Virtue - a Fairy Tale by Amanda Hocking Page A

something happened to her.
    Relief washed over him when he saw the brook, the water reflecting the moon in the night. He skidded down the embankment, holding Lily carefully in his arms so she wouldn’t get hurt further. Gingerly, he laid her on her stomach on the soft mud and reeds next to the water. He took of her cloak and opened the back of her dress so he could have better access to the claw marks.
    Lux cupped his hands, filling them with ice-cold water before spilling it onto her back. She twitched and made some kind of moaning sound, but he hadn’t even started cleaning the wounds yet. Using the edge of the cloak and the water, he scrubbed at the scratches, making the venom burn deeper, and Lily screamed.
    The poison glowed in her wounds, so at least he could see it. He mumbled apologies, but he doubted she heard him over her cries. When he was certain he’d got out as much as he could, he ran his fingers down her gashes. Flames licked out from the tips of his fingers, one of the few tricks Lux had. The air smelled of burning flesh as the fire seared and cauterized her wounds, and Lily shrieked even louder.
    Her cuts were cleaned and sealed, but between the venom and the fire, she was in incredible pain. Lily stopped screaming, but she sobbed loudly, her whole body shaking from the intensity of it.
    Lux scrambled to his feet and looked around, knowing that blue moss had to be nearby. It loved water and death, and this area of the Necrosilvam was full of both. Lily lay on her stomach with the back of her dress torn open, and he didn’t want to leave her exposed like that, but he couldn’t leave her in that much pain either.
    He jogged a short ways down the brook, still close enough to hear and see her, and thankfully, he found blue moss growing on the underside of a log lying across the stream. He had to wade through the water to get it, soaking his new shoes and pants on the way, but he barely even cared. Lily was in pain, and he’d do anything stop it.
    “This will be over soon,” Lux promised her when he reached her. He knelt on the ground next to her and smeared her wounds with the moss.
    Almost instantly, the burning stopped, replaced with a cool numbness. The haze in her mind started ebbing, and most of the aches in her body dissipated. Not entirely, but she felt much better. Sniffling, Lily wiped at her tears and sat up. The night air felt cold on her bare back, and she tried straightening out her dress, but the back had been shredded. Lux handed her the cloak, which held up much better because it was stronger, and Lily wrapped it around herself.
    “Thank you,” Lily said, feeling embarrassed about crying so hard. She wiped at her face with the cloth, trying to get rid of the mud and tears that stained her skin.
    “You're welcome.” Lux sat next to her on the embankment, watching her with an unbridled fascination. Even with dirt on her cheeks and twigs in her hair, he doubted he’d ever seen anyone more beautiful.
    “What are you doing out here?” Lily asked.
    She stared down at her hands, playing with a loose thread on her dress. She wanted to look at him, to make sure he was real and really there with her, but she felt too ashamed to look at him fully.
    “I was looking for you,” Lux said honestly.
    “Why?” Lily asked, her forehead wrinkling in confusion, although her heart quickened happily.
    “I never should’ve left you alone in these woods.” Guilt washed over him, and he looked down at the water. She’d nearly been killed because he hadn’t stayed with her. He thought she’d be better without him, but the only way he could protect her was if he was with her.
    “How did you find me?” Lily asked, daring to look at him from the corner of her eyes.
    “I heard the canu.” Lux only half-lied.
    He tracked the canu using another one of his tricks. A benefit of his job was being able to use the canu, and he could psychically link with them. He could see what they saw, but so could any