Dark Prince's Dilemma
Page 23
65
Lokan
The wait was intolerable. As Carol had promised, she’d texted Arwel before proceeding with the test and told him that from that point on Kian would be the one keeping them updated.
When Kian’s first text arrived several minutes later, Arwel read it out loud. “Carol administered the toxin, and she looked comfortable as she passed out. It hasn’t been painful. She is hooked to monitoring equipment and Bridget is watching it like a hawk. Tell Lokan that everything looks good so far.”
Lokan was starting to change his mind about Kian. He was a pretty decent guy. First of all, he was a man of his word. Secondly, it seemed he had a good heart under his gruff exterior, as evidenced by that last comment. He empathized with Lokan and his concern for Carol, and given that Kian didn’t trust or like him, it was unexpected.
About twenty minutes later, Arwel’s phone buzzed with another message. “Carol’s vitals have slowed down to stasis level, and Bridget says that everything is fine and Carol is in no danger. She is going to keep her in stasis for three hours to see whether her body revives on its own or requires intervention. So, unless something changes, don’t expect texts from me until three hours from now.”
Arwel pocketed his phone and pushed to his feet. “Well, I guess I should go.”
Lokan didn’t want to be left alone. “Can you stay? You can tell me about the Brothers who joined your clan. I’m curious about them.”
Arwel sat back down. “What do you want to know?”
“Both of them helped Carol, Robert by saving her from Sharim and Dalhu by avenging her. I would like to thank them in person. Do you think Kian would allow them to come here?”
Arwel shrugged. “Dalhu and Robert are trusted clan members now, so I don’t see why Kian would have a problem with that, but I don’t think they would want to come.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Dalhu doesn’t want to be reminded of his past. He has a loving mate and an occupation that is his passion. His life with the clan is full of light and hope. He wishes to put his warrior days behind him and not think about the lives he took.”
That didn’t sound like the same guy who’d taken Sharim’s head off with a sword.
“And yet he joined you in a battle against his Brothers and fought by your side. According to you, Dalhu wishes to stay away from bloodshed.”
Arwel smiled. “I guess he gets the itch from time to time. Besides, he had a personal vendetta against that bastard. From what I heard, Dalhu had befriended one of the girls in the brothel, and when he found out that she was tortured by the sadist, he dreamed of the day he could end him.”
“He got his wish.”
“Yeah, and then some. You should have seen that sword fight. They were both magnificent, but Dalhu is a big guy, incredibly strong, and it was personal for him. He won even though he was less skilled.”
“Did he join any other battles?”
“Yeah, one more. As I said, he gets twitchy from time to time and needs some action. What bugs me, though, is that other than some weight-lifting, he doesn’t train at all, and he still is a formidable fighter. He’s a natural.”
“Interesting fellow. He must feel conflicted.”
“Not really. He is usually quite serene, and I would’ve known if it was just a façade. His art fulfills him.”
“Good for him. I wish I knew what could do it for me. If Kian doesn’t release me, I might take up sculpting.”
Arwel chuckled. “Do you have any talent?”
“I don’t know. I never tried. But I’m inspired to sculpt Carol. A thousand years from now humans will discover her statues and think that she was a goddess.”
“You are a man in love.”
Was he?
“What is love?”
Thinking he was joking, Arwel chuckled.
“I’m serious. I’ve never loved anyone, and no one has ever loved me. How does it feel?”
The Guardian shrugged. “I’ve never been in love either, but I love my mother and I have a very close relationship with some of the Guardians. We are like brothers.” He chuckled again. “It’s funny that you guys call yourself a Brotherhood but don’t act like it.”
By now Lokan should have been used to the jabs at the Brotherhood coming from Carol and Arwel and other clan members, but it still annoyed him. “You call yourself a clan, a family, do you like everyone in your clan?”
“No, not everyone. But many.”
“Same here. The organization can be different, the leadership might be different, but people are the same. Good and bad and everything in between.”
Arwel sighed. “I might appear judgmental to you, but it’s not on a personal level. I judge the Brotherhood based on its deeds, and those are damning no matter what you say or how you try to twist things around to make yourself look good. And by you I mean the Brotherhood, not you personally.”
Lokan couldn’t argue with that logic. He decided to change topics. “What can you tell me about Robert?”
“He’s a quiet fellow. Kian has him working in acquisitions. I’ve heard that he is dedicated and methodical.”
“So, he has left his soldiering days behind as well?”
“Not only that. He left his old name behind as well. I don’t think even Carol knows what he was called before.”
“Do you like him?”
“I've hardly ever spoken to him. He keeps to himself.”
“But you can feel him the same way you feel Dalhu and me and everyone else?”
“Not everyone, but yes. Robert gets nervous around people, so all I get from him is anxiety.”
“What about his mate? What is she like?”
“His exact opposite. Sharon is a firecracker. I think it’s common for mates to have complementary characters.”
“Interesting. I think that Carol and I are more alike than different.”
66
Carol
“Wake up, Carol. It’s all over. You can open your eyes.”
Someone squeezed her hand. “If you don’t wake up right now, I’m going to pee on this freaking chair.”
Opening her eyes required concentrated effort, as did processing the two different voices. Her head felt as if it was stuffed with cotton balls.
“That’s good. A little more.” Someone rubbed her arm with a wet washcloth.
As the fog lifted a little, Carol identified the speakers. The authoritative voice belonged to Bridget, and the one who needed to pee so badly was Ella.
Forcing her fingers to loosen their hold on Ella’s hand nearly made her pass out again.
“Thank God,” Ella breathed. “I’ll be right back.”
By the sound of her flip-flops slapping the floor, Ella ran out of the room. Carol’s field of vision was limited to the blue sheet draped over her.
“The experiment went very well,” Bridget said. “You were in stasis for three and a half hours when your vitals started coming back on line. Would you like me to raise the head of the bed?”
Carol nodded.
“I’ll get you some water to drink.”
A moment later, Bridget touched a straw to her lips, and Carol took a tentative sip, then another, and another. The more she drank, the better she felt.
“Was there anything in this water?” she asked when she emptied the cup. “It felt like I was drinking from the fountain of life.”
“Water is the fountain of life.” Bridget poured her another one. “It’s clean spring water. For some reason, this is what works best after stasis.”
“You said I was reviving on my own.”
Bridget nodded.
“Then I will need a larger dose for the island. Three and a half hours are not long enough. I need to be out for at least twelve.”
Now that she’d been through it, Carol was no longer scared to try it again. It had felt like falling asleep. The waking up was not fun, but it wasn’t terrible either.
“Do you want to give it another go?” Brid
get asked.
“Not now, but perhaps in a few days when I’m back to normal. Right now I feel like my bones are made from Play-Doh.”
“You’re awake.” Kian entered the room. “How are you feeling?”
“Ready to go dancing. Did you text Arwel?”
“I’m going to do it right now. Any message that you want me to convey?”
“Yes, please. Tell him that I’m awake and that I’m coming home as soon as I find someone to take me. I don’t think I will be okay to drive anytime soon.”
“I’ll take you,” Ella said, walking in.
Tears pooled in Carol’s eyes as she thought about her friend sitting next to her and holding her hand for hours. “Thank you for not letting go of me.”
Ella leaned and kissed her cheek. “Never.”
“My mother wants to visit Lokan again, so we can take you,” Kian said. “There is plenty of room in the limo.”
Great. Just what she needed in her weakened state. A limousine ride with the goddess. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Carol had imagined Lokan rushing up to her and lifting her in his arms, and then she was going to tell him that she loved him. Now it would have to wait for later.
But it wasn’t as if she could refuse.
“Do I have time to go to my house and change clothes?”
Kian nodded. “Meet us in the parking garage in an hour.”
As Kian left the room, Bridget shook her head. “I would have preferred for you to stay a little longer. But I understand your need to get back to your mate after a difficult experience like that.” She started removing the various tubes and needles attached to Carol, including the innocent-looking insulin pump.
“Are you expecting any complications?”
“You are going to be dizzy and weak, and I suggest that you get in bed and rest until tomorrow.”
“Not a bad idea, doctor. My mate can pamper me for a change.”
Bridget arched a brow. “You should order takeout.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I had to teach the pampered prince how to operate the coffeemaker, and I don’t think he knows what a washer and dryer even look like. He had servants doing everything for him.”
As Carol swung her legs over the side of the bed, Ella gave her a hand and wrapped an arm around her middle. “Try to get up on your own. If you can’t, I’ll pull you to me.”
“Wait,” Bridget said. “I’ll bring a wheelchair. I don’t want you walking more than a few steps to the bathroom.”
Surprisingly, Carol didn’t feel the urge to pee. Were her internal organs still numb? Or was she dehydrated?
Almost an hour later, Ella wheeled Carol to the parking garage, where Brundar and Anandur were already waiting with Okidu by the limousine.
“I heard that the test went well,” Anandur said. “How are you feeling?”
She grimaced. “Like the walking dead. Poor Ella had to help me in the shower and to get dressed, and then she had to wheel me here.”
“Julian offered to take you, but I wanted to finish what I started. Besides, it’s a chance to see the goddess again. Regrettably, we didn’t get an invitation to one of her lunches or dinners yet. I hope she’ll get to us before she leaves.”
Just then the elevator pinged before opening, and Kian stepped out together with Annani.
Gliding over as if she was walking on air, Annani smiled warmly at Carol. “I am so glad that everything went well and that you are all right.”
“Greetings, Clan Mother,” Ella said and bowed her head.
Anandur and Brundar did the same, and then Anandur bent down and lifted Carol off the chair. “Let me get you inside.”
She patted his shoulder. “I could’ve done it myself. I'm not that weak.”
Not letting go of her, he slid into the back seat and then deposited her next to him. “I know you don’t like the role of a damsel in distress, but it gives me pleasure to assist you.”
Hopefully, Anandur wasn’t planning on carrying her all the way to Lokan. Even though he was her cousin and happily mated to another, it would have been awkward.
“Perhaps you should load the wheelchair in the trunk. It’s a long walk from the parking garage to the dungeon.”
67
Lokan
“Wear something nice,” Arwel said. “The goddess is coming to see you. Carol is hitching a ride with her and Kian.”
Normally, Lokan would have been enthused about a visit from Annani, but right now the only person he wanted to see was Carol.
He needed to hold her in his arms and confirm that she was okay. The hours of waiting had been made tolerable by Arwel’s company and Kian’s updates, but they were still the hardest he’d ever experienced, and he’d been through enough shit throughout his life to fill ten books the size of War and Peace.
He’d been to hell and back more times than he cared to remember, and yet nothing had affected him as much as the prospect of losing Carol had.
And the thing was, she’d never even been in real danger.
The doctor had an antidote.
“I think I figured out what love is,” he murmured.
Arwel arched a brow. “I’m all ears.”
“It’s when you can’t imagine yourself going on without her, when being apart from her feels like a big piece of you is missing, and when you are willing to give up everything you ever held dear to be with her and you don’t even feel guilty about it.”
“It sounds like an obsession to me.”
“It is.”
“Then I hope I’m not going to meet my mate anytime soon. I have enough trouble dealing with life as it is.”
Lokan shook his head. “All of that will change when you meet her. You’ll feel grateful, and you’ll thank your Fates for the blessing they bestowed upon you. You know why?”
“I can’t imagine.”
“Because being with her will make you feel better than you’ve ever thought possible.”
Arwel snorted. “I can’t believe that I’m getting a lecture about love from a Doomer. Go get dressed, Lokan. They should be here shortly, and I know that you like to look fancy for the goddess.”
Lokan looked down at his rumpled shirt and slacks. Carol had offered to iron them for him, but he’d refused to let her waste her time on that, when all he’d wanted her to do was have fun and not think about the upcoming test.
“I don’t have anything better. Besides, I don’t think Annani cares what I wear, and I know for a fact that Carol doesn’t.” He walked over to the bar and pulled out another bottle of beer.
His fifth that day.
“Do you want a beer?” he asked the Guardian.
“No, thank you.” Arwel went back to reading on his phone.
Several minutes later, Arwel’s phone buzzed with a message.
“They are coming down. You know the drill.”
Yeah, he did. He was supposed to sit on the couch with his hands on his knees and not make any sudden moves.
Except, when the door opened and Anandur wheeled in Carol, Lokan cast Kian a pleading look.
“It’s okay, you can get up and go to her.”
Carol started pushing up from the wheelchair, but he was there to lift her in his arms before her bottom left the seat. “You told me that you were okay.”
She had dark circles under her eyes, and her skin had a gray hue instead of her regular peach one.
“I am fine.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her nose in his chest. “Fates, you smell good. I missed you.”
Behind them, the goddess chuckled, the sound more reminiscent of chimes than anything a human would have uttered.
“Love, it is the greatest force in the universe.”
Lokan bowed with Carol in his arms. “Greetings, Clan Mother.”
“Oh, do not bow. I would have suggested that you take Carol to the bedroom so she could rest, but I know she would not want to miss out on the conversation. Am I correct, Carol?”
“Yes, Clan Mother.”
“May I sit with Carol in my lap?” Lokan asked.
“Of course. It warms my heart to see you two so much in love.”
Carol lifted her head and smiled at him. “I love you,” she mouthed, and then quickly rested her cheek on his chest as if afraid of his response.
Rubbing her back, he kissed the top of her head. “I love you too,” he said out loud, not caring who heard him. “When I feared for your life, I realized that I would not want to go on without you. That you are everything to me. And then I realized that’s what love is.”
She lifted her face and looked at him with such an unguarded expression of adoration that it took his breath away. “When I thought I was dying, I thought about all the people I cared about, seeing their faces flash from one to the next as if I was watching a slideshow. But I kept coming back to yours, and I realized that you were the one I was going to miss the most. My biggest regret was not telling you that I loved you before pressing the trigger and injecting the toxin. I promised myself that I was going to tell you as soon as I came back.”
Someone started clapping, and then others joined in, but Lokan’s eyes were riveted to Carol, and he couldn’t care less who was clapping for them and who was not.
“Come on, Kian. Bring your hands together,” he heard the goddess chide her son. “Love needs to be applauded, celebrated, and cherished. It is the strongest force in the universe.”
68
Carol
It hadn’t been Carol’s intention to profess her love for Lokan in front of a bunch of people. If not for how happy it made Annani, she would have felt embarrassed.
And it wasn’t only the big smile on the goddess’s face. Her glow had intensified so much that it was almost blinding.
“You glow brighter when you are happy, Clan Mother,” she said. “I didn’t know that.”