Page 55 of Echoes of War

I mustered the energy to climb out of the bed, careful to avoid the waste now piled near the edge as I pulled Alexiares’ T-shirt over my head. Opening the door to my room, my hand found its way to my stomach for support. I was greeted with the sight of Reina lounged on the couch, resting on Moe’s lap, a knowing smirk on both their faces.

“How long have you been here?” I asked, trying to force myself upright, the movement making me queasy all over again.

Moe’s hands moved to rest behind her head, a smug expression crossing over her face. “If you’re wondering how much we heard, the answer is, the walls are thin.”

“In other words, everything. All night.” Reina nodded, twirling her hair around her fingers.

Abel cleared his throat, startling me from the other side of the room. “And morning. Were you guys even trying to have privacy?”He added, sitting on the counter. He’d helped himself to the mason jar of peanut butter, spoon hanging from his mouth.

“It’s about damn time, honestly.” Sloan said, closing the front door behind her. A pot of coffee in one hand, a teakettle in the other.

“Fantastic, gangs all here,” I groaned. “At least we’re decent.”

“Morally?” Sloan mocked. “Absolutely not. But sure, he has clothes on, so that’s a win I guess.”

Alexiares came up behind me, hand rested on my shoulder, intent on ignoring his least favorite person in Duluth. “Moe …”

“What?” she asked innocently. “The alternative was you seizing up on the floor and Amaia passing out before she could make it out the front door to get help. Told you, infection is a bitch.”

“Here,” Reina offered, shaking a tumbler in her hands before passing it over to me. “It’s a tonic. Will help keep the fever down, thus, limited passing out and no seizures.”

“Tastes like rat poison,” Abel said, a kiddish grin tugging at his lips.

“How do you even—” I began to question, then decided I didn’t have it in me to care. “You know what? Never mind. I’m going to put more than just a shirt on.”

“Wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Moe warned.

I turned around. Clearly, she knew something that I did not and was enjoying every second of it. “Why might I ask?”

“Because you’re going to throw up in three, two …”

The contents of my stomach threatened to come back up. Moe’s cackling mocked me from the living room as I sprinted toward the bathroom, the others joining in on their laughter in between heaves.

“There’s a wet cloth with your name on it when you’re ready! Keep sipping the tonic until you’re able to keep it all down, should help with retaining fluids in a few minutes,” Reina yelled, having ablast with the guessing game of the future that her and Moe were playing.

A loud thud sounded against the hard floor and Moe called for Abel.

Abel’s steps crossed from the kitchen near the door of the bedroom. “On it!”

I glanced over from the bucket I was leaning over, somehow placed in my bathroom without either of us knowing. Likely in the few minutes we’d fallen into a brief slumber before one of us teased the other back awake. Abel dropped Alexiares back on the bed like he was nothing more than a mannequin. If how I felt was any indication, I probably appeared to be in just as bad a state, if not worse.

“Here’s the cloth bucket,” Abel said, strolling into the bathroom, sheepishly taking me in. “Reina said place it on the back of your neck to help keep you cool until you can keep the tonic down. In hindsight, it would’ve been best to conserve your energy for other purposes. We’ll be out in the living room until you two come to again.”

His shy behavior fooled everyone but me. I remembered how much of a jokester he was when under Riley’s care, and I doubted that went away with a few years of distance. “Which is when, Abel?”

“Moe won’t tell anyone, because she and Sloan have a bet placed.” He leaned in close, whispering my reprieve in my ear, “But I’ve been practicing, and I’ve seen it. Give it a few hours, you’ll be better than new.”

He gave my shoulder a squeeze and walked out, leaving me to suffer on my own.

Given the position of the blazing sun now beaming into the room, a few hours had passed since I fell into a fever-hazed sleep.My body was heavy, the sight of my bite throbbed angrily. The skin surrounding it had turned crimson and swollen. Every gasp of air I took was a fight toward life. The sheets stuck to my skin having stripped in the hazy moments between naps.

Abel was either more than optimistic than Reina or he had a skewed idea on whatbetter than newmeant.

Groaning, I turned over in bed. Alexiares was awake, staring up blankly at the ceiling. If I had the energy, I would have laughed at the look of regret itching to take over his very being.

“Told you that you didn’t have to do this,” I struggled to say, my throat still sore from throwing up.

His thick brows rose slightly, the only other movement on his face coming from his lips. “Do you really think now is the time for ‘I told you so?’”

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