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“Nor, please. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she says.
The numb feeling has spread to my feet and hands, threatening to creep up my limbs. I force my head to turn and stare down the smear of hallway as Lizette’s form races away from us. My heart sinks into my stomach. Through my foggy thoughts, I realize how grave the situation is. If her suspicions are correct, and we’ve been poisoned, I don’t have much time left.
How could this have happened?
Security has been increased since the last attempt, and from what I understand, the food goes through several levels of inspection before it reaches our table. This shouldn’t have been possible. None of this should be happening.
Yet, here we are.
“Nor,” I slur, my tongue feeling heavy.
“You’re going to be fine,” he says. He continues down the hall at a slow, grueling pace, his arms still clutching me tightly to him. “Just stay with me.”
My eyes begin to flutter closed, but he staggers again. If he keeps going, he risks tossing me to the marble floor or falling on top of me. As much as I’m rooting for him to keep going, it’s safer if we wait here for Lizette. He must realize it too because he drops slowly to his knees and gently lays me on the floor.
I stare up, the ceiling swinging over him like a pendulum as my vision continues to dance, and I see he doesn’t look good either. His color is off; he looks pale. His amber irises shift back and forth slowly, and he makes slow, creeping movements as he takes a seat on the floor. The poison might have hit me faster because of my size, but it’s clearly catching up in his system.
“Lay down with me,” I whisper, tapping my numb fingers on the marble beside me. “It helps with the dizziness.”
He looks skeptical for a moment, like he’d rather argue than listen to me, but quickly slumps to the floor and rolls onto his back. The seconds tick by and more of my body goes numb. I’m still able to move, but it’s becoming more difficult. All I want to do is close my eyes and wait for Lizette to bring back the antidote, but there is a real possibility that she won’t make it back in time. King Rukkus said the kitchen staff died after fifteen minutes, and I don’t know how many have passed since the light-headedness started.
This can’t be how I die. We’re so close to getting help for Hyatt, and I’ve finally realized after months of denying it, just how much Nor means to me. It’s unfair to die right before my happily ever after.
“Nor,” I say, lolling my head to the side to look at him. “If Lizette don’t make it back–”
“Stop.” He looks over sternly, his eyes meeting mine. “She’ll make it.”
“Right, she will.” I blink a few times to clear my blurry vision, but it doesn’t help. “But if she doesn’t–”
“Irissa, I’m not having this conversation with you,” he cuts me off again. “We’re going to be fine. You’re not going to die.”
I huff. If I had more energy, I’d smack him for continuing to interrupt me. I’m trying to confess my feelings for him in case it’s the very last chance I get, and he’s back to being an asshole.
Figures.
I let my eyes fall closed again.
Commotion arises in the distance. Yelling. Screaming. It all feels like a fever dream as the edges of my vision darken. The rest of the castle must have been made aware of the circumstances and now they’re all rushing to the royal family’s aid.
My heart clenches hard in my chest, and I can’t tell if it’s a side effect of the poison or not. I image Oryx and Nor’s sisters laid out in the dining room, wondering what’s happening to them. King Rukku and Queen Torria are surely panicked, growing more worried as the minutes creep by. I dare to hope that they’re all okay, that only Nor and I ate the tainted food, but a small voice at the back of my mind tells me otherwise.
We’re all in trouble.
“Irissa,” Nor says, breaking my train of thought.
I hum a reply.
“You have to stay with me,” he says. “Try to stay awake.”
“Okay,” I breathe, even though I can already feel the faint tug of sleep dragging me down.
“I’m serious,” he says, his voice sharp. “I can’t lose you. Not now.”
My arm shifts, and I pry an eye open to find my hand in his. I can’t feel his touch or his warmth. I’ve lost my feeling from the elbow down.
“But you could take another wife,” I say, trying to reassure him. A weight lands on my chest, making every breath a struggle, but I keep talking and try to cling to consciousness. “One you’re not forced to be with.”
“I don’t want another wife,” he growls, patting my cheek to keep me awake. As much as I want to look at him and see the passion in his eyes, I don’t have the energy to open mine. Sleep is approaching, staking its claim on me, but Nor keeps talking. “I want you. I need you, Irissa.”
