Bowstrings & Velvet (Spellbound #1)

Chapter 13: Passing Poison

Shae groaned. Or at least she thought she did, but she couldn't hear anything. Her body felt bruised and tender, her limbs weighed down as if lead pulsed through her veins rather than blood. Everything felt foggy, and she struggled to remember where she was or how she got there. After failing to move or even open her eyes, she resigned herself to simply listening to her surroundings. Focusing on the sounds and any impressions she could get.

Whatever she was lying on was soft. Most likely a bed. Her bed? How had she got into it? There was a strange taste in her mouth, bitter and oddly cold. Her throat felt dry, and she desperately wanted a drink. Forcing her lips to move, she pushed the words out with more effort than it should take.

"W... Water."

There was a loud thump as if someone had dropped a stack of books on the floor and a rustling of movement, and a moment later she felt the mattress dip as someone sat down next to her. Gentle fingers touched her cheek.

"Shae?" Felix's voice was soft. Concerned. "How are you feeling?"

She tried to reply, but no words came. The mattress shifted again, and an arm cradled her head to angle it as a cup met her lips. She took a greedy sip of the cool water, only to end up sputtering as it lodged in her throat.

"Careful," Felix's voice said close to her ear. "Small sips."

This time, she drank carefully and was relieved when she could do so without trouble. It helped, the liquid dispelling some of the fogginess in her brain, and she suddenly remembered the attack. The dagger that had nicked her skin. The poison. Finally able to move, she opened her eyes and looked down at her bare arm. The gash was still dark, but more of a faded dark grey than black, and the tendrils flowing from it even paler still, the edges near her shoulder now nearly gone.

"Wh... What happened?" Her voice was little more than a croak, so Felix allowed her a few more sips of water.

"I don't know what you remember," he said, and she turned her head to look at him. He looked as bad as she imagined she did. His hair stood in every direction as if he had dragged his hands through it repeatedly; dark stubble covered his jaw, and equally dark shadows around his eyes made him look like a ghoul. A very tired ghoul.

"I remember being attacked," she said. Her voice hurt from not being used, and she swallowed with some difficulty. "That there was poison. Anything else is just random images I can't quite make sense of."

He nodded. Fluffing her pillows and angling them slightly, he helped her into a half-sitting position. "You've been asleep for two days," he said as he sat down on the edge of the bed, facing her. His hand held one of hers and even if she'd had the strength to pull back, she didn't want to. Not right now. His palm was warm against her, and the simple touch was comforting.

"Two days?" She had no recollection of anything since the poisoning.

"Yes. You passed out after we gave you the first dose of the antidote, and you haven't been properly awake since. We managed to wake you enough to have you take the second dose and get some water into you now and then, but you've been pretty out of it." He smiled wryly. "You gave me quite a scare. We weren't sure you would make it."

A perverse part of her wanted to say that it might have been for the better. He had his heir. With her gone, he could have his happily ever after with Sorceress Isobel. The ending to the story that everyone in the world truly wanted. But something in his green eyes gave her pause. He looked truly relieved. Not at all like someone who wished his wife had perished from a vile poison.

"Well," she said, trying to keep her voice light. "I am still here."

A tender smile spread over his face. "Yes, you are. A true fighter."