Page 162 of Bliss & Her Idols

“But how was he poisoned?” I narrow my eyes. “If we don’t find that out, then he’s still at risk. He didn’t eat with the rest of us. Is Zoe responsible for checking what he eats? Or Stapleton? Have they been questioned? Who got close enough to him to…”

I trail off because I remember then.

Easter holding out her water bottle to Jin… “You shouldn’t be dehydrated. Is that why you’re shaking? This is the big final. Get yourself under control”…

Jin taking the water automatically from her and drinking…

“Easter,” I hiss. “She gave him water not long before he collapsed.”

Torin’s expression becomes darkly dangerous, before he pulls out his phone and starts typing a text. “I’ll have Stapleton collect any water bottles that he can find in order to analyze them. I’ve also told him to secretly look at the film from the final to see if he can find out whether Easter tampered with the water. Stapleton is a bastard but he’s also a professional. It was his job to protect Jin. He’ll take it personally that he failed at that. If he finds that Easter did this, then Stapleton won’t care about what looks best on the Idols. He’ll make it his life mission todestroy Easter. I can’t think of a worse punishment than setting Stapleton on her.”

I shudder.

If she did this, however, then Easter deserves it.

“Why would she poison Jin?” Cricket’s voice is small. “Because Jin stood her up? Because he was in love with us, rather than her?”

“I don’t know, Crick.” And I don’t.

Is Easter truly petty enough that she’d killed a Beta, rather than see him happy with someone else?

What am I missing?

I bend to kiss Jin’s forehead, desperately glad that Torin rushed us so fast off the island after their useless doctor couldn’t work out the problem with Jin.

If we’d waited any longer, then I wouldn’t be able to feather kisses across the forehead of the man who all of us in this room have fought so hard for.

Who has also fought so hard for us.

“Are you certain that the family doctor treated it properly?” I anxiously draw my lips again across Jin’s hot temples. “He’s still feverish.”

“He’ll be fine within twenty-four hours.” Torin wipes his hand across his face, trying to keep himself awake. After all, none of us have slept throughout the night. But then, I’m the one who is desperate to snuggle under these sheets and sleep for fucking days. But I’m too tight with worry for that. If Jin is fine, why is Torin’s gaze fixed with such concern on him? “He’s neither hot nor sleeping because of the poison. It hit him hard because of the other shit.”

Confused, I stare down at Jin’s face. There are purple shadows underneath his eyes.

Even sleeping, he manages to look exhausted.

“He’s overworked,” I say because I know that it’s true.

“For his entire life,” Torin replies. “But especially since he started to prepare for his Betas of Rock concert. The doctor also told me that the poison overwhelmed him because he’s chronically dehydrated and malnourished. In fact, that he had no idea how Jin hadn’t already collapsed simply from the overwork and sleep deprivation.”

Rage sweeps through me.

Cricket edges closer to the bed, reaching his hand to rest it gently on Jin’s slim calf. “But we have him now. We can make him better.”

“He’s not leaving this bed,” Torin says, firmly. “I’ll tie him to it, if I need to.”

“I have a feeling that he’d like that,” I mutter.

Torin takes a careful breath like he’s hardly keeping himself together. “The doctor also told me that Jin urgently needs shoulder surgery. By continuing to train and perform with the injury, he may have caused permanent damage. But the doctor sniffed and said that since he’d shownthis weakness, itwasn’t worth throwing away money on an Idol whose star was dimmed at the end of his career.”

“Is that why you punched the doctor in the face?” I say with savage satisfaction.

Torin matches my grin. “I only regret that I didn’t also knee him in the balls.”

“Me too.” Cricket pushes the curls out of his eyes. “My Dragon isstrongthat he’s performed through the pain all these years. You are going to help him, right?”

Hurt flashes across Torin’s face, before he buries it.

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