The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)

Chapter Fifty-Three: Find Her

I must have blacked out at some point because one minute I was staring at the iron door of the interrogation room and the next I was surrounded by tents. Grunting as my knees gave out without warning, I blinked rapidly to bring my surroundings into focus. The camp. I was at the camp. We're safe. I could relax. Soldiers in blue rushed towards us as Lilly gave a curse and hauled me up into his arms. The position caused my vision to swim from the way the wounds in my chest squeezed together and his arm pressed against them.

Divines, I'd almost prefer dying at this point. I thought, my mouth felt like a desert and the constant agony had my stomach rolling.

Inhaling deeply, I mentally tried to push the pain away as my internal temperature flashed from hot to cold and back again. This was bad. Very, very bad. Those fucking idiots left the iron inside of me for too long, the iron had seeped into my blood. Unless of course that was the plan...in that case they were brilliant. It wouldn't kill me but it would make me extremely sick and weak until it faded from my system. But that could take months that we didn't have and the wounds I was suffering from would definitely kill me first.

Choking back the need to hack up whatever was climbing up my throat, I sighed in relief as I was laid on something soft and stationary. Blinking heavily up at the grayish blue ceiling of my tent that I could have sworn was royal blue at one point, a dull buzzing filled my ears. My brows twitched but I was more concerned with the gurgling sound coming from my throat. Rolled to my side quickly, my vision was filled with black leather boots and a cream carpet that got soaked in what I think were the remains of my turnip sandwich.

A muffled sound came again as I was carefully turned onto my back once more. Something cool was placed on my forehead and I inhaled sharply at the momentary relief it brought me. Shivers racked my overheated body but the relief was enough to bring things back into focus.

"Macha, can you hear me? I've called the healer, she's on her way. You're going to be okay. Stay with me alright? Keep your eyes open."

Letting my head flop to the side, I stared into pools of silver and worked hard to make my mouth move, "She can't...help me."

"Don't say that. She's a very respected healer, she'll fix you right up. And then I can yell at you for getting hurt." Cillian snapped, squeezing my limp hand tightly.

I wanted to laugh but I barely had the energy to stay conscious and telling him how to keep me from dying was more important. Licking my lips, I rasped, "It's-It's iron exposure."

The fear that I had seen in his eyes earlier, that caused me more pain than the iron inflicted injuries had, returned. Like me, he knew what it meant. Iron exposure couldn't be treated, the only thing the healer could do was make me comfortable as it ran its course. A course that would last for Divines only knew how long while my injuries killed me before then.

"I shouldn't have traveled you. It sped up the process." Cillian growled, the self directed anger obvious from the way he glared down at the furs. "How didn't I notice? I should have noticed."

"Stop." I admonished him, my eyes sliding over the sharp planes of his face. "I hid it until now. I can re-relax here."

Instead of giving him comfort, my words caused his silver brows to furrow deeply and his full lips to thin, "You mean you feel comfortable enough to die here. You're going to make me watch you die again."

"No. Not if you do what I tell you to." I rushed out on a shiver, suddenly freezing.

Raw hope flooded his gaze, "What? What do you need me to do?"