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“Then why does it hurt so much?”
I poured the serum into a spoon and fed it to him. “This will take away the pain and knock you out for a long time. I would do your business now, and when you wake up, you should feel a lot better.”
“Thanks.” His eyes were on the ceiling, never on me.
“We’re going to move against the werewolves after we regroup. Remove them from the kingdoms so the humans will have their lives back. I’ve administered the cure to everyone here, including you, so you don’t need to worry about getting sick from the plague any longer.”
“If I survive this…”
“You will, Elias. It might take a few more days.” I secured the gauze again and adjusted the pressure.
“It seems like you and your husband are having problems.”
That heaviness returned to my heart. “It happens. We’ll work it out.”
“Do you…like being a vampire?”
“It was a hard adjustment at first, but I’ve come to embrace it.”
“So…you’ve fed?”
“I have.”
Now his eyes shifted to me.
“Don’t worry, I’m not interested in feeding on you, Elias. You don’t exactly look appetizing.”
He released a breath.
“Kingsnake is on his way to pick me up. We’ll return to Grayson before we attack.”
“And what should we do?”
“I don’t think anyone here is in any position to fight, unfortunately. The soldiers are searching for the villagers in the wilderness. Hopefully they find them. You’ll need someone to attend to you while I’m gone.”
“Don’t worry about me. You’ve done enough, Larisa. Raventower was mine to defend…and I failed.”
“Raventower will always be my home, so it was mine to defend as well.” My hand lightly touched his shoulder, giving him affection before I departed.
“I want you to know…I regretted my decision the moment I made it.”
I stared into his eyes before I slowly pulled my hand away.
“Yes, I was attracted to her, but that quickly wore off. Soon, I saw a woman who used me as an opportunity to elevate herself, as well as her family. When I’d speak, her eyes would glaze over like she only partially listened. If I was in a bad mood, she didn’t even notice—because she never paid attention. If she were alive now, I don’t think she would tend to me the way you have. I was tempted by the crown…but that crown meant nothing in the end.” His eyes shifted away, as if in embarrassment. “I should have given it up for you. I should have walked away from it all. I’m not sure why I’m telling you this…”
An epiphany struck me, one that left me quiet for a moment. “You want closure…because we both know this is the last time we’ll ever see each other.”
* * *
The soldiers found other villagers and brought them back to Raventower. More started to arrive, somehow hearing the news that the werewolves had been driven out. Instead of empty streets and homes, the town started to fill with people who had lived there for generations.
Larisssa.
“Yes?” I stood in front of the castle, looking at the activity in the village. The torches were lit, and the sun started to set farther over the horizon. Soon, it would be completely dark. That meant Kingsnake was on his way and would be here soon.
I wisssh to ssspeak my mind. Fang was on the ground beside me, his head perched up to stare at the town.
“I’m listening.” I turned to regard him, using a damp cloth to clean underneath my fingernails and scrub my skin until every ounce of grime was gone. My hands hadn’t been dirty like this in a long time, heavy from attending to the sick and dying.
