“I haven’t if they can help him.”Elena was begging. I wanted to soothe her, but I couldn’t find the energy to move. I settled for her touches, her kisses, and her closeness.
If Alaric noticed, he didn’t comment, which showed great restraint on his part. “Well they can’t, even if you could survive another encounter. They’d bleed you dry just for suggesting they help one of shifter blood. Especially Rhysander.”
“And how would you know?” Elena hissed, clearly fed up with his unwillingness to help.
“They’re my people. If I thought they would help I would move heaven and earth to save him.”
Elena sighed. Then said, “Maybe my brother—”
“I’ll not be trusting your brother with anything,” Alaric spat with barely contained contempt.
“Do you have any ideas, then? Instead of dismissing all of mine, you might try to help.”
“If I did it wouldn’t be trusting the fae or your brother.” Alaric laughed without humor. “You might as well be asking the bloodsuckers for help.”
Elena paused, and I thought she might have given up on me. I wouldn’t have minded. She’d thought of everything. She tried. That was all that mattered to me.
“What about fampires?” Alaric must have laughed when I drifted out, because Elena sat up and her voice was no nonsense. “No, I’m serious. I’ve heard rumors that they can heal the sick. How is this any different? Couldn’t one suck the infected blood out?”
“If by heal the sick you mean turn them into the undead, then yes, by all bloody means why don’t we invite one over for some tea and dragon blood?”
“Listen to me! You said if there wasn’t enough blood infected with the poison that he may be able to recover. What’s stopping us from removing the blood altogether to prevent the infection? What have we got to lose, Alaric? It’s our only chance to save him.”
Alaric must have agreed because when I woke up, I knew Soren was there. His acidic voice filled my ears.
“If you think I’m going to drink from him, you’re very well demented. The last thing I need is for the Dragon Lord to take offense and extend my punishment. I’ve already been all over the Northlands today doing his damned bidding.”
“You’ll do as I ask or I’ll figure out a way to make your punishment permanent,” Alaric warned.
Soren crossed the room with hesitant steps and towered over the side of the bed. “I can’t promise that I’ll be of any use to you. He could be too far gone for this to do any good.”
“Then get on with it,” Elena ordered. “If he dies because you couldn’t stop yammering about, I’ll kill you myself.”
Alaric murmured appreciatively, Elena hovered over me protectively. Soren tilted my neck to the side and wet his lips and in the next moment his teeth lengthened into deadly points and he latched himself to my bared flesh.
I shuddered underneath Elena’s hands and I hoped to Goddess she made the right decision. Soren motioned with a hand for the bowl and Elena gave it to him. He spat out blackened blood with a look of disgust, but returned again and again.
This went on until my feeble attempts at fighting Soren’s embrace slackened and the grip I had on Elena’s hand released. I didn’t know if I was better or worse. I was spiraling into darkness.
Soren spat one final time into the bowl and wiped his mouth. “That’s the last of it,” he said. “You’ll want to keep an eye on him when he wakes up. He’s going to have a bitch of a headache and will probably feel sick to his stomach as well. Provided that the dragon’s bane didn’t reach his heart, he should make a full recovery. If he’s lucky.”
“Have you always been able to heal them like this?”
“From dragon’s bane?” Soren said offhandedly, as he searched the room for something.
“Yes,” Elena answered between gritted teeth.
He lifted the goblet of water next to the bed and peered inside it. He scowled and moved to the chest of drawers. “I’ve never done it before, so I can’t tell you for sure.”
“Then why would you…I mean what do you—”
Soren grinned. “What do I get in return?”
“Of course. We can take you anywhere you need to go. Alaric has transp—”
He waved a hand. “I’ll not be needing a carriage, my lady.”
Elena tensed beside me. “Then, what do you need?”
