Page 81 of Oleander
I need to concentrate.
I can’t haveanydistractions.
I continue to siphon the evil toxins from his body, and the black veins slowly recede, revealing raw, open gashes. And I’ve never been happier to see a fresh, clean wound.
It’s a miracle.Truly.
I collapse in relief and exhaustion, a myriad of emotions racing through my mind. I slip to the floor, falling to my knees and resting my forehead against Skyler’s bed sheets.
I almost lost him.
It hits me. Right then and there.Hard.
I need him in my life forever, but I’ll start by making him my boyfriend.
Gaia rushes over when Skyler groans, turning his head to the opposite side. “He’s awake! He’s awake!” She shouts too loudly for the situation, racing around to Skyler’s other side.
I hear her pouring a glass of water, anticipating his needs, so I let her take care of him, too depleted to do it myself.
“W-water.”
My head pops up at the sound of Skyler’s croaky voice, and the room spins. I grip onto the bed, steadying myself.
Gaia gives him a small sip of water, not allowing him to consume too much.
“Sky.” My voice is weak, but he turns to me with a sleepy, dopey smile before reaching for my hand. The small stretch causes his wound to pull, and he grits his teeth in discomfort. “You’re going to be okay. I got it all out.” I turn my head, and a racking cough assaults my lungs as my body begins processing the poison I just absorbed.
“You saved me? Can I call you my hero?” Skyler’s words are teasing and light, easing the weight of everything we’ve gone through. No one will ever truly know except for us.
“You can call us even. A life for a life,” I tell him seriously.
We stare at each other, a million emotions and a million memories passing between us in a matter of seconds.
Luckily, Gaia’s here to infuse her own particular brand of enthusiasm into the situation and distract us from the tension in the air. “The prince did amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it!” Gaia exclaims before turning to me. “You should become a healer,” she tells me seriously as if I could choose to be a healer instead of the king.
Or could I possibly be both?
“Good job, brother. Quite impressive and not for the faint of heart. That was a gruesome infection,” Flame says with a grimace.
Their recognition and compliments stir the dream inside of me to do precisely what Gaia suggested—become a healer and help people. Not just be king and tell others what to do.
I gather all of the energy I have left to finish treating and dressing Sky’s wounds. He needs to go to the infirmary and be seen professionally, but for tonight, he’s stable, and we can sleep in our own beds.
“Gaia, could you hand me that jar on the desk behind you? The green one.”
“You’re putting the lube on me again?” Skyler blurts out in a weak, delirious voice.
I chuckle awkwardly as everyone in the room stares at me expectantly. I’m too drained to blush, and since I can’t lie, I hit them with another truth instead. “It’s a salve. The best in the entire kingdom, and I make it myself.”
“That’s incredible, Oleander,” Nerine compliments. “Another reason why you should consider the path of a healer. You could help many.”
Her words warm me, but I ignore the curious stare as I quickly pull a glove on and scoop a thick dollop of the homemade salve into my hand, generously applying it to the claw marks before bandaging Skyler back up.
“Thank you for saving me,” he murmurs as sleep begins to steal him under.
He needs rest, and so do I. We can talk later. In private.
I gently run my fingers along his arm. “Always.” I stare at the curves of his features, memorizing them because I came too close to losing him tonight.
