Page 48 of Dark Princess: Shadows
As the door opened, the storyteller looked in that direction. "I hope it's okay to give Morelle a small sip of water?"
The medic answered in a foreign language that Morelle had heard spoken around her before.
The medic must have approved because the storyteller held the straw to her lips.
Morelle managed a small sip, and the water felt wonderful on her parched throat. She wanted more, but he pulled it away after that first taste.
"I'm sorry, Princess. I know that you want more, but we need to wait a moment to make sure that stays down."
She wanted to tell him that she felt fine and that she needed more water, but she still couldn't talk. She wasn't sure whether it was the muscles of her face that were not working properly, or that the signals from her brain were not interpreted correctly by her body. Hopefully, that would pass soon.
Instead, she focused on his face, mapping all the details. Brown, lustrous hair, high cheekbones, strong jaw, and a straight nose that was a little on the longish side but fit his face perfectly. His most striking features were his beautiful eyes and what she saw in them.
He didn't shy away from her intense scrutiny. In fact, he seemed pleased by it. "My name is Bran-don, in case you are wondering."
Bran-don. Her storyteller's name was Bran-don.
It wasn't a Kra-ell name, but it did not sound foreign to her ears either.
She liked it.
31
BRANDON
"Ineed you to step out," Bridget told Brandon in her usual no-nonsense tone. "I have to perform a few cognitive tests on Morelle." She pulled out a teardrop just like his from her pocket and activated it.
Reluctantly, Brandon released Morelle's hand, his body and soul both protesting the necessity to step away from her. "I'll be right outside," he promised, trying to catch her eye one last time, but Bridget was already positioning herself between them.
"Go," the doctor commanded. "I'll call you back when I'm done."
Forcing himself to walk away from her, Brandon cast one last glance over his shoulder.
Morelle's eyes were still open, still as mesmerizing as the moment she'd first looked at him, and they were trained on him. Her gaze was so intense, so aware, that he had no doubt she'd heard him during all those long hours he had been talking to her and that she had understood everything.
As he opened the door, Gertrude was there, grinning happily. "This is a good day."
"It is." He let her slip by him. "Take good care of her."
"Of course." The nurse closed the door behind her.
Brandon sat down on one of the chairs in the waiting room, but he was too restless to remain seated, so he got up and started pacing from one end of the room to the other. Excitement and worry were mixing together to create a volatile compound in his gut that could only be quieted when he returned to Morelle's side.
Those eyes. Dear Fates, he hadn't expected them to be quite so striking. The instant they'd met his, he'd felt like Morelle could see straight into his soul. There had been recognition there, understanding, and something else he couldn't quite define.
Curiosity? Determination? Courage?
Had she retained some of her memories from life on Anumati, or had she lost them all like her brother had?
Ell-rom.
No one had told him that Morelle was awake, or he would be out of Jasmine's room and demanding to see his sister.
Brandon knocked on the door, trying not to make it sound too urgent and scare the prince.
After a moment, the door opened. "What is it?" Ell-rom asked.
Brandon couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Morelle woke up, Ell-rom. She opened her eyes and looked right at me. Bridget and Gertrude are with her, conducting some tests or examinations, so they kicked me out, and it has just occurred to me that no one has told you…"