Page 6 of A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison

6

‘B isma!’ Xander cried. His face flooded with emotion as he took in the sight of her: drenched in rain, eyes red-rimmed. Immediately, he stepped toward her, slack-jawed with concern. His gaze shifted to Mei on the cart, and he sucked in a breath. ‘Come in.’

He reached to pull her inside, but she resisted. She didn’t want to drip all over the immaculate floors of his polished home, nor did she wish to be inside his expensive cottage, which looked cozy and clean.

She loved her home in the Enchanted Forest, she did, but being here made it glaringly obvious that this—his decadent house, his perfect life—was never an option given to her.

‘To the garden?’ he asked, sensing her hesitation. His voice was soft but clear above the rainfall.

She nodded. Then, with a shuddering breath, she moved to push the cart with Mei, but his long fingers came over hers, taking the load from her hands. His hand was warm; she cherished it for the moment it was over hers.

Xander sped Mei to the garden, then into an adjoining greenhouse, and Bisma followed close behind, cold rain falling across both their skins.

When they entered the greenhouse, she was glad to be out of the rain. It was a beautiful building, the size of a small cottage, rainwater rushing down the glass panels.

The greenhouse was filled with tall plants, reaching up to the ceiling, as well as various hanging pots and even more pots covering every table surface. The greenhouse seemed to be for Xander’s particular use; it had none of the clean organization of the Chapman Apothecary.

In a corner, she saw a rumpled bed, the blankets undone. Her cheeks heated; she looked away. Her gaze fell to Xander, who had cleared a table and was covering it with blankets. She went to help him, taking the opposite end of a blanket, then smoothing it down.

He smoothed it from the opposite end, until they both met in the middle, their hands brushing. A jolt went up her arm and she shivered.

Xander scooped Mei into his arms—oh, she was so small, being held so!—and set her down upon the blankets.

‘Mei, it’s okay,’ Bisma said, reaching for her sister’s hand.

Mei was trembling, her chin quivering as though she was in great pain.

‘How long has she been like this?’ Xander asked, wasting no time in beginning to examine Mei. He checked her eyes, her mouth, her pulse, searching and feeling for things beyond Bisma’s understanding. Immediately, she could see how competent he was, how efficient. That soothed her worry a little.

Bisma explained the past day, how she had given Mei the cure-all from the Apothecary, which had seemed to work until it didn’t.

‘So that’s what you were doing at the Apothecary,’ Xander said, more to himself than her. He let out a frustrated sound before turning to look at Bisma over his shoulder. ‘Bis, I wish you’d told me. I could have helped.’

‘I had it under control!’ Bisma snapped, then broke off because of course she hadn’t; the proof lay before them both.

At least Xander had the good grace not to point it out.

‘She was fine,’ Bisma continued, sounding defeated. ‘But now she’s worse. It wasn’t like this yesterday.’

‘The cure-all would have provided temporary relief,’ Xander explained. ‘But the poison remained inside her, festering.’

He left Mei’s side then, moving easily to one of the other tables. The sound of clinking bottles filled the air as he searched for something, then she heard his quick ‘Aha!’

Xander returned with a small purple vial. She noticed it wasn’t the special glass that the Chapman Apothecary used. This was ordinary glass from the local shop, and it held a thin liquid, clear like water but with a cloudiness to it. She recognized the smell of chamomile and something else, perhaps valerian root? But it held other notes she couldn’t recognize or decipher; it was a high-level potion.

‘What is—’ she began, as Xander returned to Mei’s side.

Xander released a breath, then turned to Bisma. His green eyes were bright, vivid.

‘Everything’s going to be alright,’ he said, placing his large hands upon her shoulders. They were warm, and she was too in need of comfort to push him away. ‘I promise.’

Xander turned back to Mei and gently lifted her head, emptying the liquid into her mouth.

‘What are you doing?’ Bisma cried, but it was too late. Her heart jumped into her throat Mei’s throat moved as she swallowed. A few moments later, the trembling in Mei’s body ceased.

‘It was just something to help her sleep,’ Xander said. ‘She’s in pain.’

Bisma struck his back, and he turned to her, face alarmed. ‘You don’t do anything without telling me first!’ she cried, her voice vicious.

He blinked. ‘Alright,’ he agreed. ‘I won’t.’

She knew she should be thankful—he was helping her, after all—but she couldn’t help but claw at him.

‘We need to get the poison out of her system,’ he said.

Xander left Mei’s side to rummage through various pots, searching for something; Bisma could see his mind was whirring through different combinations and ideas.

She felt utterly useless in comparison. Treatment was never something she’d ever dealt with; she didn’t even know where to start. Instead, Bisma turned to Mei, taking her little hand in her own and giving it a squeeze. ‘Everything is going to be alright,’ she whispered. ‘I promise.’

‘I’ll be right back!’ Xander called.

Before she could reply, he vanished from the greenhouse, and a few minutes later he came back with a bucket of slimy black creatures. He set the bucket down, then pulled two out, holding them up for her to see. They wiggled in his hands.

‘Leeches!’ he said proudly, smiling at her in the most absurd manner.

She gave him a look that she hoped expressed just how deranged she thought he was.

‘What on earth—’ she began, then watched as he dropped them into a mortar. With one hand, he crushed them with a pestle, then with the other he picked and threw in a few drops of tea tree oil.

‘This should bring the poison to the surface,’ he said. ‘Then we can get it out of her.’

‘Can I help in any way?’ she asked, coming to his side.

‘Actually, yes,’ he said. He handed her the pestle. ‘Keep crushing, gently, to make it into as smooth a paste as possible.’

She nodded, doing as she was told, then watched as he went around the greenhouse, looking for certain plants. He returned with various leaves and added them to the mortar as she continued to grind them all into a paste.

Then, when he had all the ingredients he desired, he took over for her, his fingers easily taking the pestle from her hand. He stood just beside her, the warmth of his arm seeping into her skin.

‘Just like this,’ he said, showing her the contents of the mortar. He waved his hand and the paste thinned into a liquid with his magic. The sight was a delight; she hardly ever used her magic like that in the mixing process—she used more of her magic during the growing process—so it was a wonder to watch.

As if sensing she was impressed, Xander wiggled his eyebrows at him. Rolling her eyes, she shoved his shoulder, which only made him laugh quietly.

‘Look,’ he said, dipping a finger in, then showing her. It looked like a juice made from dark berries.

‘Will it work?’ she asked.

‘Oh ye of little faith,’ he said, shaking his head. She raised a brow, and he released a dramatic sigh. ‘Yes, it will work.’

He poured the liquid into a teacup. Bisma followed him to Mei’s side, where she gently raised Mei up and watched as Xander fed Mei the liquid. In her sleep, Mei drank it, grimacing slightly.

‘Sorry,’ he said, sheepishly. ‘That can’t have tasted good.’

After Mei swallowed, Bisma set her down. ‘Now what?’ she asked.

‘Now we wait,’ he replied.

Bisma released a long breath, exhausted. She realized then that more than an hour had passed. The rain had stopped, and the sky above the greenhouse was beginning to change colors to welcome the dawn.

‘What’s her story?’ Xander asked. He was leaning against a table, arms crossed over his chest as he regarded her.

She arched her brow.

Color warmed his cheeks; he was shy, asking her like this. ‘Unless you don’t want to say, but … you all have stories, don’t you?’

Every Unwanted Girl did, of course. Though no one ever bothered to ask.

Because Xander had, Bisma felt compelled to tell him. More than that, she wanted to. Their histories were part of who they were, and she wished for the girls to be known, truly, beyond simply being the monsters in the woods.

‘She came to Enchanted Forest when she was five,’ Bisma said, remembering. ‘I was fourteen at the time. She explained that her parents were marrying her to a man in one of the neighboring villages—one of those small villages I can’t even bother to remember the name of. Basically sold her off.’

‘She was five ?’ Xander asked, eyes wide with horror.

Bisma nodded. ‘She didn’t even know what was happening; they told her she would get to wear a pretty dress and get gifts.’ She clenched her jaw tight enough to make her head hurt. Her blood boiled at the story, but she continued. ‘It wasn’t until Mei’s sister, who was about twelve at the time, came home for the wedding with her husband. She’d been sold the same way a few years back and warned Mei to run the night before the wedding. Her sister told her to go to the Forest, to risk death rather than to be wed, and so she did.’

‘She must have been so afraid,’ Xander said, his voice a whisper.

‘She was. But the Enchanted Forest saved her.’ She turned to look at Mei.

Worry turned Bisma’s insides. The Forest had saved her then, but what about now?

‘Don’t worry,’ Xander said, as if reading her thoughts. ‘You’ll save her now, too.’

Bisma hoped so.

‘I suspect it will take a few hours, at least,’ Xander said, coming round to Bisma’s side. He set a gentle hand to her shoulder. ‘Why don’t you rest?’

Bisma shook her head, taking Mei’s hand in hers. ‘I won’t leave her.’ She turned to Xander. ‘But if you must go to the Apothecary, by all means.’

‘It’s alright,’ Xander said. ‘I already told my mother I wouldn’t be in today.’

She wrinkled her brows. ‘You’re allowed to do that?’

‘I sometimes have cases of my own to tend to; she understands that. I was actually on my way to the greenhouse to get an early start when I heard you knocking on the door.’

He wasn’t worried or stressed at all; what a marvel. Recounting Mei’s story had made Bisma angry and frustrated, and to think of him as his own master, able to do as he pleased, and with his mother’s support, no less—hideous envy seeped through her.

‘I’ll pay you for your services, do not fret,’ she said tightly. She shook his hand off her shoulder.

His brows knit together. ‘Bis, no, that’s not—that’s not what I was saying.’ He took a step closer, and she saw the dark circles beneath his eyes; he was exhausted, too. ‘You don’t need to pay me.’

She set her jaw. ‘Of course I do. I won’t take your charity.’

‘It’s not—I didn’t … mean it like that,’ he said. ‘I want to help you—’ He broke off, looking away as he bit his lip. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. The copper locks were wild and messy; she had the sudden urge to run her fingers through them, smoothing his hair down.

She mentally slapped herself. ‘You don’t have to stay,’ she said, her back rigid. ‘It’ll be hours, as you said. I’ll watch her.’

She turned back to Mei, who seemed to be trying to shift a little, as if uncomfortable. She moved forward to adjust Mei’s pillow, but as she did, blood rushed to her head. Her vision darkened and she swayed.

Xander caught her, hands steady on her waist. She gasped, looking up into his darkened eyes. Her heartbeat was fast, a thunderous roar as exhilarating as a downpour.

‘I’m worried about you,’ he said, clenching his jaw.

A jolt of electricity splintered across her chest, as though she’d been struck by a lightning bolt. She blinked up at him, feeling dazed.

‘Why don’t you get some rest?’ he asked, stepping closer. ‘We have guest rooms in the house. Or you could go home, check on your sisters. I’ll watch her.’

She felt his breath on her cheek, whispering against a tendril of hair. The sensation was heady, delicious. Her pulse raced, blood rushing in her ears. She wanted to draw closer, to wrap her arms around him, feel his warmth against her.

And that made her afraid.

She wrenched out of his grasp, glaring. ‘Don’t touch me,’ she snapped, her voice laced with venom.

She was being mean, she knew she was, but she couldn’t bear how he was looking at her, the tender care in his eyes. She was afraid of what it might inspire her to do.

Her words did the trick; his face became shuttered, wounded.

‘I’ll leave you alone, then,’ he said.

Xander left her, shoulders drooping as he walked away.

Good , she told herself, even though the sight pierced through her.

But this was not the time to be soft-hearted, to be weak. She reminded herself of what had happened the last time she let a boy this close, remembered being young and foolish, and the way she had ultimately paid the price.

The shame that had remained. It lived inside her still, something she could not cut out, no matter how hard she tried.

She was right to be vicious to Xander. She was right to push him away.

Even so, she couldn’t help the pain in her chest, how empty the greenhouse now felt without him here beside her.

But she had bigger things to worry about. She looked at her sister, the wet splay of her short black hair. Bisma held tight to Mei’s hand, tears falling down her cheeks.

‘Please be alright,’ she begged.