She braced herself against everything those words made her feel and bluntly said, “I’ve survived worse than this from you. Just do it already.”
Reeve held her gaze for a long moment, then tightened hisgrip and obediently threw back the contents of the vial, shuddering at the taste.
One second passed.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Still, nothing happened.
“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Viri said, frowning from the empty vial to their joined fingers. “Wyn, are you sure it—”
She broke off in a gasp as pain slammed into her, her temples pounding, her body freezing and boiling, her stomach cramping, her skin feeling like it was being peeled away layer by layer. She clenched Reeve’s hand so hard it must have hurt, but it was that or scream loud enough to pierce his eardrums. The pain—thepain—
Just when she was sure she couldn’t stand it another moment, the agony vanished, leaving her collapsed and panting on the couch with Reeve leaning over her, his free hand cupping her uninjured cheek, his silver eyes edged with worry.
She pushed him away and sat up again, but did so while croaking out, “If that was only afractionof what the poison made you feel, how the hell did you last so long?”
Immediately, Reeve’s face shuttered. He rose to his feet, stretching his limbs and rolling his shoulders, evidently as good as new. “I’m no stranger to pain,” he answered, avoiding her gaze. “The more you feel it, the less it hurts.”
Unease rippled through Viri, the feeling unexplainable—and unwelcome. “What do you—”
Reeve didn’t let her get the question out, instead walking over to Wynter and saying, “Thank you for your help. I’m in yourdebt.”
Wynter handed him a jar of healing salve. “Put some of that on your wound. You’ve lost a lot of blood, but with the poison gone, it’ll fix the damage in no time.”
Reeve followed her instructions, causing Wynter to gag and turn away as he lifted his shirt to reveal the wound in all its grisly glory. Viri turned away for a different reason, though not in time to stop the image of his tanned, chiseled torso from being burned into her brain. A flush hit her cheeks, only growing when he strode back over and sat beside her once more, reaching for her hand.
“What—” She cut herself off when he moved her scarlet cloak aside to smear some of the salve over the dagger gash on her forearm. His gentle ministrations caused a lump to lodge in her throat, but a strange, urgent fear took over her when he scooped up more and raised his fingers toward her clawed cheek.
“I’ve got it,” she said quickly, her voice hoarse as she took the jar from him and leapt to her feet, slathering the ointment on herself and wincing at the sting. Somehow, she knew that if she’d let Reeve do it, it wouldn’t have hurt at all.
“Here.” Viri passed the salve to Sage, gesturing to the bump on the purple-haired girl’s head. “It’ll bring the swelling down.”
“Incredible,” Reeve murmured, and when Viri swung back to him, his shirt was lifted again—Elders help her, she was never going to get that image out of her mind now—and he was staring in amazement at how fast his wound was healing.
“That’s alchemy for you,” Wynter said with a humble shrug. “Magic can do anything. The only limit is your own imagination.”
“And a lack of accessible knowledge and training. Those are limitations, too,” Jonas said, staring longingly at the books liningWynter’s shelves. “I’m so jealous that you’ve had all this at your fingertips for years.”
“Speaking of years…” Wynter glanced pointedly between Viri and Reeve. “He’s not dying anymore, so it’s time for answers.”
Viri swallowed at the firm expression on her friend’s face and resisted the urge to say she was in desperate need of answers herself—from Reeve. But Wynter had just saved his life, so Viri could spare a moment to fill her in.
“I mentioned before that we met thirteen years ago—that’s when he was adopted by my next-door neighbors,” Viri said.
“Adopted?” Wynter looked at Reeve. “No parents?”
Viri bit her cheek, feeling a pang of discomfort for Reeve at the personal question, but he casually answered, “My father died when I was five—a few months before I met Viri—and since I didn’t know who or where my mother was, I was declared an orphan.”
“I’m sorry,” Wynter said, softening slightly toward him.
He just shrugged. “I loved my dad. He was a kind, honest man, and I miss him every day.” Something shifted in his eyes as he looked away from Wynter and stared up through the glass-domed ceiling. “But my mom can go to hell for the selfish choices she’s made.”
His fierce declaration made Wynter soften even more. “I’m lucky to have a great mom, but my dad…” She paused, then quietly finished, “I know what it’s like to be abandoned by a parent. I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.”
Reeve said nothing, a muscle clenching in his jaw as he continued staring into the gloomy lake.
