Page 44 of Secrets of Ruin

Kaylia shifted her attention back to the infirmary door, only fifty feet away. She had to see Brokk again, to hold his hand and reassure herself that he was okay while she tried to calm her tumultuous emotions.

Once that happened, she could think more clearly and figure out what was happening. Lexi’s hand fell away as Kaylia threw her shoulders back and started down the corridor again.

While she walked, she reminded herself that any love spell or potion Fabian created would have broken when he died. But what if he’s not dead?

She recalled the devastated look on his brother’s face as he stood outside her teepee. Tears had shone in his eyes while he broke the news to her.

Someone couldn’t fake that level of grief… or could they? Of course they can.

She knew well the cruelty of immortals and mortals; she was still suffering the effects of the ophidians. There were so many wonderful living creatures in the realms, but there were also a lot of monsters.

Kaylia hesitated outside the infirmary door. As she twisted the knob, she told Sahira, “Make an antidote. I’ll drink it.”

She didn’t look back at her friends as she entered the room.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Kaylia held Brokk’s hand while stroking his forehead. She’d reclaimed the position next to the bed she’d left behind. Cole, Varo, and Orin sat across from her. The three brothers were stone-faced while holding vigil over Brokk.

“Did he show any signs of starting to wake?” she asked.

“He was talking a little bit,” Orin said, “and I thought he was going to wake, but he slipped back into unconsciousness.”

Kaylia buried her disappointment as she checked his poultice and removed the cover. She gathered a bowl and some towels before returning to carefully wash away the pasty, magical concoction she’d placed over his brutalized back.

When she exposed his raw flesh, she set the bowl aside to examine the wounds more closely. A thin layer of red skin covered the muscles and veins so cruelly exposed by the ophidian’s whip.

She was going to cover it again but decided against it. Some air would help it heal and dry out before she covered it for the night.

Kaylia rested her hand against his forehead and smiled when she discovered his cool skin. His mouth and fingers twitched, and he issued a small sound before settling again.

She suspected he’d wake up soon and prayed to Hecate she was right. She needed to hear his voice again.

While she worked on Brokk, Sahira glided around the infirmary. Kaylia tried not to notice her stirring a cauldron while adding handfuls of herbs to her potion.

The scents of lavender, mint, milk thistle, dandelion, and eucalyptus filled the room as Sahira worked. Kaylia knew a lot more was going into the antidote Sahira created, but those aromas were the most prevalent.

Standing by the window, Lexi rubbed the snout of a dragon who’d stuck their head in to say hello and check on her. When the creature decided to leave, it created a small breeze as it propelled itself back into the sky.

Kaylia didn’t know how to feel about anything right now. Her love for Brokk was the only thing she was certain of anymore.

But even with that love held fast in her chest, her emotions had taken too much of a beating lately, and she’d settled into a state of numbness. Her brain stopped running through all the doubts Sahira had aroused, and she focused on Brokk.

He was the truth. He was hers, and she could rely on everything she felt for him. She knew their love was true but wasn’t so certain about what occurred between her and Fabian.

And whenever she doubted it, guilt and self-hatred came to the forefront again. She couldn’t handle the never-ending cycle anymore, so she shut it down.

She brushed Brokk’s dark blond hair off his forehead before giving him more blood mixed with the healing and pain potion. It was difficult to get him to drink while he was lying on his stomach, but she got a fair amount in him before wiping his mouth and removing the towel she’d placed under his face.

When she kissed his cheek, his eyes fluttered beneath his lids, but he still didn’t wake. Kaylia sat down and reclaimed his hand as she recalled their first time together in Doomed Valley.

She’d felt her body awakening before they came together in the small shelter Ryker had given them. But being with him had really reawakened her.

Life had flooded her, and power exploded out of her when she came apart. She’d never experienced such a thing before. It felt like she was coming alive all over again, breaking free of something… had it been a love potion or spell of something?

Was it part of her trying to break free? Had her experience with Brokk somehow pierced through a part of whatever hold the spell or potion had on her?

If anyone could break through and save her from something beyond her control, it was Brokk. She did not doubt that.