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Neo kissed the top of Idony’s hair. “You won’t,” he promised.
“Willyoube all right?” she asked. “Can the venom hurt you?”
I looked from Idony to Odile, confusion raw on my face. “What is happening? Why aren’t you helping him? I thought you were the healer?”
She lowered her chin and looked at Syndrian, who blew a frustrated breath.
“I am,” Odile admitted. “But in some circumstances, like with the vengersax toxin, even my skills are…not enough.”
“Not enough?” I rushed to my brother’s side before kneeling on the floor. I grabbed his hand and kissed it. His breathing was shallow, and his entire body had broken out in cold sweat. The hand that hadn’t been injured was too weak to grip mine back and felt clammy to the touch. His other hand, where the vengersax had struck him, rippled with vicious-looking, oozing red welts. “Someone, please!” I begged. “Do something!”
Neo walked away from Idony and held his hand out to me. “I will try.” He looked at me with such an expression of kindness and familiarity. I’d trusted that man to take me into the depths of the unknown before, so I rose to my feet and stepped back from Biko.
My brother was moaning, and a light froth of saliva bubbled at his parted lips. Odile went to the fire and put an arm around Idony’s shoulders.
“What’s happening?” I asked, anxiety making my voice shrill. “Can someone please explain!”
Syndrian was beside me before I even knew what he was doing. “Pali…” He took my hand and led me to a chair where I could see everything happening to my brother.
“I don’t want to sit,” I griped. “I can handle it.”
“Pali.” Syndrian’s bright eyes sparkled as he laced his fingers through mine. He touched a fingertip to my chin. “Then hold on to me. Tight. Let me be here for you.”
As much as I wanted that, I was terrified. Whatever was going to happen to Biko was something everyone in the room seemed prepared for. Except me.
“Please,”I whispered, slipping my arms around Syndrian’s waist.
“Always,” he breathed against my hair. We sat together, his arms wrapped around me. He held me close, while I angled my face so I could watch as Neo unwrapped the rags from Biko’s hand. “No matter what you feel, I’ve got you.” Syndrian’s chin was on top of my head, and I nearly had to move his hair from in front of my eyes to see.
“No matter what I feel?” I echoed. “What do you mean?”
Puzzled and beginning to grow impatient, I looked up at Syndrian. A storm cloud threatened to burst in my heart, but I rested my cheek against his chest. As I watched, Neo’s eyes turned from a soft amber gold to an eerie red. Fangs poked between his lips where his canines should have been, and at Idony’s soft whimper, Neo sunk his fangs deep into Biko’s arm. Biting him…biting his flesh.
And drinking his blood.
ChapterTwelve
Hours later, I was in the same spot, my face buried against Syndrian’s chest, my eyes closed in deep gratitude, and my nose relishing his scent of almond oil and smoke. As I’d watched Neo drink from my brother, I felt hot and dizzy and the room spun, but I refused, absolutely refused to faint. Well, my mind refused to falter, but my knees did buckle, and Syndrian held me firmly, as he’d promised. Together, we’d sat on a nearby settee as Biko had been miraculously brought back from the brink of death. Even now that Biko was alert and awake, I would not let Syndrian go.
Odile was wrapping Biko’s hand and explaining to Idony about the ointment he’d need while the burned tissue healed. Neo paced in front of the fire, looking from me to Idony with abject disappointment. There was no other way to describe it.
“I couldn’t drink more,” Neo said, rubbing his face in frustration. “I could feel the toxin taking hold…I did as much as I could, but he’ll still need time to recover from this.”
“Excuse me a moment.” I disentangled myself from Syndrian and approached Neo.
He turned to face me, his lips drawn thin. I studied his face for a moment, the honey-gold eyes that just moments ago had flamed blood red. His lips bore tiny marks, the signs of well-healed scars. He might have looked fearsome, as if he’d been through many fistfights and lost more than he’d won, but he his smile was disarming. “Lady Pali,” he said shaking his head. “I hardly know…”
I cut his words off by throwing myself into his arms. “Thank you,” I gushed. I squeezed his enormous form as hard as I could. “I have many, many unanswered questions, but you saved Biko. I know you once tried to save me as well. I don’t know how to thank you.”
Neo coughed and patted me awkwardly on the back. “You’re…you’re welcome.”
The door to the sitting room opened, and the older woman with long white hair I’d seen earlier pushed a cart loaded high with refreshments into the room. She was followed by a beautiful woman who went straight for Neo. She fell into his arms, and he rested his forehead against hers, murmuring, “I’m fine, love. I’m fine.”
“The venom could have killed you!” Her words were muffled against his chest. When she released him, she peered around the room and saw Syndrian. She walked up to him and gave him a huge hug. She held him so long, I started to fidget, growing uncomfortable and more than a little jealous of their bond. “Syn,” she sighed, before patting him one last time on the back and turning to face the room. “So, it looks like we have a lot of catching up to do.”
Idony was sitting beside Biko, who was sitting up alert and awake. “Brex, I asked him if the venom could hurt him before he drank it. I would never have put both their lives in peril.” She seemed uncomfortable, but then I remembered what she’d told me back in her cottage. Unless I had misunderstood, Neo had been her lover at one time, and now he was married to Brex.
“Oh, don’t you worry. I would have told him to drink anyway, Idony. Neo knows how much he can take, and neither of us could have lived with the guilt if he hadn’t at least tried.” Brex’s warmth toward her surprised me. Brex went to the settee, knelt down, and held Biko’s knee in a hand. “And look. He’s through the worst of it. You’re Biko, Idony’s son? I’ve heard so much about you. What a shame to have to meet this way. But I am so very glad you made it here in time.” She stood and kissed Idony’s cheeks, then immediately fell into the role of hostess, offering us drinks and snacks from the butler’s cart.
