If they’d seen even a fraction of what had gone down, both me and the vamps would have been being carted away for disciplinary action—possibly even sent to the Guardian Compound and held in custody for a bit too. And Vaxan would already be in the Infirmary.
I skidded to my knees beside him.
Even fucked up and clearly not at his best, he read my whole demeanor really well, and told me, “Glamor up… few more minutes it’ll… hold.”
“You spelled this immediate area so nobody could see what was happening?”
“When I realized what… they intended… I couldn’t… couldn’t let anybody… see… me beaten… weak.”
Holy fuck.That was disturbing on so many levels.
Arguably, as much as the state of him.
His arms and hands were so severely shriveled, you could barely make out their normal shape. There was blood oozing from the holes literally right through both his forearms. And white thick veins were crawling over every inch of skin visible. That part had to be the venom crystallization thing. His veins were hardening. No wonder he wasn’t healing.
“Hold on… how didIsee through the glamor? It can’t just be my tracking spell.”
“Something concerning… our magic… fusing… in class… not sure.”
And there was no time to get into it. I’d already asked too many questions—yeah, I talked a lot when I was upset, nervous… whatever the fuck… feeling things I didn’t like.
“I’ll get you to the Infirmary ASAP,” I told him, gathering him against me, hating the pained grunts spilling from him as I moved his wounded body.
“No...”
I frowned down at him as I steadied him. “You need help. Like, right fucking now.”
“Not… that help.”
Oh.“Do you want me to—I’ll get Winter. I’m sure he’ll meet us there and—”
“No,” he rasped again. It was in utter desperation, and it seemed so wrong coming from him. “I don’t want him… playing caretaker to me. Neither physically… or emotionally. He’s been… doing so well. I won’t… allow this… to undo that.”
“What are you—”
“Just please… teleport me… to my suite. I will… see to myself.”
Jeez.He drove a hard bargain.
I’d do it, what he wanted, but unless there was some miracle cure inside his room, or he started actually fucking healing, we wouldn’t remain there long—I’d be taking him to the Infirmary.
His dorm room was…cozy.
Not opulent or dripping with luxury, like I’d imagined the suite of theHigh Lord Heir of the Excetra Crownto be.
Yeah, I’d researched his official title.
I had issues.
Obviously.
The only slight element of decadence was the fancy crimson duvet and the black velvet drapes. But with his sunlight aversion, the drapes being that heavy material seemed more like protection than anything else. Although there was sunlight shielding imbued in the window panes, so this was some real deep hypervigilance going on with him. Even the duvet was so thick and layered, like it was there if the drapes failed or something.
Like his crown had today.
Speaking of that, as I eased him through the door against me and kicked it shut, he reached up shakily and removed it from his head.
“Only you can be the one to take it off, right?”
