressing a hand to my side.

I tried to push myself up again, but the pain was so sharp it made my eyes tear up. "Damn it..." I hissed under my breath. The memory of what happened hit me in flashes, the fire, the cold, him. Lucian.

"What are you doing?"

His voice reached my ears, low and steady, and my eyes flicked up. The moment I saw him standing there, every bit of control I had left cracked. The eyes was reddened, I was meant to shed tears but all I could do was sobbing without dropping any. Sad life of this freaking phoenix.

""I..." My throat tightened. "It hurts so much... I need to pee..."

Lucian froze. For a second, the mighty Ice Dragon CEO looked like he didn’t know whether to be concerned or... horrified.

"You— what?" he asked carefully.

"I need to pee, okay?!" I snapped between sobs. "But it hurts every time I move!"

He blinked once, twice, clearly trying to process the situation. Then, after a small sigh that sounded way too controlled, he muttered, "Stay still. I’ll help."

In a swift motion, I was suddenly in his arms.

My breath hitched. He was careful, his hold firm but gentle as he moved, making sure not to jostle me more than necessary. Still, the closeness made my skin prickle. I could feel the faint chill radiating from him, brushing against my neck like ghostly air, and I had to bite back the urge to flinch.

He stopped right in front of the toilet bowl, lowering me until my feet touched the cold floor tiles. His gaze met mine then, steady and unreadable.

I blinked, waiting for him to turn around and leave but he didn’t.

"You can go out now," I said, voice small, embarrassed, hoping he’d take the hint.

Lucian tilted his head slightly, expression calm. "You can’t even stand properly."

I blinked a few times, "So... are you planning to watch me peeing?"

His lips twitched, almost forming a smile. "I wasn’t planning on it, but you are giving me an option," he said evenly, though his tone carried the faintest trace of amusement.

I stared at him, horrified. "Lucian!"

"Relax," he said, as if that word could erase the sheer humiliation boiling under my skin. "I’ll turn around."

He did it slowly and yet somehow, the air felt thicker. The cold he carried seemed to wrap around the small space, muted but still there, brushing against my bare arms like mist.

I bit my lip, torn between wanting to scream and laugh from mortification. "This is the first time I met a pervert dragon," I muttered under my breath.

"I heard that," came his low reply, quiet but sharp.

"Good," I shot back, glaring at his broad back even as my cheeks burned.

There was a brief silence after that, filled only by the faint drip of water from the faucet and my own uneven breathing. I didn’t know what was worse... the pain still burning through my body or the awkwardness of having him standing a few feet away while I tried to... do something as normal as pee.

"Are you done?" he asked after a moment, voice low but careful, like he was trying not to set me off again.

"No," I snapped. "Because someone is still standing there... even my pee feels too annoyed to come out!"

Lucian let out a quiet breath, the kind that almost sounded like a laugh but wasn’t. "Your choice of words never fails to surprise me," he said, still facing the wall.

"Well, maybe you should leave so my choice of words doesn’t get any worse!" I hissed, gripping the side of the sink for balance.

He turned his head just slightly, enough for me to see the curve of his jaw. "If I leave and you cry because of pain again, you’ll be far more embarrassed than this."

"Not possible!" I shot back instantly. "This is peak humiliation. Nothing tops this!"

There was a small pause, then his shoulders moved just a bit, like he was shaking with silent laughter.

"I’ll count to ten," he said finally, his tone maddeningly calm. "If you’re not done by then, I’m checking."

"Lucian!" I squeaked, horrified.

"Then hurry," he murmured, voice soft but teasing this time.

"I said I can’t... how can I pee with you standing there?" I frowned, glaring at the back of his head. "Wait outside. At the door. I’ll call you when I’m done."

He didn’t move.

"Lucian," I said again, a little sharper this time. "Out."

A low sigh escaped him, long, resigned, but not exactly obedient. "Fine," he muttered, finally turning toward the door. The movement made the air shift, that faint chill following him like a shadow.

Just before he stepped out, he paused, one hand on the doorframe. "Don’t lock it," he said quietly, not looking back.

"I wasn’t planning to," I replied, still annoyed.

He paused, glancing over his shoulder just enough for our eyes to meet. "Be careful," he said, voice calm but steady. "I’ll be right behind the door. Shout if it’s urgent."

Something in the way he said it made my heart twist a little, not out of comfort, but out of confusion. Because even though his words sounded protective, the air between us still carried that quiet tension, the kind that made it hard to breathe.

"Got it," I muttered, looking away before he could read my face.

He lingered a second longer, then finally stepped out. The moment the door closed, I let out a shaky breath, staring at the floor. "Great," I whispered to myself. "I can fight ancient beasts but can’t even pee without supervision."

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself toward the toilet, every step sending a dull ache through my body. "This freaking hurts... damn it..." I hissed, biting down on my lip. Finally, I half-collapsed onto the seat with a small groan. "Oh gosh..."

"Seraphina..."

My head snapped toward the sound but there was no one there. Just a big mirror hanging on the wall.

"Vivian?" I whispered.