by Kyle, Celia
When the shuttle bumped down softly on the roof of Preor tower, he was so startled he actually jumped within his seat. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts, he had not even noticed they neared their destination. He wandered out of the shuttle toward the roof doors, disorientated and dizzy. The feeling didn’t ease as he made it to the clinic, where he was now gripped with cold shivers that ran through his joints.
“Whelon! There you are. I have been waiting—” Chashan’s voice cut off as his healer’s instincts surged. “Whelon, you are not well,” Chashan said carefully. He came closer and leaned in to examine Whelon’s face. “Your eyes are tinted yellow,” Chashan reported quietly. “Your internal organs are under extreme duress and your liver and kidneys are not functioning properly.”
“It is Knowing sickness,” Whelon snapped shortly and Chashan’s eyes widened.
“I heard a rumor you had found your mate and were being kept from her, but I never imagined it was the truth! This is unprecedented, Whelon. You need to be by her side.”
Whelon shook his head. “It is not possible.”
Chashan took a step back, a tortured expression overtaking his features. “I am your healer now, Whelon,” he spoke sternly, his wings tense and his form rigid. “If I want you transported to her, you will not get a choice in the matter.”
“Fair enough, healer. For now, let me assist you in your tasks.” Whelon tried to smile, but his lips did not quite form the curl he sought.
Chashan shook his head and moved over to examine one of the women present in the clinic.
“Hey, hey, Healing Master Whelon.” Lily joi Argan King swung her feet off the edge of the bed, mouth pulled back in a wide grin. She had one hand on her swelling belly, near to term with perhaps six weeks remaining. She looked well but had dark circles under her eyes.
Whelon took a few basic readings and then turned to Chashan with concern. His friend nodded grimly.
“What? Don’t keep me in suspense.” Lily’s humor had not disappeared even as she struggled with exhaustion.
“Your readings are erratic, Lily. We need you to remain in the clinic under observation,” Whelon announced.
“Nope.” Lily shook her head.
Argan rubbed Lily’s back and leaned over to kiss her. “You will do as the healing masters advise. For yourself and our dragonlet.”
This spurred an argument between the mated pair and Whelon raised a hand as he spoke, interrupting them before it became too heated. “We shall set up a room nearby—on the first floor—with all the comforts of home.”
He knew he literally made up the conditions on the spot, but it was a decent solution and one he believed they could manage without too much difficulty.
“I have not checked the others yet, but I know several of you have numerous risk factors. You do not need to stay within the clinic’s walls, but we want you close.”
Lily sighed and rubbed her taut belly, finally nodding her agreement. From the way she kept her gaze from his, Whelon knew she sensed the potential weakness in her body. She may hate it, but she had to know he was correct.
Whelon checked on Delaney and Hanna next and was fairly pleased with them both. Hanna was exhausted, but Brukr supported her every second, helping her with her other young and bringing her anything she required. She still had a few months to go, and he and Chashan agreed she could return home but must return to the clinic for weekly checkups.
Delaney, however, was in almost the same position as Lily. The genetic changes had created some kind of feedback in her nerve process, which randomly affected other parts of her body.
“I want Dawn on this,” Whelon stated thoughtfully.
“I agree,” Chashan nodded. “Khaza says she is an extremely talented heart master in training, but she can also sense internal injuries. I want her to use her senses on both Delaney and Lily.”
Delaney waved at Lily, giving her a wry look. “You and me, babe. Genetic freaks.”
“Better than being normal.” Lily grinned.
Finally, both healing masters turned to Ellie.
“Where is it?” Whelon looked around the ceiling, searching out the invisible rat-creature.
“It is on her shoulder.” Ivoth sat in a nearby chair, head in his hands. “It will not leave her.”
Whelon heard a faint cha-cha whispering and stepped back.
“He’s just worried.” Ellie said gently with a small smile. “He wants a big family.”
“Hmm…” Chashan moved his head back and forth, as if changing his perspective would allow him to see the strange creature.
“Will he allow us to examine you?” Whelon looked at Ellie’s shoulders warily.
“He says I’m fine—Ow! Charlie!”
“What happened?” Ivoth leapt to his feet in an instant.
“It’s okay.” Ellie gritted her teeth. “He just got a bit protective.” Ivoth clenched his fists, wings high as he scowled at the air around Ellie’s shoulders and Ellie giggled. “You know he likes you, Ivoth. You can’t intimidate him.”
Whelon sighed as Chashan turned and strode away. The majority of the Preor still had problems with the little venomous Quasti and Whelon did not blame them for their reticence.
“Ellie, I would like you in a nearby room like Lily and Delaney. Can you please speak with Charlie and talk him down? You are nearing seven months now. I’d like to do a scan on the ryaapir unit.”
“Charlie doesn’t like the waves of the machine.”
Whelon simply scowled but remained silent.
“All right, all right, I’ll talk to him, but he says he’s far better at healing me than you are.”
Whelon grimaced. “Understood. But it is better that he allows us to view the scan now, so we can help him rather than wait for disaster to strike.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Ellie promised.
Whelon knew he could not expect much more than that simple agreement so he went to update his patients’ files. The only thing he should be worried over were the new dragonlets about to be born into this world, but all he could think about was his mate.
He slipped away from the main clinic into a small area in the back reserved for quick breaks. He did not want tea. Nor biscuits. He wanted Sasha.
The exhaustion of needing her made it feel as if his muscles dripped from his bones. He sensed the other Preor practically walking on eggshells as they moved around him, careful not to inflict a worse wound on him. They must all be trying to imagine being kept from their mate and what it would feel like, what it would do to them.
They can imagine, but they cannot know, he thought. It has never been done before.
He knew he had to get out there and find her once again. He could not fight the urge forever and he knew it was only a matter of time until his dragon took all control and began the hunt on his behalf.
He could not let that happen. The media whipped themselves into a frenzy and if he flew up and carried her away, it would not look like a fairytale. It would look like a nightmare come to life.
Chapter Seventeen
Despite the smooth movement of the elevator, Sasha’s stomach lurched and protested. She had been trying to hold her guts together since the moment she woke, and the longer she went without Whelon, the worse she felt.
Are you suffering too, shaa kouvi?
She knew he was and couldn’t stand the knowledge that she was the cause. Maybe, after today, they could find some time to be together. Her mother wanted this news piece filmed and Sasha planned to deliver.
Once she was in front of the cameras, her mother couldn’t stop her. She could say whatever she wanted, and no one would be able to prevent her words from reaching the public. Her mother could cut the feed, but she couldn’t force Sasha to say anything she didn’t want to say.
Not anymore, she thought furiously. Not now that I know I’m worth far more than my looks or celebrity status.
As they walked through the newsroom on the top floor, her mother boldly waved at other cel
ebrities and spoke noisily with producers. Everyone was impressed she had managed to get close to the Preor and couldn’t wait to hear her piece. Sasha followed, head down, wondering if she was going to gag and dry heave on live television.
“Sasha,” the head producer addressed her, shock in his voice. Sasha hadn’t even realized they’d reached the set. “You look awful.”
Way to make a girl feel good, dude. She didn’t have the strength for words but did manage a deep scowl.
“I know,” her mother said plaintively. “I tried to give her some pills. They have all sorts of stuff these days that can wake you up, put color in your cheeks, and take the swelling out of your eyes, but the damn girl won’t even drink a cup of coffee!”
The producer eyed Sasha warily and with some concern. “Is she fit to do the piece?”
“Of course,” her mother said briskly. “She’ll be fine. Be ready to roll in five minutes.”
Jenna put an arm around Sasha’s shoulder and pulled her to the center of the stage. She fussed over her hair for a few seconds and then gave one of her big, fake smiles. “Now, Sasha, just go over what we discussed. No need to deviate from the script. I know you’re tired, and after this we’ll get something nice to eat and visit a day spa. What do you think?”
Sasha’s heart leapt in expectation of a reward, but… it was the habitual response of someone suffering long-term emotional abuse. It made her sad as well as angry that she had lived her entire life chasing these crumbs from her mother.
Whelon is the whole fucking cake, she thought dreamily. He’s a great big layered cake with cream and strawberries and thick frosting…
She shook her head. Jenna certainly didn’t let her eat food like that, even after the promise of treats. Sasha’s mouth watered, just a little, as thoughts of Whelon and cake collided in her mind. There was whipped cream, strawberries and crumbs in the strangest of places and she giggled.
I didn’t think I had it in me. I guess I’m just that damn hungry.
Not for decent food, but for Whelon. If she focused on her sexual desire for her mate, the Knowing sickness seemed to settle a little. The idea of pressing her skin against his was the only thing that gave her relief from the illness that plagued her.
Somewhere far outside her awareness, Sasha heard the countdown. It screamed through her mind, habit making her straighten, put her hand on her hip and toss back her long, thick hair. As the director stopped counting out loud and held up two fingers, then one, she took a deep breath and switched it on.
“Welcome, I’m Sasha Dane and tonight we’re discussing what’s on everyone’s mind—the Preor. The Preor are a strange and ancient race.” Her voice came out with a smooth persuasive melody. “As most of you know, they arrived here after Earth’s treaty with the Ujal, but what do any of us really know about the Preor? We hear rumors. We have questions. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to interact with them. Some of these encounters are positive, some negative, but I’m here to give you a firsthand account of what happened to me when I was recently in their company.”
Her mother gestured at her furiously just out of camera shot, capering like a demented elf. Sasha was supposed to say “abducted” and talk about how the winged demons forced her away from her family and brainwashed her—poisoned her.
Sasha wasn’t going to lie, but she didn’t know enough about the Preor to sing their praises, either. She knew they had killed when they protected their mates and didn’t seem to give a damn about the loss of life. One of the first incidents, where War Master Jarek had fought his attackers on the beach and across the ocean was still being talked about, and it had been potentially catastrophic.
Sasha couldn’t ignore this. Her time with them had shown her they were arrogant to a fault. They would continue to do whatever they wanted and were not restrained by the laws set out in the treaty. They said they were, but Sasha had seen enough to know that when it came down to it, they did what they needed to do and didn’t worry about the consequences.
Apparently, Whelon himself had almost crash landed on a busy city street. They weren’t blameless in this.
Sasha straightened and talked openly about her experience at the Choosing. She showed her disgust at the way both human women—and some Preor—had behaved. It was almost like the fancy balls held hundreds of years ago where fathers and brothers paraded women around in an effort to sell them to the right husband.
She went on to talk about the Knowing, the rush and thrill of its presence. How everyone in the room had stepped away when it began. There was no question of a Preor taking a woman who was not his mate. It was not genetically possible.
Her mother made striking motions with her hand, desperately trying to get Sasha to stop. Jenna turned to the cameraman and tried to switch off the feed, but the production manager quickly had security restrain her mother.
Sasha grinned in amusement. She put the effort into her performance and revealed as much as she could from the Knowing. Some things she could not speak of, but much of it she was able to share with the world. When she spied the manager making a “wrap-up” motion, she finished the piece by saying people needed to make up their own minds, get the facts, and not follow rumors.
As she stepped down, the manager and producer came forward, all smiles and congratulations for her performance. They promised her a weekly spot, maybe even more if she was willing to keep reporting honestly and without bias.
“What the fuck was that?” Her mother’s howl cut through the air as she fought free of the security team. “That is not what we rehearsed, Sasha! How dare you disobey me. No big dinner. No day spa. You’re going home to eat a bowl of rice and work on the exercise bike for at least an hour.”
Sasha’s heart sank though she knew she would never succumb to her mother’s strict punishments ever again. Her heart hurt because Jenna was so twisted that she had to keep behaving this way and would likely never accept that she was in the wrong.
The production manager and producer argued with Jenna immediately, showing her the feed from social media and the onslaught of praise and support Sasha received from the audience. As Jenna yelled louder and louder, Sasha drifted away in the direction of the break room.
But she didn’t enter. No, instead, she kept walking toward the hated elevator, feeling a throb in her chest that was more than just her heart.
Whelon’s coming.
She didn’t know how she knew. She simply knew. The most likely place to find him was his clinic and as she stepped into the elevator, she pulled out her phone to call a taxi.
It would take her mother a while to figure out that Sasha wasn’t getting coffee. She had become so accustomed to Sasha’s obedience that she could be gone for an hour or more before her mother noticed she was gone.
Sasha left the building with a spring in her step, her body coming alive at just the promise of seeing Whelon again. She didn’t know how they were going to work their mating out, but for now, that didn’t matter.
All that mattered was getting to him. They had plenty of time to work the rest out later.
Chapter Eighteen
Whelon could not get away from Preor Tower until mid-morning though he had some trained healing warriors head out to his impromptu clinic first thing, just to triage and give support to those waiting to be seen. He wanted more food on offer and hoped to pull in an even bigger crowd than the previous day.
Chashan and a few others wondered why he wasted so much time on people who hated their kind and most likely always would. Whelon took the attitudes to heart, wounded by their opinions, especially from Chashan.
“You were not there, friend,” he spoke carefully, mindful of his anger. “I know you, Chashan. You are a healer to your core. You would not let these people suffer.”
Chashan shook his head. “You know there are conflicting media reports about what happened there yesterday. Do you not?”
Whelon frowned. He had had not known. Chashan raised his eyebrows, wings ruffling and making a rustlin
g sound like an aggravated bird preparing for flight. “Some news reports say you are helping the humans, but others believe you are hurting them.”
Whelon shrugged, big wings moving with the subtle shift of muscle. “Sounds like our people need a better press editor.”
Then he turned to make his way to the roof, realizing that the Knowing had gifted him with some knowledge of his mate’s profession.
As he packed the short flight shuttle with supplies, he could not cease thinking about Sasha. He planned to find her today, even though he knew he would have a full day’s work ahead of him simply treating the poor.
When he arrived, he was pleased to see that the warriors and healers had set up more tents—the area looking more like a fair than a hospital. Especially with the big tables of food up and down the street.
Children played up and down the road, kicking a ball or trying to fly paper airplanes. Whelon was touched by how many warriors played with the children. It was obvious that they all truly cared about improving conditions for the people who lived there.
If they wish to report that I’m a monster, let them, he thought. I shall be a monster any day of the week so long as I can help these people.
As he entered the main building they had commandeered, he found it even more full than the previous day. He knew most of his tasks would be to administer vitamins, immune-boosting serum and antibiotics. They would have to keep providing good food for several weeks. Otherwise his help would soon be worse than useless.
Treating the symptoms does not alleviate the cause, he thought with mounting frustration. I can patch them up, but they will not stay well unless we do something permanent.
He had no idea what that might be, but it would not be hard to continue sending out food and other supplies like blankets and clothes. A few Preor could also fix broken walls and roofs within a few hours.
“Welcome.” He smiled as he passed the line of people. “Thank you for your patience. I will see everyone as quickly as I can.”