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Though I still felt her surge of concern. Smelled the hint of her blood. Terror strangled me. That she might come near me. Be infected. Contaminated. By me.

:No,: I growled. :No blood. Get out. Now!:

Rik bellowed. “Bring her to me!”

I fell. Unable to stand. Hands touched me and I tried to fling myself away. Flopping. Unable to control my muscles.

“Brother, I’m here.” Tlacel tried to soothe me. Wrapping his arms around me.

That’s what the man inside the cage meant.

It’s too late now. Too late to save him.

Too late to save any of us.

SHARA

Guillaume swept me up against him and started to turn toward the exit.

“No. I’m not leaving him. G, put me down.”

“Not until I know what’s wrong with him, my queen.”

Cradling the black dog on his lap, Tlacel offered his wrist to his brother. Itztli snapped at him, slinging spittle and blood on the floor. I tried to sink deeper into him so I could search out whatever was hurting him, but his bond was like morning fog fading as the sun rose. Dissolving. Tearing. Disintegrating.

“No,” I whispered, shaken.

“There are large swollen spots appearing on his body,” Tlacel said. “They’re oozing pus.”

“You have to get him out of there,” I cried. “I need to heal him.”

:Too late,: Itztli rasped. He panted, his entire body heaving with every breath. His tongue hung out, thick with something foul. I could taste it on my own tongue, even through his fragile bond. Blood oozed from his eyes. Something gooey dripped from his nostrils, making his breathing wet and thick. :Save yourself.:

What could even make an Aima sick? We were impervious to everything, or so I thought. Frantic, I ran through our options.

“Get me closer to the door. I won’t touch him, but I can will my blood to reach him.”

My knight hesitated, his head snapping around as wood splintered and cracked behind. Still bellowing, Rik forced his way up through the tiny hole, tearing through rafters. Floor joists. Whatever. To reach me.

:No. Blood.: Itztli’s bond stuttered like a dying candle. :Eats it. Like a fever.:

“If Itztli dies, we all die,” I reminded them. “All of us! I won’t live without any one of you with me.”

Mentally, I touched Thierry’s feather in my hair, freezing time. Giving me a minute to think.

I closed my eyes, trying to envision solutions. Something that made Itztli sick, powered by blood. How could I heal him if I couldn’t give him my blood? My greatest weapon, the Mother’s own gift to Her daughters?

My thoughts jumbled. Frantic like a fox with its foot locked in a trap. Gnawing my own foot off wouldn’t save us.

Goddess, please help me. Help me save him.

I can’t live without him. I won’t.

I started to fall. In slow motion, I opened my eyes, expecting to see the floor falling away beneath us. Maybe Rik accidentally took out the entire attic with his weight. But no. Rik was still paces away, slowly crawling across busted boards, trying to distribute his weight so he didn’t fall through.

Then why…

I turned my head and stared up at Guillaume. My beloved knight.