Lib Novel Page 75
I’m getting anxious now. Alex is in the other room; I need to get Noah out of here. It’s hard to pretend to be calm when my heart is beating like a drum.
When he steps toward me, I find myself frozen in place. His head lowers, and he brushes his lips against mine.
I feel nothing. That’s actually not true, I realize when he pulls away. I feel disgust. It feels wrong. But I can’t say that to him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
His hand lingers on my cheek before he leaves. I wish him a mumbled good night and close the door behind him. After locking it, I rush to the bathroom and rinse out my mouth before staring at my reflection in the mirror.
This is not going to work. If I’m repulsed by a kiss, I can’t be with him. This was our first kiss, and I feel like I’ve done something horrible. I didn’t even kiss him back, and yet…
Using a towel to dry my hands and face, I head to the window and check to see if Noah is gone. Moments later, I see him exiting the building and Orlando coming across the road toward him. They begin to walk away together, in deep discussion. I wait till they’re around the corner before I grab my purse and head out. I’m careful not to follow the same path as them, taking a shortcut.
At the pharmacy, only one light is on inside. The pharmacist is asleep in his chair, his feet propped on the counter. I rap the glass edge of the counter, startling him awake. He nearly falls out of his seat.
“What?” He gives me a disgruntled look.
“I want to buy some bandages and disinfectant.”
“At this time of night?” He glowers at me. “I was sleeping!”
“This is an all-night pharmacy, isn’t it?” I stare at him. “Where else am I supposed to go?”
Grumbling under his breath, he says, “Fine. What kind of bandages do you want?”
It takes me a couple of minutes to complete my purchase. I glance out the door to make sure the street is empty before I leave. I don’t waste time walking; I run down the street in the direction of my building. Once again, I use the back entrance, not trusting Noah or Orlando not to show up again.
Alex is still passed out when I enter the bedroom.
I keep remembering Noah’s words as I clean Alex’s wounds and apply the bandages. If Noah actually managed to gut him, that means Alex probably used his remaining potion to save his life. But in that case, what about the rest of the wounds? Shouldn’t the medicine have worked on those as well?
The typical potions I get at the healer’s office aren’t that strong. The one Alex used on me that day was different. I’ve never known a healing potion to hurt so much. I remember how painful it was when he used it on my shoulder. If Alex’s wound was as life-threatening as Noah suggested, then Alex must have been in agony when he used the potion.
“You’re going to be alright,” I assure him. “I’m not going to let you die.”
Seeing him still like this, his face so deathly pale, makes my heart ache. His breathing is shallow, and it terrifies me. The healing potion I gave him earlier will help fight infection, but I can see that he’s burning up.
I don’t know the first thing about setting a bone, but I do know that if a bone is not set properly and it heals, it has to be broken again. I wish I could call our local town healer, but I know that will just put Alex in more danger. Instead, I arrange his arm in the sling I bought and pray for the best.
I feel like I should go tell at least one of his friends about the situation. I can’t understand why Alex didn’t want to go to them. They would’ve been able to help him more than I can. Maybe Alex does not trust his friends. Maybe I should find his fiancée. They’re engaged, after all; he must trust her more than anyone.
But Alex is a black wolf, a Northern wolf, and that means his companions and his fiancée are also from the North Alliance. What if they decide to kill me to keep their secret? I can understand why Alex wouldn’t want to kill me, but I doubt his companions would share the same sentiment.
I sit by his bedside, applying cold compresses to his forehead, trying to bring the fever down. The healing potion is doing its own work, but I want to do as much as I can. Alex can’t die. I have to make sure he doesn’t. My wolf is frantic, and I’m having a hard time keeping myself together. I wipe my eyes, trying not to break down.
My eyelids feel heavy as the night passes. I’m consumed by worry and other intruding thoughts that push away sleep but not fatigue.
The black wolf that comforted me in silence was Alex. Why did he do that? He didn’t want me, so why did he follow me and try to calm me down? His actions don’t match his words.
I wish I could understand and untangle his motivations. If Julia weren’t in the picture, I could have assumed that he rejected me because we are from different Alliances. I would have accepted that. But he has a fiancée, so I assume she is his reason for rejecting me.
At some point, as the sun begins to rise, my head drops to the bed. It’s an uncomfortable sleep, but I am beyond exhausted now.
When my eyes open, I’m standing in what looks like a dungeon. Or at least what I believe a dungeon would look like. I’m in the middle of a narrow passageway with cells on either side of me. The place stinks, a heavy dampness lingering in the air, the atmosphere putrid.
The silence of this place makes me uneasy, and my footsteps echo as I walk down the passageway. All the cells are empty except the one at the very end. I try to open the door, but the lock is such that I can’t even break it.
A wolf is curled up in a corner of the cell. Its fur appears to be silver, but it’s very dirty and unkempt, as if the wolf has not groomed itself in a very long time. It also looks severely malnourished. It has chains on all four of its legs and one around its neck. It’s sleeping.