I watched as the healer checked me over one final time, her weathered hands moving methodically across my leg. The bite mark throbbed dully, no longer the searing agony I'd felt when the venom first entered my bloodstream.
"You're lucky," she said, straightening up with a satisfied nod. "If that girl hadn't acted so quickly, we might be planning your funeral right now."
Her words hit me like a physical blow. Seraphina had saved my life. The same woman I'd tormented for years. The same woman I'd blamed for breaking my heart.
"The venom was particularly potent," the healer continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil. "Eastern timber rattlesnakes can be deadly, especially with a direct hit to a vein like you had. Without immediate intervention..." She shook her head. "Luna Seraphina's quick thinking prevented the worst of it from reaching your heart."
