Reeve rattled off a time, causing Jonas’s normally cheerful face to turn grave.
Sage tensed at his reaction. “You can help him, right?” she asked. “It’s obviously some kind of poison, but you’re good with poisons. You’ve studied them. You know how to cure them.”
“Notmagicalpoisons.” Jonas waved a hand at Reeve’s wound. “I wouldn’t know where to begin with treating something like this. I’m just as likely to make it worse.”
“But you can figure it out, can’t you?” Sage pressed. When he said nothing, she leaned in and said, “You’re the genius here—there has to be something in one of your books that can helphim.”
“Nothing on magical poisons or ailments, making themorcuring them,” Jonas returned. “You know how limited that kind of knowledge is. I can’t heal something I don’t understand.”
“You could at leasttry—”
“Both of you, calm down,” Reeve interrupted Sage, but his authority was lessened by how weak his voice sounded. “I’m fine. I just need to sleep it off.”
Viri snorted, and all eyes turned to her. She flushed, but said, “You’re obviously not fine.”
“And whose fault is that?” Sage’s worry shifted to anger as she pinned Viri with her hazel glare, her hands fisted by her sides. “If he dies, it’s onyou.”
Viri’s indignation rose anew. “I didn’t ask him to jump in front of that dagger.”
“You ungrateful little—”
“And I don’t know what you’re all so worried about,” Viri continued over Sage. “He’s a reaper. It wasn’t a death blow, so grimblade or not, he’ll heal. He just needs to siphon and the magic will clear the poison from his blood.” She felt sick saying it, but that didn’t make it any less true.
“Are you volunteering, hunter?” Sage asked, her voice filled with menace.
Viri paled but stood her ground, knowing the other girl was only trying to intimidate her. “He’d hardly get enough from me to heal a paper cut.”
“No one’s siphoning from anyone,” Reeve said as firmly as he could, trying to stand. “And no one’s dying. I told you, I just need to—”
He wasn’t able to finish before he tipped forward, and only kept from tumbling off the couch because Jonas caught him in time.
“Easy, Reeve,” the blond boy said, pushing him down again. “The more you move, the quicker the poison will spread.”
Too late for that,Viri thought, recalling the strenuous fight in the alley, most of which had taken place after Reeve had been impaled by the dagger. She still didn’t understand why Sage andJonas were so concerned about him, but at the same time, despite what she’d said about not asking him to save her, guilt clawed at her. If not for Reeve, Viri would be the one infected with grimblade poison right now—and that was only if the eerie red blade hadn’t killed her on impact, as their attacker had surely intended. The sooner Reeve was healed, the quicker she could let go of any debt she owed him.
“I saw Sage siphon from Jonas earlier,” Viri said, looking straight at Reeve. “If you’re worried about me learning that reapersdon’thave to prey solely on children, then that ship has sailed. So just”—she waved a hand between him and his friends—“do what you need to do.”
“That’s not an option,” Reeve said mildly, his body beginning to shiver.
Viri threw her arms out to the sides. “Why the hell not? You’re a reaper—siphoning is second nature to you.”
“Are you really that dense?” Sage said cuttingly. “Look at him. Look at his veins. Does helooklike a reaper to you?”
“Just because he hasn’t siphoned in a while—”
“A while?” Sage repeated incredulously. “Tryseven years.”
Viri jerked backward in disbelief, but then she came to her senses and said, directly to Reeve, “You’re the right hand to the Reaper Priest. If you expect me to believe you don’t siphon—”
“I’m not sure I have the energy to care what you believe,” Reeve said, leaning back against the couch and closing his eyes, sweat now dotting his brow as he clenched and unclenched his hands, as if trying to shake feeling back into them.
His vulnerable posture should have alarmed Viri, but if anything, it just made her madder. “What’s next?” she demanded.“Are you going to tell me you’ve never siphoned from anyone,ever?”
Reeve’s eyes shot open, the silver suddenly blazing. “I didn’t say that. I’ve siphoned before. But as Sage said, it was seven years ago, and just the once.” In a mutter, he added, “That was enough.”
Viri blinked, caught off guard by his rare moment of honesty, and somewhat stunned that he’d managed to fight the addictive nature of ellixen and only siphoned once in all the years he’d been with the Priest. But even so—
“And what, pray tell, happened to your innocent victim?” she asked scathingly. “Did they miraculously survive?”
