“Stay away from him.”
“Luca.” Reese approached.
The whites of Luca’s eyes showed, and he shook from head to toe.
Reese stopped a few feet away.
“Luca.”
He clenched and unclenched his hand.
“Luca.” Reese touched Luca’s arm.
He spun around with a raised fist.
“Whoa.” Reese backed up. “It’s me… it’s me…”
Luca blinked several times. “Dr. Dante?”
“Yeah.”
Luca went back to staring at the Sarvari.
“They’re on our side, your side… they’re not going to hurt you.” Reese put a hand on Luca’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Everything is okay.”
“Nox.” Luca pulled away and kneeled by what was nothing more than a breathing mummy. “Isaiah poisoned him with Rakta.”
“That’s the stuff you told me about.” Reese said it to Seung.
She pushed past Reese. “Luca?” She crouched. “My name is Seung. I know you’re scared. I know you’re confused. But I need you to trust me, okay?”
Luca looked at Reese, who said, “You can trust her.”
Luca trembled. “You swear?”
Did Reese? “Yes. I swear. You can trust her.”
“Okay,” Luca said.
Seung pulled a knife from her boot.
Nash made a feeble lunge, but Luca held him in place.
“I’m going to cut your hand.” Seung showed Luca the knife. “It’s going to be deep, and it will hurt.”
“Blood for Nox.” Luca made it a statement.
“Yeah, you’re a Cana. It will heal him.”
“What if I’m contaminated?” Luca begged Reese with his eyes.
“Contaminated by what?” Seung said.
“Isaiah. He gave me blood. I’m pretty sure it was his blood.”
Seung rocked back on her heels. “Did you tell him to?”
“I think something happened when they shot Nox with darts of Rakta. I tried to get to him, but I fell, and I couldn’t breathe. When I woke up, there was an empty blood bag by the bed, and I had a port in my arm.”