Page 126 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
In an instant, Elias and Everly were at our side with Ryenne and Nate close behind. Elias helped me up, hissing at the cut on my back that burned in a way I wasn’t sure was normal. Elias tugged the layers of clothes I wore over my head,leaving me in nothing but my bra, the back having been sliced in half. Taking my clothes from him, I held them over my chest to cover my breasts as Elias drew his face close to my back and sniffed.
“Fae root.” Elias snarled the two words.
George and Everly growled in response.
I looked at him over my shoulder. “What does that mean?”
“It’s a deadly plant that once grew outside the borders of my kingdom,” Elias explained, his eyes turning to onyx. “All the plants were burned and outlawed years ago because it kills fae the instant it makes contact with our blood.”
I swallowed hard. “Am I going to die?”
“No,” he growled. “The herb I have at home will help you. Will you come with me? Brenton can treat you if you prefer.”
A little dizzy, I slid my hand in his. “I trust you,” I whispered.
Before he bent space, Everly and George touched his shoulders, and as I stepped into his home, they followed. I swayed, my vision going spotty. I blinked a few times, and when my surroundings remained unclear, I licked my lips.
“It’s okay.” His voice was calm and reassuring. “I have to touch you to heal you. Are you okay with me touching you, Teddy?”
“Yes.” I swallowed.More than anything, I want you to touch me.
His hand trembled when he touched my face, and his magic swam over my cheek in a delicate stroke. I gasped in surprise when warmth spread inside my nose and suddenly something crunched, making me wince with the quick, sharp pain. He continued skimming his magic across my face to my jaw, where the throbbing relented.
At that moment, beyond the pain of my back, all I felt wasthe gentle hue of his magic, the essence of his soul. Each stroke of his magic was like a whispered promise.
I tried to look at him, but all I saw in front of me was a blur. I went to reach for him but only caught air. He held on to my elbow, steadying me.
“I’m dizzy,” I told him, taking in the panic in my tone. “Everything’s hazy.”
When he scooped me in his arms, I screamed as the pain in my back flared at the contact.
He brushed his lips across my forehead, silently whispering apology after apology. When he settled me on his couch, I gripped the edge and leaned forward, letting my head droop. After several breaths, I shifted my body to lay on my stomach.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” I took in a slow inhale that I let out just as slowly.
Elias’s hand stroked the back of my head. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “Vomit if you need to. Everly’s preparing your herb. You’ll feel better once I put it on your wound.”
I nodded. Or I thought I did. But everything was a blur, except for the wild beat of my heart that drummed in my ears.
I heard a door open and close, and Brenton asked, “What’s going on?”
I couldn’t hear if anyone answered him, but I recognized him when he took my hand in his.
“I’m going to put a paste-like substance on the wound,” Elias said. “It will help me pull the fae root out, but it will hurt.”
With my eyes still closed, I nodded and squeezed Brenton’s hand. Elias whispered another apology before he kissed the top of my head.
While he applied it softly, my whole back writhed in pain.I bit back my cry, trying so hard to be strong and brave the way Elias had been when I’d tended to his back.
“When I was younger,” Elias said, his voice tender, “I wanted to have wings like a dragon’s so I could fly. I knew I wouldn’t be granted a Guardian until I reached maturity, so George and I made a set of wings. The first pair we made was made of any feather we could find—from birds to chickens. Since you already know what an excellent seamstress I am”—he paused when I snorted—“you won’t be surprised to know I sewed those feathers together with string, and then George and I glued them to large tree limbs.”
I winced when I felt his magic coat through the cut, seeming to tug and pull at me.
“I’m removing the poison,” Elias whispered.
“Tell me more about your wings,” I gritted out, trying and failing to ignore the burning pain on my back.
“We were quite proud of them, but George was too much of a wuss to try them out.”
