“All I need is a drop,” he said, panting. “Your mother would use the tiniest amount on any scrapes and cuts or insect bites.”
“Those are all minor wounds.” I stood and went to retrieve the bottle. I lifted it, examining the liquid closely. It looked like regular ink, deep black. “Will this work on you?”
He licked his lips. “Worth a try. May I have more water?”
I immediately fetched the glass and carefully lifted his head. He took two tiny sips and then shook his head. “No more.”
I eased his head back onto the pillow, my fingers brushing against the damp cotton. “Do I put it on the wound? Or do you swallow it?”
Whit twisted his lips in disgust. “It would taste foul. Pour it in the hole in my stomach.”
“What if it makes it worse?”
“Have a little faith in the magic, Olivera,” he said, gasping. “You can’t possibly make it worse.”
“That’s not true,” I said, but I carefully uncorked the bottle. Whit lifted the corner of his shirt, displaying a stretch of tanned, taut skin. The right side of his body had a bandage covering the wound. He lifted it, wincing, the muscles in his stomach flexing.
“Stay still,” I said. “This might sting a little.”
“Remember just a drop—”
I poured all the liquid directly into the inflamed, punctured skin. The severity of his wound terrified me, and I didn’t think so small of an amount would do the job properly.
“—Goddamn it!” Whit hissed through his teeth.
I placed the bottle on the nightstand. “Do you want to be distracted?”
“I’m not a child,” he said panting. But then his lips twisted wryly. “Yes, please.”
One question burned in my mind. While I had stared at him through the night, one word flickered persistently. “Why?”
Realization moved across his wan features. He understood what I wanted to know. “Of all the questions you could ask me, that’s the one you picked?” Whit asked, his voice threadbare. “Do I really have to answer that?”
I thought about it. “Yes.”
Whit stared at me. He licked his dry, cracked lips again and asked, “I said it to you earlier. Will you believe me if I say it again?”
“Tell me,” I said, afraid to hope, afraid to open the door to let him back in. He had left me with nothing. Taken away every wish for a family with him. I was scared to believe him, but I desperately wanted to.
“Inez,” he whispered. “You want to know why I saved your life? I canthink of no better act to show how much I love you. This world would not be the same without you in it, and I don’teverwant to find out what that feels like. If I have to follow you across a desert, I will. If I have to jump into the Nile, again and again, I will. If I have to leap in front of a thousand bullets, I will.” He closed his eyes, breath shuddering. “I will always love you.”
“You love me,” I repeated.
Some of the color returned to his pale cheeks. A deep flush of health and vitality. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and they pierced through flesh and bone, finding the heart of me. They were still bloodshot, red rimmed, and weary. But they did not waver from my own.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m yours.”
I swallowed hard, fear taking a firm hold of me. I wanted to trust him, but would I be able to?
“I have been for a long time,” Whit added softly. Very slowly, he reached across the bedding, fingers stretching to find mine. He flipped his wrist, palm open. I stared at the rough callouses. At his blunt hands capable of death, of rescue. Hands that held mine, that pulled me across a dance floor, held me above water, comforted me in the darkness of a tomb.
Right then, I gave in to what I had wanted to do since I’d seen him lying in that bed, the fever raging war against him. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek, smoothing the hair off his forehead. When I straightened, his eyes had once again drifted closed, the smallest smile on his face.
CAPÍTULO VEINTIDÓS
Morning light seeped into the room and I blinked, hazy from sleep. I yawned, stretching my legs, and discovered Whit was alert. He lay curled on his side, his arm having served as a makeshift pillow for my head. He played with my hair, tucking strands behind my ear.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
