“Wait, is this the suicide tea?” Raze asked, stepping into the room.
“It’snotsuicide tea!” I shouted, irritation taking over.
The room fell quiet.
Lorian froze in his doorway, his broad shoulders filling the entire frame as his brown eyes zeroed in on Eleanor, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“What…” His voice dropped to a horrified whisper. “What is going on?”
“She’s trying to kill herself!” Eleanor wailed, pointing at the mug in Slater’s grasp like evidence of my crime. “And I didn’t even know! Rune, we just got here! You don’t have to?—”
Lorian’s entire face went red, and he slammed his fist against the doorframe so hard the wood creaked. “Stop, this isnotthe answer. There isalwaysanother way! Whatever darkness you’re facing, you can come to any of us. Suicide is never,everthe solution!”
I stared at him, stunned, then looked at my mug. “...It’s my nightly tea. It’s not poison for me, but it is poison for you. I’m fine! This is just my maintenance!”
Lorian didn’t budge. His big hands were braced against the doorway, his chest rising and falling like he’d just saved me from throwing myself off a cliff. “Rune,” he said, voice low and heartbreaking, “you’re stronger than this.”
“He’s right,” Eleanor cried, her eyes already red and puffy. “You’re the daughter of awesome supernaturals, and I bet your name will be even bigger than theirs if you give yourself a chance!”
Dimitri’s door banged open, and he stood in the doorway with irritation on his face. “What the Fates is happening out here?”
“She’s trying to kill herself!” Eleanor sobbed, her shoulders shaking.
Dimitri raised a brow in my direction.
“I’m not.” I groaned dramatically.
“She’s not suicidal, you idiots!” Aura howled with laughter from the counter, nearly choking on her cheese puffs as she walked to the opposite side of the common area from where Dimitri just came in. “She’s just…venomous.”
“Slater, youknowthis!” I stretched for my mug and fell on top of Slater before my fingers wrapped around the handle and tugged it free from him. I glanced down, and he was staring up at me with desire in his eyes. “Remember how I licked the rot from my finger in the simulation? Poisons and venoms donotaffect me. They fill my magical reserves, remember? Special power.”
“Oh.” Slater deflated, his hand coming up to rest on my hip. “That’s right. My bad. It’s super hot that you can do that.”
I rolled my eyes and pushed up off of him, sitting back on the pillow with a sigh.
“Youlickedmagical essence rot?” Eleanor asked in shock.
“Yes, and I was perfectly immune.”
She hiccuped a sob, looking at me with alarm. “You drink poisoned tea on purpose?”
“...Yes?”
Lorian groaned, like the weight of the world had just hit him. “You’re all insane. Absolutely insane.”
Zuko started laughing, and the sound literally made me melt. “I’m so turned on by the way Rune’s glaring at everyone right now.”
“Dude, what the fuck?” Raze looked at his friend in exasperation. “She’s drinking poison for fun, and you like that?”
“Not for fun,” I corrected him. “It calms me.”
“Even worse.” Raze face-palmed.
“I actuallyloveit,” Zuko tells Raze, but his eyes are on me.
“Thank Fates you’re not trying to die.” Eleanor was still sniffling. “Sorry for jumping to conclusions.”
Aura was doubled over laughing.
