Chapter 34: Close Call

Coldness seeped into me. I groaned, trying to force my eyes open. White walls greeted me and the sound of voices mumbled nearby, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

I tried to sit up. Pain shot through my entire body. I settled on opening my eyes a crack and turned my head to figure out where I was. That's when nausea hit me and I squeezed my eyes shut tight, taking deep breaths.

"Zoey," Reed's voice cut through the pain.

"Where am I?" My mouth tasted like dried paste.

"The school's infirmary," he answered. His mouth thinned into a hard line.

"Why? What happened?" I opened my eyes a bit. "Did the dark mages attack?"

He stood over me, glaring down at me like somehow I had done this to myself. "No, you were scratched. The dragon poison was causing havoc in your system and made you pass out. If you didn't get help, you'd have gone into a coma."

"That's not possible." I winced as a fresh wave of pain washed over me. "I-I was wearing a thick glove."