Blythe stepped closer and held onto her diamond pendant while she aimed it in the direction of the snake. The diamond was about palm size and had the Eye of Ra in the center of it. It was a gift from her father, Ra. It also was one hell of a weapon against the undead with its ability to flare with UV light when any undead were around.
The diamond began to glow then sent out a flare that turned both the golden snake and Mot’s hand into dust. That no longer a threat, Kysen ran to Cena. Set, who had been closer, reached her first. He had his hand on her forehead and gave Kysen a worried look.
“She’s burning up, Kysen,” Set said gravely. “Look at her throat.”
He lowered his gaze and saw the angry red welts that covered most of the skin on Cena’s throat. Picking her up, he cradled her against him. “Cena. Open your eyes, Cena.”
Her head rolled listlessly on his arm before her eyes fluttered open. Kysen sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of them. Both whites of her eyes were red as if all the blood vessels had burst inside them.
She lifted her gaze to his, but they weren’t completely focused. “Kysen?”
“It’s me, baby. You’re safe now.”
Cena whimpered when she tried to swallow. “My throat. It hurts. My whole body hurts. Mot put me…” Her words trailed off and her eyes blinked closed.
“Wake up, Cena. Mot put you where?”
Her eyes fluttered half open. “He put me in Apep’s circle. Apep put something inside me.” She then slumped against him, unconscious.
Kysen stood with Cena gently cradled to his chest. He met the concerned gazes of his brothers-in-arms and Blythe. Without another word he flashed to the headquarters. He had her laid out on his bed as the others arrived at his quarters.
He put his hand on Cena’s forehead. Her fever still raged. “I have to take her to a hospital,” he said to the room at large.
Mehen came to where he sat on the bed next to Cena and put his hand on top of Kysen’s shoulder. “You can’t. You heard what she said. Apep put something inside her. We take her to a hospital, who knows what we could be exposing the mortals to?”
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing,” he ground out.
Nyx, who had come to the quarters with Desiree and Jordan, pushed her way to the side of the bed. “We’ll look after her. I do have some practice looking after the ill.” She gently placed her hand on Cena’s forehead. “First, we have to get her fever down. Denger, I need you to go to a pharmacy and get some ibuprofen. That should work.”
“I’m on it,” Denger said before he flashed away.
Nyx then pointed to Mehen, Set, Takan and Akori. “You lot need to leave. We have to take her clothes off. The less layers the better.”
“Do you need our help?” Desiree asked, indicating herself, Blythe and Jordan.
“Kysen and I should be fine. It’ll probably be better if there aren’t all of us piled in here. If we need help, we’ll give you a shout. For now, just keep the guys busy.”
After the other women left, Kysen went to work on taking Cena’s shoes off. That done, he lifted one pant leg to take off her sock. More of the angry red welts that were on her throat ran up her leg. “What the fuck did they do to her?”
Nyx met his gaze, looking even more concerned. “They’re here too.” She lifted Cena’s shirt higher. More welts colored the smooth skin of her stomach.
Finished with her shoes and socks, Kysen moved next to Nyx as they lifted Cena to take off her shirt and bra. He clenched his jaw to stop himself from bellowing with rage when he spotted more of the welts, the worst appearing on the left side of her chest, just over her heart.
Settling Cena back down onto the bed, he reached to undo her jeans. A corner of yellowish paper stuck out the top of one of her front pockets. Kysen pinched it between his thumb and index finger and pulled it out. It was a folded piece of papyrus. The same as the first note Mot had left him, this one had his name in hieroglyphs on the top. He opened it slowly.
“Is it another note?” Nyx asked.
“Yes,” Kysen growled. His hands shook with rage as he read what the demon had written.
“What does it say?”
“Mot left this in case his plan for me fell through. The bastard says that Apep’s venom is what is making Cena sick and only Ra will be able to save her. He also says that the venom will make sure she dies before Ra will have a chance to get here. As the dawn touches the horizon the venom will come into full effect.” Kysen crushed the papyrus in his hand. “That’s what the fucker meant when he promised me Cena would be gone by dawn.”
He wasn’t going to be able to save her. Ra was trapped in the underworld the entire night, doing his part to battle Apep. The sun god could do nothing for her now. Somehow he had to find a way to keep her alive. Kysen let out another bellow of rage and turned to throw the balled-up piece of papyrus away. It ended up hitting Denger square in the chest as he flashed into the room.
Denger handed the small white paper bag he carried to Nyx before he picked up the papyrus. The others arrived, drawn by his shout, and crowded around Denger as he smoothed out the note and read it.
“We’ll save her, Kysen,” Denger said as his eyes blazed with anger. “We won’t let Mot win. You won’t lose your mate again. Try the medicine to get her fever down, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll try something else. We won’t give up.”
Takan spoke while he met Kysen’s gaze. “Once it gets closer to dawn, I’ll try to get a hold of Ra. Maybe he’ll be able to do something to stop the spread of the venom before he gets here.” Out of all the warriors, Takan had an easier time communicating with the sun god.
Kysen nodded, too furious to talk. If Cena’s life hadn’t been hanging in the balance, he’d have already left to see if he could hunt down Mot and make the fucker pay. But he wouldn’t be leaving her side for anything.
His brothers-in-arms one by one left his quarters. Denger left with them after he gave his mate a quick hug and kiss. The way Denger had held Nyx, it didn’t take much guessing on Kysen’s part to realize his brother-in-arms was picturing how easy it could have been for his mate to be on the bed slowly dying.
Nyx opened the white paper bag Denger had given her. She pulled out a plastic bottle. “He got the tablets. In her condition, there’s no way she’ll be able to swallow these. I’m going to the kitchen to crush one up and put it into some water. Hopefully we’ll be able to get her to drink it, or I’ll have to send Denger to go get the children’s liquid ibuprofen.” At his nod, she continued. “While I do that, you can get a cool cloth to put on her forehead.”
After Nyx left, Kysen wasted no time getting a cold, wet washcloth from the bathroom. Settling on the bed next to Cena, he gently ran it over her heated face before folding it and putting it on her forehead. Now alone with her, he allowed some of his fear to rise to the surface.
His hand shook as he gently cupped Cena’s face. He had to blink away the burning sensation that built behind his eyes to keep the tears back that threatened to rise. Seeing her like this was killing him. It was too similar to the way he’d lost her in her first life. Then, he’d sat at Acenith’s bedside helpless to do anything as a fever claimed her life during a single night. Cutting off a sob, Kysen took Cena’s hand in his and leaned his forehead against it. He couldn’t lose her again.
Chapter Eleven
Between him and Nyx, they managed to get the small glass of water Nyx had mixed the crushed pill into down Cena’s throat. He’d been able to rouse her out of her stupor enough to get her to drink. With her sitting up, leaning back against his chest, he’d made sure it all went down.
After that, he’d told Nyx she should return to her quarters. All they could do now was wait and see if the medicine would bring down Cena’s fever. Nyx had reluctantly left, promising she’d return in a half hour to see if the pill had kicked it.
Kysen continued to replace cold washcloths on Cena’s forehead once they grew too warm. She’d moan once in a while, but most
ly she just lay on the bed not even aware he was there. He wanted to lie next to her, hold her close and will her to continue fighting to live, but his body heat would do nothing to cool her temperature.
Instead, he pulled back the single sheet that covered her body to look at the welts. The quilt had been pushed to the foot of the bed. Even though Cena shivered, he’d kept the covers to a minimum. The welts hadn’t changed. They covered almost every inch of her body. They also ran in lines as if something had worked its way under skin, leaving a trail of welts in its wake. Feeling helpless, Kysen pulled the sheet back up and tucked it around Cena’s shoulders.
Just before the half hour was up, Nyx stuck her head in the door. “How is she? Any change?”
Kysen pulled the wet facecloth off and pressed the back of his hand to her cheeks and then his palm to her forehead. She was still too hot to the touch. “Damn it, I don’t think it’s working.”
Nyx walked into the room and crossed over to the bed. She rested her palm on Cena’s brow. “She does feel way too hot. If the ibuprofen isn’t working we’re going to have to try a cool bath. If she wakes up in the middle of it, she’s not going to like it.”
“The only thing that matters is if it will bring down her temperature.” Before he could say anything more, Cena suddenly went stiff as a board, then she started to jerk on the bed.
“She’s having a seizure,” Nyx shouted. “Hold her down so she won’t hurt herself.”
Kysen quickly draped himself over top Cena and held her until the seizure ended. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and concentrated on the sound of her beating heart. He needed to keep hearing it and the sound of her blood traveling through her veins.
He lifted himself off Cena and sat beside her once more. “Her temperature is too high. That’s why she seized.”
Nyx gave him a sad look. “I think so.”
“Then we have to get her into a cool bath.”
He pushed off the bed and went to the en suite. Turning on the taps for the bathtub, Kysen filled it with cool water. Once he had it deep enough, he shut them off and returned to the bedroom. Without a word to Nyx, he pulled back the sheet over Cena and lifted her into his arms.
When he had her inside the bathroom, he slowly lowered her into the tub as Nyx came to stand nearby. Cena began to stir when the cool water touched her skin. Immersed in it completely, she started to thrash as her pained moans filled the room.
“Just for a little bit longer, baby,” he said. “This will help bring your temperature down.”
“It hurts,” Cena said with a half sob. “It burns.”
Nyx shifted closer to his side. “Get her out of the water, now. Look what it’s doing.”
Kysen looked down at Cena and saw some of the welts had blistered and then burst, leaking pus into the water. As he watched, a few more rose into blisters. He quickly lifted Cena out of the tub. She quieted as soon as she was free of the water.
He met Nyx’s gaze and swore. “Whatever Apep did to her, he made sure anything we try to save her will make her worse. It more than likely wasn’t the high fever that made her seize, it had to be the medicine we gave her.”
“I think you might be right,” Nyx said, sounding defeated. “The cool washcloths don’t bother her, because they really don’t do a hell of a lot. But anything that would truly help has a negative effect.”
With one of the thick towels stacked on a shelf high above the toilet, Kysen carefully patted Cena dry. The parts he couldn’t reach, Nyx did. Once he had Cena tucked back into bed, he paced the room. There had to be something they could do. He just couldn’t accept that he’d have to sit at her side and watch her slip away.
Nyx came to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “I know this is hard, but we haven’t given up yet.” She then lifted her head from his chest. “I’ve been thinking about something. I know you haven’t told Cena anything about our world, or what will be offered to her once she accepts you as her mate, but what if you were to do the blood exchange to form the mating bond? It saved Blythe when Mehen took too much of her blood when he first fed from her. What if giving Cena some of your blood will be enough to keep her alive until Ra can get here. Feeding from her while she’s sick shouldn’t affect you.”
Kysen kissed Nyx’s forehead and took a step out of her embrace. “I already fed from her once. It’s how I knew she was my mate.”
She blinked. “You did and Cena never realized what you were doing?”
He gave her a crooked grin. “Well, she sort of did, but we were a bit busy doing something else at the time and I was able to hide most of it from her. She thought I got carried away and bit her a little too hard. I healed the bite mark before she found it.”
Nyx smiled. “Aren’t you the sneaky one? All right, since half the blood exchange is done, it’s just a matter of getting Cena to drink yours.”
And once she did, they’d be forever bonded together, able to feel what the other felt and have the intimate link of being able to telepathically communicate with each other as well. Without Cena really knowing what he truly was it might not be something she would have rushed into, but desperate times called for desperate measures. If it helped to save her life, he would take the risk of her being upset about it. Hell, he’d hold her, smile and glory in the fact she was still alive to give him shit.
“I’ll do it,” he said.
“Before you do, I’d feel a little bit better about it if Takan ‘looked’ to see if it won’t make her worse. Just to be on the safe side.”
“So would I.”
Kysen went to the quarters’ door and stuck his head out into the hall. He called Takan’s name. With their sensitive hearing, everyone in the headquarters would easily hear him. One by one, doors down the length of the hall opened. The others left their quarters and came to his.
When they had all crowed inside, Takan said, “You called for me.”
Kysen looked at the others. Nyx had gone to Denger who had put his arm around his mate and held her close to his side. “Everything so far that Nyx and I have tried to do hasn’t worked. If anything, it’s made Cena worse. Nyx suggested I finish the blood exchange, and that hopefully doing it will be enough to keep Cena alive until Ra sees her.” He met what he could see of Takan’s gaze through the other warrior’s hair. “What I need from you is to ‘see’ if we will be doing more damage than good by doing it.”
Takan nodded. “Will it be okay if I touch her? It will help to get a clearer picture.”
When Takan had a vision, putting his hand on the left side of a person’s chest that he was having the vision about helped him to “see” better. Not yet fully mated to Cena, the idea of the other non-mated warrior touching her made Kysen’s protective instincts jumpy, but the logical part of his brain knew he wouldn’t refuse.
“Do it,” he said. “Just don’t take any more time than you need to.”
“I promise.”
Takan went to the bed and sat at Cena’s side. Kysen positioned himself at her head to better watch the other warrior. Takan placed his hand on the left side of her chest and got a faraway look in his eyes. Kysen clenched his fists at his sides to stop himself from trying to jerk Takan away.
After a few seconds, Takan pulled away and stood. Kysen waited expectantly for the other warrior to say something. When Takan did, he felt as if there were a small glimmer of hope.
“Do the blood exchange,” Takan said. “It will hold her to the dawn, but I couldn’t see if Ra arrives in time. My vision showed you doing the exchange an hour before dawn.”
“Thanks, sen. That’s all I needed to hear.” Sen was the word for brother in their native language. Seeing the concern on all of his brothers-in-arms’ faces, knowing they would do anything to help him, Kysen would always feel proud to call them his brothers.
“If you can’t do the exchange for a couple of hours,” Mehen said, “and since there isn’t anything else we can do, we’ll leave you alone with Cena. If that is all right with
you, Kysen?”
“Go,” he answered. “Try to get some rest. I’ll be fine.”
The others filed out of his quarters until only Denger and Nyx remained. She asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“I’m sure. You’ve done more than enough and you look dead on your feet.” Kysen looked at Denger. “Go put your mate to bed.”
Denger nodded. “You know where to find us.”
“Yes. Now shoo.”
Kysen shut his quarters’ door behind Denger and Nyx when they left. He walked to the bed and toed off his boots before he climbed onto the bed to lie next to Cena. He rested his outstretched arm on Cena’s pillow above her head. He gently brushed a lock of hair off her forehead.
When he did the blood exchange he didn’t want any of the others in the room with him. Even though Cena was so ill and more than likely wouldn’t be affected by it, the same couldn’t be said about himself. With feeding and sex tied hand in hand, there would be a good possibility he’d become aroused when he fed Cena. Not that he would act on it, but he didn’t need the others to see him in that condition. Plus the exchange should be something that was done privately between each mated couple.
Remembering the painted portrait he had of Acenith under his pillow, Kysen used his other hand to reach under it for it. He held it next to Cena’s face. The painted one matched the real life one exactly. Now he knew why. If Cena hadn’t looked as she had in her first life, he doubted he would have ever found her again. He could have easily passed her on the street and not have known it was his Acenith who’d walked by.
Tucking the portrait away, Kysen kissed Cena’s fevered brow. All that mattered was he’d found her again. He had a second chance to love her. And no demon or demon god would take her away from him.
Chapter Twelve
An hour before the dawn, Kysen tried to bring Cena around. To do the blood exchange he needed her to drink. No matter how much of his blood he poured down her throat, if she didn’t swallow it, the mating bond wouldn’t form.
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