Tristan made it four steps past the chamber doors before his knees hit the stone.
A dark vein crawled up the side of his neck. The corruption rooted itself beneath his skin, branching at his jaw, forking toward his ear.
Lucian caught him.
The wolf king moved faster than the guards, faster than the healers, faster than the door had time to close behind them. His arms went around Tristan's chest and his knees hit the ground a half second after the prince's, taking the weight, absorbing the collapse the way a foundation absorbs a falling wall.
"Easy. I've got you." Lucian's voice was steady. The steadiness cost him something Fin could feel through the vision, a tax paid in heartbeats and adrenaline. "Breathe."
