Page 56 of Bearly Yours
You’re part of the show.We could speak telepathically since the first part of our bond had been completed. It really came in handy sometimes.
He clutched me closer to his warm dragon body, which I was grateful for because I was starting to feel cold and shivery.
It’s because of the blood loss. Hang on, mo chroì. Hang on, we’re almost there.
When we got to the hospital there was instant pandemonium. King Draven and Consort Mia were already there, with a ring of doctors and nurses surrounding them. King Draven was ordering everyone into action and had to hold me briefly while Roarke shifted back to his human form. Mia handed Roarke a pair of sweatpants while she averted her eyes, and then I was handed back to Roarke. I nuzzled into his warm chest, trying to absorb all the warmth he could give me.
They placed me on a gurney and raced me to a room in soft blues and creams and light woods with a large window on the right side, took my vitals, and then rushed me into an operating room when my vitals made the machines beep like crazy.
The last thing I remembered was looking back at Roarke who was roaring to be let into the operating room with me, Draven, who was holding him back with every bit of strength he had, and Mia who was standing beside them with tears streaming down her face.
Chapter 15
Emrie
Iwas in and out of it for a while. There were whole patches of time where I felt like I was high on something and perceiving everyone in slo-mo, but with their voices turned up really loudly, like annoying little chipmunks.
This made my bear angry, and she growled at them. Thankfully, everyone quieted down after that. The next time I awoke I saw Roarke sitting next to me. He had his elbows on his knees, and he was hunched over as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders. I wanted to reach out and stroke the back of his hand to let him know everything would be okay, but my arms felt like they weighed a million pounds. Even keeping my eyes open for more than a blink at a time was difficult.
One thing was certain in this in-between time: I wished the fantasy stories about shifters was actually true. That I could just shift into my bear, and we would be healed. But, sadly, it was only fiction. I mean, I had a bear that I could shift into, and yes, we merged as one when we became our bear and these things to humans were fantasy, but to have that shifting lead to instant healing? That would certainly be nice, but it was just too easy.
As much as the humans loved to write books and movies about us, for paranormals, real life wasn’t easy. I couldn’t say forcertain whether we had it worse or better than humans, life justwas.We had our own difficulties, similar, but different.
Right now, my bear and I were wishing that shifting and magical healing were a thing because we feltawful.
Oh, wait! High elven potions! Where could I get my hands on one? And I was seriously impressed that I’d remembered because my brain felt like it was funneling thoughts through a teeny-tiny straw at the moment.
Someone knocked on my door, and even though I wasveryteam Roarke, and he was my mate and everything, I distractedly noticed that the High Elf gliding toward me was gorgeous. My bear grumbled at me in disgust, effectively rolling her eyes at me, but I internally shrugged back at her. I couldn’t pluck out my eyeballs. It was just a dispassionate observation. The sky is blue. The grass is green. The male walking toward me would have made millions in the humans’ movie industry.
My mate awoke in an instant when he sensed someone else in the room, noticed that I was blinking awake, and knelt next to the bed. He was so big that he covered the entire left side of my bed with his bulk. I tried to smile at him, but to be honest, I was still a little high on the pain meds, and it might have come out completely lopsided and more like a baring of my teeth. My bear, who didn’t seem high at all, chuckled within me and I grumbled at her. Why was I high on pain meds and she wasn’t? So unfair. Actually, I was really glad she wasn’t. She was more prone toreactingto things than I was. And if she didn’t understand what was happening, and everyone was crowded around her with the volume of their voices turned way up high—yeah, that might result in injuries.
“How are you doing?” Roarke whispered.
“I feel strange,” I said, my tongue feeling thick. “I’m guessing it’s the shifter pain meds?” Shifter pain meds had been invented many years ago because human pain medicines and knock-outdrugs simply didn’t work on us. And they figured, if we were ever to have a hope of coming out of life-saving surgeries alive, we needed our own medicines that actuallyworked!And the truth was, prior to their invention, many shifters had died on operating tables, despite our accelerated healing.
Roarke nodded, dropped his forehead gently to mine and just breathed for a moment or two. “I thought I’d lost you,” he said, his voice hoarse and full of pain. “Seven hundred plus years of waiting, and I’ve only been your mate for a month. I won’t tell you where my thoughts went.”
I trembled and rubbed his pinky with mine—the only part of me that worked at the moment. He wouldn’t tell me, but I bet I could guess. I was constantly amazed that my mate had waited more than seven hundred years for me. I’d thought my nearly thirty years were difficult. I couldn’t even imagehundredsof years. I knew he’d given up on finding his mate. My heart broke for his broken heart, and for how fragile life was, and for how badly I’d scared my mate.
“I love you.” It was a reminder, but also a thank you. Thank you for being my mate. For loving me. For protecting me. For sharing this life with me.
“I love you too,” he whispered. Then he kissed my forehead and straightened when the High Elf cleared his throat gently. He was holding a lavender potion that was still bubbling and fizzing. My bear thought it smelled like blueberries, her favorite. I fixed my gaze on the ID badge clipped to his pale blue lab coat that read Rennyn Feliss. Potions Technician.
His voice was melodious, and I could see why the hospital chose to employ him. He was really soothing, and he could probably brew healing potions like a boss, being High Elf and all. Well, at least I hoped he could. I wanted him togimmegimmeso I could feel better and have clear thoughts again.
“Your stab wound has been sewn shut, and the organs have also been sealed. Your right kidney and liver were damaged in the assault. The surgeons have done what they can, but they’re concerned about infection setting in, despite your shifter physiology, so they asked me to key a potion to your damage and DNA.”
He handed it to me, but even though I could move them now, my gimme fingers were still fumbly. Roarke took it instead and sat me up enough that I could slowly sip at it. Rennyn waited patiently, neither shifting nor looking away. He seemed to be a person comfortable with patiently waiting on others. His gaze and body language demanded nothing of the other person, and I found it very restful.
When I finished the last blueberry flavored sip, I blinked, the room and my thoughts suddenly clear. “Did I turn into a Smurf?” It didn’t matter who you were, the opportunity to turn Smurf was always fun.
Rennyn smiled. “It was more like Violet Beuregarde in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.”
“So cool! I’ve always wanted to be purple!”
Roarke snorted and rubbed my shoulders, working out the knots in them. I guess almost dying had left me tense. He turned to Rennyn. “Thank you. How many potions will she need?”
“About four. I don’t want her to heal too quickly. That could put her and her bear into shock. Slow and steady is better.” He looked at both of us. “The good news is they can be administered every six hours or so, so you should be okay to check out sometime tomorrow.”
