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He gives one long blink.

“You’ll help me get back to Szolen?”

On his second blink, I slam the needle into his thigh, which doesn’t so much as twitch at the assault. Seconds tick.

His throat continues to bob in a relentless bid for air.

More seconds.

He closes his eyes, and for a brief moment, the prickling sensation of vulnerability and fear creeps over my skin. I glance around the dark forest, feeling as if something is watching me. Hairs bristle on the back of my neck, and I stare back down at Titus.

“C’mon, Titus. Wake up.” I give him a rough shake that doesn’t rouse him. “Wake up!”

A hard smack against his cheek, and his eyes flip open again. Back arching, he gasps, the sound of his breaths reminding me of air being sucked through a pinhole. The terror in his eyes is like nothing I’ve ever seen in him before.

“C’mon, breathe.” The desperation in my voice comes as a surprise, and it occurs to me, I have no interest in navigating this forest alone. I need him, even if that thought grates on me.

His hand grips mine, squeezing as he attempts to fill his lungs. The crushing pain shoots up into my wrists, and I claw at his fingers to release me. Once free of his grasp, I shake off the ache and gently tilt his head back to open his airways. Bending over him, I look into his eyes, as Nan taught me to do when trying to calm a patient. “Relax, Titus. Just breathe. In and out. In and out.” Pressing my lips to his, I force a small bit of air into his lungs.

A fluttery sensation in my stomach has me backing off from him, frowning at whatever that was just now. Some kind of strange, jolty feeling, and the lingering buzz sends a shiver down my spine.

Probably the aftereffects of adrenaline. Gotta be.

His body trembles, his inhales grow slower. Easier. His muscles relax as the plant does its job. Eyes fluttering shut, he lets out a long, easy exhale.

For a moment, he looks like any other man, rather than the ruthless Alpha who murdered the guard and my best friend. Vulnerable, if such a brute could be humbled that way.

Another minute passes, and he’s breathing relatively normal again.

I crawl toward the water's edge and scoop up some of the cool fluids, which I carry back to him in my cupped palms. The fact that he’s able to lift his head tells me he’s gained control of his muscles again, and he accepts what little I pour into his mouth, sputtering a cough, before his head falls back to the dirt again.

“You could’ve left me to die,” he says, his voice hoarse.

“I should’ve.”

“So, why didn’t you?”

I refuse to tell him that I need him, that I have no clue how to survive out in these woods, let alone this world. “Stop asking questions, Alpha. Remus probably sent out a search party, so we need to get out of here.”

“Give me a second, will ya? Dying is a little hard on the muscles.”

Chapter 24

With his arm wrapped around my neck, Titus seems to bear most of his weight himself, as he hobbles beside me, pausing every few minutes to suck in deep breaths. His lungs will eventually go back to normal, assuming he expels the poison quickly.

“We could’ve both died back there, you know.” Gnarled branches catch on my legs, as I step over the forest bed, the broken limbs cracking beneath my feet.

“Probably.”

“You’ve no regard for life. Not even your own.”

“Says the beloved Daughter of Szolen. Do you have any idea how many have been killed for your kind?

I snort a laugh and stumble forward, catching myself before I fall. “This, coming from an Alpha?”

“At least I’m honest about what I am.”

“And I’m not? Tell me, oh, wise one--”