Page 96 of Knot What She Seems
Tears burn behind my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. Not now. Not while he’s still hanging on by some thread I can barely see. Normally, he’s the strong one, the alpha, but today, that duty falls on me.
I press my fingers to his wrist, praying for a pulse, but all I feel is the faintest thrum, like a whisper of life that can slip away at any moment. His breathing is shallow, uneven. I don’t know what to do. I never thought I’d be in this position, not with him. Not now. He’s been doing so much better the last few months, color reappearing in his cheeks and his smile brighter than ever.
And where the fuck is Caran? Why isn’t he here?
A startled screech reaches my ears.
Harper.
Instantly, I’m on alert, whirling around, my hands raised, ready to defend my twin?—
Caran stands in the bedroom doorway, his face drawn and haggard, dark shadows underscoring his eyes. Behind him is Harper, carrying a…frying pan? She holds it above her head, like she’s preparing to whack Caran with it.
She’s clearly over-caffeinated and taking our earlier conversation about murderers far too seriously.
I subtly shake my head at her, and she drops it immediately with a sheepish smile. That smile fades when she catches sight of Ted, and her face pales. She quietly backs away with a finger pointing toward the kitchen to indicate that she’ll wait for me there.
Caran doesn’t even seem to have noticed Harper—or me, for that matter—as he stalks forward, his features set in grave determination. I’ve seen that expression on his face once before, but the situations were vastly different.
Years ago, before Teddie got sick, I came to visit the two of them, and we decided to play a video game. I don’t remember the name, but I do remember that we had to shoot people. I, of course, sucked, so Teddie and Caran decided unanimously to take me out for the sake of the rest of the team.
“Sorry, little sister,” Ted taunted as his avatar cornered me in an abandoned building. He grinned at me, his eyes alight with mischief. “Any last words?”
“We’re a team!” I protested. “You can’t shoot your teammate.” Of course, I still hadn’t figured out how to do anything but run around in a circle, so my plea was only met with laughter.
And then Caran turned on the couch to face me, his features uncharacteristically solemn. “I’m sorry.”
The bastards shot me, and my character fell in a tangle of limbs.
That expression is on Caran’s face now—the grim, determined set of his lips when he’s wrestling with his guilt.
He doesn’t speak at first, just takes in the scene before him—the pale, sickly image of Teddie, the alpha he loves more than life itself. Without a word, Caran moves to the bedside and pulls a small vial from his pocket. The liquid inside shimmers, and my breath hitches.
“You were able to get more medicine?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper. Since Noths are the only ones capable of producing it, it’s nearly impossible to get here, even for the crown prince. Caran must’ve spent a fortune. Or…
I take in his disheveled appearance and the guilt radiating from him in almost tangible waves.
I’ve heard rumors of traders accepting…otherthings in exchange for the elusive medicine. Organs. Secrets.
Sex.
I swallow around the razor blade that has lodged in my throat.
Caran isn’t…selling himself, is he?
I watch as he brings the vial to Teddie’s lips and helps him drink it, his hands steady despite the chaos in his eyes. The air feels thick, like we’re all holding our breath, waiting for some miracle that may or may not come.
The omega doesn’t look at me, his focus entirely on Teddie. “I have enough medicine to last for a bit, but it’s not enough, Bry.” His voice cracks. “I don’t think it’ll be enough. He’s getting worse.”
“We need to tell my parents. We need?—”
Caran cuts me off, tears streaming down his cheeks. “You don’t think we tried that? When Teddie first got sick, he asked them for help. Begged them. And you want to know what your mother did? Shescoffed. She fucking scoffed and told him that they’ll never make a deal with the Noths…not even to save her own son’s life.” His wild, frantic eyes flick around the room, never settling on anything for longer than a second. “So Teddie lied and told them the virus healed all on its own. That he no longer needed their help.”
My lungs… They’re burning. Everything is burning.
No. No. No. My parents are a lot of things, but they would never allow their son to die, not if there’s something they can do to stop it. But this isn’t something Caran would lie about.
“He never told me that,” I whisper, trying to breathe around the noose circling my neck.
