I sucked the bite wound as hard as I could. The metallic taste filled my mouth, and I spat the blood out.
I leaned in to do it again, but Richard held my head back.
"I need to get all the venom out before it spreads!" I protested, my voice tight with impatience.
That's when I noticed his face; it had turned a deep, burning crimson.
My heart hammered against my ribs. Had the toxin reached his head already? No, that didn't make sense. Venom didn't usually flush the skin; it turned it gray.
Richard still kept my face away with his uninjured hand. He looked at me seriously, as if something strange was stuck on my cheeks.
"You shouldn't talk. The venom could get into your mouth if you keep speaking," he said, his eyes firm.
"I—"
Before I could argue, he shut my mouth.
Not with his hand. With his lips!
"Eumhh!" I pushed him away, and he stumbled back.
His expression said he knew he had crossed a line. Of course he had!
