Page 8 of Faerie Hunted

“Tavi only seems to be getting worse. We’ll keep her here for a few more days to see if there’s any improvement, but at this point it makes sense for you to consider taking her somewhere she’ll be comfortable. I hate to be the one to tell you this but her outlook isn’t great.”

I heard what the male doctor didn’t say. That I’d need to be brought out of the hospital so that I died somewhere off the premises. Where they wouldn’t have to clean up the mess.

My insides constricted and squeezed the air out of my lungs.

“Is thereanyhope for her?” Selene asked.

“We’re doing the best we can,” the doctor continued.

The next thing I knew, soft fingers stroked across my forehead, and I peeled my eyes open to watch Selene gently brush my hair back.

The wooziness allowed me to watch her lips move but I heard nothing. Sick, dizzy, I existed as if in a wind tunnel. There was nothing outside of the howling in my head.

The doc was definitely right. Whatever was happening, I felt worse, not better.

But her motherly touch broke through my defenses. I wasn’t getting well, and the look in her eyes was all steely resolve with a bit of tempered sympathy.

I’d met her as a reporter during the Faerie Trials. Today her normal sly smile and sharp voice seemed a million miles away and her usually pert chin-length black hair looked messy.

Eyes of a deep silver scoured me.

The next time I woke, Selene wasn’t in sight, but her voice lifted in a shout.

“What do you expect us to do, Almighty Prince?” Her tone bit deep but at least I heard her. The knot in my chest released with a small measure of consolation. “We’re giving her the best possible treatment. I can’t exactly pull a miracle out of my ass simply because you command it. With all due respect,” she said, with absolutely no respect whatsoever.

“And yet you’re not helping her! None of you. What good is the Claw & Fang if they can't save someone like her? You’re spinning your wheels and she’ll pay the price.”

Mike. Tears pricked my eyes.

He came back for me.

“The castle has the best hospital in the realm. Hand her over to me or I’ll send the entirety of the King’s Guard here to storm your medical center,” he threatened.

“Try to take her and see what happens.”

I could practically see Selene’s sneering face in my mind.

Oh no, this was going to devolve into something hideous, and fast. I lifted my hand to try and stop the fight but a wave of nausea attacked my insides.

My gut swirled sickeningly and the sudden rise of heat in my throat sent me right back into unconsciousness.

Sunlight warmed the side of my face the next time I woke. For a moment I lay on my back breathing, focusing on the sensation, and slowly I lifted my hand to cup my sun-warmed cheek.

I moved without issue.

That alone had surprise welling up and my eyes popped open, this time without the accompanying sick feeling I’d gotten used to. I actually felt…decent. Much better than I had any of the other times. And this place?—

I reached out for Noren like I usually did when I woke up and felt nothing. He wasn’t with me.

Something tugged at my arm with a small prick of pain when I sat up and I glared at the clear IV attached to the crook of my arm.

My current hospital room boasted large mullioned windows letting in a powerful stream of light. Two high-backed chairs upholstered in buttery yellow fabric sat beneath the windows, and the sheets were crisp, clean, and pristine white.

The fresh scent of evergreens and mulberry filled the space. None of the sickening ammonia chemical stench of human hospitals.

I waited for several moments, hoping someone would come.

There had to be a call button somewhere. I rolled onto my side, reaching out with my free hand to search the bedside table. Nope, no call button there.

---