In The Roar(29)

Liv could feel his anger like a living, breathing entity filling the room. “I saw Tiana putting drops in your mother’s tea. She said it was medicine and I didn’t think anything about it, to be honest. But tonight when you came into the kitchen, you startled her and she dropped this.” She held out the small bottle and waited for him to process its meaning. “Do you know what that is?”

Karel stared at the bottle without saying a word.

“On earth the more common name is arsenic. It’s slow acting and nearly untraceable. It’s colorless and odorless so nobody would know they were ingesting it until too late.”

Karel stood and roared in anger. Liv jumped up and stopped him as he headed for the door to confront Tiana. “You promised to wait before acting. If you confront her now, you will kill her in your rage and we won’t get any answers.”





TWENTY-THREE



Karel nodded and returned to his seat. It didn’t take long before he was pacing the kitchen. His jaguar wanted her blood. How dare that woman come into his mother’s home and try to kill her. He had to fight to stay in control; the jaguar wanted out and was pushing hard.

“Karel. Listen to me. Your mother isn’t going to die. Now that we know, we can get her help and she will survive.”

Karel heard her words, but it wasn’t enough to calm the tide of rage overtaking him. Liv’s soft lips pressed to his. Instantly he felt his jaguar calming.

“Are you with me now?”

Karel let out a weary breath and moved to sit at the table. “I want to kill her, destroy her, to make her wish she had never been born.”

“I know you do, but we need answers first.”

He knew she was right, but that was his mother lying in a bed, dying in the other room. The woman who held the half of his heart that wasn’t Liv’s. The only person who gave up everything for him, took care of him, and sacrificed for him. He would die to protect her. To sit here knowing the person who was actively trying to kill his mother was only a house away was driving him insane.

“I intend to get those answers.” He stood and headed to his mother’s room. Hopefully she would be awake and not in too much pain.

Liv grabbed his arm before he entered the room. “There is something else you should know. The poison was being ingested in the tea. That’s why a couple hours after she drank it, she was worse. She hasn’t had any tea since this morning.”

“Okay, what are you saying?” Karel didn’t understand. He wasn’t familiar with this arsenic poison to know what this meant.

“The poison takes a few days to clear out of a human’s systems,” Liv patiently explained.

Karel turned and hugged her tightly. “Shifters aren’t like humans. We heal much quicker. If it takes you a few days then it shouldn’t take us long at all. She could already be healing.”

Liv laughed. “That would explain why Tiana was upping the tea to twice a day. The poison wasn’t working with her shifter metabolism like it would on me. She had to increase the dosage and frequency for it to have the same effect.”

“By tomorrow then, she should have rid herself of all the poison.” Karel smiled and grabbed Liv for a bear hug.

“Yes, it sounds like it. She is still going to be weak, because she hasn’t had much food for a while now, but she is going to get better.”

“You know what this means don’t you?” Karel said with an impish smile.

“No, what?”

“She will be here to see her grandchildren and maybe even her great-grandchildren.”

Liv smacked him. “Do you mind? I am not even pregnant yet, and you’re already having my babies have babies.”

“Are you two going to stand outside my room all night, or come in and visit me?” Keliana’s weak voice called out.

Karel laughed in delight at the blush that crawled up Liv’s neck and face. “What is that all about? Why are you blushing?”

“She heard us talking about making babies,” Liv whispered quietly.

Karel smiled and pulled her into the room after him. “How are you feeling, Aayi?”

“Now that you are here, with your beautiful mate, how could I be anything but fantastic.” Keliana reached a hand out and tugged Liv closer. “Come, sit next to me, my darling.”

Karel grunted and pulled a chair close to her bedside so he could be near both women. “Have you replaced me already, Aayi? I am your only son, after all.”

Keliana’s musical laughter filled the room, bringing smiles to their faces. “That may be true, my son, but as I heard you say a moment ago, she is the one giving me grandbabies and great-grandbabies.”