The sound of sharp coughing made my steps falter. I rushed back inside to find that blood had spluttered all over her clothes and bed sheet staining them. I rushed to grab a wet towel and helped her to a sitting position before wiping off the blood from her face, “What in the world did you do to end up in such a condition? You are practically invincible right?”
She smiled that weak, natural smile that could tug at the strings of my heart. In that moment, I realized that I was just deluding myself. I was never going to hand her over to the Lycan King.
“Who told you that I was invincible? I might be stronger than everyone but that doesn’t mean I can never be hurt. I won’t die but that doesn’t mean I am free from all the sufferings in the world,” she managed to stutter, stifling her urge to cough.
I sat down beside her and patted her back gently, “What can I do to make it better?”
“I don’t think there is much you can do, Justin. I literally absorbed the powers of seven powerful witches. The excessive surge of energy has affected my magical core. It can only be healed with magic.”
“I… Can’t I go and get some magical healer or something to treat you?”
The corners of her lips lifted and she continued in a weak voice, “What are you going to tell them? That you want to treat the wereheretic?”
“Damn! Why did you have to turn everyone into your enemy Hera?” I said growling with frustration. “I can’t even get help now.”
She reached over and straightened the creases that had formed between my eyebrows, “Don’t frown like this, Justin. I will start believing that you care for me.”
I held her hand and looked into her eyes. My words rang with sincerity as I spoke, “I am really concerned about you, Hera.”
A sharp knock sounded on the door making my heart skip a beat. F***! What if it was someone who wanted to kill Hera? What if he had found out that she was hurt? I tore my hair, “What was I supposed to do now?”
I grabbed her hand and led her to the bathroom, “Stay here. I will just send the person at the door away and return. If they try to come in, lock the door. I will try my best to stop them.
She merely smiled as she grabbed the wall for support and leaned against it. Her face was pale and she didn’t look good but I didn’t have any option but to leave her there.
The banging on the door had become incessant. Not opening the door for long would draw attention too. My gaze drifted from her to the door and rushed to open the door.
You can imagine my surprise and relief when I found Dreki at the door. His expression was extremely serious. He walked straight inside without even greeting me. Leading her to the bed, he made her lean against the pillows carefully before taking out a small pearl and holding it close to her mouth.
Hera held his hand and pulled it closer before consuming it. She placed her hand on his head and said in a choked voice, “You won’t even talk to me now?”
He gave her one hard look but didn’t reply. Turning to me, he said, “Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Can you get us some wild blueberries? They grow right at the edge of the town. It will help her heal her magical core.”
I had a feeling that he was just trying to make me leave but I didn’t protest. Now that Dreki was here, I didn’t need to worry about Hera. I could focus on my task.
My gaze shifted from him to Hera and back to him before I nodded. The cool breeze slapped against my face as I found my way to the nearest sweet shop. To my surprise, Melinda was seated right behind the counter.
“M…” I started calling out to her but her warning glare made me stop. Clearing my throat, I stated, “I will take a packet of honeyed raisins.”
She grabbed a pouch from the shelf and slid it across the counter. Keeping her hand still on the packet, she whispered, “You didn’t reach out for over twenty four hours.”
“I am sorry…. I was injured and got held up.”
Her expression turned frosty and she glared at me, “I don’t care even if you have to crawl out of your grave; you have to find a way to leave upadates.” She reached over and squeezed my hand, “Is that understood?”
“Understood.”
She took off her hand from the packet as she explained, “I heard that the wereheretic is gravely injured.”
“She is injured?” I said with the most natural expression of shock as I could manage, “That must be the reason she looked so pale.”
Melinda’s frown deepened, “You weren’t with her.”
I looked into her eyes, “She kept me trapped with her magic.” I wasn’t lying. She did keep me entangled in her magical trap while she fought those covens.
Melinda kept looking at me for a few long moments before saying, “You didn’t report about her injuries because you didn’t know?”
I nodded with all sincereity. My heart had started beating so erratically that I was afraid I would give myself away. My fingers clapsed around the packet and I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my forehead.
I don’t know if she didn’t notice my nervousness or decided to ignore it. Massaging the back of her neck, she drew closer and explained my next task, “The packet contains two types of raisins; green and black. The green ones are laced with arsenic. The research stated that her DNA is volatile. Since she is injured, she won’t be able to sense its effect immediately. Over the next few days, you have to feed them to her slowly. It will stop her from healing.”
The packet weighed heavy in my hand as I walked back to the tavern with it. It made me feel sick. I wanted to just throw it away but I had this feeling that Melinda was keeping a watch on me.
My hunch turned out to be right. I caught a glimpse of her walking to the Tavern right opposite to the one we were staying. The plastic wrapper crackled as I walked towards the corridor. My gaze drifted to the corridor visible right across the street to find her on the rooftop; a binoculars in her hand.
Damn! She was probably going to keep a watch the entire time. With a frustrated sigh, I walked inside to find Hera seated in a lotus position. Dreki was seated in a corner; his gaze fixed on Hera.
“Did you get the wild berries?” he questioned without looking away.
“Ummm…. Actually, I couldn’t but I bought raisins, I replied holding up the packet.
“What are we going to….”
“Raisins are fine too. They have the same properties as wild berries,” Hera interrupted before Dreki could complete the sentence. She smiled at me and held out her hand, “Give me some of them. I really need an energy boost.”
My fingers trembled as I held out the packet. She grasped the packet but before she could take it, I pulled it away; explaining in a flustered voice, “Umm… There are different types of raisins in this packet. The black ones are especially bitter. I will sort them out for you.”
I sat down beside her and opened the packet, carefully taking out a green raisin. Melinda wouldn’t be able to tell the color from such a long distance. As far as she saw me feeding Hera the raisins, she would leave.
With a smile, I held out the small raisin. Her gaze bore into mine as she drew closer and bit on it; her lips grazing against my skin softly. I pulled away quickly, stuttering, “I think, I should bring a plate to sort them out.
“No, I like it this way. Continue feeding me.”
Dreki walked over and stated, “I don’t mind eating bitter raisins. Why don’t you give the black ones to me? It would be such a shame to waste them.”
My eyes darted from Dreki’s open palm to the window. There was a silhouette looming on the roof. She was still here. Flustered by the tricky situation, I pulled out a black raisin and popped it into my mouth, “Umm… Actually, I was lying. Black raisins aren’t bitter at all. They are just my favourite. How about I just give green raisins to both of you?”
Dreki narrowed his eyes and glared at me; pouting like a child, “You can’t do that. Did you forget that you are a prisoner here? You have to follow our commands!”
He made a move to grab the packet but I drew it closer to my bosom, “I will follow all other orders but I can’t obey this one.”
“Justin, YOU!”
“Stop it Dreki. They are just some raisins. Let him do what he wants.”
Dreki glared at me but didn’t protest after that. I sorted the raisins quickly and gave them both a handful of green ones. Seeing me sit motionless, Dreki said, “You fought with me for those raisings. Why aren’t you eating now?”
As far as I knew, Arsenic wasn’t that harmful to werewolves. It wouldn’t matter if I ate some of them. So, I decided to play along. My mind raced with thoughts as I sat there nibbling at the black ones.
I became aware of a stinging, pungent smell as a sharp wave of pain seared through me. My insides felt like they were burning and before I knew I had shifted to my wolf form. After that, all I can recall is the blinding agony that rippled through me, blinding me to everything in the surrounding.