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“Is he okay?” I ask, crouching beside the sofa as I instinctively run my fingers through his hair.
“Side-effects of a siren’s bite. If you live to tell the tale, that is,” Creed explains, approaching with a hot mug in one hand and a rag in the other.
He soaks the fabric in the water and presses it against Zane’s wound, making him hiss in pain.
“Imagine if you were actually a healer right now. That would be really useful,” Brax gruntsagain, and my nostrils flare in anger. Instead of arguing back, I glower in his direction.
There’s only one thing I can offer. It’s not the same, but it might be worthsomething.
Fucker.
Wordlessly, I rise to my feet and march to my room. Zane calls after me, his slurred words worrying me more and more, but I’m rushing back to him the second I have what I’m looking for.
“What’s that?” Eldon asks as I open my small bag on the floor next to where Zane lies.
“They’re healing herbs and potions,” I murmur, not lifting my gaze as I search for everything I need. The small vials clatter as I dig for what I want. It’s been a while since my last class at Shadowmoor, but I think I recall what I need.
“Where did you get them from?” Creed asks.
I don’t reply until I have all of the needed ingredients lined up. “I brought them with me from Shadowmoor.”
“What is it you’re trying to make?”
“A healing elixir. We were taught how to do it back at school but I’ve never felt like my injuries or wounds warranted such a grand effort, so I’ve never made it before. It’s worth a try, though, especially since I’m notactuallya healer.”
If Brax hears my snark, he doesn’t take me on. Creed drops to his knees beside me, eyeing the ingredients.
“Why have I never heard of any of these ingredients before?”
I glance at the quiet and observant man beside me and get lost in his onyx eyes for a moment before I clear my throat. “Because it all grows in Shadowmoor.” I grab the small bowl from my bag, adding a little of everything before taking a little of Creed’s water.
“Is that concoction even safe to use on him?” Brax barks, raising my hackles further.
“Your comments are starting to piss me off. You don’t like that I’m not a healer, so I find an alternative and that’s not good enough either. So, unless you’ve got somethingusefulto add…” I bite back, cheeks heating. His eyes draw me in. One brown, one green. Disgust tinges both of them, nonetheless.
“I’m just speaking the truth, Shadow.”
The bowl clatters on the floor as I scramble to my feet, wagging my finger in his direction, ready to give him a piece of my mind, but a hand on my leg stops me in my tracks. Distracted, I look to see Zane touching my knee. Following his hand to his arm and trailing up to his face, I find him smiling softly.
“Do whatever you’re thinking, Raven. I trust you.” He’s slurring heavier than before and that doesn’t leave me filled with confidence. I exhale sharply and do as he asks, but not before giving Brax a deathly glare.
Thankfully, nobody speaks as I create the paste needed. When I’m happy with it, I move my attention to cleaning his wound the best I can.
Bile burns the back of my throat as his flesh hangs loose in jagged patches, torn loose by the siren’s teeth. When I’m sure I can’t get it any cleaner than it is, I slowly spread the paste over the affected area as gently as possible.
It smells disgusting but no one complains. Satisfied with the coverage, I reach for the bandages I usually use to wrap my knuckles. Swathing his shoulder, I repeat the process until the wound is completely protected.
“Thank you,” Zane breathes, his voice a little more sated and his face not quite as pale as it was earlier.
“What now?” Eldon asks, offering me a hand to rise to my feet. I take it.
“Now, we wait. It should take about eight to twelve hours, so he should be good by morning.”
“And if not?” Brax interjects. I shrug.
“Then you can complain about my lack of powers all over again?” I retort with an eye roll.
“No, he won’t,” Zane murmurs, lifting his good arm slightly to point in Brax’s direction, but the execution isn’t quite there. “What are your plans for the evening, Raven?”
