I felt sorry for him.
For both of them.
“I’m sorry it has to end this way,” I said, scooting back against the wall and covering my face as they both stepped forward, their shadows falling on me. “I loved you both,” I said, and that undid Lilo.
She took a step back, turned to Niko to finish the job.
“I’m sorry too,” she said, avoiding eye contact.
Niko stepped forward, dagger glinting in the moonlight. My breath hitched and I kept my eyes closed.
Then… footsteps came dashing up the street. Before any of us could react, the whaler shoved Niko to the ground.
Lilo screamed. “You!”
“Don’t touch her!” Alaric’s large frame and build were enough to scare off any predator. Niko tried to attack with his dagger, but the whaler was quicker. He knocked the dagger out of Niko’s hand and grabbed his shirt.
“I can snap your twiggy neck right now,” Alaric threatened.
“No! Let him go!” Lilo grabbed Alaric’s arm, but it did nothing. His eyes flashed towards me, and, upon seeing me cornered and wounded like a fish caught in a net, he snatched Lilo’s wrist. “Who are you both really? What did you do?”
Fear coated Lilo’s voice as she quickly said, “She’s goingto die, Captain Alaric. She’s been poisoned and if you don’t help her within the hour, it’ll kill her…” Almost as if she were trying to help.
That’s when he let them go, rushing to me. “Malia.” He scooped me into his arms, as if I didn’t weigh a thing. “Malia…”
“Hurry!” Lilo grabbed Niko’s coat and scrambled away into the darkness of the streets before the whaler ran after them.
“No, don’t carry me… your wound,” I said, trying to stand, but I suddenly felt very sick. Feverish. Shaky.
“I’m carrying you.” Alaric’s voice was breathy. “They hurt you…” He cursed and looked after the twins as he said, “I should’ve never left you.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his warm chest, the whalebone necklace right in front of me, as if reminding me of the reality of our situation.
“You came back,” I whispered, tears streaming down my cheeks.
He pressed his forehead against mine, as if searching for words but not knowing what to say. He was conflicted, and it put a wedge even deeper into my heart.
“There’s medicine,” I said quietly. “At my cottage.”
His lips suddenly caught mine and his few light kisses set my world on fire. “Hang in there, witch.” A small smile formed on my face, and I allowed myself to be carried by him, worried as I was about his wound and his strength. But it didn’t take long for us to return to the cottage, and I was amazed that he remembered the path so well.
When we got inside, he placed me on the settee and I gave him directions on where to find the salve. I could smell the poison, knowing exactly what it was, but my mind was growing delirious.
Alaric sat behind me on the settee, gently moving my hair to one side. “Can you take this off? At least so I can clean this up?” he asked, and self consciousness flooded me. I slipped the right sleeve off my shoulder, holding the front of my dress for modesty. I knew I needed to change, my dress soiled from the blood and poison, but having to remove my clothing–if only partially–felt much too intimate.
I closed my eyes and tried to get rid of that thought.
Alaric was only tending to me, as I had once tended to him. An exhale escaped sharply as he ran a damp cloth over my bare shoulder.
“Does it hurt?” he asked, his voice lower than usual.
“Not really.” In fact, the entire area felt numb. Once he cleaned the wound and applied the salve, I let out a sigh of relief.
“I’ll be alright,” I said, my cheeks still hot, and not just from the fever.
It was him. His touch. His kiss. I had fallen in love, and I was angry at myself for it. I shouldn’t have… After Alaric bandaged up my wound, he didn’t move away. Instead, he cleaned the rest of the blood that had stained my back and neck.
I sat still as a statue.
