Page 213 of Beast and Remedy
“Marian, please stop this. We need these!” I plead.
She cackles maniacally, reaching for the case of vials and dumping it to join the others. I reach, attempting to save what I can, but the tonics slip through my fingers.
“The whispers and shadows are a better aid than this stupid medicine. Medicineyoucreated,” she spits.
Shadows? Whispers?
Sybille and Stefan’s words flare to life in my thoughts.
Be careful of the shadows.
My heart stops.
No.
It was a warning. Not one to piece together the cure but to save—Marian.
An eerily familiar strike of grief seeps forward, sinking me further into the ground.
She’s losing her mind. She’s speaking in riddles—hallucinating. The infection isstillattacking her on the inside.
And I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t prevent it. I didn’t fix it.
I… I’m too late.
Ifailed.
This person in front of me—
I’m going toloseher.
Goose bumps prickle along my skin, dragging my body down as a mournful song plucks at my heart. The strum of defeat is so sharp—so painful—like I’m bleeding from the inside out.
Figures flash in my mind, lifeless and drenched in red.
Annie. Riker.Bronn. Marius. Alec.
Marian.
Blood.
So. Much—
I pinch my eyes shut and clench my fists.
Ruination boils in my veins, my temper flaring. A fierce determination stirs forth my rage as I bite down that harsh truth, refusing to believe it.
Fuck. No.
I will not accept this. I’ve sacrificed everything for this remedy, and I will not lose her.
Letum will not claim her soul.
She is still here, which means I still have time.
Iwillsave her.
Marian moves for another crate, but I lunge forward, grabbing her ankles and yanking. She stumbles, falling on top of me.
