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Speaking of that, it reminded me that I had questioned my mom about the wolfsbane. Lincoln might actually know the answer.
“Some of the men after the attack the other day had wounds similar to Willa’s. They were very deep. Is it the wolfsbane that causes that?”
Lincoln grunted behind me, and I could feel him shaking his head. “They dip their nails in wolfsbane before the attack. It makes it easier for them to draw blood and allows them to cut deeper. I’ve seen some infections that get so severe they kill.”
My mouth popped open. I didn’t know what to say. I’d heard that ingesting it gave people an upset stomach for a few hours. Some people it made severely ill, and that was in very small doses, but to dip your whole paw in the poison and let it soak in… That pain would have to be excruciating. I couldn’t imagine having so much hate that you would intentionally hurt yourself like that.
Lincoln adjusted me in his arms. “It’s the same as taking it orally or with a shot. You do not build up a tolerance for the pain. It never fully stops hurting, though.”
I shivered, and I wasn’t sure if it was because I was cold or because of what we were talking about. “Aren’t there long-term effects? It’s poison. It’s bad for the body.”
Lincoln was quiet for a long moment. “I’m not sure. I know that ingesting poison is never good. Dad doesn’t care about the long term. He’s so focused on what’s happening right now. These men who follow him… They’re either scared or just as deranged as he is, and they don’t ask questions. I guess we’ll find out, though hopefully not the hard way.”
The hard way meant people getting sick and dying. I squeezed my eyes shut, realizing that Lincoln had been given high dosages the past couple of days, thanks to his brother.
“How much has Mikey given to you?”
Lincoln ran his fingers through my snarled hair and stopped at the hair tie. He let his hand fall back into the water, splashing a little up on my chin. “I don’t know. It’s been a syringe full, but I couldn’t tell you how many milliliters are in it. Enough that it burns. Enough that it nearly knocks me unconscious, and I can’t even feel my wolf sometimes.”
“Oh, Lincoln.” My voice broke.
He caressed my back. “I’m fine, sweetheart. I have you in my arms now, and we’re free enjoying this wonderful float down the river.”
He was deflecting again, and I appreciated it, but I was still worried. Unfortunately, he was right though. We wouldn’t know the long-term effects, and it could be a few years before we did. I just prayed if any popped up, they wouldn’t be severe.
I traced my finger up and down his arm. “I’m not sure I’d call this a lovely float down the river.”
He chuckled, his laughter deep and hearty. “Come on now, sweetheart. It’s kind of romantic.”
I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face, but I did roll my eyes, even though he couldn’t see them. “Maybe a little. It’d be a whole lot nicer if it was like ninety degrees outside and we didn’t have crazy wolves chasing after us.”
He snorted out his laugh. “I suppose you have a point.”
“You think?”
He shifted me in his arms again, and I wondered if he was getting tired. “How about I make it up to you one day? We’ll go for a nice lazy-river float. It can be anywhere you want.”
I lifted a brow. “Anywhere? What about the Amazon?”
Some of the heaviness left my chest while we teased each other.
I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell he was frowning.
“Aren’t there snakes and all sorts of unpleasant creatures in those waters? I don’t think that would be any more relaxing than this. It might be worse.”
I laughed and laid my head back against his shoulder, turning so I could look at him. He used the opportunity to lean forward and kiss me. Our lips melded together, and I let my eyes flutter shut, getting lost in his touch.
We were so wrapped up in the kiss that we didn’t realize the changing of the rapids until it was too late. Water sloshed up into my face when I pulled away from the kiss. I coughed as some went into my mouth . It splashed again, this time washing over both of our heads.
Lincoln grunted as he looked over his shoulder. He said something under his breath that I didn’t understand.
I craned my neck, and I knew what he was cursing at. The water disappeared over a drop-off about a hundred feet head. It was such a sharp drop that I couldn’t even tell where it was going or how far down it went.
My heart pounded and my eyes widened.
Lincoln held on to me with one arm as he paddled us towards the shore with the other. I followed his lead, cupping the water with my hand, trying to get us closer to at least one of the rocks.
It was no use. The water was deep from all the rain, and the current was too strong. It kept pulling us back towards the center.
