Jaz stared at the jar of poison. She wondered how it worked. How it was used and measured. How much was too much? Did it really work? Could it ease the shakes and hold off a Change?
And then the idea began brewing inside of her mind until no matter how much she argued against it, it continued to bug her for two whole days before she finally made the decision to come back. Alone.
*
“How much is this?”
Egor squinted above his half-moon spectacles to focus on the jar Skye's friend pointed at. He had a moment to remember her name was Jaz before he realized what she was holding. Hemlock. Oh dear, he thought with displeasure. He stopped smiling and scratched at his chin stubble. “It depends on the reason for use.”
After a moment she said, “I read that it's a very good antispasmodic drug.”
He stopped for a moment, surprised by her response. “Yes...” he said hesitantly. “But then so is peppermint oil, amongst many other things. Medicines that are much safer.”
Jaz rested her hand on the wooden surface by her hip, below the shelf with the hemlock. She tapped the wood with her fingers a few times before replying, “I was told hemlock had more kick. That I could take a dose that would be lethal to a human and it wouldn't harm me. Enough to ease my spasms. I doubt peppermint oil will have the same effect.” She had a casual but oddly firm expression and tone. He knew she'd be difficult to sway.
He took in her appearance, knowing she was a new Pack member, and a thought came to him. “Are you experiencing pre-Change spasms?”
Jaz nodded.
“There is not much I can do about that I'm afraid. The risks are certainly too high to give you hemlock, especially in your current condition. It might kill you.”
Just when he thought he'd convinced her, she asked, “What part of the plant is less poisonous? The roots?”
He paused. “Y-yes. It is still very poisonous but as far as I'm aware, not as strong.”
“And it is better to have it dried than fresh?”
He raised a brow. “Yes. Where did you find this information out, if I may ask?” he said in a low voice.
She looked at him with her dark blue eyes and smiled sweetly. “Google.”
He stared at her.
“I'll take some dried roots, as much as you can give me. If you could show me how to use it, I'd be very grateful.”
He slowly kicked himself back into action, studying her as he took the jar from her hands. He decided to give her a very small dose.
As he was measuring the roots and preparing them, he explained to her how to brew it as a tea and how often to drink it. He packed the hemlock roots into a sealed plastic bag -the unpleasant smell of rodent wafted up his nostrils- and then he handed it to her.
He then saw her hesitate. “Aren't I supposed to pay you with something?”
He shook his head. “We're a sharing community. Skye tells me you work hard helping her with her chores, so you've already paid as far as everyone is concerned.”
She smiled and then stopped, her pretty eyes hovering over his face as her lips parted. “I hope I've also earned your discretion?” It didn't sound like a warning but more of a question with an edge to it.
He blinked above his glasses and slowly removed them, placing both hands on the desk in front of him. He gazed up at her and said, “If the lady doesn't give reason to cause alarm, customer confidentiality is upheld. I hope you understand.”
Jaz closed her eyes with a slight forward tilt of her head to show she did.
He smiled. “I wouldn't want to see something so sweet, turn sour.”
She tucked the bag into the front pocket of her grey hoodie and with a gentle wave and a “Thank you,” she left.
Egor was left unhappy, knowing that he'd lied to her. He couldn't risk anything happening to her and knew he should tell the Pack Leader.
Or her uncle, he thought as he looked up to find Garik standing in the doorway.
~Chapter 30 - Stir~
Six days later...
Wednesday, June 22nd
After seeing Driver as a Beast, Jaz managed to push both him and Lora from her mind, wiping away any pain or unwanted feelings from her already overloaded brain. Until Edda had come into the cabin just around noon, carrying a cardboard box.
Jaz was about to take another bite out of a slice of buttered toast when she caught sight of the writing on the side of the box in black marker, and stopped dead. Her eyes widened to the size of golf balls.
Edda saw her reaction but didn't say anything until she'd placed it on the breakfast bar in front of her. Jaz slowly lowered her toast back onto the plate staring at her sister's name scribbled on the cardboard.
“These are Lora's things,” Edda mumbled.