Chapter Eleven
The night passed without incident. Everyone went about their usual business and the door to Kae's room remained closed and silent.
With dawn closing in, the warriors returned from their nightly patrols and settled down in the dining room for Last Meal with their shellans. The banter was light, comparing tallies with each other of their kills for the night. John, Blay and Qhuinn entered last of all, the latter unusually quiet as Fritz poured some wine for the latecomers and brought out their first course.
As Qhuinn began to pick at the fresh leaf salad before him, John and Blay exchanged a glance with each other. Qhuinn caught a flurry of movement from the corner of his eye and his jaw tightened.
"John if you're going to talk about me, at least do it to my face," he growled under his breath. From the head of the table, Wrath paused, his wine glass halfway to his lips, obviously reading the atmosphere. His brows raised a fraction in warning and Qhuinn bit down on his lip.
All day, he had burned with shame over his actions. His family was right about him, he was defective! What kind of male bonded with his female one moment and then acted like a total stranger the next.
After they had mated, Qhuinn had lain awake for hours with Kae curled up softly against his side. It had felt so right, so natural to have her there. His hands had stroked over every part of her body, his touch was soft enough that it didn't wake her. He had marvelled how small and frail she looked, how vulnerable and with that thought came a profound fear.
He was bonded to her now, which meant that they would soon be mated. He would be responsible for her, here to protect her.
A cold sweat had covered him and he experienced a moment of pure terror at the thought of what would happen if he lost her. What if he could not protect her? What if he failed?
As the fear had taken hold, he found he could no longer stay in the room and after leaving a note, had headed down to the gym to work off his anxiety.
And now, as he sat at the table with this band of honourable warriors and he felt less than dirt for leaving the female he had come to care for in such a short space of time.
At that moment, Fritz came in carrying a large platter of freshly baked bread and a dish of butter. Bella got to her feet to help the elderly servant and set the plates on the table as Fritz returned to the kitchen to bring out the stew which had been simmering all night.
The most wonderful smell filled the room and Bella dismissed Fritz kindly while she began to ladle stew into bowls and pass them around.
Fritz stepped back into the dining room.
"Mistress Bella, would you like me to make up a tray for Mistress Kaelina and take it up to her? I would hate for her to miss another meal."
Bella paused, her soft gaze turning concerned.
"Miss another meal? Hasn't she had anything to eat today at all?"
Fritz shook his head.
"No Mistress, she had a piece of toast at First Meal but she did not come down for lunch."
Qhuinn fought back a sudden surge of cold fear. His tenuous link to her felt distant, as though it were weakening.
He rose from his chair with such sudden force that it tipped backwards. The clattering caught the attention of everyone in the room.
"How long has it been since anyone saw Kae?" he demanded. Everyone looked around, shoulders shrugging.
Without thinking, Qhuinn belted out of the room, heading for the stairs and taking them two at a time. Behind him, he could hear the brothers following but he didn't care. All his focus was solely on Kae, on reaching her. Something was very, very wrong.
As he reached her room he began to hammer on her door, fist pounding against the antique wood.
"Qhuinn, let me," Rhage's deep voice rumbled behind him, his face equally concerned and worry flaring in his bright teal eyes.
Qhuinn stepped back as Rhage's strong mind unlocked the door, a solid click releasing the catch.
He burst through the door and ran into the room, completely unprepared for what he saw.
Kae lay on the floor, stretched out on her side, unmoving and unresponsive as Qhuinn cried out her name.
He threw himself onto his knees beside her and pulled her into his strong arms. Her lips were blue, her skin pale and waxy. Behind him, Qhuinn could hear the brothers and the Shellans crowd at the doorway, whispered gasps of shock piercing the echoing silence that now filled the room.
"Kae….Kae please talk to me, please wake up…" his voice trailed off into nothing. She felt cold in his arms and an overwhelming wave of anguish threatened to drown him in that moment. She was dead.
"Let me see her Qhuinn," Wrath's voice, deep and resonating with authority, was suddenly beside Qhuinn. He watched as the Blind King took Kae into his arms for a moment, though Qhuinn never fully relinquished his hold on her. Wrath leaned into Kae's neck and took a deep sniff, his hand feeling the column of her throat as he listened closely to her mouth.
"She's still alive, barely. It's the transition, she is deep into it…..but she is still alive Qhuinn, she is not passed unto the Fade yet. There is still a little time. Are you prepared?"
Qhuinn nodded without thinking.
"I'll do whatever it takes; I cannot lose her my lord!"
Wrath drew out one of his daggers and drew it in a quick slash across the thick vein in Qhuinn's neck. In an instant, he moved Kae's lifeless body into the cradle of Qhuinn's arms and brought her mouth to the flowing wound on his neck.
For a few moments, nothing happened. Sorrow and unimaginable grief seemed to fill the room and Qhuinn knew, even though his eyes were closed tight, that Bella was stood nearby. He could taste her fear and sadness like a bitter acid on his tongue.
Then in a flash of time all too brief, Kae's body jolted in his arms, her mouth latched onto his neck and he felt her pull deeply at his open vein.
"Let's move you to the bed son," Wrath's voice was commanding but gentle as he helped Qhuinn to stand, his arms now holding Kae close as she fed.
As Qhuinn lay back and settled, Wrath began to move the others out of the room but just as he reached the door, he turned and removed his sunglasses, his pale green irises seeming to shine out to Qhuinn.
"We'll be right outside son….if you need us. We won't leave you alone."
"Thank you my lord," Qhuinn nodded his thanks, barely keeping himself together as he imagined the alternative if this did not work.
As the door closed, Qhuinn stroked the sleek smoothness of Kae's dark hair, his very soul willing her to live.
"Please Kae, please stay with me…" he whispered into the darkness, "Please don't leave me here alone. I need you….I love you."
It seemed an age that he lay there with his love in his arms, whispering words of longing, begging her to live for him. After what seemed like hours had passed, Kae stirred in his arms.
"Qhuinn?" Kae's voice was threadbare, a hushed whisper of breath. But it was there all the same. Qhuinn closed his eyes, tears of unabashed gratitude to the Scribe Virgin pouring down his face. He felt soft fingers touch the wetness of his cheeks and he looked down into her luminous brown eyes. They were softly focused and utterly filled with love.
"Why are you crying Qhuinn?"
He let out a breath of relief and pulled her against him, breathing in deeply the scent of her hair, the warmth of his body flowing into hers.
"I thought I'd lost you Kae….I couldn't breathe when I saw you there on the floor….and when I thought I was too late…"
His voice broke and he buried his face in her neck. Kae reached her arms around him and soothed him, her hands stroking his back though her strength was failing.
"Do you really think I would leave you Qhuinn? I've only just found you…"
She paused suddenly and shifted in his arms. Something was happening inside her, something felt wrong.
"Qhuinn….something's not right…I feel strange."
Qhuinn stiffened beside her and wrapped his arms securely around her.
"Hold on Kae, this is not going to feel good at all. But I'm here with you, I won't leave you, I promise."
As the tremors of transition began to wrack her body, Kae closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and bore through the pain, grounded by the strength in Qhuinn's arms.
Over and over again, he whispered comfort to her as best he could, remembering the excruciating pain of his own transition. As he looked down at Kae, so bravely bearing the pain, he knew that whatever fears he may have about their future, it paled in comparison to not having a future with her at all. All his life he had been shunned and ridiculed, an outsider from his family and his class. Even when he came to the Brotherhood, he felt there was something missing, something that the companionship with his friends and meaningless sex with those other girls could not fill.
It was Kae; Kae with her complete trust in him, with her warm sense of humour and independence, with the love that somehow she felt for him. She was the missing piece of him that he had been seeking for a long time and he knew now that he could not walk away from her.
After what seemed like hours, Kae's body finally relaxed. Qhuinn looked her over carefully and noted that the colour had returned to her cheeks.
"Qhuinn…" her voice was soft but stronger than before and he felt the tight knot of anxiety inside him loosen.
"Shower?" he suggested and she nodded weakly. Cradling her in his arms, he took her to the bathroom and sat her on the tiled counter while he got the shower running.
When it was warm enough, he stripped her clothes off carefully and eased her into the shower with him. She winced as the water hit her, stinging like a thousand needles on her hypersensitive skin.
"Sorry, your skin is going to feel like this for a while, side effect of the transition," Qhuinn explained as he lathered up the soap and gently washed her. Kae moaned softly.
All too soon, he turned the water off and wrapped her up in one of the thick fluffy towels resting on the heated rail.
Kae nestled into the hard strength of his body and Qhuinn resisted the urge to slip into the bed beside her; there would be plenty of time for that later, many days and nights they could spend together.
She turned as he pulled the covers over her.
"Where are you going?"
Qhuinn smiled, his blue green eyes shining as he looked down at her.
"I'm just going to change and then get you some food. Anything you fancy?"
Kae thought for a moment.
"Hmmm chocolate and ba…"
"Bacon?" Qhuinn chuckled, finishing her sentence, "No problem, I'll bring some up for you. Just rest for now." He brushes his fingers lightly across her forehead and down the side of her face. She leaned into his hand and sighed contentedly as her eyes began to close.
"I love you Qhuinn," she sighed with a smile, her new fangs just visible behind the perfect curve of her lips.
Qhuinn felt his heart swell to bursting point and he leaned down to press a tender kiss to her mouth.
He left her to sleep and as he closed the door behind him, he felt like the luckiest male in the world.