Quinn
Tobias was pacing—no, prowling. His long strides ate up the length of the laboratory.
He had been withdrawn all morning and quieter than usual.
Whatever inner turmoil was eating at him had surfaced today in a swell of frenetic energy that practically radiated from him.
Only when I set aside what I was working on and came toward him did he stop, positioning himself in between me and the door.
I glared at him. “Are you going to move?”
“Only since you asked so nicely.”
He gracefully stepped to one side, his eyes hooded as he watched me retrieve the tea I had forgotten while I worked. It was disappointingly cold, the leaves now bitter.
It was just the two of us today, our usual rapport replaced by strained silence.
Dolion had left me a note about gathering samples from the additional infected and had yet to return.
Pari had sent a missive to Tobias, sharing that Queen Sariyah had been doing her best to treat her people, along with her best healers.
Unfortunately, they were having no more success at holding the fog at bay.
I took another sip of tea, grateful for the caffeine even as the stale taste lingered on my tongue. It was distracting how intently Tobias watched me as I returned to my workstation. A flicker of power lit up his eyes as they darted between me and the exits.
He had been strangely attentive all morning. I had woken up to him already standing outside my door, a mug of tea in hand that he needed more than I did based on the circles beneath his eyes. Not to mention he had been acting like every shadow was about to attack us.
There was something off. Something he wasn’t telling me.
I didn’t have time to be distracted, or the patience to needle it out of him. Looking him in the eye, I demanded, “What’s wrong?”
“Plenty,” Tobias drawled. “Though we don’t have time for me to list them all.”
I finished my tea with a gulp, grimacing. “Try me.”
For a second, I thought he might refuse.
Then he let out an exasperated huff. “My sister’s in a coma and this city is teeming with the False King’s former supporters who happen to be actively working against us, Silvius is coming after…
all of us, and despite being on the run still manages to be two steps ahead.
And you think there needs to be something else wrong? ”
It was more than enough to worry about, and all of it was true. And yet I couldn’t shake the feeling Tobias was hiding something.
“And that’s all?” I demanded.
Tobias stilled, that mask slipping across his features—but not before I glimpsed the dread in his eyes before his icy calm facade deadened it.
“Hmm?”
His attempt at nonchalance pushed me over the edge.
“Don’t,” I spat as I took a step toward him, lifting my chin to stare him down despite our height difference. “I told you not to lie to me.”
At least Tobias had the wisdom not to test my patience. He immediately folded. “I was going to tell you later, I swear. Rivan mentioned there was a message left behind yesterday.”
“And?” My frustration seeped into the single word.
Tobias blew out a breath. “It told us to stop hunting him or you’ll be the next infected.”
I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. “An original threat at least. Though to infect me, he would need my…”
A thought ripped through me, and I froze at the implications.
His hand gripped my chin, raising my eyes to meet his. “Breathe.”
It was a command—one I couldn’t help but obey as his urgency cut through the faint buzzing in my ears. His irises glinted with that unnatural light, but his fingers didn’t burn—only comforting warmth sank into my skin.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he said, the words a promise.
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” I exclaimed. “He doesn’t have my blood, but if Silvius had Eva’s…then he also has yours.”
There was no hint of surprise on his face, not that I had expected any. What I didn’t expect was for him to say, “I wish I wasn’t surprised at how quickly you put that together.”
Of course, he already knew. He had been there, bound but conscious, every time those needles were stabbed into his skin.
“You need to get somewhere safe,” I begged, even as I knew he wouldn’t.
Tobias shook his head. His hand fell from my face. I seized it before he could pull away, desperate to keep him close.
“You’re the one he threatened, Sagray, not me,” he sighed. “I’ve known the risk, the probability of him still having my blood, since the beginning.” He looked down at where our fingers were laced together, his voice a gentle caress. “Besides, I’m exactly where I need to be.”
My heart caught in my throat even as something deep and fiercely protective stirred within me. “If he comes for you, he’ll have to go through me first.”
“I’m not the one I’m worried about,” Tobias said, looking troubled. “He may have my blood, but his obsession is with you. Maybe he knows how close you are to curing this before he can weaponize it. Maybe he recognizes a mind that can rival his—gods know that must terrify him.”
“Then I must be on the right track.”
Tobias’s eyes narrowed. “Sagray…”
“Do you think me so easily cowed that one threatening note would scare me off?” I forced a smile. “You should know me better than that, Maris.”
Tobias only raised an eyebrow. “Then you should know I have no intention of leaving your side until he’s dead.”
Fair enough.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” I said with a saccharine smile. “Now can you please stop pacing and help me work? We need to finish the imbuing process before we test the candidate…the cure. If it inhibits the virus’s ability to infect and replicate…”
“Then we can try it on Eva?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. We still need to evaluate the compound's effectiveness before moving to dosage, not to mention assess any potential side effects for a living organism. But, hopefully, soon.”
By the time Dolion returned to help us, we were well on our way. We carefully helped him unload the vials of blood samples he had taken from our new patients.
It didn’t take long to confirm that these samples had also been targeted using the victim’s own blood—something Dolion and I would need to consider once we figured out dosing. I could only hope the cure wouldn’t need to be individually calibrated.
As we worked, my mind kept returning to the note and what Tobias had told me. For Silvius to target me, he had to have eyes on me. He was too hunted to try something himself, especially out in the open.
But maybe I could force his hand.
Suddenly, I knew the best way to lure Silvius out. With my overprotective companion glued to the side, the only question now was how I was going to pull it off.
?
It was well into the afternoon before we had created enough test tube samples to test the compounds.
Multiple concentrations of each compound would be evaluated, along with control samples to compare effects.
Dolion and I had imbued each and every one of them with healing magic—a process that took far more magic than I realized.
I nearly sank to the floor in exhaustion now that I was finally done. Even Dolion had excused himself after we finished the last compound, his gray eyes dull with exhaustion.
Tonight, I would write to Marin and update her about our progress, and the potential for a preliminary treatment soon.
There would need to be more tests before administering it to Eva or any of the others, of course.
But the rate at which we were progressing was unheard of, at least for someone trained in the human realm.
Preclinical studies there would take months even at an accelerated pace, while most took years.
With magic, we had cut that process down so significantly I could scarcely believe it.
However, the next step was to wait and see what worked. And while I wanted to sink into an extremely hot bath and then pass out for a nap, there was something else I had to do.
“I could use a few moments outside,” I said to Tobias, keeping my tone light. “My eyes are crossing after being in the lab this many days in a row. I feel like I haven’t seen the sun for days.”
Tobias hesitated, his brow furrowing. He drew in a deep breath, seemingly steeling his resolve before saying, “I-I can go with you.”
I shrugged as if it didn’t matter one way or another.
“Actually, could you finish transferring those notes from earlier? I was hoping to review them all together before moving on.” I gave him a weak smile, hoping he didn’t see right through me.
He had been painstakingly taking notes while I worked all day so I wouldn’t be slowed down by writing them myself…
but I had purposefully left some in shorthand for exactly this reason.
“I won’t be long, and I won’t go too far.
I’m not stupid enough to let my guard down with an active threat against my life.
Besides, we both know I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself if need be. ”
It wasn’t a complete lie. I did plan to go outside, though not where he was thinking. And I certainly planned to protect myself.
If he hadn’t realized during the battle of Adronix exactly what I could do, if pressed, I wasn’t about to tell him now.
I didn’t think I could handle him looking at me differently…and he would.
A muscle flexed in Tobias’s jaw like he was about to argue, but I beat him to it. “There’s a nice sunny section by the cafeteria.”
One that I still planned to visit, though not today.
Tobias eyed me appraisingly, and I tried not to fidget. “You have your dagger?”
“You mean your dagger?” I removed it from my belt, flipping it end over end without breaking eye contact. I didn’t hide my smirk as I caught the familiar hilt, running my thumb along the etchings in the silver.
Tobias’s eyes darkened as I threw it upward a second time—only for him to snag it midair. He was so fast that I reached out for the blade before I realized he already had it in his grasp.
“No, I mean your dagger.” My heartbeat skittered as his hand came to my waist, two fingers sliding beneath the leather belt that normally held it. With a tug, he yanked me closer.
Time seemed to stand still as we stared at each other.
My breathing quickened, though Tobias seemed to have stopped breathing entirely, his body hard and still against me.
Slowly, he slid my dagger back into its sheath, his eyes never leaving my face.
He was so close I could feel the whisper of his words against my lips as he muttered, “Try not to lose it a second time.”
I sucked in a breath, feeling lightheaded as he backed away.
“I—” I could feel the blush rising on my cheeks. “Thank you for letting me keep it. For the gift.”
Tobias brushed his hair out of his face with a shrug as he stepped back. “Don’t mention it.”
“Your mother gave it to you,” I continued, refusing to be deterred. “I owe you—”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Tobias said sharply.
“You…you were there for Eva when I wasn’t.
You kept her alive and kept her from breaking when it was just the two of you left.
Even when you lost your parents, you still didn’t stray from your mission or your friendship.
I don’t think I’ve thanked you for everything you did for her.
I know it couldn’t have been easy after I left. ”
The admiration in his gaze made my heart ache from the weight of truly being seen.
“You’re leaving out the part where a golem tried to kidnap her and then Bash took her straight to Aviel.”
“And you came for her, traveling back to Soleara solo and leaving behind the life you created for yourself,” Tobias continued, undeterred.
“You stood by her through it all. I’m glad you had each other, but I’m thankful every day that she had you.
” His expression softened, and I stilled, like the slightest movement might chase the emotion from his face.
“Besides, my mom would’ve wanted you to have it. I want you to have it.”
His eyes flickered with the warm light of his magic. His voice was so earnest it reminded me of the boy I once knew. That kindhearted kid might have been hidden away, but he was still in there. Just that glimpse of him made me want to burst into tears.
And here I was, lying to him.
“I’ll use it well,” I promised, looking away.
“I know you will.” Tobias blew out a breath. “Just…keep your guard up, okay?”
It was an effort not to let my guilt ruin my plan. “Always.”