Chapter 98

Seris’s POV

The poison crawled through his veins like icy fire, and my hands shook with fear for his life. I pressed my trembling palms to his chest, desperate to wrench the arrows free, but he caught my wrist in a sudden grip. “Don’t remove them,” he rasped. “The bleeding would be worse.”

I drew in a shaky breath. “Then what can I do?” I murmured, circling my fingertips over the wounds, willing myself to soothe his agony and halt the poison’s advance. But as his shallow breaths shook me, I realized it might already be too late. “There must be something—”

He shook his head weakly. “Maybe there is. Even if there is… it’s too late.” He pulled me close, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead that warmed me despite the cold dread creeping up my spine. “How is the baby?” he asked, voice soft.

“As strong as its father,” I whispered, tracing gentle patterns along his forearm. Valeria was still nowhere in sight—my earlier strikes had driven her off, but not des