When she realized nothing she said would pull me away from my mate, her and Shawn left the hospital room without me. They returned fifteen minutes later with a tray full of different foods, and they set the tray on the small table by the bed.
I glanced at the food, but I had no appetite. I was way too worried about Celeste to think about food, but Lynzee wasn't having it. After arguing with me for almost twenty minutes, she insisted that Shawn hold my arms and hands down, while she forced food into my mouth.
I found it to be highly annoying, and eventually I gave in. After I agreed to eat, Shawn released me from his hold, and I immediately grabbed one of the sandwiches off the tray of food.
I didn't eat a lot, but I ate enough to get Lynzee off my back. She had good intentions, but food was the last thing on my mind. However, she was right, and I needed to eat, so I could be there for my mate when she regained consciousness.
Once I was done eating, Shawn and Lynzee picked at the remaining food, while we sat there together. The time seemed to drag by, but I tried my best not to let myself get more discouraged. Of course, that was easier said than done, when the love of your life was laying on a hospital bed fighting for her life.
Celeste POV
I could hear the familiar beeping of a heart monitor, but I could not lift my eyelids no matter how hard I tried. It was the only sound that could be heard when I started to regain some consciousness, and it reminded me of of the time when I woke up after the Moon Goddess brought me back to life.
I could feel a dull tingling on my right hand that kind of resembled the tingling I would feel when those amazing sparks flowed between me and Lance. I wanted so badly to see his handsome face, but my eyelids refused to budge, so I couldn't see him. I could only assume he was there, and that was why my hand was tingling.
The rest of my body ached something terrible. I felt like I had been run over by a dump truck or something big like that, but it didn't make any sense. The last thing I remembered was returning home and going to bed, but I knew I wasn't sleeping in my bed anymore, because my bed was way more comfortable than whatever I was laying on.
Suddenly, my hand stopped tingling, then I felt the slightest tingling on each of my ears, before I heard Lance's wary voice dejectedly mumble, "Sweetie, I know you don't feel well, but you have to keep fighting. You've come too far to let some infection get the better of you."
He sounded so sad, and I just wanted to give him a hug and tell him everything was going to be fine, but my stupid body would not cooperate for nothing. I was completely mind boggled. Werecats didn't hardly ever get sick, and infections were also a rare occurrence with our species.
I prayed to the Moon Goddess to help me open my eyes, but that didn't work either. I was forced to lay there completely still, unable to move even the tiniest bit, and it was horrible.
For hours, I laid there and listened to my loved ones either talk to me or conversate about me. I was glad Lance had somebody there to keep him company, since I was unable to do so. When I heard Lynzee insist that he eat, I was even more happy about her being there.
I hated the thought of my mate not taking care of himself, because he was too worried about me. If there was anything I could have done to ease his worries, I would have done it in a heartbeat.
Chapter 66
Celeste Awakens
Lance POV
I had been sitting beside Celeste's hospital bed for three days straight. I couldn't hardly eat at that point, and every time I fell asleep, I was plagued with dreams about her dying. I was filled with worry, and I felt like I was falling apart at the seams.
The sparks that once flowed between us with a shocking intensity could barely be felt, and I was losing hope by the second. Everybody tried to get me to leave her side and go for a run or take a nap, but I wasn't having any of it.
I was trailing my fingertips up and down her arm, while wishing the sparks would get stronger, when I heard a familiar voice say, "She needs the jungle right now."
Instantly, I whipped my head around to see Alpha Jared standing in the doorway with a look of concern lacing his facial features. His bright green eyes were eerily glowing, and there was a deep frown etched on his face.
He slowly walked toward us, as he adamantly repeated, "She needs the jungle. It will help her more than you realize."
"How can the jungle help her?" I dejectedly asked.
"The same way it helped her when she first shifted," he stated with confidence.
"I don't think we should take her away from the hospital. What if she goes into cardiac arrest or something?" I asked with concern.
"Lance, I need you to trust me on this. I would never put our future Queen's life at risk," he adamantly assured me.
I sighed in frustration, as I ran my fingers through my unruly hair, then I worriedly mumbled, "I'm going to trust you on this, but if anything happens and I lose my mate, I will end your life."
"If our Queen were to die because of a judgement call I made, I wouldn't stop you," he timidly replied, as he started unhooking her from the heart monitor. After that, he gently removed the IV line, then he scooped her up into his arms and stated with urgency, "Let's go. The sooner we get her there, the sooner she will wake up."
Even though I was extremely worried about the leaving the hospital, I immediately followed Alpha Jared in hopes of him being right about the jungle helping her. I had no clue how that could be possible, but it was first time I had felt any hope in the last twenty-four hours.
Once we got outside, Alpha Jared confidently stated, "I'm going to shift into my jaguar, then I want you to lay her over my back. I can get her there faster."
Right away, I held my arms out for him to give me my mate, then I waited for him to shift. As soon as he did, I gently laid Celeste belly down over his back, then I anxiously stated, "Be careful with her. I'll be right behind you."
A split second after the last word left my mouth, Alpha Jared sprinted in the direction of the jungle. I didn't waste any time shifting into my werecat, then I sprinted after him. I didn't even take the time to get undressed and tie my clothes around my ankles. I was entirely way too worried about Celeste, and I just wanted to stay as close to her as possible.
I lost sight of Alpha Jared right away, and I wasn't sure how to feel about that. Part of me was happy that he was going to be able to get her there sooner, but the other part of me hated not being able to see her and make sure she wasn't getting worse.
I ran as fast as I possibly could, and before long I was crossing the border into the Jungle Pack's territory. I assumed he was taking her to the waterfall, since that's where she went when she had her first shift, so that's where I headed.
When I reached her favorite spot, I saw Alpha Jared's jaguar laying on the ground with Celeste still laying over his back. I ran straight to them, then I shifted and immediately plopped down on the ground beside them.
The second my butt landed on the ground, I reached out and gently pulled Celeste's body onto my lap. I used one arm to cradle her against me, as I reached up with my other arm to brush her hair out of her face.
She felt lighter than usual, and I was sure that was from not eating in over three days, but it still didn't help with the overwhelming concern that was consuming me. What did help was the strengthening of the sparks that flowed between us, as I rubbed the pad of my thumb over her pale cheek that was slowly regaining it's rosy color.
I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing and feeling. I don't know how it was possible, but being in that special area of the jungle seemed to be helping Celeste at an unprecedented rate. I looked over at Alpha Jared, who had shifted back into his human form, then I sheepishly asked, "How is this possible?"
He chuckled at my question with his eyes filled with relief, then he proudly explained, "This area of the jungle is enchanted with special healing capabilities for our species. It was enchanted hundreds of years ago by a witch who was bestfriends with Queen Lolita."
"Does Cel
este know about this area being enchanted?" I curiously asked.
"I don't know. I haven't told her, but she might have heard about it from one of our other pack members," he nonchalantly replied.
I gazed down at Celeste's pretty face and softly murmured, "Did you hear that, sweetie? Your ancestor's witch friend enchanted your favorite spot to help our species."
Suddenly, the corner of her lip twitched a few times, and there was no stopping the smile that formed on my face, as relief flooded through me. Instantly, I hugged her against my chest and happily mumbled, "I can feel you coming back to me," as I felt her happiness start flowing through her mate bond.
It was the first time I had felt any of her emotions in days, and it felt wonderful. I was so excited about the unexpected turn of events. Not only that, I was thankful. I wouldn't have thought to bring her to the jungle, if it weren't for Alpha Jared's wise words and reassurance.
I had been hugging Celeste for awhile, when I heard a muffled groan. Right away, I loosened my arms and let her head tilt back, then she groaned again. I brushed away the stray hairs that had fallen in her face, then I affectionately coaxed, "Please, open your eyes, sweetie. Show us those stunning sapphire eyes of yours that I miss like crazy."
She groaned again, then I watched her eyelids slowly flutter open to reveal her hazy, green eyes for just a second, then they slammed back shut. A few seconds later, her lips slowly curved up to form a weak smile, as her eyelids parted just a little bit to sneak a peek at me.
That's when I realized the sun was hurting her eyes. Instantly, I used my hand to block the sun from her eyes, then she immediately opened them the rest of the way and gazed at me with nothing but love.
I smiled at the love of my life, as I softly murmured, "I have missed you so much," then I dipped my head down and placed a sweet kiss on her dry lips.
Celeste POV
I don't know how long I was in a state of darkness, but I was starting to think it was going to last an eternity. I could hear everything that was happening, when I wasn't in a deep sleep, but I was in too much pain and too weak to move any part of my body.
It was killing me to hear so much sadness and defeat in Lance's voice. I could hear the hopelessness in him getting worse, and all I wanted to do was hold his hand and let him know everything was going to be okay.
When I heard Alpha Jared's voice recommend taking me to the jungle, I was instantly filled with hope. Lance was clearly hesitant, but he put his faith in Alpha Jared and took his advice.
I could feel them unhooking me from everything, but when I was picked up my whole body felt like it had been run over. Everything hurt so bad, and it caused me to completely lose all consciousness.
As I started to regain some consciousness sometime later, I could feel a difference with the level of pain I was experiencing. It was nowhere near as bad as it was before. Not only that, I could feel those amazing sparks again.
After Lance asked me if I heard what Alpha Jared said about the jungle being enchanted by a witch, I felt my lip twitch in response, then I suddenly felt a wave of happiness course through our mate bond for the first time in... I don't even know how long.
Lance murmured a few more sweet words, then I felt him hugging me against his chest. It felt so nice to be in his loving arms again, but I was also still feeling quite a bit of pain.
I don't know how much longer it was before I heard myself groan from the pain. Lance was quick to loosen his hold on me, then I groaned again, as I felt my head tilt back. A second later, he brushed the hairs out of my face and affectionately murmured, "Please, open your eyes, sweetie. Show us those stunning sapphire eyes of yours that I miss like crazy."
I put all of my focus on trying to open my eyes and groaned again, then I felt my eyelids slowly flutter open. I tried to focus on Lance's face, but the sun was so bright, I had to quickly snap my eyelids back shut.
I waited a few seconds, then I parted my eyelids just enough to see his handsome face. Goddess, I had missed seeing his face, and there was no stopping the weak smile that had formed after I got the first glance. I kept the smile on my face, as he used his hand to shield my eyes from the sun, then I opened them the rest of the way and gazed into his love-filled eyes.
Lance beamed a relieved smile at me, as he softly murmured, "I have missed you so much," then he placed a sweet kiss on my lips.
I still felt insanely weak, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the way his soft lips felt against mine. When he pulled his lips away, I weakly croaked, "I missed seeing your face."
Instantly, Lance chuckled and it was like music to my ears. After listening to his sad voice for what I assumed was days, it was a wonderful sound to hear.
He pecked another kiss on my lips, then he hugged me against his chest, as he mumbled, "Please, don't ever scare me like this again."
I snuggled my face against his warm, bare chest and enjoyed those amazing sparks that I had been missing. They were flowing between us with their full strength again, and it was one of the best feelings in the world.
I never wanted to stop feeling them, and I never wanted to make my mate worry about me like that again either. After close to a minute of snuggling my face against his chest, I tilted my head just enough to gaze into his eyes, as I weakly mumbled, "I'll try not to scare you again, but if something like this does ever happen in the future, I won't you to take better care of yourself."
Lance flashed me a sheepish smile, then he timidly replied, "I'm sorry, sweetie. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving your side."
I pecked a kiss on the mark I gave him, then I rested my head on his shoulder and drowsily mumbled, "I love you, Lance."
"I love you, Celeste," I heard him softly murmur, as I drifted to sleep. I was still too weak from the illness to stay awake for more than a few minutes, but I was happy about getting to see my love even it was for a short amount of time.
Chapter 67
Healing
Lance POV
Celeste was only able to stay awake for a few minutes, then she fell unconscious again. Alpha Jared assured me it was normal, and he was adamant that she would regain her normal strength back within a day or so, if I kept her there.
Since the waterfall was her favorite place to be, I had no problem staying there with her, especially if it would help her finish healing. I would have enjoyed our time there more if she was able to stay awake, but I was willing to do whatever it took to get her feeling better.
Alpha Jared sat with us for a few hours, then he needed to go check in with his border patrols. After he left, I continued to sit on the ground with Celeste resting on my lap.
She looked like she was sleeping so much more peacefully, than when she was unconscious at the hospital. There was a small smile playing on her lips, and her heart wasn't beating as erratically anymore. Not only that, her cheeks had returned to their usual rosy tint, and her overall complexion was nowhere near as pale as it was before.
I was thrilled to see all of those positive changes that indicated she was healing, and I couldn't wait for her to get back to normal. It had been terrifying to watch my mate fighting for her life at the hospital, and I was beyond relieved to see her getting better.
After nearly four hours of her sleeping, my eyes started to droop. I was having a hard time keeping them open, when I heard Celeste groggily mumble, "Mate, are you alright?"
That was all it took for my eyes to spring wide open, then I gazed into her sleepy, sapphire orbs that were swirling with concern. I flashed a tired smile at her and drowsily replied, "I'm fine, sweetie."
"You don't look fine," she worriedly mumbled.
"I'm just a little tired," I sheepishly admitted.
"You look rough, Lance. What can I do to help?" she anxiously asked with a frown.
I chuckled at her bluntness, before I adamantly insisted, "You can go back to sleep. That is what will help me the most."
"I will only go back to sleep if you lay down with me. You need the sleep mo
re than me," she stated with determination, and I knew there was no point in trying to argue with her about it.
I caressed her cheek and lovingly gazed into her captivating eyes that were shining a little brighter than the first time she regained consciousness. After a few seconds, I softly murmured, "I would love to lay down with you."
Instantly, her lips curved up to form a smile, then she drowsily mumbled, "Good, because I don't think I can keep my eyes open for much longer."
I didn't waste any time laying her down on the ground, then I laid next to her. Right away, I pulled her abnormally light body against mine, then I brought my lips to her ear and whispered, "Sleep well, sweetie."
"You do the same," she sleepily murmured, and I knew she would be unconscious again in a matter of seconds.
I placed a soft kiss on her cheek, then I cuddled her close to me and enjoyed the way her intoxicating scent enveloped me. I had been able to smell her scent the whole time she was ill, but it was faint, and now her scent was stronger, because she was healing. After a few minutes of cuddling, I felt my eyes start drooping again, then it wasn't long before I drifted to sleep.
Celeste POV
When I regained consciousness the second time, I took one glance at Lance, and I was immediately filled with concern. He looked worse than I had ever seen him, and there was no stopping myself from worrying about him.
He assured me he was fine and claimed that he was just a little tired, but he was insistent that I go back to sleep. However, I told him I wouldn't go back to sleep unless he laid down with me.
After Lance agreed, he laid me down on the ground, then he cuddled with me, and it didn't take long for me to drift right back to sleep. I hated that I couldn't stay awake for more than a few minutes, but it was something I couldn't control at that point in time.
Revenge : His Mysterious Werecat Page 28