Chapter 4

They threw me back into the freezer.

For the next several days, Jade Harlan ordered her men to douse me with ice water once every hour. My body succumbed completely to frostbite—my skin cracked open, raw and bleeding, so thin in places I could see the white of my own bones beneath.

Meanwhile, Logan Blackwood remained utterly oblivious, whisking Jade away on lavish getaways through Utah’s red rock canyons and alpine resorts.

I counted the hours in silence.

Just as I’d expected, three days later, Logan kicked open the freezer door, fury radiating off him like heat from a furnace. Cradled in his arms, Jade was deathly pale, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, dark veins spiderwebbing beneath her translucent skin.

I recognized the signs instantly—her heart meridian was failing. The poison had taken root deep inside her.

“Mom Lily, what did you do to her?” Logan snarled, voice trembling with rage.

Jade whimpered against his chest, tears streaming down her face. “Master… is she going to die? I don’t understand… I never meant to upset Mom Lily… I just want to live…”

Logan’s jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth grind. He fixed his burning gaze on me. “Fix her. Now. Or else—”

“There’s nothing left to fix,” I whispered, forcing air into my frozen lungs. “I told you—spirit rabbits can only heal three times in their entire lives. She didn’t believe me. She took it anyway.”

“Enough excuses!” he roared. “Don’t pretend you didn’t poison her on purpose! She came here out of kindness, and you repaid her with cruelty!”

My throat tightened. Any defense I might’ve offered died before it reached my lips.

“Master… she doesn’t want to die!” Jade sobbed, gasping between breaths.

Logan’s eyes turned glassy with anguish. Without hesitation, he barked an order. “Restrain her.”

Two Blackwood Security guards seized my arms and pinned me to the floor. Another stepped forward, holding a needle thicker than a baby’s forearm. It plunged into my wrist without warning.

“Spirit rabbit blood has healing properties,” Logan said coldly. “If you refuse to save her willingly, I’ll take what I need.”

Bottle after bottle filled with my blood. My vision dimmed at the edges.

He didn’t understand—the blood could restore vitality, yes, but only temporarily. It wasn’t a cure.

Jade’s color returned slightly, but she still clutched her chest, wheezing.

Logan’s expression darkened further. He waved a hand. “This is too slow. She won’t last. Drain her directly.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Logan, are you insane? My blood won’t save her! Don’t you see? You’re killing me for nothing!”

“Are you asking me to let you die?” I choked out.

He didn’t even glance at me.

The guard’s blade flashed. A searing cut split my wrist open. Warmth gushed out—too fast, too much. My body went cold within seconds.

As my consciousness frayed, I heard Logan’s voice, sharp and desperate: “Not enough! Cut deeper!”

A tear slipped down my cheek.

I looked at him—his entire world narrowed to the woman in his arms—and felt nothing but hollow emptiness.

Logan Blackwood… if there’s a next life, I’d rather scatter into dust than ever cross your path again.

…

“Get her to the hospital. Make sure she’s cared for properly.”

Logan spared one glance at my ashen face as they carried me out, my breathing shallow and uneven. A flicker of unease stirred in his chest—but he dismissed it instantly. She was a spirit rabbit. She healed others. She couldn’t possibly be in real danger.

He turned back to Jade, murmuring sweet reassurances, then ordered his staff to procure the rarest, most potent blood-replenishing herbs available.

His phone rang.

Annoyed, he answered with a growl. “Didn’t I say not to call unless the sky was falling? I’m spending time with my precious apprentice.”

But Tyler Reed’s voice on the other end was frantic. “Sir, it’s catastrophic! Blackwood Industries’ cash flow has collapsed—suppliers aren’t getting paid, and Chairman Victor’s still in critical condition at Salt Lake General! The board’s in chaos!”