Her brow rippled as recognition slowly set in. I tilted my head questioningly to ask if she was okay. The light in her eyes flared, revealing that bonfire blazing inside her. The corners of her mouth lifted in a devious smile once more. I tensed and prepared myself for the worst.
Vi squeezed her eyes shut. Her smile slipped away, replaced by shame. She shook herself and took a step back. I made sure that Jackson and Marcus had retreated before herding Vi back to Cerri’s apartment.
Vi didn’t fight me. She seemed stiff but eager to get away from the scene. I wasn’t done yet, though. When I knew Vi was safe with my friends, I doubled back to grab the bag of poison that Jackson had left behind. After seeing what it’d done to Ryder, I didn’t take any chances. The bag had already been ripped open. If I grabbed it with my teeth, I would risk ingesting it. Maybe it needed to be introduced to the blood stream to be effective, but there was also a chance that Jackson had taken the antidote before the fight.
I shifted back. My hound wasn’t pleased, but she understood. So long as Ryder was in trouble, she would do whatever it took to help him. I didn’t give that sentiment too much attention. I did not have time to unpack whatever it meant.
In my human form, my dark vision wasn’t as good as the hound’s. The reek of the bag’s contents told me where it was, though. I snatched it from the ground and tried to ignore the slimy feeling of wolf saliva.
No one attacked during the quick jog back to Cerri’s apartment. Maybe they didn’t feel like messing with a naked woman running through the streets. I paid no attention to the fact that I was streaking through my own neighborhood. The residents of Lakesedge should be used to shifters by now.
When I burst through Cerri’s door, Addie was there with a blanket. She threw it over my shoulders as I rushed to Cerri, who stood over her potions table. Indecision and panic left dark lines across her face as she stared at the book open before her. Breathless, I stretched out my arm, the poisoned bag in my palm. Cerri’s eyes widened.
“Yes! You foolish hound. I love you!” Cerri cupped my cheeks and kissed my forehead before taking the poisoned bag.
She ripped it open with a fancy knife and spilled its contents across a plate. I made a mental note to never use her dinnerware ever again. Not even a dishwasher could get rid of the taint of that bag.
While Cerri worked, I clutched the blanket around my shoulders and went over to Ryder. My mind raced as I knelt in front of him. Someone had covered Cerri’s couch in towels to absorb the blood still dripping from his wounds. He should have healed by now. When I touched his knee, he barely lifted his head to acknowledge me.
This wouldn’t have happened had I not snuck out. That truth sat in the forefront of my mind. It mocked me and told me that I was a failure. How would I ever make my pack better if I couldn’t make good decisions?
It seemed like no matter what I did, someone got hurt. Connor had been beaten within an inch of his life for helping me. Ryder was fading fast, and if Cerri couldn’t find the antidote, then I feared the worst.
I reached out and squeezed his hand. “Hang in there with me.”
The marks on our hands flared softly. If anyone else in the room noticed, they didn’t mention it. I stared at the jagged lightning bolts and wondered what they meant. It wasn’t like I could feel energy being funneled from me to him, so I doubted the bond was an open line. I wished I could use it to anchor him to the world of the living.
“Uh, Cerri?” Addie called out. “The dragon isn’t looking so good.”
Cerri hissed, her movements becoming rushed. I twisted and peered up at Addie, who lingered nearby. She wore a grimace, but her gaze seemed to hover around Ryder rather than actually on him. I tried to find what she was looking at, but there was nothing in the air.
“How can you tell?” Vi asked from her position in the corner of the room.
Addie opened her mouth, let out a pained sound, then shook her head. It likely had to do with the arcana she didn’t want anyone to know about. Both Vi and I nodded, trusting our friend.
Vi had been in that corner for a while now. She hugged herself tightly as she stared out the wide windows. Something had happened out there. She’d encountered a part of herself that didn’t fit into who she wanted to be. It would have taken her over had I not been there. Though I could have told her that we would keep her from losing that battle, I didn’t trust myself enough to know if it would be a lie or not.
Ryder’s fingers curled around mine. His head fell back, and I feared the worst. He let out a pained groan that told us he was still alive, even if he was suffering. His entire body stiffened. He nearly crushed my fingers in his as he clenched his fist.
I gritted my teeth and endured his grip until the wave of pain passed. The poison was digging deep. I would have gladly traded places with him. He’d come out here to protect my dumb ass. If I could have taken the poison from him, I would have. Waiting for Cerri to find an antidote was killing me—which was a cruel thing to think when Ryder was actually dying right in front of me.
Standing, I crawled into his lap and pressed my ear to his chest so I could listen to his heartbeat. He wound his arms around me and held me tight. I would owe Cerri a new blanket and maybe more after this, but it was worth it.
Ryder’s heartbeat thumped softly, each pulse growing dimmer and dimmer. His grip on me loosened by the moment. I buried my face in his chest to hide the tears trying to escape. I hammered his chest and told him that he was too damn strong to go out like this.
“Don’t you go yet,” I growled into his ragged shirt.
“I will die how I damn well please,” he rasped.
I laughed weakly even though I knew how much energy that one line took.
“Aha!” Cerri cried out.
I didn’t lift my head when Cerri leaned over me. The sound of her breathing stopped as she worked. I held my breath, too. Ryder’s heartbeat continued to grow weaker. What had they given him? Could Cerri counteract it on the fly?
This man never wanted to stay here. I could tell that from the way he constantly watched the horizon. The mark glowed on the back of my hand as I pressed it over his heart. He’d stayed to help me, and I was in his debt for how much he’d sacrificed in doing so.
Ryder coughed and groaned. “The hell…was…in that?”