Page 144 of House of Crimson Cloak and Silver Teeth

Is he crying? We were fucking intense earlier… Maybe he’s the type who gets emotional after a good fuck. Some people do that, right? But Garrett’s never struck me as the crying type in any situation.

“What’s wrong?” I demand.

“Nothing,” he says, but his voice nearly chokes on the word. “Everything’s fine.”

He’s lying. I need to see his face properly to understand what’s happening. I climb over him despite my body screaming in protest, pinning him beneath me.

I grab his wrists and pin them above his head with one hand, holding them there firmly. His eyes are glazed, satisfaction written all over his face. But he smiles anyway, lazy and content. “Wolf—”

I kiss down his jaw, finding that sensitive spot just below his ear. Garrett lets out the most delicious moan I have ever heard. My free hand slides down his body, mapping every perfect inch of golden skin. He arches into my touch. I want to give him something in return for what he just gave me.

I lick his neck.

“Wait,” Garrett says suddenly. “Not there—”

There’s tension underneath his voice.

I don’t wait. I’m too focused on making him feel as good as he made me feel. I keep kissing, teeth grazing along the column of his throat. He tastes like salt and wine. I want to memorize his taste.

“Wolf, wait—” There’s more urgency now.

I bite down gently on the side of his neck. I want to mark him as mine, even if only temporarily.

And then—

Everything goes wrong.

My vision blurs and the room tilts sideways. Maybe I’m tilting. I can’t tell the difference. Everything feels heavy.

What—

I try to hold myself up but my elbows buckle. My limbs are deadweight and completely useless. I collapse onto Garrett with my full weight.

What’s happening? What the fuck is happening?

Garrett shifts beneath me with effort, somehow managing to roll me onto my side. His face swims in and out of focus above me, features blurring like a painting left in the rain.

“I’m sorry,” he’s saying. His voice sounds far away, distorted like I’m hearing it underwater. “I’m so sorry, Wolf. I didn’t want to, but I had to—”

He leans down and kisses my forehead. His expression is broken and determined.

Tears track down his cheeks and I think he’s crying.

Garrett, what did you do? I try to speak and ask him but my mouth won’t form words.

“This was the only way,” he whispers, and I can barely hear him now. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Darkness creeps in from the edges, eating away at what little I can still see. My vision is fading fast. Garrett’s face is the last thing I see before everything goes black and I’m falling into nothing.

Chapter Nineteen

The darkness doesn’t come all at once.

It creeps in slowly, pulling me down into depths like the ocean. My body feels heavy. I try to lift my hand and nothing happens. It’s difficult to open my eyes and I only manage the barest flutter of lashes. The room swims in and out of focus.

Poison.

The thought cuts through the confusion with horrible clarity. Garrett poisoned me.