“Violet?” Behind me, Darius sounds concerned. “What are you looking for?”
“My medicine.” I force myself to slow down, to breathe. “I–I thought I packed it. I must have left it in the bathroom back home. Damn it!”
Hands still buried in clothes, I close my eyes. Think, Violet. I can go three days without it, right? The doctor said missing a dose or two wouldn’t kill me. It’s not ideal, but it’s not fatal.
But three days? Six doses?
My heart sinks.
This is not good.
Chapter Eighteen
Darius
I can’t sleep.
Violet is on her side of the towel barrier, curled into herself, her breathing soft and even. She looks perfectly peaceful, but I know better. I’ve felt the tension radiating from her ever since she realized her medicine was still sitting in her apartment back in Moonvale.
The medicine.
Something about it gnaws at me, a persistent itch I can’t scratch. Why would a shifter need daily medication for their constitution? Our immune systems are exceptional. Even wolves whose animals are barely present should have stronger resistance to illness than humans. It doesn’t make sense.
I slip carefully from the bed and pad toward the balcony. The doors slide open silently. Miami’s night air hits my face, humid and thick with salt from the ocean. I pull the door closed behind me, lean against the railing, and pull out my phone.
Ethan answers on the second ring. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“What kind of medicine would a shifter take daily for years?”
There’s a pause. “What?”
“You heard me.” I keep my voice low, glancing back through the glass to make sure Violet is still asleep.
“Shifters don’t take medicine frequently unless a healer prescribes it for a specific reason.” I hear rustling, like he’s sitting up in bed. “Why are you asking?”
“What if the shifter’s wolf is barely there? Weak healing, slow recovery.”
“Doesn’t matter. Even if their wolf is dormant, they still have better immune systems than humans. Our bodies actually reject most human pharmaceuticals. My sister’s a healer, Darius. I know this.” His voice takes on a thoughtful tone. “The only time oral medication is typically given is if a shifter has been poisoned by wolfsbane or a silver bullet. But even then, it’s done alongside healing magic, not as a standalone treatment. And it’s short term, not for years.”
“What about for general sickness? A weak constitution?”
“That’s not how our bodies work. We don’t get chronically ill like humans do.” Ethan pauses. “Is this about Violet?”
I sigh. “She says she’s sickly.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Even with her wolf barely there, she shouldn’t need daily treatment for a sickly constitution. Shifters just don’t work that way.” His voice sharpens with concern. “Who gave her this medicine?”
“Lillian.”
The silence on the other end speaks volumes.
“We’re in Miami for three days,” I say. “She forgot her medicine back at her apartment.”
“You want me to send it down there?”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
Another pause, longer this time. When Ethan speaks again, his voice is tense. “That’s a huge breach of privacy, Darius. Violet won’t forgive you for it.”
