Page 88 of A Trial of Fate

I glared at him. “That sarcasm is not going to get you anywhere, mister.”

“It’s Daxton—”

My heart skipped a beat as I froze, unable to move in the doorway. My stomach dropped, and I couldn’t seem to find my voice to speak.

“He needs a healer… Skylar. He needs you.”

“Latte lives just on the other side of the alpha’s home. Why not find her?” Magnus asked as he stepped behind me.

We both ignored my uncle. I knew why Castor had sought meout. My gut had told me something was wrong when I tried to walk down that hallway toward Daxton. My instincts were guiding me to help him, and I cursed myself, knowing I should have listened to them.

I reached for my cloak hanging by the door and stepped outside into the cold, damp night. “Leadthe way.”

Chapter Twenty

“This way,” Castor said as he turned and sprinted into the darkness of the night.

Without hesitation, I sped off after him. If he was here, that meant Daxton needed me. Castor swore that if I returned home, he would find me if I could help. I had no idea what I was walking into, but if Daxton needed me, I would be there. I owed him that much, at least.

Castor and I raced past the main village center, staying on the outskirts so we were not slowed down or distracted. If my people saw me racing off after him, it might cause them to worry, and I didn’t want that hanging over my head.

Castor sped up, and I forced my feet to follow. Shifters were fast, but it was clear that Castor was in a league of his own. We reached the training fields, and he dashed to the stairwell leading up to their room. He leaped up the steps, taking two at a time, with me matching each stride he took. Racing down the hallway, Castor stopped at the door leading to their shared room.

“I can’t exactly explainwhyhe’s hurt, Skylar,” the silver-haired prince whispered, his normal sing-song voice disappearing behind a veil of concern. “But… I’m worried.”

“Was it the queen?” It was the only thing I could think to ask.

Castor nodded as he turned the knob and opened the door to step inside. The room was clearly divided. On what had to be Castor’s portion of the room were dozens of drawings, sketches, and an empty bottle of wine on the bedside.

The opposite side of the room had a large desk with dozens of books spread out and pages marked for later review. I could see the titles of shifter and human histories open with scrolls and notes etched into parchment. Daxton had not exaggerated his fondness for reading. The window near the desk was cracked open, and I knew from this vantage point that it looked out onto the same area that my room did when I was still recuperating. Daxton had been watching over me this whole time.

“You blasted fool!” Castor cursed as he dashed to the far sideof the room.

I gasped when I saw Daxton lying face-down, practically lifeless on the floor. He was sprawled out near his bed in the corner, and my heart sank at the state of him. His eyes were darkened, and his fair skin, which always glowed in the sunlight, appeared dim and sunken around his cheeks. Daxton’s head fell back. He was unable to do much more than grunt with discomfort as Castor wrestled to hoist him back onto the mattress.

“You were supposed to remain in the damn bed, Dax,” Castor cursed as he picked his brother up and managed to lay him on his back. “Stubborn fool!”

Daxton didn’t answer or even open his eyes. Dear gods, what happened to him?

“Any time you want to come in and help?” Castor snapped at me from across the room.

I still hadn’t entered their chambers, and I forced myself to take a step forward. I approached Daxton’s bedside and carefully examined him from head to toe.

“What did this, Castor?” I demanded.

As soon as I spoke, Daxton groaned and tried to turn his head even though his eyes remained shut. His body began to shake uncontrollably, and we both reached out to try and steady him. “He is as cold as ice!”

“I know,” he grunted. “Why do you think I came to find you?”

“What the hell is going on here? You need to tell me everything right now,” I yelled while I began removing my shirt and pants. With Daxton’s body heat plummeting, I knew from my experience with the healers that he needed skin-to-skin contact to try to re-warm him. “I don’t care if it makes sense or not. Tell me what you know.”

“First, tell me what in the gods’ namesyouare doing?” To my surprise, Castor averted his eyes when I finished undressing down to my undergarments.

“He needs body heat,” I scolded as I climbed into Daxton’s bed, propped his back up against my chest, and wrapped myself around his middle. “Help me remove his shirt.” I didn’t see any open wounds or obvious injury, so I assumed he was suffering from something internally. Hypothermia? Or some kind of malfunction with his magic?

“I need skin-to-skin contact to work my healing magicregardless, and this is also the quickest way to raise his core temperature.”

Castor didn’t ask questions and immediately followed my command. “I’ll grab another blanket and stoke the fire.”

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