It was almost certainly a Concilio member.
The list of suspects was distressingly long.
And when he found the motherfucker — not if,when —he would take his time. Flaying to start, but he’d have to get more creative. Death would be too easy. Oh no, nothing so simple for this bastard. Permanent slavery, perhaps, because he needed to be certainno oneconsidered harming his people again.
He sensed Emerald awake again, and she whimpered before he could get to her. She was curled into a ball, knees to chest, arms wrapped around her middle. Her breathing came in short, sharp gasps.
“What can I do for you, brave little dragon?”
“Everything hurts.Fuck, make it stop.”
“You’d have to let your shields down, and even then, I’m wary of doing so. We need to know if you start hurting worse, or in a different way.”
“How are the others doing?”
He telepathed the traveling nurse he’d brought in after the last bout of illnesses, a hawk shifter who usually works emergency rooms and intensive care units, and then told Emerald, “The king cobra is hardest hit, andthey’re giving him an electrolyte mixture via enema to try to keep him alive. His heart is irregular, and that’s concerning. Apparently, Galapagos Turtles have a terribly slow metabolism, so he isn’t as sick, but will apparently be less sick for longer. You and the monitor lizard seem to be on a similar trajectory.”
Emmy was quiet for a long moment, her eyes closed, breathing carefully through what was probably another wave of nausea. Then, “That would work for me, too.”
Zander paused. “What would?”
“Enema hydration to get liquids into me, and it might help flush residual toxins from the lower GI tract.” She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze with that sharp intelligence he’d come to expect from her. “I can’t keep anything down. This makes sense. The extra fluids will help my kidneys get rid of the toxins faster, it’s just an all-around good idea.”
Zander studied her face. The circles under her eyes had darkened to bruises, her skin was pale and slick with sweat, and she trembled with exhaustion. But her mind was still working, still problem-solving, still fighting.
“You’re already weak. You’re certain?”
“I’m a biologist. Yes, I’m certain.” A ghost of her usual fire flickered in her expression. “My bowels are already empty, so I might be able to hold more than usual. Prepare two quarts, warm water with electrolytes, and … do you have baking soda stocked?”
If they didn’t, he’d send someone to the general store to get it. He telepathed the traveling nurse to be certain of how many electrolyte packets should go into two quarts of water,and how much baking soda, then telepathed a runner to bring him what he needed — and was happy to hear the kitchen had baking soda.
“Everything’s on the way,” he told her, and he listed the items he’d requested, so she could tell him if he’d forgotten something.
“I assume you have lube in the nightstand, so yeah, I think that’s everything.”
The runner telepathed less than five minutes later to let him know he’d handed the items over to the guard, and Zander stepped to the door to retrieve the package.
“Just a few minutes,” Zander told her on his way through the bedroom.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Her attempt at humor fell flat, exhaustion pulling her back toward sleep.
Chapter 30
Zander ran the water until it was slightly warmer than Emmy’s approximate body temperature, and then let the stainless enema bucket fill while he added the electrolyte powder and baking soda.
He hung the bag on one of the attachment points he used to tie his boy to the bed for scenes, approximately four feet above Emerald, but she’d be able to slow the water herself, so it should be fine.
She watched him lube the nozzle, and then rolled to her left side and held her hand up.
Zander put the nozzle in her hand, watched her insert it, and then tucked a towel under it and up tight against her, to catch any leakage. She’d be embarrassed if she made a mess, and this would make it easier to clean.
The vulnerability of her letting him help her wasn’t lost on him, so he endeavored to make it as easy on her as possible.
