Alice yawned, looking down at her shoulders, noticing the wounds were now covered with nasty looking scabs. Well, it was a start- at lease she knew it was healing well. She looked up as she heard something fall to the ground, looking around the room, but seeing nothing.
Wait- where was Zarkash?
She stood and started looking around, shivering in her hospital gown. She heard grumbled profanities and found Zarkash searching through a cabinet, squatted up on the counter underneath it as he searched.
"What are you doing?" Alice asked, making Zarkash tense and slowly turn his head to her with wide eyes.
"Nothing." He murmured, shoving things back into the cabinet.
"Liar. What were you doing?"
"Looking." He snorted, jumping off the counter and landing on the floor. "Your wounds are scabbed over."
"Yeah, I know. Don't change the subject. What were you looking for?" Alice put her hands on her hips, starting to get annoyed. "This is a doctor's office. There are some things here that could really hurt you."
"Food." Zarkash growled, his fangs bared. "I'm fucking starving, and I don't know where to get food. I had some earlier, but I don't know where to find it anymore."
"Oh." Alice blushed, looking at the cabinets. "Well they won't be in there. You have to keep blood cold."
Zarkash nodded, walking over to the white box in the corner and looking in. Seeing nothing he sighed and leaned his head against the closed door. "It's gone." He growled, banging his head once in frustration.
"Well, you could eat mine." Alice whispered, looking down shyly.
Zarkash looked up at her, shaking his head. "You're still healing. No way."
"Well otherwise you'll starve. What then?"
"I'll manage." Zarkash growled, looking out the window. Maybe he could catch a deer. But it was still snowing pretty heavily, and he didn't want to leave Alice alone. He let out a loud groan and leaned against the counter behind him, holding his throbbing head. How was he supposed to cope in this world without being able to hunt for prey like he usually did?
"Are you okay? You're pale." Alice said in concern, walking over to him and putting a hand to her forehead. "Ah, you're burning! Come on." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to one of the beds, pushing him down on it.
"I'm fine- I'm warmer than you are!" Zarkash tried to say as she kept him laid back against the pillow, looking down at him with fierce eyes.
"Don't care. You're pale, and that's not a good sign, even for a demon. Is it because you're hungry, or are you sick?"
"What's sick? Is it another word for hurt? No- I'm not hurt other than what happened earlier." He growled, trying to sit up against her hand.
"No, sick as in germs and coughing, throwing up and fevers." Alice said, trying to fight him. She gasped as he grabbed her hand, sitting up and holding her wrists away from her with fierce eyes.
"I'm not sick, now let me up before something bad happens." He growled, his voice low. Alice nodded silently, her purple eyes wide as she tucked her released hands on her lap.
Zarkash saw her sudden shyness and ran a hand through his red hair uneasily. "Look, I'm just… I feel weird when I'm hungry, okay? Don't mess with me when I'm like this."
"I just want to help." She whispered.
"Then find me blood." He said, looking out the window and having the sudden urge to growl at the snow.
"You can always take mine, you know. I really don't mind, and I don't like you being like this. I can feel how frustrated you are in my mind, and it makes me frustrated too."
"Ah, I forgot about that." Zarkash sighed, slumping against the back of the bed frame. "You only have so much blood for me to take, Alice. Last time I took too much, and I don't want that to happen again. Besides, you need your blood for healing."
"I'll make more. Just please don't be constantly angry, I can't stand it." She whispered, wondering why it was so important to her that he wasn't angry.
Zarkash looked at her for a minute, his yellow and red eyes cautious. "You won't get hurt from it? I don't want to have you faint again."
"I'll try not to. I'll tell you if I start to feel dizzy, okay?"
Zarkash nodded, moving closer to her, feeling the hum of the blood rushing through her, and the loud beating of her racing heart. He looked at her eyes and saw resolve there before he pulled her to him, wondering what the strange warmth rushing through him was. Somehow this felt different- a heady rush making his thoughts vanish as he pushed the neck of her hospital gown aside, resting his cheek against her pulse, hearing her gasp softly. This wasn't the rush of survival he usually felt when he fed on something, it was far deeper than that. He puzzled over it for a minute before sinking his teeth into Alice's neck, his eyes shooting open at the strange pull of magic surging through him- far more powerful than before. He held her tighter against his chest as she held his shoulders for support, accidentally gripping his horns as she tried to keep her balance as her head spun, making him cry out against her neck and take his mouth away. He looked at her with wide eyes as she gasped against him, falling against his shoulder.
Zarkash held his hand against the dripping pinpricks on her neck, looking down at her in concern. "Alice?" He held her shoulders, sitting her up to make sure she was alright. She wasn't unconscious, he could still feel her through their mental link- she just felt… tired.
"How did you do that?" She whispered, looking up at him in confusion.
"Do what?" Zarkash asked, keeping her supported against her.
"Some of the bond is gone- don't you feel it?" Alice whispered, her eyes wide. Zarkash blinked for a few minutes in confusion, trying to feel around mentally for any differences, but not finding any.
"No, I still feel the same."
"Try something. Anything- I think we just found out how to unseal you." She smiled against his shoulder.
Zarkash nodded and set her against the back of the bed as he stood, turning into his cat form. Still the same. He said through their mental link, walking over to the side of the bed and looking up at her.
"Try another animal." Alice sat up, wanting to see the result.
Zarkash sighed and closed his eyes, his form growing larger into that of a large auburn lion. He looked down at himself in surprise and grinned happily, his tail flicking behind him. You were right. He sounded overjoyed, making Alice smile softly as he pounded around the room, shaking out his thick brown mane. Let's try some other thigs. Zarkash said, stopping and closing his eyes again. He formed into multiple creatures- first a wolf, then a horse, then an eagle. He laughed happily, flying through the room and stopping at the edge of the bed. One final test. He said, before closing his eyes and concentrating, then letting out a deep sigh when nothing happened. He turned back into his human form, sitting on the edge of the bed beside Alice. "I still can't turn to my natural form, though. But at least we made some progress, whatever happened. Do you know what happened?"
"No, I have no idea. It felt different for some reason, though."
Zarkash nodded, still confused, but shrugging. "We'll try again after you've recovered. For now, I think it's best that you just rest and get your blood back." He said sternly, pushing her back against the pillows.
"Yeah, I feel pretty tired. I think you accidentally took some of my magic with my blood." She chuckled. Zarkash grinned, nodding in agreement.
"Didn't mean to." He shrugged.
"You're fine. Don't worry about it." Alice said softly, drifting asleep.
Zarkash looked up as a knock came on the door, looking to Alice before standing and walking toward the door.
"Is Alice okay?" A small voice said from behind the door, and Zarkash rolled his eyes in frustration before opening the door to reveal Suro, who was holding a basket filled with medical supplies.
"I think we have enough stuff to use in the ward." Zarkash said, looking down at the bandages and strange lotions in confusion.
"You can never be too careful. Will you just give these to her? Tell her to use the lotions every night on her wounds, and they'll heal faster." Suro smiled.
"Sure." Zarkash said, taking the basket and closing the door again. He looked down at one of the bottles and set the basket down, sniffing its contents and reeling back in disgust. Alice was supposed to put this on her? She would smell like a rotting stump if she did…
He sighed and brought the basket over to Alice, deciding not to wake her. Instead he walked over to one of the windows, stepping out onto the balcony to feel the cold snow against his shoulders. Something was changing- he didn't know what it was, but somehow he knew it was important. Not only was the change clouding his mind with racing thoughts, but a strange ominous feeling. He looked out to the forest again, but still saw nothing, nor did he hear anything that might be of any danger. He walked back into the health ward, hearing the strange sounds of wretching from the corner of the room. He looked around for Alice and saw the bathroom door open, the noises from it pausing for a moment before starting again. He ran into the room to see Alice crouched over the toilet, shaking as she gasped for air.
"What's wrong- are you… um.. seke?"
"Sick. Yes." Alice whispered, gasping and throwing up again into the toilet, making Zarkash flinch at the stench and sight. He kneeled beside her, holding her for comfort as she gasped for breath, her eyes wide.
"I felt fine, until all of a sudden I felt really sick. I don't know why." She whispered, closing her eyes in relief as Zarkash moved her blond hair from her face, holding it back against her head so it wouldn't get in her way.
"Just all of a sudden? Was it from me taking your blood?" He said, a twinge of guilt running through him.
"No, I don't think so. I really don't know why." She gasped and threw up again, whimpering slightly at the burning in her throat.
Zarkash looked down at her in concern, rubbing her back for comfort as she sat onto the ground, exhausted. "Should I call Jeremy? Maybe you should see a real doctor."
"No, I'm fine. Probably just a bug or something." Alice smiled reassuringly, but Zarkash's frown deepened. He turned into a wolf, sniffing at her before snorting in dissatisfaction, turning back into his human form.
"You smell sick. Are you sure you're okay? Should I get Ricky instead?" He asked, hoping she wouldn't agree. He really didn't want to tell that boy that Alice might be sick because he took her blood.
"N-no, there's no need for him to worry. Could you just… leave me be for a bit?" She said, her eyes looking down nervously.
"Sure." Zarkash said, standing. He walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him, but leaned on the wall beside it. He flinched as he heard another wretching, looking at the door in concern. Something was wrong.