Page 20 of Oath of Revenge

She asked, “What do you mean, protect him? I was protecting myself.”

Olive snorted, “Don’t fool yourself, child. Not over this. Not over him.”

Scarlet paused, her mind working furiously. Why him? What did Grandma know that she didn’t? She twisted her wrist and gripped the stone pestle tightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Olive hummed again, staring at the wolf by the fire as she drank her tea. Scarlet finished in silence, biting her tongue as the frustration swirled in her gut. Then she held the mortar to her grandmother. “How’s this?”

Olive nodded and took the stone bowl, mixing the powder into the two remaining mugs. The steam curling up turned blue then green. Olive smiled grimly and looked at Scarlet, her eyes piercing her.

Scarlet froze and pressure increased on her chest, like when she’d been caught stealing cookies as a kid. Hair stood on the back of her neck under that intense gaze.

“You will drink one, and he will drink the other.”

Scarlet’s breath shuddered as her head shook automatically. “No.” Her gut twisted again. This was a bad idea. That look in Olive’s eyes said there was more to this than what she was saying.

Olive arched her brow. “No?”

Scarlet frowned. “I’m sorry, Grandma, but if the glocken berry is a super powerful version of a normal healing potion, shouldn’t he take it all? He’s the one that’s gravely injured and getting worse.”

Olive’s lips twitched with pride, but Scarlet knew she was holding back information. Scarlet hadn’t made it this long as a Hunter without having great instincts, and something was off about this.

“He will take enough of it, but this is something we haven’t tried to break your curse. Don’t you want to see if it will work?”

Scarlet’s eyes widened. It might help her curses?

“Well, why didn’t you just say that?”

With no further thought, she grabbed a mug and downed it, gulping the warm liquid. Her nose wrinkled as she drank, the smell assaulting her sensitive shifter senses.

She slammed the mug onto the counter as if she were back in the tavern. She smacked her lips, trying to get the bitter, gritty after-taste out of her mouth. Her throat spasmed, and she choked, her eyes watering. Olive passed over her own mug of regular tea, and Scarlet drank that too.

When her breathing returned to normal, Scarlet pulled on one of her long ears and scowled.

Olive chuckled and shook her head. “Give it time, child. Come, help me get him to drink.”

Olive’s eyes glittered with anticipation as she stood, taking the remaining magical mug to the Growler by the fire. Scarlet followed, kneeling at his head as Olive directed her to lift him enough to drink.

He moaned and his eyes fluttered at the movement, but he didn’t wake.

“Come on.” Scarlet grunted, pushing his wide shoulders up. She propped him up and watched as Olive held the mug to his lips, pulled down his jaw, and began to pour the potion slowly inside.

He grunted, eyes closed, but seemed to swallow fine. He didn’t gag or choke or move.

When the mug was empty, Olive moved back. “Alright, you can lay him back down.”

“Now what?” Scarlet asked. “How long does it take for it to work?”

The sharp tone of voice made her wince. She was terrified again, which made her angry.

Stupid fucking rabbit instincts that made her want to hide while she waited for the potion to take effect. Worry twisted her stomach in knots. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. Not again.

“Not long,” Olive said, her eyes flitting between Scarlet and the Growler and back again.

When she’d first been cursed months ago, she’d come straight to Olive’s. They’d tried every spell, potion, and magic in the old druid’s repertoire, but nothing had worked. Then Scarlet had gone to the other two druids at the Robin’s camp, facing all the stares and horror-filled gazes, but with no success.

Scarlet laid the man’s head on the floor and frowned, realizing that her hand was brushing his gray and black hair away from his face.

“Why don’t you go up to bed, child? You look like you haven’t slept in a few days.”

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