Page 34 of The Wolf King's Demand

He searched the apothecary's shelves until he came to the required jar. He took his knife with trembling fingers and scraped some poison into the yellow liquid. “Nothing’s happening,” he said to the receiver. “How long is this meant to take?”

He heard Taryn breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank the Goddess for that,” she said. “It should react instantly.”

Tyler was relieved, but Addison was still slowly dying on the floor. “What next?” he asked.

“It could be Elfespur,” she said. “That would require some sort of magic to be bound to it. Elderflower negates magic curses. Give her a tincture of Elderflower next,” she said.

Tyler scoured the shelves. Where is the healer? This would be so much easier if he were here. Every second felt like an eternity.

He located the elderflower tincture and held it to Addison's lips. Nothing happened. “Taryn. It’s not working!” he cried in desperation.

“Maybe it’s Arum Maculatum. That also has a fetid stench,” she said, equally as desperate. “The antidote for that is milk thistle.”

Milk thistle, milk thistle, where can that be? he thought as he searched. As soon as he located it, he dropped to the floor by Addison’s head. “Come on, my love, you need to drink this,” he said as he tenderly poured it into her mouth.

She choked and sputtered, and then some of the tension went out of her body. Was that a sign? Had it worked?

“Taryn, I’m not sure if it worked,” he wailed. “She choked and then seemed to relax a little. Does that mean it worked or not?” She couldn’t die. He would lose it if she did. He would tear the world apart, hunting down who was responsible.

“It’s a good sign,” said Taryn. “Give her a moment, see what happens.”

“Does she have a moment?” demanded Tyler. “This is taking too long,” he roared into the phone. The wolf inside him was howling with fury and impatience.

“Tyler, you need to remain calm if you want to save her,” Taryn replied. “There is something else …”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence because Addison gasped, and Tyler dropped the phone. “Addison?” he said, cradling her head in his lap. “Addison, can you hear me?”

“Tyler?” she said muzzily. “I feel like shit.”

“Oh, Addison, you’re alive,” he said with relief. He picked up the discarded phone. “She’s alive!” he told Taryn. “You’ve done it. You’ve saved her. Thank you so much!”

Taryn gave a sob of relief. “She needs rest now, Tyler. Warm broth and plenty of fluids, also.”

Just then, the healer appeared at the door. He was out of breath and in his night clothes, hair sticking up, and glasses askew. He looked around at the disarray in the dispensary and then down at his king kneeling on the floor with the now-conscious Addison clutched tightly to his breast.

“Here, let me help you,” he said, reaching out to help Addison stand.

Together, they supported her and walked to Tyler’s chambers. “I’ll send some herbs for you to put in a bath. They should help draw out any residual poison and help with the pain,” the healer said.

Tyler nodded his thanks.

“Is there some water?” asked Addison. She was propped up on the bed with several pillows. Her throat sounded hoarse.

“Sure,” said Tyler, handing her a glass.

Maids came and brought the herbs from the healer and filled the huge bath with steaming water. The maids hung around, but Tyler shooed them out. He would look after his lady himself.

He tenderly undressed her and helped her into the bath. His wolf whimpered at the sight of her, so weak and so frail. She was still unsteady on her feet, but she was alive.

Then he stripped off and got into the bath with her. With love and care, he laid her back into his arms, gently washing the tangles from her hair and the sweat from her face.

She smiled at him. “Thank you,” she said. “You saved my life.”

“No, that was Taryn. She knew exactly what to do. It was the right thing to call her.”

“She knows everything about herbs. She is incredibly good at what she does,” Addison said with pride in her sister. “I would trust her with my life when it comes to herb lore.”

“That is evidently justified,” said Tyler. “How are you feeling?”

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