gone. It’d been a stroke of luck my Epi-Pen was nearby, and Finlay was there to deliver it. The alicorn potion had saved my life.
I took another deep breath. “You have to find Ethan,” I began. “Bring him to me. You can’t tell anyone else about this— if anyone asks, it was an accident.”
His eyebrows scrunched together. “You’ve gotta give me more than that, lass.”
“There are powerful people in the monarchy. People who want to kill me,” I told Finlay. “It’s better if you don’t get involved.”
Finlay’s eyes brightened with clarity. He stood up. “I’ll find the prince. Then I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Guilt caressed me as Finlay left my room. He’d watched his mate die, and he almost had to do the same with me— someone he cared about. I felt horrible putting him through this. He didn’t deserve it.
But it wasn’t my fault. Queen Antonia had finally made good on her threat, and tried to kill me out of revenge for losing Ethan his crown.
Seeing as how this attempt was unsuccessful, I knew it wouldn’t be her last.
Chapter Nine
Ethan
You’re worthless.
Not fit to wear the crown.
Not fit to honor your mate.
I shivered under a blanket as the leshane verbally taunted me. He used his powers to suck the warmth from my body, draining my energy into his own magic as food turned stale in my gut. Every inhale from my lungs was like breathing underwater. There was a game on the TV, but I hardly paid attention to it. The leshane had made me lose all interest in things I loved, including hockey. Practice for the upcoming season was going to start soon, and I hadn’t been on the ice in months. I couldn’t skate when this pain was eating me up inside.
It felt like I had the flu. The demon had me within his claws as he attacked my mind again and again, cramps rippling up my middle and sides. I’d put up a magical shield this morning, but my defenses were wearing thin. If he didn’t stop, I’d experience endless torment as I went through another sleepless night again— my third of the week. The nights where I had slept were only a few hours or so. The dark bags under my eyes made me appear as an old man, a skeleton hollowed from the inside out by the leshane’s power.
This demon was taking everything from me. I was a captive in my own body. When did it end? I was tired of the suffering. He might as well take me and be done with it. I thought he might, if he didn’t enjoy torturing me so thoroughly.
There was a knock on my door. I let out a growl. Who dared to bother me at this hour?
I forced myself to get up and open the door. I saw none other than Finlay Dunbar. He looked me up and down… as if surprised at how awful I appeared.
Oh, great. This prick. He was the last person I wanted to see. I opened my mouth to tell him to go away, but Finlay blurted out, “Emma needs you. She’s in the hospital.”
My blood ran cold. My aching limbs and sour stomach were immediately forgotten as I hurried after Finlay. “How? When?”
“All I know is she was poisoned with St. John’s Wort,” Finlay said. “I found her in her dorm. I had to use an Epi-Pen to save her.”
St. John’s Wort.
That was my mother’s signature poison.
The leshane’s power drained away, and my body was restored to some of its former strength as I reached out to Emma through our bond. I felt her vibrant soul brush against my own, so she was alive.
Thank the gods. Though this was yet another close call. I had been cutting myself off from her, avoiding her, to save her from experiencing some of the agony. I didn’t want her to feel the leshane’s magic. I tried to shield her from the blowback as much as possible, because I felt it my duty to do so.
Another foolish mistake. I could shield her from the leshane, but not my own mother.
The sight of Emma lying in a hospital bed was far too familiar to me. I hated every moment of it. Her face was swollen, hives still blooming over her skin. She’d had a bad allergic reaction.
“Emma.” I pulled up a chair. Finlay hovered behind me as I grasped her hand. “Can you breathe?”