Then everything inside me dropped.
I set Bella down quickly and we both rushed to him.
"What happened?" I asked, grabbing his shoulders. His skin was hot. Too hot. His breathing was broken, like each breath had to fight its way out.
He kept coughing.
Bella's voice cracked beside me. "What's going on? What do we do?"
"Poisoned," I said.
The word came out before I even thought it.
The second I said it, the truth slammed into me so hard my chest hurt.
How?
My mind raced. I had checked the area. I had watched the forest. No scent. No sound. Nothing.
I ran outside, grabbed a handful of bitter herbs growing beside the wall, crushed them, and rushed back in. I lifted his head gently and tried to make him swallow.
It didn't work.
The herbs slid from his lips.
Bella started crying. "Oh my goodness… he's going to die. Do something!"
Her voice shook like glass about to shatter.
My heart pounded once. Hard.
Then I stood.
