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“Excuse me?”
My vision tunneled as I whirled around. “Back east alleyway. Now.”
I dropped the receiver and flew out the door, sprinting toward the emergency exit. I whispered the incantation Christopher taught me at the door and skittered into the alley, making a sharp left to get to the area where Matéo had crumbled. Naked skin glistened with sweat as he heaved on his side.
Dropping to my knees made my stomach drop. “Matéo? Hey!”, I cupped his face, trying to look into his eyes. His lashes fluttered rapidly. “What happened? Did you get attacked again?”
No response. Green in the face. Sickly colored pupils.
He was poisoned.
Sasha ran up behind me and fell gracefully to the ground. She bowed over him and murmured to herself while checking his vitals, flashing a light into his eyes. His pupils didn’t dilate.
“Wolfsbane,” I gasped. “We have to get him in the basement now.”
She nodded curtly and tucked her hands beneath his shoulders. “You grab his legs and—”
I growled.
She halted, her violet eyes bright with confusion, riddled with concern. “Rose,” she said firmly. “I’m only touching him to get him into the basement, okay?”
A lump formed in my throat. Had I really just snarled at my sister like she was a threat? Was I really that far gone?
I swallowed hard and whispered, “Okay.”
“It’s alright. Let’s move.”
Stiff legs carried me back to the emergency exit. Sasha—bless her with the riches of the gods—thought to prop open the door before hauling ass into the alley like me. We carried Matéo inside and shuffled toward the basement door. Distant sounds of cheers from the tavern were muted by the carpeted hallway, diminishing as we made our way down the stairs.
A scanner sat to the right of the door located at the bottom of the stairs. I huffed while leaning against the wall, my adrenaline level crashing the closer we got to safety.
Or as safe as possible.
Sasha placed her hand on the scanner and waited for it to beep. The latch clicked loudly, popping the door open about an inch. She shouldered it open and led the way into the basement hallway that would take us to our individual hospital unit. We hauled Matéo into the first room on the right, carefully setting him on the bed.
I grabbed a white sheet from the shelf and draped it over his body. Sweat poured over his twisted features, lips pressed so tightly together that a pale line formed around his mouth. A sob lodged into my throat as I turned to Sasha.
Shuddering syllables broke from my lips, “Sa-Sash-a…”
Angelic as ever, she stepped forward and gently nudged me aside. As soon as she got to work, I drifted back a few steps, watching with a sort of delayed attachment what was unfolding. Was this real? Maybe I had fallen asleep at my desk and I was simply caught in a world of anxiety.
Matéo gasped when Sasha inserted the IV into his wrist. His eyelids popped open and his blown pupils roamed the room, lips parting to croak, “Maman…”
When he slumped, Sasha leaned over him and fluffed his pillows, whispering that she was going to make sure he survived. Irritation bubbled inside me.
That should be me taking care of Matéo, not my wolf sister. Why wasn’t I trained better in field medicine? Wasn’t that something Charlotte was supposed to do for me? Or even Nina?
“Rose!”
I blinked rapidly, dropping my fingers from my mouth. I hadn’t realized I was covering my mouth at all.
Sasha stood in front of me with her hands resting on my shoulders. Comfort flowed from her fingertips and trickled into my torso, spreading from limb to limb. The warmth of a hearth settled in my gut, encouraging me to exhale. Had I been holding my breath?
“He’s going to be just fine,” she whispered. “I need you to sit with him while I grab the serum, okay?”
I nodded numbly. “Okay, yeah. Sure.”
“Go on. He needs your support. Take his hand.”
