Page 140 of The Wishing Game

Before I can ask him to clarify what he means by that, his eyes flutter shut, his body slumping against the wall.

"Ze!" I cry out, shaking him.

He doesn't answer.

THIRTY-TWO

Panic courses through me as I lie frozen by his side, uncertain of what to do next. I'm just staring at his unmoving body, my heart thumping mercilessly inside my chest. It takes me a few seconds to get myself under control enough to go closer to him and feel for his pulse.

He's still covered in blood and bodily fluids, but feeling my way around his neck, I manage to find a heartbeat.

I sigh in relief.

He's not dead.

Yet.

No, no. I won't let him die. No one else is dying under my watch ever again.

Nibbling at my lip, I stand up, cataloging my surroundings to gauge what I can and cannot do. Well, first, I need to get him into a comfortable position. I should also clean the rest of the naga grime off his body since who knows if that's venomous too, and it might only make him sicker.

Nodding to myself, I grab some of the abandoned containers off the ground and hurry to the pond in the back. I clean them the best I can, but I'm aware that they are still not sanitary enough to be used for consumption. But they might work to clean him and make some lye for starters.

Filling the containers with water, I go back to the fire, using a bone shard to pull some ashes from the bottom of the fire. I add them to the water and place it over the fire. While that's boiling, I grab the other container with water and bring it closer to Ze's body.

There are a few rags around, but I don't want to use them until I can properly wash them with some lye. That leaves me with only one option.

Shrugging my hoodie off, I carefully place it to the side while I take off my undershirt. A shiver of cold goes down my body, and I quickly put my hoodie back on.

I rip my undershirt into smaller pieces of material and fold them neatly on top of the bag. With that ready, I shuffle closer to Ze, reaching for his shirt. I undo it with shaky fingers. I'm aware he might not approve of this when he wakes up, but now it's imperative I clean all that blue blood off him.

Since his clothes are wholly black, I didn't realize just how much blood had soaked through, staining his skin.

I undo his shirt from the string that holds it together at his midriff, parting it to reveal his stained chest. There are large blots of blue mixed with red blood.

My lips flatten as I shake my head.

Releasing a deep breath, I slowly try to remove the shirt from his body. He's completely unmoving, and his size makes it a little hard to maneuver him around. Raising his arm, I pull one sleeve, then the other, and lay the shirt aside so I can wash it later.

Instinctively, I avert my gaze, my cheeks turning red. It would take a blind person not to notice how well-defined his chest and muscles are. Hell, the man probably has a twelve-pack, if that's even a thing. I don't think I've seen someone as ripped as him before—not even bodybuilders on TV. Curiosity gets the best of me as I allow myself a small glance—for purely aesthetic reasons, of course.

Despite the splotches of red and blue covering his chest, his bronzed complexion peeks through. His shoulders are broad, his arms even bigger than I imagined.

No wonder he can carry me in one hand alone.

His waist tapers down to narrow hips, his muscles even more defined as I spot a trail of black hair starting from his navel and leading into his black trousers.

I startle back, shaking my head at my foolishness. He's not some specimen to be ogled, and he would no doubt take offense to this as well. After all, it's not as if it's entirely surprising that he has such a beautiful physique. He said it himself—he's a warrior. He probably spends his entire time training to kill demons.

It's also not as though this is my first time seeing a half-naked muscular man. Why, my Nikki was quite muscular himself, with all those hours he spent in the gym. Maybe not demon-hunter level, but he was perfect for me.

As usual, when my thoughts revert to Nikki, I find the chasm in my heart widening, my loneliness creeping out once more.

"Ugh," I let out a cry of frustration. This is not good. Ze needs my full attention at this moment. Nodding to myself, I turn him on his side to examine the site of the wound.

"Damn it," I mutter when I realize it's gone—healed. I should have expected that given his natural ability to heal. But that also means that the venom went straight to his bloodstream. Who knows how well he can deal with something attacking him from the inside. I'm not an expert in healing, but I assume the body won't have such an easy time fighting off the venom if it spreads through the blood.

Not very pleased with my findings, I decide to do what I can—namely clean the rest of the blue residue off his skin. I softly lay him on his back again before I set to work.

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