Perry's POV
"How is she?" I waited for Marcela to finish examining Phoebe. I couldn't bring myself to leave, so I leaned against the wall and shut my eyes. Sleep had been a stranger for the past month.
"She's resting now. I had to add a sedative to her medicine." Marcela's voice carried exhaustion. "She wouldn't settle down, and the more agitated she became, the more her body tensed. It wasn't helping her condition."
"Why is her healing so damn slow? It's worse than a human's." I opened my eyes and fixed Marcela with a stare that made the healer flinch and look away.
"I just discovered something," Marcela whispered, her voice barely steady despite her obvious fear.
"Talk."
"There's poison in her system. A small amount, but it's there. That's why she's healing so poorly. The poison..." Marcela swallowed hard. "It's the same one she gave you, my king."
I could feel her terror as she delivered the news, knowing how raw this subject was for me.
