Page 95 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

“Thank you,” I told Coarse.

“You owe me no thanks. I would help my mate save her king even without our connection.”

Right.

I bit my lip, really uncertain about how the dynamic of our bond was going to work.

That was something to worry about later, because at the moment, I needed to focus on Ravv.

His eyes were closed and his breathing was even, but I put the back of my hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

Veil, he really was cold.

Then again, I was too.

The doors to the room swung open, and Gleam and Coarse slipped inside. She had a dark blue fabric bag hanging from her jaws, and set it next to me on the bed.

“The bandages will stick to wet skin, so you’ll need water. Make sure your hands are dry when you put them on,” she said. “And he’ll have to drink the antidote.”

“Thank you.”

She climbed carefully onto the bed, leaving me to play healer.

Though I was flooded with uncertainty, I opened the bag and peeked inside. The bandages looked thick and tough, and felt the same when I brushed my fingers against them. They were a light color that would nearly match Ravv’s skin, too.

The bandages would have to come after the antidote, though.

It was a small vial of liquid in a strange yellowish-green color. The shade of it didn’t make me think it would cure anything, but I knew nothing about healing.

I uncorked the liquid and inhaled, nearly gagging at the scent of it. My eyes watered, and I pulled it away from my nose.

“The fae usually dump it down the person’s throat and hold their jaw closed,” Gleam explained.

I nodded, fighting a grimace as I parted his lips.

The man barely budged.

“I need you to drink this,” I said into Ravv’s mind, but he didn’t stir.

His lack of reaction made me worry more, so I just muttered a curse under my breath, and tipped the vial back.

As soon as the liquid met his tongue, Ravv’s body bucked. I held his jaw closed as tightly as I could while he fought me. The antidote finally went down, and I let out a long breath.

After smoothing his hair back, I slipped off the bed and headed back to the bathroom for another towel. I soaked it in the sink, and then went back to Ravv’s side.

He was still pale and cold, but I had to hope the antidote would work.

“How sure are you that was the right cure?” I asked Gleam.

“Sure. There are only two poisons that can be made from the plants that grow on the glacier, and the other one causes vomiting. It’s not deadly, so it’s only used to be a nuisance.”

That was better than completely uncertain, at least.

If he didn’t start recovering… well, then we’d have to start trying to figure out what else it could be.

I nodded and focused on the wound on his side first. It was already a bloody mess again, and my jaw was set in a grimace as I cleaned it up, then pressed a bandage to the skin with a dry hand.

The edges stuck perfectly, and I smoothed them just to make sure they were on correctly.

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