章 970: A prison of silence

Erik gently brushed a strand of hair from Emily's face as they lay in bed together.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, smiling up at him. "More than alright."

Erik returned her smile, overjoyed to see the worry and sorrow had been temporarily lifted from her face. But as Emily nestled closer against his chest, Erik saw her expression shift again.

"Are you all right?"

Emily hesitated, but then whatever was keeping her from talking vanished. "Can you really save my father?"

Erik cupped Emily's cheek.

"I can," Erik said, injecting as much sincerity and resolve into his voice as possible.

Emily lifted her head to meet his eyes. She held his gaze for a long moment before nodding. "I believe you."

Erik wiped the woman's tears from her face, "I must go soon, but I will bring you good news next time we meet."

"All right…" Emily said. "Save my father. And then come back to me."