I gasped.
“Damn it,” Lore cursed.
He leaned over and looked down. From my vantage point, I couldn’t see the landscape near the train. Were we on a bridge?
With my blurry vision, it was too hard to tell.
Lore turned from the railing and bent down, scooping me up into his arms with a gentleness that took my breath away. He strode back into the dining car, clutching me close.
His face was set in stern lines of worry, his eyes dark with concern. When we reached the sitting room of our car, he turned to Merebeth, who still sat in the chair by the window.
Through the foggy haze of my mind, I heard the roughness in his voice when he spoke. “She’s been poisoned. Save her. Please.”
Did he…care?
It sounded like it.
“Put her on the couch,” the healer said.
He treated me like I was made of glass, laying me down with a gentleness that made a fist squeeze my heart.
No one had ever treated me like that before.
The healer leaned over me, her features blurry. She hovered her hands over my head, then my chest, her magic swelling on the air, bringing with it the scent of candles and herbs.
“Definitely poison.” She frowned. “I’ll be right back.”
She disappeared, and I searched for Lore, unable to move my head far. He was my rock in the storm, and I clung to his presence as the waves battered me.
He wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.
I’d heard it in his voice.
It helped calm the fear that made my heart race.
I’m not going to die.
I tried to reach out for his hand, but all I managed was a halfhearted twitch of my wrist. His hand gripped mine. He wore no glove since he’d taken them off during the fight, and the warmth of his bare skin made a shuddery breath escaped me.
“You’ll be fine,” he said. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
As if he’d read my mind.
I closed my eyes, unable to keep them open any longer.
Lore
* * *
I stared at Sia, fear snaking through me. The slithery bastards tightened on my lungs, squeezing until it was an effort to breathe.
She was too pale, her skin too cold.
What had that bastard given her?
And who had they been?
I had no idea. The three contingents already on the train weren’t on the top of my threat list.
Apparently, I had to rework the list.
They could be partnered with a court that I already considered a threat. That was the most likely scenario. It would throw the suspicion off the other court.
The healer returned, and thoughts of vengeance fled my mind.
“Is she going to survive?” Cold chilled me as I asked.
The healer said nothing as she knelt by Sia’s side and raised a tiny vial of shimmery silver liquid to her lips. “This is a powerful, all-purpose antidote. I’m not sure what she was been poisoned with, so it’s our safest option.”
I held my breath as she dripped the potion between Sia’s lips. Sia swallowed, sputtering slightly, then lay still.
The snakes tightened around my heart.
Her color improved, and the breath whooshed from my lungs. “That’s a good sign, right?”
The healer nodded. “Indeed. I can’t guarantee anything, but I’m hopeful.”
I’m hopeful.
I hadn’t felt hopeful in centuries. I still didn’t. She could feel it for the both of us, and perhaps it would be enough if fate cared about that kind of thing.
“That’s all that can be done,” she said. “I drew some of it from her system with my magic, but she’s going to need to rest to let the antidote work effectively.”
Helplessness dragged at me, and I loathed it. The only thing I could do was sit by her side and make sure she was safe while she healed.
Carefully, I lifted her up. She felt too light in my arms. Insubstantial. I focused on the color returning to her cheeks like a lifeline as I carried her to my quarters. I kept the lights dim as I entered the small space.
As gently as I could, I laid her on the bed and removed her shoes. A soft blanket was folded over the base of the mattress, and I covered her.
Once she looked comfortable, I frowned. It was odd to take care of another. I’d only ever taken care of Wolf, and his requirements were just a bowl of meat and a scratch on the ears.
This was vastly different.
It felt odd, but almost good. Like an ill-fitting coat on a cold day.
When she was tucked into bed, I made sure there were guards outside our car. I’d stay awake and be the last line of defense, but I had to take every precaution where she was concerned.