Page 88 of Kingdoms of Night

She started running through the possible components. It smelled like hydra venom, but it was carried through the blood and diluted evenly throughout the water rather than congealing or separating. That meant needlefoil and crow bane as well as some doe slipper. Peppermint, of course, for the nausea. Stripped cattail root, too.

She continued on, parsing through the various healing herbs and plants and their combinations based on what she could draw up from the earth and compile and did not require fermentation or sitting for too long.

The splashing and tearing continued for a few moments longer, along with the occasional yips and snarls from the wolves. Then it went silent.

Feron belched loudly. “It’s gone.”

“I am both horrified and impressed.” She turned. He had returned to his human form, his lean muscled body mostly covered by one of the large bushes at the water’s edge. Though it was low enough she couldn’t help but see the muscular V of his abdominals. “I can’t believe you ate that whole thing. And the honeysuckle creeper, too.”

He winced as he rubbed his stomach, his face decidedly paler. “They helped. Couldn’t have done it alone.”

She stepped closer, frowning. “You look bad. I’ve got a tea and some medicine for this to counteract the poison. But you should probably rest. You look like you might be sick.”

“Rather not.” He struck his chest a few times with his fist, then grimaced. “Don’t know if the wyrm will come back.”

“Well, let’s get back to drier ground and clean water. I’ll make you something to drink.”

“I don’t like tea, and I don’t want it. I’ll be fine.” He shook his head as he pulled on his trousers and fastened them.

Hawthorn and Buttercup clambered up onto the drier ground. Their pink tongues lolled out of their long gray jaws as they collapsed on the sparsely covered hill.

She knelt beside them, placing a hand on each of their throats. Their pulses raced. “You all need something for this.”

He crossed over to the clear water that surged and flowed in the river beyond the pond and washed his face. “Tea won’t help.”

“Tea helps everything.”

He splashed more water on his face. “I don’t need your magic tea. If you want to help the wolves, do it, but leave me out of it, tea maker.”

She glared at him. “That wyrm was full of poison that has to be neutralized. And this part is science and medicine, not magic. All right? I’m just trying to help.”

He huffed at her.

She huffed back. “We need clean water, wolves,” she said. “I’m going to get some, and then I’ll be back. Just rest.”

Walking often cooled her down. But for now, everything boiled inside her. It was ridiculous. He barely talked, and she couldn’t stand him. He was worse than a blood beetle. He was rude and insensitive and thought he was in charge just because he’d had some good ideas. That stupid man! How could Puck have said they were a match? Besides him being an idiot, he was a father and already married.

The only thing they were a match for was infuriating one another.

* * *

FERON

Being alone was important. He got that. He needed that himself. The nausea from the wyrm had nearly passed, but another sort now twisted in his gut, some sort of vague unease. She couldn’t leave like this. He had to fix it. Now.

Hawthorn and Buttercup trotted along beside him.Should have just drunk the tea, Buttercup said.

It did help,Hawthorn added.Tasted good, too.

Better than the wyrm.

Anything tastes better than the wyrm.

I think she’s going to cry more,Buttercup continued.Invite her to run after you apologize. Running makes everything better.

He gritted his teeth. All that mattered was keeping things civil with this woman long enough to get to Annette and get her home. She could be upset as much as she wanted, as long as they kept moving.

She was being unreasonable and running off crying when they needed to wrap this up and continue searching for the girls. He’d just have to say whatever he needed to say to keep her moving and avoid that damn cursed loop of Puck’s again. That was the important thing, and yet, he couldn’t help but feel bad that she was hurt.

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