Chapter 37

"Alli!" I shout, catching her before she can hit the ground. Her eyes are closed, hand clenching the plate that had her Hors d'oeuvres on. Her breathing is shallow, her chest barely able to take a breath.

"Shut all the doors, no one leaves!" Eathan shouts as I slowly lay her onto her back. Guards rush to do what he says as I focus on Allisara. She is pale, too pale, and I realize someone managed to poison her.

"Secure the kitchen and all the food. Someone find me a poison test and the vials of antidotes!" I call out, watching as Allisara stops breathing. Panicked, I begin C.P.R. praying that my chest compressions are helping to keep her alive. A Maid rushes towards me with Everette and Lillian behind her, the two elderly shaking with fear and rage. The Maid carefully works to test Allisara's blood, the machine beeping as it analyzes the poison that she ingested. Thankfully it doesn't take too long when the machine beeps loudly and the light turns green.

"Prepare the blue vial!" The Maid orders her partner, a woman who looks similar to her obeys and soon a needle is filled with a blue liquid then quickly inserted into Allisara.

"Commander Skylard, stop the chest compressions." The Maid orders. I want to scream at her, to tell her to go fuck herself but Eathan gives me a look, my long time friend making me step back. The next few seconds are hell as they tick bye and memories of Allisara and I as children, then as adults fly through until finally she gasps for air.

"Sky?" She moans with pain.

"I'm here Alli." I reassure her, scooping her cold body into my arms. She is shivering and I have a feeling it is the antidote working its way through her.

"You're safe now Baby." Tears slip past my eyes as Eathan begins to take control of the situation. Guests are led away by the Estate Guards but I know soon Arian will be here with our own men. Today is a reminder that Juden and his men can get to Allisara.

"I am Clarice, that is my sister Millia. We helped Princess Allisara get ready for tonight." The Maid Clarice introduces herself to me as Guards roll a gurney towards us.

"Lets get the Princess to her room while the Marquis and Marquess work to find the culprit." Millia suggests. I nod, unable to trust myself not to curse at anyone until a doctor has come to see Allisara. Placing her onto the gurney, we leave the ball room through a side exit and make our way to an elevator. Moments later we are rushing down the hall and into Allisara's room – the room that belonged to her mother.

Doctors are already waiting for us – female Doctors thank god – and Alice is there in uniform.

"Mika and Max are securing the grounds with Arian, they have already done a background check on the doctors." She informs me, pushing me out the door. I fight her, wanting to be there with Allisara but she stops me.

"Sky, we need to remove her clothes and put her into something more comfortable. When she is decent again, I will get a maid to bring you in. I promise not to leave her side." With Alice's reassurance, I slowly back away until my back reaches a wall and the bedroom doors are shut. Once again I feel like the world is falling. Like everything is slipping through my fingers and there is nothing I can do to stop it.

She was right there. Right beside me. And those bastards got to her in a place she should have been completely safe in.

"How is she?" Jumping, I turn and pin the person who called out beside me to the wall, my fore-arm pressed to their throat. It takes a moment for me to notice the voice belongs to Christopher, the future Marquis of the Blanchard estate. Releasing him, I mumble an apology to Allisara's Uncle and turn to look at the closed doors.

"Stable last time I saw her. I got kicked out when they needed to change her from the gown." Running a hand through my hair, I sigh and turn back to the man before me. Fourteen years ago he helped me through the news that Allisara was dead. He found me crying as guilt wracked my eleven-year-old brain thinking that it was my fault she was dead. That I left her at that apple farm thinking she would be safe.

"Sky, she is still alive." He had stated as if it was a prayer.

"If Allisara was dead, we would have a body." This is what broke me from my spiral. What made me stop to think.

"What do I do?" I had asked through sobs, looking to the man that held just as much hope and determination as I wanted.

"We find her, Sky. We find her and bring her home." And I did just that.

"She is still alive." I laugh, feeling relieved to hear those words once again.

"Those bastards tried again, but she is alive." Christopher states, his eyes set in anger.

"And she is going to wake up pissed and ready to find every last one of the men associated with Juden." I chime in, smiling as I think about what she is going to do when she finds out she was poisoned. She will be pissed that she couldn't drink and dance like we wanted. Then she will be on the hunt for the person who poisoned her and make sure they pay for it.

"I feel like she is no longer the little girl who used to call me Uncle Toph." Christopher chuckles, leaning beside me on the wall.

"She is definitely not. The Slums were hard on her." I agree, smiling as I think back to the first time I watched her burst out of her room and march towards the Throne Room. How she took the gun from my holster and pointed it at Juden. I was both shocked and happy for her strength.

"Is it true she held him at gun point?" He asks, making me laugh again.

"Yep. My gun to be exact." Before I can get into the details, the door opens and the Maid Clarice comes out, a relived look on her face.

"She is in bed and the Doctors are working on her, but you can come in." With these words, Christopher and I rush into the room, making our way to the foot of the bed while the three doctors work on healing Allisara. Lines of I.V. are hooked to her right hand, the clear fluids dripping steadily into her.

"I was told you were the one who noticed she was poisoned." A Doctor calls out to me as she begins to cover Allisara with a warm blanket.

"Yes. We were standing beside each other and the last thing she did was eat some food." I answer, my eyes on Allisara's face, her makeup gone and hair combed out. I remember asking her why she used a wide tooth comb and not a brush and she explained a brush would make her hair poofy like a poodle. The comb keeps her curls in tact. Her face is still pale, but not deathly like earlier. There are some pink to her cheeks.

"Well, you did good in noticing it. You saved her life." The doctor praises me and after some instructions and after care, the three Doctors leave, promising to check in on Allisara in three days. It seems we aren't leaving the Estate any time soon. I ask Millia and Clarice to be her Maids for our stay and they promise that they aren't going anywhere. Clarice informs me that they both have medical training being ex-nurses and promise to help take care of Allisara until the Doctors give her the all clear.

"Ellisia packed a bag for both of you. Go have a shower." Alice hands me a black duffle bag, my name embroidered into it. I want to protest this, but she stops me saying Allisara needs me to be clean before I can take care of her. I wonder if Allisara feels as frustrated as I do right now when someone is repeatedly right.

Taking the bag, I make my way to the bathroom and quickly shower. In ten minutes I am cleaned and dried and in a fresh set of pajamas. Entering the bed room, I spy Alice sitting in an arm chair, a book in her hand about how to be a proper lady in waiting.

"Where are you staying?" I ask, watching my friend jump and drop the book. She glares at mee, bending down and picking the book back up before deciding to answer me.

"The Marquis and Marquess have rooms for all of us on this floor. We will be here when ever you need us to watch Alli." I nod, thanking her as Alice stands and walks away. She wishes me a good night before closing the door. With her gone, the room is silent. Gone is the laughter from earlier when the Maids were helping Allisara dress for the ball. The dress is hanging on a mannequin now, probably never to be worn again. Sighing, I decide I need to sleep, that no one will touch my Allisara as long as she is beside me. Poison is one thing; I can't control that even with all the preventative measures installed. But a physical attack is one no one will be able to do.

Climbing into the right side of the bed on the opposite side where the medical equipment connects to Allisara's left hand, I reach out and take her hand in mine.

"I will keep you safe, Alli." I mumble, bringing her hand to mine and kissing it.