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Therehadto be an end to this. We couldn’t keep doing it for the rest of our lives.
There was just no way we would survive.
Chapter 22 - Rose
The fever took me under as I rested on Matéo’s back. A thousand different questions swung through my mind as I tried to cling to consciousness, lightning blinding me every time it rushed through the sky. Nausea forced me to keep my nose buried in Matéo’s fur.
Honestly, it wasn’t so bad being nestled so closely to him. His scent crowded my nostrils, becoming part of my very being as the ground shifted beneath me. His massive, arching back held me with the support of the rope that Adam had gathered. Or maybe it was Charlotte who grabbed the rope. One of them had been particularly resourceful. I made a mental note to thank them later.
When I wake back up, I’m going to…
The shadows were so much darker when I tried articulating the bratty fit I was going to dish out once I was well again. All sorts of things scrolled through my mind about what was going on—the weather, the dramatic shading of the fortress, the slipperiness of the mud, the way my fur caked to my back, how my leg felt like it was crooked but also straight at the same time.
Every feeling I could feel surfaced and then dissipated. It was like they were taking turns, slamming into my side as hard as a raging wave in the ocean. Somewhere in the distance, I sensed an unending wail, a horrible cry that slithered through the darkness of my mind.
It soundedsopainful.
Lights flashed overhead. Fluid burned the scratches on my side. Pricks of pain went through one arm and out the other. A muzzle fitted over my mouth and prevented my jaws from gnashing. Everything hurt so much that I went unconscious again, losing grip of whatever was going on.
Fanged creatures surrounded me in a mossy forest. The world tilted like it had back on the cliff, dark clouds deepening the rich black of the sky. None of the stars beyond the clouds could shine. It made me weep—and so did the sight of the man with the blue robes.
The medallion around his neck swung side to side, trails left with every movement. He spoke, but his voice didn’t carry, words tumbling to the ground before they could reach my ears. He pointed behind me.
I shook my head, my neck feeling like rubber. It made me shake too hard, threatening to snap my neck. No, I couldn’t die. I had to stay alive for Matty. He needed me to keep him safe from those who wished him harm. They made so many threats back there. Was there any weight to them?
Who were those vampires?
Why had they been so determined to kill him?
And forwhat?
“M-Matty…” My cracked lips barely formed his name, my throat doing most of the work. Moisture slicked my bottom lip and I opened my mouth wider. “Watch out.”
Silver light cut through my vision. My chest burned, heat devouring my heart and spreading through every limb. I screeched as I shot up from my resting place and raised my hands up to see if they were on fire.
“It burns!” I shouted. “It’s burning me!”
Hands forced my shoulders back. A soothing voice whispered that everything would be alright. Another pinch in my arm. This time, it was my human arm, the one bent at an odd angle in wolf form all patched up in stiff white bandages.
“Burns…” I claimed weakly as darkness clouded my vision. “No more. No more fire… Silverhurts…”
Warm lips met my forehead. “Sleep, little boxer. Please…”
Resistance felt worse than poison. It was easier to succumb to the shadows, to let them heal me while the medicine worked in my system.
I frowned.
What medicine?I struggled to open one eye as a sharp scent stung my nostrils.Nobody uses that much rubbing alcohol anywhere else. I must be at the inn.
“Sa… Sasha…”
A gasp. Citrus. Something flowery. And then a rush of lilacs.
Underneath all of that was the mountain air, brisk and endearing.
I sat up. “Matéo.”
“Little wolf, don’t hurt yourself,” he urged while pushing me back to the bed. “You had a lot of poison in your system. Don’t try to move, okay?”
