We strolled through the halls at a leisurely pace, not having any plans except for studying—which probably would not be as productive as I’d hoped, considering my current state.
Maybe tonight is just a chill night. I can’t remember the last time I had one of those.
We were halfway up the stairs, when fast footsteps sounded behind us. I turned and saw Olivia sprinting our way, her face lined with terror, and her yappy familiar following close behind.
“Help! Thor just fell over and he’s puking!”
I nearly fell down the stairs. “Wait? What? From the booze?”
Olivia placed her hands on her knees and took a moment to catch her breath. “I’m not sure! I teased him about that, but he was adamant that it wasn’t from the alcohol. Then he started vomiting—superviolently.”
“Why didn’t you get Professor Medella?” Alex asked.
“I tried!” Olivia wailed. “He’d already locked up the classroom and left. I was just running to find him when I heard you guys. You’ve taken healing seminars, right?” Her eyes locked with Alex’s, shining with hope.
Alex bit his lip. “Err, yeah, but I—”
“Come on, then!” Olivia grabbed his hand and took off down the stairs.
When we reached Thor, my blood went cold. He laid face-up on the floor, his mouth filled with vomit.
“Help me turn him over!” Alex yelled, and Hunter rushed forward to comply.
A moment later, I knelt at Thor’s side and whacked his back hard to force the vomit out. Then I saw it. Thor’s eyes were wide open, and his pupils were like massive marbles in his light blue eyes.
I sat back on my heels. “He’s gone, you guys. Check out his eyes.”
No one listened to me. They were all running about, shouting instructions. Eva was already halfway down the hall, searching for Professor Medella.
“Listen to me, dammit!”
Alex, Hunter, and Olivia all froze, their eyes wide.
“Look at his pupils.”
Everyone’s gazes fell upon Thor.
Alex connected the dots first. “Belladonna,” he whispered. “It had to have been a strong dose to work on such a big guy so fast. Olivia, do you know what Thor’s signature drink was?”
“A margarita,” she supplied, looking confused.
“It couldn’t be that. It’s not floral enough to hide belladonna,” Alex said. “Were you his partner? What was your cocktail? Did he drink it?”
“Rum and lilac syrup. And yeah, he drank it all. I don’t like booze, but my mom likes that cocktail, so I’ve seen it made plenty of times.”
Lilac. A floral taste, just like belladonna.
“We need to test the syrup you used,” Alex said and stood.
“Wait . . . are you sayingIdid this? Ikilledhim?” Olivia’s face fell.
“Youdidn’t kill him, Olivia,” I assured her. “But we think someone planted a poison in place of your syrup. Probably hoping one of us would drink it. It was a sloppy attempt, but effective.”
My stomach sank as I spoke, and one question ran through my mind.
Had I been the intended target?
Chapter Thirty-Six
