Chapter 44: 44

Word Count: 1719

~Hunter

The drug only took about ten minutes to work.

I drained the drink as fast as I could and stood. I began to pace, wanting to feel exactly when my back started hurting again.

However, I very quickly realise this drug isn't the same as what has been causing me pain.

First, my head begins to spin. A wave of heat washes up and over my body, causing sweat to break out across my skin. It forces me to sit on the edge of my bed, black splotches forming in my vision.

"Fuck," I swear, my palm finding my forehead. It's hot to the touch. Something is seriously wrong.

My stomach twists into a painful knot and suddenly I'm gasping, having to force air. My weight pitches forward and I fall to the floor, right onto my stomach.

I want to scream, to beg for help, but I can't manage it. All I can do is draw in desperate breaths and hope someone comes for me.

I'm not sure how long I lay there. My entire body has shifted from hot to ice cold, although I can still feel the dampness of sweat across my skin. Time shifts and distorts and I lay there without the ability to control my limbs, to control my voice.

Eventually, as evening shadows begin to shift across the floor, I hear my bedroom door creak open.

I see Kaan black boots before I see the rest of him. My head lays on its side, and all I can seem to move is my eyes.

"Hunter!" He kneels down beside me, his hands moving to shift me onto my back. "Fuck, what happened?"

His panicked gaze passes over my body. I'm sure my clothes are wet and plastered to my skin, which will be devoid of all colour. My lips are parted, which has dried out my mouth to the point of pain, and I still cannot garner the energy to beg for help.

Kaan smooths the hair from my face. "Shit, can you speak to me sweetheart?"

I wish I could do something, even it were just to shake my head. Instead, I can only stare blankly at him, hoping that somehow he can see my peril.

"Someone get help," he shouts, his voice booming through the room. "Now!"

For a moment, no one responds, until soft steps pad into the room. My heart drops to my stomach as I see Tay and the faux expression of horror on her face.

"What's going on?" She questions, pausing at the door.

"Tay, get the healers quickly. Hunter has been hurt," Kaan commands. There is no niceness in his tone.

Tay just stares at me, her eyes wide, her jaw clenched tight. She looks genuinely scared for me, but she's clearly a good actress. She has fooled me before.

"Don't just stand there. Go!" Kaan growls.

"Oh...shit, okay." Tay darts from the room, just as I start to feel the edges of my vision grow fuzzy.

Kaan leans over me, brushing his fingers along my face. "It's going to be okay, Hunter. I'm here."

His words give me enough confidence to give into unconsciousness. The last thing I feel is him sweeping me up and into his arms before everything goes dark.

When I next wake, I feel as though my entire body is being pressed down my bricks.

Despite my consciousness, I can't manage to open my eyes. I want to scream, to escape, yet I'm trapped in my body.

My entire body burns with heat, a tingling sensation sailing over my skin. Through it, I can feel a hand clutching mine, and soon enough, I can hear voices speaking around me.

"What have the healers been saying?" It's Tay's voice. She sounds nervous, and the proximity of her voice tells me she is sitting next to me on the bed, holding my hand.

I feel the urge to jerk away from her, to warn anyone near that she's a homicidal maniac.

"She was poisoned. The same substance, but in a higher dose," Kaan explains to her. His voice is moving, meaning he's pacing. By the way his voice echoes, I'm assuming I'm in the infirmary.

"Does anyone know who did it?"

"No. but I'm going to figure it out," Kaan mutters. He sounds tense, and exhausted. How long have I been out? Has he gotten any sleep?

I can hear Tay sigh through her nose. Her hand is sweating slightly as it presses against mine. Her guilt is palpable.

"You know it was probably Azura," Tay brings up.

Lying bitch.

"Why would Azura have any interest in hurting Hunter?" Kaan questions, sound dubious. At least he has the sense to question Tay, who I doubt he has any suspicions of.

"Because Azura loves you. You've always been her favourite sibling, and here comes a girl who has taken your attention from her," Tay notes, dropping my hand so she can likely use her arms to convey what she is saying.

Kaan pauses before he speaks. "She wouldn't do that."

"She's done it before..."

"To our parents." Kaan says it like it's amusing. "You can't tell me you haven't considered killing them yourself after everything they have done to us."

I manage to swallow, wondering if they notice. Unfortunately they seem too engrossed in this conversation.

"Hunter was poisoned, just like they were. Azura had to have done this," Tay insists.

Why is she doing this? Am I wrong about thinking her parents are forcing her? Perhaps she is only doing this as a way to frame her sister, to get her out of the house.

"I'll...figure it out," Kaan sighs, not sounding ready to pin it on Azura just yet.

"You better." Tay sounds like she is reprimanding him, which isn't something I'm used to. "Don't be so soft on her. This is your mate, lying in a bed, fighting for her life."

Yeah, because of you.

I can feel the heat of Kaan's stare. I wish I could move my finger, just a little bit to signal to him that I'm in here. I'm okay.

"Don't remind me. I'm feeling violent enough." I can hear the rustle of his clothing as he shakes his arms, almost like he's hyping himself up for something.

Tay sighs, her finger tips sweeping through my hair. "She will be fine. I'm sure of it."

"Even if she is, it will take her a long time to recover." Were I not Kaan's mate, his tone would scare me. I can't imagine his anger right now.

Little does he know, he's in the room with the person doing this to me. Will Tay target him next? How far does this go?

"You need to accept that this could be our parents fault as well," Kaan adds.

"I know..."

"And if it is, I'm going to deal with it."

He is warning Tay. He's telling her to expect harm to come to her parents if he finds out they are behind my poisoning.

I can feel Tay's attention shift to me. "And I won't ask any questions."

"Good." Kaan pats his sister's shoulder in an act that seems like self-comfort. "I'm going to speak to some staff, to see if they saw anything."

No, don't leave.

"I'll be here for a bit longer. I'm worried about her," Tay muses, forcing sadness into her tone.

"Of course." Kaan comes to my bedside, leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead before his voice drops to a whisper. "I'll be right back, Hunter. I won't leave your side tonight."

No! She's going to kill me.

Even in my desperation I can't reach him. I can't get him to hear me. He's unknowingly leaving me alone in a room with a girl who clearly wants me dead, or at least very ill.

Tay remains silent until Kaan's footsteps are out of earshot. Then she turns to me, squeezing my hand.

"Everything is going to be okay," she assures me, her voice low. "Once you've healed, Kaan will make sure all threats against you are gone. We can all stay here, just the three of us. We will be happy."

Confusion spears through me. She doesn't think I know, and she isn't going to kill me. That means that once I heal from this, I can tell Kaan...

But what if she hurts someone else before then?

The door to the infirmary opens suddenly, footsteps so soft I almost can't hear them approach.

"Azura?" Tay let's go of me, standing.

There is no response. Azura has come to visit me...why?

"Hunter isn't doing very well right now. Maybe you should come back later," Tay states, sounding anxious. I feel her try to block access to my bedside, however, she is quickly pushes away.

I suddenly feel a much cooler, smaller hand slip into mine. It's touch is comforting, not dominating. It's almost like she knows I'm here, conscious, and she is trying to reassure me.

"You're not going to go, are you?" Tay mutters after a long stretch of silence.

I imagine Azura shakes her head at her sister.

"Fine. But I'll be outside. Don't you dare hurt her," Tay says reluctantly.

Once Tay is gone, I hear Azura launch into action. She pops the lid off what sounds like a vial, and brings it up to my lips.

A moment of panic flares up at the feeling of a strange, thick liquid that touches my lips. What if Azura is here to finish the job? What if she is framing Tay?

I have no other choice but to swallow the liquid as it is poured into my mouth. Azura holds my head up with one hand, her other brushing my mouth of any split substance.

The liquid feels ice cold, forging a path through my body. Almost immediately, I feel the heat clinging to my skin starting to lift, a sense of relief pressing away the worst of the pain.

Azura isn't here to hurt me. She's saving me.

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