Page 58 of The Crownless King
“I got you, King.” Her soft voice washed over him, comforting him through his anguish.
Instead of fighting, Levi relaxed into her solace and closed his eyes. If it was for the last time, at least he’d gone in her arms.
Chapter twenty-one
What was a stronger word for despair? What could she use to describe the fear that had nausea churning in her belly? Amaya could think of no words as Sebastian and Lucas brought an overheated, thrashing Levi into his bedroom. She’d awoken ten minutes ago in a cold sweat, unsure of the source. There were long moments of confusion until she realized that she was in Levi’s bed, waiting on him to come home.
She scrambled from beneath the covers as Lucas and Sebastian carefully put Levi into his bed.
“What happened? She shook off her grogginess, her focus solely on Levi.
“We were attacked.” Sebastian informed her. “A healer is on her way up.”
Amaya nodded and moved closer. The king was sweating, his copper skin flushed and heated. She rushed to the bathroom and wet some washcloths with cold water. A healer Chawi was coming through the door as Amaya reentered the bedroom. With brisk movements, the witch examined Levi.
“Was he bitten by a Buru?”
“Fuck no,” Lucas told her.
Amaya stayed back as the woman examined him, sick with anxiety.
“Call for your mate, Sebastian,” the healer ordered. “He has been poisoned.”
“Poisoned?” Anger rippled through Amaya and she rushed to the other side of the bed, pushing Lucas away.
Washcloths forgotten, Amaya reached for Levi’s forehead, closing her eyes to concentrate. He was hot to the touch. Sending out her magic, she felt the foreign poison all throughout the king’s body. Who would do this? Who had gotten close enough to do this?
Raven entered the room and Amaya moved her hand, but didn’t give up her spot next to Levi.
“What’s happened?”
“I need you to burn the poison from the king’s blood,” the Chawi ordered.
Raven’s eyes widened but she rushed to the bedside to do as the witch requested.
“Your fire won’t burn him?” Lucas asked her.
Raven shook her head, tilting it as she tried to figure out logistics.
“The king is tied to her,” the Chawi explained. “But the healing fire wouldn’t hurt him regardless.”
“What do you need, Red?” Sebastian asked.
“I need him moved because I don’t want to set fire to the bed.”
“I can fix that,” Amaya interjected, happy to have some way to help.
Using her magic, she wrapped Levi in a protective bubble, his body lifted, hovering over the bed. The Chawi frowned, but backed away so that Raven could work.
“What the fuck,” Lucas whispered.
Amaya nodded for Raven to continue. The fire Mujaji lifted her hand and blue flames engulfed the king, burning off his clothes. The fire licked across his skin for a second before it seemed to seep beneath the surface. Levi’s body glowed, his veins a red path throughout his body. There were dark spots along that path that signified the poison. Amaya held her breath at the sight of how close the poison was to reaching the king’s heart. She’d never seen anything like it.
Levi thrashed, a moan releasing from him that brought tears to her eyes. The Chawi stepped forward as Raven worked, using her magic to monitor the progress. The room was silent as they all waited with bated breath for Raven’s fire to obliterate the poison. Dawn was approaching as they worked, the noise of the shutters rumbling shut the only sound in the room.
Holding the shield was exhausting Amaya, so she could only imagine the amount of power Raven was expending. Sebastian stepped forward as his mate stumbled, his hand going to her shoulder. That boosted Raven’s power and it flared brighter as the Mujaji doubled down on her effort. An hour later, the sound of the Chawi’s voice broke the heavy silence.
“It’s done,” the witch announced.
