Chapter 181

Aria

Thankfully, Mark’s stable now, though he’s still passed out on the couch. Whatever weird herbs Shiva used on him actually worked, which still surprises me, considering how bad he looked earlier.

As for me, I’m curled up on another couch, right next to Lucas, who’s completely out cold. His arm is resting on the armrest like he passed out mid-thought. Shiva’s over by the table, standing and focused, grinding herbs in a small mortar plate. She said she wants to have a mix ready for Mark when he finally wakes up.

I keep shifting around, trying to sleep, but it’s useless. My body’s tired, but my mind won’t shut up. Shiva mentioned a while ago that it was close to midnight, and it’s definitely way past that now.

From across the room, her voice breaks through the quiet. “Problem with sleeping?”

“Yeah, actually,” I say as I sit up slowly, rubbing at my face before getting up and walking over to her. “Been trying to, but it’s just not happening.”