"I put it on the chair," Fin said, without looking up.
Hale crossed the room and inspected it, lifting the fabric, smelling it. His expression hardened. He glanced at Elara.
"I pulled it from Dex's quarters," Elara explained. "He and Agnes were in the bathing chamber together."
Fin's expression did not change. But the words slid under his ribs and burned.
Anger, precise and unwelcome, coiled tight in his chest.
Xeon: She broke the matebond this morning, remember? I'm sure she walked in on something.
Hale's voice cut through the thought before Fin could follow it further.
"Poison," Hale announced. "Alaric says to rinse her immediately."
That was all it took.
Fin already had her in his arms by the time Hale finished the sentence, moving with sharp efficiency toward the bathing chamber.
A large tub dominated the space, a standing shower set into the stone wall beside it.
