Page 57 of Blades of Ice

“Lydia.” Jon’s voice cracked, and she couldn’t wait any longer. Stepping around her cousin, she froze. There, chained to the wall, Beck was lying on his side, his back to her. Lydia rushed to her mate, dropping the daggers at her feet. Kneeling, she placed her hand on his arm.

“Beck? It’s me, Lydia. Can you hear me?”

Beck mumbled something she couldn’t understand. Lydia gently tugged on his shoulder, pulling him over to lie on his back. She bit back a sob. Even in the dim light, she could see how pale he was. He had lost weight, and the skin on his wrists was raw. Instead of raging like she wanted, Lydia continued talking to him in low, soothing tones.

“There’s quite a few fish carcasses along with empty cans of water, so at least they weren’t completely starving him.” Jon stepped closer. “Let me take care of the cuffs.”

“Wait.” Lydia grabbed his hand before he could touch the metal. She leaned in and sniffed them, but there was no foul odor. “The ones in the other cave were coated in wolfsbane, thus the antidote.”

“Then what’s wrong with him?” Jon stepped over Beck and squatted. “He was stabbed. Fuck.” Jon didn’t hesitate. He gripped the cuff on Beck’s left hand and ripped it apart, tossing it aside. He did the same to the right one, then shooed Lydia aside so he could lift Beck off the ground. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay, but I need our pack first. I don’t want to lay him on the snow.”

“I’ll get it,” Dooley said, then took off in his fur.

Beck was larger than Jon, but her cousin had no trouble carrying her mate. Lydia retrieved her weapons and returned them to her wrists. Once they were outside the cave, Jon held Beck until Dooley returned. He dropped the pack at Kennedy’s feet before shifting back.

“What do you need?” Kennedy asked.

“The thermal blanket and a canteen.”

Kennedy found the blanket and spread it out. Jon placed Beck on it, and Lydia scooped up the cooler before dropping to her knees beside him. She had first aid training, but her hands still trembled as she inspected the wound on Beck’s side. His shirt was stuck to his skin with dried blood. Kennedy passed over the canteen, and Lydia poured the water over the shirt. It was then she smelled it. “Sonofabitch. The blade was coated in poison.” The odor was faint, but it was definitely wolfsbane. Lydia eased the shirt away from his skin, exposing the wound. She cleaned as much dried blood off the area as she could, swallowing hard when green pus seeped out.

“What the fuck? I’m going to fucking murder whoever stabbed him,” Dooley seethed.

“Get in line,” Jon responded.

Lydia let them argue as she opened the cooler and removed the different colored bottles. Having already memorized the notes for each, Lydia chose the amber one. After removing the cork, she poured a small portion of the contents over the cut. When the pus sizzled and foamed, Lydia inwardly cheered. She then removed a small hand towel she’d added to the cooler, thankful she hadn’t stowed it in her backpack. When Lydia dabbed at the wound, Beck moaned, and Lydia placed her free palm on his cheek. “It’s going to be okay, My Bear. I’m here.”

“S-sugar?”

“Yeah. It’s your Sugar. You’re safe now.”

“Chl-Chloe?”

“Shh. Don’t worry about her right now. Can you drink some water for me?”

“No strength.”

“That’s okay. I’ve got you. And Dooley and Kennedy and my cousin, Jon, are here.”

Dooley knelt behind Beck and raised his head. Lydia poured some water into his mouth. Most of it dribbled out the corners, but he managed to swallow some. She didn’t give him too much in case it upset his stomach. Beck blinked his eyes but squeezed them shut against the harsh glare coming off the snow. Lydia removed her goggles from where she’d pushed them up and secured the band around his head, slipping them over his eyes.

“That should help.” Lydia brushed her fingers through his hair that was in dire need of washing. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his forehead and nuzzled his nose with hers. There was so much she wanted to say, but there would be time for that later. Dooley talked softly to Beck while Lydia checked the wound. Finding more pus had formed, she repeated the process of adding a small amount of the potion and waiting for it to bubble up.

“Wh-what is that?” he asked.

“A little something Luna concocted. An antidote to counteract wolfsbane.”

“Where’s Chloe?” Beck rasped.

Lydia turned her focus from the wound to her mate’s face. “Has she been here?”

“In the cave with me. Locked up by… not sure who.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Lydia muttered at the same time Dooley asked, “Did we get it wrong?”

“Beck, are you certain she was locked up with you? The poison—”

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