“Neurotoxin,” I gasped, grabbing his hand and yanking him down beside Draco. “It’s in his bloodstream. You need to pull it out before it reaches his heart.”
Lucas didn’t hesitate. He knelt beside Draco, pressing his palms to Draco’s chest, his eyes flaring bright blue as his Aquarius magic activated. “Hold him down,” he ordered. “All of you.”
Percy grabbed Draco’s shoulders, Aiden his legs. Rowan moved to help Percy, and I held Draco’s head steady between my hands, feeling the heat of his skin, the racing of his pulse beneath my fingers.
“The toxin is water-based. That’s good news. I can feel it moving through his system.”
The air around us grew heavy with moisture as Lucas’s magic pulled at the water molecules in Draco’s blood. His hands began to glow with an ethereal blue light that sank beneath Draco’s skin, spreading through his veins like luminous ink.
“Got it,” Lucas murmured, his brow furrowed in intense concentration.
Draco’s body went rigid, and then—horror and relief mingling in my gut—black sludge began to seep from his eyes, nose, and mouth. It poured out in thick rivulets, pooling on the floor beside his head. The stench was overwhelming, like pennies and burnt rubber.
“Keep going,” I urged Lucas, whose arms were starting to shake with the effort.
More and more of the toxin emerged and Draco’s convulsions gradually slowed, his breathing becoming less labored. The blue tinge receded from his skin. Finally, with one last effort that made Lucas gasp with exertion, the last of the black poison oozed out. It formed a viscous puddle beside Draco’s head, steaming slightly as it hit the air.
For a moment, nothing happened. Draco lay still, too still.
“Come on Draco,” I murmured. “You don’t get to leave this way. If anyone’s gonna take your ass out it’s me.”
I looked up, meeting Percy’s eyes. I’d never seen him look more afraid than he did at that moment.
Then, finally, Draco’s eyes flew open. They were a clear hazel, ringed in violet magic, no longer rolled back, and he sucked in a massive breath, sitting up so suddenly he nearly knocked headswith Lucas. He coughed violently, spitting out the last traces of the toxin.
“What—“ Draco rasped. His eyes darted around wildly, landing first on Percy, then Aiden, then freezing when they found me. “Jupiter?”
The relief that flooded through me was so intense I nearly collapsed. I reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. “You’re okay. You’re okay now.”
“The fuck I am,” he croaked, attempting to sit up further. “What happened? How are you here?”
Before I could answer, Percy said, “Someone shot a poisoned dart through your window. If Jupiter hadn’t felt it through the bond and gotten here with help, you’d be gone.”
Draco’s eyes shifted to Lucas, who was still kneeling beside him, looking pale and drained. Understanding dawned on his face. “You’re an Aquarius. You pulled the toxin out.”
Lucas nodded stiffly. “Good for more than just party tricks.”
The tension in the room was suffocating. My old shield and my new... whatever they were, crammed into one space, with me at the center. I could feel the waves of confusion, jealousy, and gratitude crashing against each other and it was so fucking agitating. I wanted to crawl out of my skin.
Rowan broke the silence before it became too much. “We should get that toxin contained. It’s still active.” He gestured to the black puddle that was now slowly creeping across the floor.
Aiden, who’d been unnervingly silent, finally spoke. “I’ll get something.” He disappeared and returned moments later with a glass container, which he carefully used to scoop up the poison.
Percy stared at the open window. “This was a professional hit attempt.”
“Assembly?” Lucas suggested, rising to his feet and offering Draco a hand up.
I stared at the black stain on the floor. “Why would they try to take out one of their own warriors?”
Percy’s eyes narrowed as he exchanged a look with Aiden. “I don’t know.”
A spike of pain shot through the bond so suddenly that I gasped, doubling over. “Eris—“ I choked out.
We all moved at once, rushing back into the common room where Eris was still slumped against the wall. His eyes were unfocused, blood streaming more heavily from his temple now, matting his red hair to his skull.
“Bloody hell,” Rowan muttered, kneeling beside him.
I dropped to my knees in front of Eris, cupping his face in my hands. “Eris, what happened? Talk to me.”
