The acrid smell made bile rise up her throat. Unable to distinguish the difference between its shrieks and the screams that haunted her in her dreams. Her father’s screams begging for mercy.
The man did not falter as he watched the last of the ashes fall onto the snow. Only lowering his hand once the last of theMoroi disappeared into nothing more than smoke, his blood dripping onto the ground beside his boot.
He was a Vedran. And a powerful one at that.
After a moment, she felt him slowly turn to face her. Their gazes met and held as he surveyed her. Perhaps he sensed her trepidation because he was slow in approaching her. He murmured as he stepped closer, swaying when he tried to reach his bloodied hand toward her. “You’re all right…”
Before she could shove his hand away, his eyes fluttered, and he crumpled at her feet.
5
“Saints,you’re heavy,” Enid grumbled as she and Anelize managed to slip past the doorway of the shop, practically dragging the man between the two of them.
After what happened with the Moroi, witnessing what he had done to it, she hadn’t wanted to bring him with them. The risk far greater than it had been before now that they knew he was a Vedran. It had taken several arguments between her and Enid before Anelize finally conceded, if only to avoid being caught up in another ordeal that neither could defend themselves from. Especially not if another monster showed up.
“I got him. Lock the door behind us, Enid,” Anelize said, wrapping her arm around his waist. He groaned at the applied pressure where she felt blood coating her fingers, and she hushed him. “Keep quiet.”
From here, she had a clear view of the stairs and hall beyond. She kept watch, waiting to see if Magda was trudging about up there. Knowing her, she was already fast asleep, oblivious to the world and willfully indifferent by either of their wellbeing. If either of them would returnalive. After their discussion, she would wager that her aunt would be glad for their demise, if only to be rid of them.
Enid quickly hurried to the door just as they heard the bellowing of Watchmen and the toll of a bell ring out throughthe streets. She wasted little time in shutting and locking the door.
Anelize huffed, struggling not to sink under the man’s weight as she led him farther into the shop. Blood dripped onto the floor, smearing with his heavy steps.
“Help me get him on the table,” Anelize said as they entered the back room she kept specifically for patients with dire injuries. The room was pitch black, but she knew her way around the shop by now that she could navigate through it with her eyes closed. It took some maneuvering and eventually they managed to help him lay on the long worktable.
“Where am I?” he asked through gritted teeth, sounding somewhat delirious as Enid hurried to light the candles on the small table beside the water basin.
Anelize pushed the cloak aside to inspect the large gash on his side practically swimming in the gathering pool of blood.
“Our father’s shop. You’ll be safe here,” Enid supplied, bringing one of the candles closer, illuminating the area around them so that Anelize could see properly before she started working. She placed a gentle hand on Anelize’s shoulder before smiling warmly at the man. “I’ll go ensure Magda doesn’t come downstairs. Don’t worry, my sister is an excellent healer. The best there is.”
The man didn’t answer as Enid spun and left the room, leaving the two of them alone. Not that Anelize noticed as she tugged the black tunic up to get a better look at his injury. She froze at what she saw beneath it. The many pale scars running along his skin surrounding the wound on his side and abdomen.
“Take your time…” he muttered, snapping her out of her inspection.
Anelize said, “The bleeding won’t stop which means I need to cauterize the wound.”
“Splendid,” came his answer as she turned to the shelves along the wall, retrieving a sharp knife from one of the drawers.
The moment she walked back to him, blade in hand, he tensed. Anelize gave him a flat, unamused look as she brought the knife over the flickering flame of the candle.
“If I planned on killing you, I wouldn’t make it so obvious. You’re not going anywhere any time soon, so you might as well relax.” It was evident he was ready to practically jump off the table at the slightest inclination she made of truly wanting to gut him like a fish, keeping one leg hanging over the edge of the table and propping himself up on his elbow.
“Your father…isn’t he a healer? Can’t he just do it?”
“I imagine he can’t do much from the afterlife. Though I’m sure he’d be touched that you’d rather receive his care than mine.”
The man fell silent, her words seeming to weigh down on them both. Eventually he said, “I’m sorry.”
Despite not knowing the man, there was no mistaking the genuine lament in his tone. That alone made her pause for a moment before she forced herself to focus. There was no time to discuss her father, nor did she wish to do so with a complete stranger. Instead, she said, “You’ll need stitches after I clean the wound. I can administer a tincture to help with the pain?—”
“I can handle a little pain,” came his curt reply.
Anelize sighed at his words practically brimming with stubborn pride. “Very well.”
When the sizzle of the blade burning his skin filledthe silence, every muscle in his body tensed so much that more blood poured from his wound. The strain on his face, despite the way his lips pressed into a firm line, indicated he was in factnothandling the pain very well. She worked quickly as she cauterized the wound, wiping away the remnants of blood with a clean cloth as she went.
“Are you absolutely sure you know what you’re doing?” he asked through gritted teeth, sweat beading along his dark brows.
