Page 131 of Wicked Dreams (Fallen Royals 1)

I jerk my head up and down. “Got it.”

“Ice on and off. Nothing strenuous.”

“Okay.” I force a smile. “Thank you for checking on me.”

They both rise, and I lower my shirt. I lie down, covering myself with the blanket, and close my eyes. Still, I hear Lenora’s friend say, “I’d keep her activity down for at least a week. I’ll write a note for you to send into the school.”

I push myself upright. “Wait,” I blurt out. “The dance—”

“Halloween is still ten days away,” Lenora says gently. “I’m sure you’ll be recovered enough by then.” She raises her eyebrow at her friend.

The doctor smiles. “I’ll come back on Sunday and check on you.”

For the rest of the day, I drift between consciousness and sleep and try to forget Ian Fletcher.

When I wake up, it’s completely dark. The television is rolling through end credits of a movie I completely missed, and I’m impossibly groggy. I grope around for my phone, and my hand lands on… skin.

I snap my hand back. Caleb is reclined in the chair adjacent to the couch, his eyes closed.

My heart does this awful thing: it softens.

I must’ve touched his hand, dangling off the chair’s arm.

Slowly, I sit up and readjust. I smooth down my hair, ensuring my shirt is in place. And by the time I look up, Caleb’s gaze is on me.

“Feeling better?” he asks.

“Not really.” The melted bag of ice slides off the couch. “Did you…?”

Caleb frowns. “Find Ian? Do anything? No. I’ve been warned not to cause many more waves at school.”

I grunt.

He leans toward me, tucking a chunk of hair behind my ear. “Lenora said you should be good to go for the dance, though.”

I manage a smile. “I hope so.”

“I know it.”

He turns on the lamp. I squint, blocking the light with my hand as he switches seats and slides in behind me. I lean on him while he inspects my throat.

“He’s not going to touch you again. Even if I need to get the whole fucking lacrosse team to keep him away from you—”

“Isn’t Ian on the team?”

Caleb rolls his eyes. “Yeah. But he’s a twat.”

Clearly.

“Where are Robert and Lenora?”

“They went out. They’ve been hovering, making sure you were still breathing. Or snoring, like you were when I came in.”

I elbow him.

“You’ll be back to school next week,” he promises. “And then the dance. And after…”

He wiggles his eyebrows.