Ashley's POV
Freya had shut herself in one of the tiny rooms in the cottage, sealing herself away from the world. I had knocked gently first, trying to get her to respond, but all I received in return was silence. I could make out the soft sounds of her breathing, ragged and trembling, as if she was trying to keep herself from falling apart. I yearned to console her, to say she was not alone in this, but I was smarter than to try to get her to talk before she was willing. Some injuries were not of the flesh; they ran deeper, to the soul itself. I moved away from the door with a soft sigh, leaving her to her sorrow. I knew it too well. I had lost so much in such a short space of time, and I had known what it was to want the world to go away, at least for a little. But I could not think about that now. Someone else needed me.
I went into the other room where Steven was lying sleeping-or was meant to be sleeping.
But the instant I entered, I found him trying to rise, his face contorted i
