“Ugh, this headache is worse than usual.” I tried to fully open both eyes, but the light burned. Instead, I squinted at him, his smile gone.
“I’m sorry. Here, see if this helps.” Suddenly, there was pressure at the back of my neck, pulling me forward. I felt his weight return to the mattress, his thigh against mine. The cold, glass vial met my bottom lip, his face so close I could probably count his eyelashes. “Drink.”
Roles reversed from when we were in the Sham District, I abruptly understood exactly how much trust he had to have putin me then. I had grabbed his neck the same way, trying to force the shift down his throat, and he had accepted it.
I parted my lips, staring at him with wide eyes despite the horrible pain. He had gotten rid of the tech that lit the space, lighting candles and the hearth while I was asleep instead. The light streamed in from the window nearest the door, reflecting off his hair. It cast him in a sort of silhouette, the rays around him like the suns Celeste used to draw as a child.
The tonic touched my tongue, tasting like dirt and mint. Which, unsurprisingly, was exactly how it was meant to taste. I gulped it eagerly, my hand reaching up to wrap around his.
My skin buzzed as I tipped my head back, Altair’s breath hot where it encircled me. When I finished and he removed the vial, my hand still on his, I looked forward again. Had he gotten closer?
“Better?” he asked, his eyes falling to my lips. I felt a trickle of the tonic heading down the corner of my mouth, my tongue instinctively darting out to catch it.
“Better. Thanks.”
“Anything for you, Little Void.” His voice was a barely there whisper, his eyes locked on my mouth. Was there more tonic there? His face moved forward, so close now that I could taste the herb-laced smoke that clung to his breath.
“Altair, what—”
Death leapt between us, jumping so high she grazed my chin. I yelped, falling back slightly. The movement made my head throb.
“Ugh, Death, you scared me.” Laying back down, I pulled the blanket further up and let Death burrow under, her body pressing into my stomach.
Altair smiled softly, reaching over and grabbing the rag before placing it back onto my forehead gently. I couldn’t help the smile that tilted my mouth up too.
“Will you go into my bag and grab two more vials for me? One has a deep green liquid and the other a butter yellow,” I asked, figuring it was best to take those now too.
“Sure, what are they?” He stood, walking over to my bag and bending down to sift through it.
I watched him, curious to see if he’d stop and inspect anything. When he successfully pulled both out and stood, I said, “My contraceptive and my vitamins. My mother has had me on them for decades, so it’s best not to miss them and mess with my body.”
Clearing his throat, he sat back down on the bed, his cheeks pinkening as he handed me them. I nearly giggled at his obvious discomfort, but instead I quickly tipped back each vial, my head heavy and my body aching.
“Thank you for helping me,” I said, setting the vials down on the small bedside table. “Not too bad for a snake.”
He laughed, moving to stand. “I’m pretty tired, so I’ll probably take a nap too. Mother used to call them a waste invented by lazy people, so I’d like to take advantage now.”
I reached for his arm as he stretched to his full height, catching his elbow. Immediately, he froze, his face turning towards mine.
“You know, the bed is pretty big. I don’t mind us sharing it so you don’t have to suffer on the ground anymore.” I wasn’t sure why I offered it. He was probably fine on the floor despite his previous complaints. But after the food and the books and the tonic—stars, aftereverything—it felt wrong to force him into discomfort.
“Tershetta, you don’t have to do that. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
Shaking my head, I said, “I won’t be.”
At first, he didn’t seem inclined to accept, his eyes darting down to the folded linens on the ground. Seeing as I wasexhausted and impatient, I tugged on his arm, forcing him to stumble forward.
“Get in the bed, Altair.”
Unblinking, he stared into my eyes, his darting from side to side as if he’d see the lie within my gaze. I looked back, daring him to argue again. Sighing, he nodded, carefully crawling over my body.
The bed really was huge. So big, in fact, that when he settled against the wall, I couldn’t even feel the dip in the mattress from his added weight.
“Thanks, Tershetta,” he whispered.
“Anything for you, Snake,” I offered back, earning his laugh in return. Smiling, I settled into the bed, my fingers in Death’s fur and the ache in my head fading.
Chapter Eighteen
