swollen and inflamed.
She raised the light.
Then she saw it.
Deep inside the ear canal, there was something black.
Wet.
Moving.
Rosalie’s fear gave way to instinct.
She boiled water, found alcohol, placed a porcelain bowl on the table, and took out her sewing tweezers.
Gideon grabbed her wrist before she could begin.
He wrote a word.
*Dangerous.*
Rosalie took the pencil from him.
*More dangerous if it stays. Do you trust me?*
For a long moment, Gideon stared at her.
Then he nodded.
Rosalie carefully inserted the tweezers.
