Villain, Let Me Touch You! - Chapter 106
Ebony carefully turned Riennaās limp head to the side, revealing two puncture marks on the nape of her neck.
Helios clenched his jaw so hard it sounded like bone on bone.
“Get the antidote. Now.”
His voice was heavy and commanding, but neither Ebony nor Jamie moved.
“Why are you just standing there?”
“Iām sorry, Your Highness,” Ebony said, her voice tight. “We canāt. Not right now.”
A cold, deadly gleam lit Heliosās eyes. He looked seconds away from striking her, and Jamie quickly stepped in.
“Itās a foreign snake, Your Highness! One weāve never seen in our kingdom. Thatās why there is no antidote here. We’ve already sent out a request, but itāll take timeā¦”
“A foreign snake? Why would a foreign snake bite Rienna? How?”
He shook his head. “No. I donāt care about that. I said get the antidote. Do it.”
This wasnāt an accident. It was too deliberate. This was an attack. A planned event. But tracking down whoever was behind it could wait.
Right now, saving Rienna came first. His logic, his restraintānone of it mattered. Not when he was watching the soft, pale skin he knew so well turn a sickly blue.
The sight of it physically hurt. It felt like someone was peeling back his flesh with a knifeāslow, merciless, and precise.
Helios pulled Rienna tightly into his arms. Her faint, trembling breath brushed against his cheek.
“ā¦Has the poison been drawn out?”
“Not yetā¦” Ebony answered hesitantly.
They had caught the snake that bit her, but they knew nothing about the venom it carried. Without that knowledge, none of them dared act recklessly.
To draw out the poison meant putting oneās mouth to the wound.
Helios clicked his tongue in frustration the moment he heard her answer. Without a word, he lowered his lips to the bite on Riennaās neck.
“Your Highness!”
Ebony flinched in panic. She knew Helios wouldnāt swallow her bloodābut even still, what if.
If anything went wrong during the extraction, if even a trace of venom seeped into him, he could be poisoned too.
As Ebony fidgeted in place, helpless, Helios suddenly spat. A mouthful of blood hit the floor, staining it a deep, dark red.
“Looks like I wasnāt too late.”
“Your Highnessā¦”
Helios didnāt even hear Ebonyās warningāhe lowered his head again and drew more blood from Riennaās neck.
Ebony turned sharply to Jamie.
“Bring water. His Highness will need to rinse his mouth!”
It was all she could doāassist him however possible.
The floor was quickly soaked with the blood Helios had spit out. But with each passing moment, Riennaās pulse grew stronger.
His lips were stained red, smeared in a line down his chin.
And thenā
“Ahā¦”
Rienna stirred.
***
What was I holding onto?
Something burning.
So hot it felt like my insides were boiling overāI couldnāt breathe.
I flailed weakly, my voice barely more than a whisper.
“Pleaseā¦ please, help meā¦”
At the sound of my desperate plea, I heard it ā a low, grating grind of teeth above my head.
I slowly opened my eyes, but tears blurred my vision too much to make out the face of the one holding me so tightly.
“Is there truly no way to save Rienna?”
That voiceāsharp and cold, but trembling at the edges.
It was Helios. I recognized him instantly.
His tone was cutting, almost cruel in its desperation.
“Your Highness, ordinary painkillers wonāt work. And none of the antidotes we have are effective against this.”
Ebonyās voice this timeācalm, but heavy with resignation.
Medicine, antidotes, the sting on my neck, the burning that coursed through me, and the snake slithering over my bodyā¦ Iād been bitten. Poisoned. And there was no antidote.
It didnāt take long to understand something so simple. But the weight of it crashed into me all at once.
“Hhnghā¦ Y-Your Highnessā¦”
I clung to him.
He flinched and looked down, his face sharpening into focus through my tear-clouded eyes.
He was worried. Deeply.
And he was afraid. Terrified, even.
āY-Your Highness, IāIām alrighāā
āShh. No talking right now.ā
Helios hushed me gently, coaxing and calming me with his voice. Each time his hand swept down the curve of my back, it felt like clarity returnedājust for a moment.
āYour Highness,ā Ebony spoke again, her tone measured but urgent. āUntil the antidote arrives, we must help Rienna endure. Thereās only one way.ā
She hesitated, then continued.
āAs her imprint partner, Your Highness is the only one who can stabilize her. You have a decision to make.ā
The weight of the choice crashed down on him. A twitch ran under Heliosās eye.
