Chapter Thirty-Five

    China? Esper stopped dead in her tracks. How had Maxim managed to get her so far in such a short amount of time? And in the dead of winter? No one was going to be able to find her this far from home. She felt like the world was going to swallow her up again and started to collapse. 

    Esper closed her eyes and prepared for the impact of the concrete against her knees, but it never came. She opened her lids slowly and was met by the concerned gaze of Maxim. He had caught her just in time. Scooping her up bridal style, Maxim carried Esper over to one of the couches and carefully set her down. 

    Maxim had no idea the Juniper poison had side effects to this extent. His father had told him it would only weaken her for a day, not sap her energy to the point of being unconscious for three. Had he known how negatively it was going to affect her, he would have found an alternative. 

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