“But how would Elle get poisoned?” Aura blinked at me in confusion. “Wouldn’t germs make more sense? Just students getting sick. Like the spread of the flu or whatever.”
All of us whipped our heads around to stare at her in surprise.
“Supernaturals don’t get sick like this, Aura,” I told her with a frown. “Surely, you know that.”
She swallowed hard and glanced away. “Right. You’re right. I’m just so worried for her. My cousin was sick with an infectious disease from another imp, and she passed.”
“Not helping,” Lorian snarled.
“We need to get Eleanor to the infirmary.” Koa clasped Lorian on the shoulder and squeezed to get his attention.
Lorian blinked a few times before bending and scooping Eleanor up into his arms, carrying her bridal style. “I’ll take her.”
“No—don’t. Finals,” she croaked. “I can’t…if I miss?—”
“She could be kicked from the academy if she misses finals,” Dimitri finished for her from the door.
“Fuck,” Lorian breathed out.
“I can help.” I held up a hand and waved it. “Purgegut.”
Everyone looked at me in confusion.
“What is that, venom baby?” Slater tilted his head, his red eyes burning into me.
“It’s a venom,” I told him before looking at Eleanor, who was still struggling to keep her eyes open. “It won’t take the effects of the poison away, but itcanpurge whatever is left of the poison in your body, which will stop it from getting worse.”
“If itisa poison,” Aura muttered under her breath, worry shining in her eyes as she took in Eleanor’s state.
“Purgegut venom,” I explained, already standing next to Eleanor in Lorian’s arms, “is from a rare venomous viper up in the mountains. It forces the body to kick out whatever doesn’t belong through stomach spasms, vomiting, and profusesweating. Like layered toxins, poisons, other venoms, and even lower-level hexes. It won’t fix a chronic disease, the few that supernaturals can develop, but it ejects any foreign invaders. Really, it was one of the worst venoms I’ve ever been injected with.” I shivered as I remembered upchucking my entire breakfast after the bite.
Asshole viper looked so pleased with himself.
“How long until the toxins get out of her system?” Koa asked, his brown ember-scattered eyes meeting mine.
“Five minutes, maybe less.” I met Eleanor’s shaky gaze next. “You’ll be miserable and still feeling the effects of whatever poison this is, but you won’t be getting worse than you already are after it’s done.”
Eleanor swallowed, throat working back and forth before she nodded. “Do it,please.”
I coaxed the purgegut venom up, feeling the heat prickle in my fingertip. I pressed that finger to the pad of her thumb for skin to skin contact for a second, then pulled back. “Done.”
She didn’t even flinch. She was too busy keeping herself conscious.
The venom hit her within ten seconds.
Her body tried to fold in on itself as Lorian adjusted his hold on her. Sweat beaded at her hairline and slid off her in quick threads. Her breath went from shallow and fast to paper-thin gasps that sounded more painful than before.
Lorian held her close. “You’re doing great. Breathe with me, Elle.”
Koa placed a blue-flamed palm at the base of her neck, pushing healing magic through her. Although, I didn’t think it was actually helping.
“Here!” Hawk shoved a bin into place just in time.
Eleanor lurched forward and emptied her stomach. Acid, bile, and whatever the poison was spewed out. The sound was awful, but the smell was worse.
Aura turned away only long enough to yank the window in Eleanor’s room open.
Two minutes passed. Sweat poured off her as her teeth chattered between clenched breaths.
