Page 168 of Elven Shadow

This was just the homunculus poison and Zida’s instant-energy remedy playing tricks on her mind. When she cleared it all out again, she’d be back to normal.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Rebecca replied in a hoarse whisper, working harder than normal to force out the words. “We’re going tomorrow night. I just need—”

She had no idea what happened after that. Either a brain-blip from how much weaker she became by the second, or she’d passed out.

But when she realizedsomethinghad happened, she also realized she wasn’t so much standing beside Maxwell in front of her room anymore but was practically being carried in his arms, though her feet still brushed across the floor.

Was that him sighing in relief?

“Thanks for the assist,” she told him. “I’m sure this is all normal. You don’t have to—”

He snatched up her left arm—not too hard or forcefully but just enough to make her hold still in surprise. Then Maxwell dipped his head toward her wrist and forearm, where, beneath her jacket sleeve, Zida’s bandage covered Rebecca’s worsening hand-shaped wound.

She would have laughed at him sniffing her arm if it wasn’t such an awkward thing for anyone to do—and if she’d had the energy for laughing.

Instead, Rebecca tried to pull away, but Maxwell tightened his grip on her arm to sniff at it one more time before his eyes widened. Then he met her gaze again. “Something’s wrong.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” This time, when she tried to laugh, it made her sound like she was trying not to choke.

And she hoped whatever he thought he smelled on her wasn’t the extra special vial she’d slipped into her pocket.

Maxwell cleared his throat, apparently waiting for her to look at him.

She tried not to, then realized why when she finally met his gaze and found the shifter looking genuinely worried. Which never made anyone feel better about themselves.

“That arm needs more attention than you’ve given it,” he said, his voice low and this time without its usual growl added to practically everything he said.

Rebecca’s gaze dropped to the shifter’s lips, only because he leaned in so close now, it was impossible not to.

Or was she just telling herself that?

If a shifter with his sense of smell had commented on the state of her wounded arm just because he’d sniffed it a few times, this injury of hers was worse than she’d been willing to admit.

Worse than she could let anyone know at this point, because no one wanted a brand-new commander behind the wheel who’d come already severely injured.

“It’s, uh…just a real stubborn one,” she said through a grunt. “Perks of fighting off a few homunculi in the halls. Not a big deal, though. Zida’s working on somethingto clear it out.”

Only when Maxwell studied her for an incredibly long time while halfway holding her in his arms—which were so wonderfully warm, she suddenly didn’t mind—Rebecca remembered the night he’d told her he could smell a lie too.

Hopefully the wound on her arm carried such a strong odor that it overpowered the scent of that one little white lie right now.

Then another wave of the invisible wake-up potion hit her, and she managed to sustain most of her weight on her own two feet.

“See?” she said, trying to covertly sneak herself out of his grasp.

Maxwell let her go gently enough, but he didn’t look happy about it.

Rebecca turned to face him and spread her arms. “Like I said. I just need more rest. It’s been a hell of a couple days, you know?”

The shifter nodded, and then—surprise of all twice-cursed surprises—he reached out to straighten her jacket before quickly brushing dirt or lint or something off her shoulder.

Her gut told her there hadn’t actually been anything there to brush off.

“If you say you’re fine, I’ll take your word for it.” Maxwell’s words came out now like a gentle rumble instead of his normal curt growl.

What wasthatsupposed to mean?

“But I just have to say this once,” he added, “and then I’ll drop it. Maybe take it easy on those vials, huh? Harkennr left the time of this meeting up to you and your earliest convenience. At the rate you’re going, your earliest convenience might not be tomorrow. So if you need more time, we can always—”

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