Page 33 of In Love With the Leshy

He squeezes my hand, moans, and closes his eyes, falling back to sleep.

*

The next hour passes in slow motion. Em pulls my hand to his chest. He whines in pain. He whispers my name. I know the brimberry jam isn’t magic, and I didn’t have a lot to give him, but I hoped it would help more than this.

As time passes, he continues to transform. The thick cords of muscle in his legs are now clusters of twigs and branches. I know in my gut that the knife is the cause of this. Nikolai poisoned it somehow.

“Okay, Em. You need to listen to me. As your destined mate, I’m not going to sit back and watch you die slowly, so I’m going to take that knife out of your back. Understand?”

He doesn’t attempt to answer except for a squeeze of my hand.

“Water.” His raspy voice sounds slightly louder. Stronger.

Water! Why didn’t I think of that myself? Especially if he’s more tree than human, water is what he needs most. I send two of the wolves to get Masha. If she comes, I can send her for water. The sun shines brighter now that I have a surge of hope.

*

“Thank you so much for helping to bring him back here,” I whisper to Masha, trying not to rouse Em.

“Of course.”

I turn to look at Em, lying on the wolf skins he keeps as a remembrance of his lost friends. The moment we returned to the cave, Fang scurried to Em’s side. He lies by his master’s head, watching over his friend like an overprotective parent, while Ana pets him as if he’s the family dog. If I knew how to communicate with the other animals, I’d seek them out. They seem to be Em’s closest friends, and I’m sure their concern would make him feel better.

I breathe easier now, knowing he’s safe. With Masha’s help and a lot of pain on Em’s part, we were able to remove the knife, which now sits on his table. He needs rest to regain his strength. Although we carried him home, he had to exert effort to shrink down in size, and it looks like it wiped him out. However, the fact that he took any part in getting back here means he’s worlds better than when I found him. Stronger. It’s a good sign.

“He needs more brimberry,” I say, running my hands through my hair. “I don’t know where to find it or even what it looks like.”

“I have some. I’ll run home and be right back.”

“Thank you!”

She pulls me into a hug. “I’m here to help. Both of you,” she adds, which surprises me.

There’s nothing for me to do but watch and wait. Em seems comfortable, and it looks like he’s sleeping. Exhausted, I lie on my mattress and watch him sleep. Now that he’s safe, I let my heavy eyelids close.

*

“Wake up, Erin.” Masha nudges my shoulder. My heart pounds with fury, forgetting for the moment where I am and what time of day it is. I blink my eyes a few times, gathering my senses.

“Did you bring the water?” I ask, looking around.

“Six bottles. Left them on the ground next to him.”

I nod, watching Ana lay flowers all around Em that she’d picked on the way back.

“To make you feel better, and look pretty, and always smell good, Uncle Em,” she says.

Masha and I smile, wondering what Em would think if he could see himself.

“Somehow, I don’t think he’d like being decorated with flowers.”

“He wouldn’t complain too much since Ana’s the one doing it. Why don’t you come spend the night with us?”

I shake my head. “I need to be here. He might need help with something.”

“He’s going to sleep. Which is what you need, too. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

“What if something . . . someone . . . comes and hurts him?”

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