Chapter 24
TYREL
I opened the door carrying a bag of groceries in arm and closed it quietly, not sure whether Adrian was awake or asleep.
Lately it was the latter more often than not.
I was aware how much he needed to rest, but sometimes I wanted to wake him simply to get food into him.
He claimed that he looked like a whale, but that was merely his belly.
The rest of him appeared almost underfed, and I didn't like that look.
The doctor didn't like it either, but there was only so much meat I could stuff into Adrian's mouth before he'd tell me off.
In spite of being tired a lot, he'd turned into quite the spirited partner.
But I was fine with that. After all, I'd picked him because he wouldn't let me boss him around.
I made to carry the groceries into the kitchen… when I saw my mate collapsed on the floor.
"Adrian!" I let the bag fall to the floor and rushed to his side. His eyes were closed and he didn't respond to me. "Adrian!" My voice became a little more urgent as panic pulsed through my body. What was wrong with him? And what could I do to fix it?
He blinked at me and the feeling of relief was so intense I nearly lost it. I'd known how much he'd come to mean to me before, but seeing him out cold on the floor had driven that realization home more than anything else had. I couldn't let anything happen to him.
"Tyrel?"
"I'm here. What happened?"
"Not sure." He tried to get up and I helped him. "I was… I wanted something to drink. Got dizzy."
"I'm taking you to the doctor."
"I don't need…" He stopped and leaned on me. "Oh God, I can't feel them move now. They were moving like crazy before. Do you think they're okay?"
I hugged him close and kissed his temples. "I'm sure they're just fine."
My love sounded close to tears, so I did the only thing I could do; led him outside, changed into my dragon form, and carried him all the way to the doctor's.
The receptionist was already well acquainted with us and when she saw the distressed look on my mate's face, she told us it would only take but a minute until we'd be seen.
I put an arm around Adrian, feeling the tension in his frail body.
I found myself wishing humans were a little sturdier.
If I could have given him some of my strength, I would have done so in a heartbeat.
It was my offspring he was carrying, and yet I couldn't do much to help him at all.
I hadn't even been there when he'd collapsed.
If something had happened to the babies…
It was peculiar, I thought now, how much I'd come to care not only about him but about our children as well.
I'd never been able to see myself as a father before meeting Adrian and wanting to give him what he desired.
Up until then, it had all been about the inheritance.
I couldn't care less about the inheritance now as I followed Adrian into the examination room.
The first time I'd felt one of the little ones kick my hand, an odd sense of pride had swelled up in me, and the feeling hadn't dissipated since.
Adrian grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly when the doctor came in.
"What brings you here today?" Dr. Meloy asked the two of us.
"He collapsed," I supplied. "And now we're concerned about the babies as well."
"I see." The doctor stepped up to Adrian with a neutral expression on his face. "Let me check."
I stepped back only a little to let him do his work, but kept holding Adrian's hand throughout.
"How are you feeling now?" Dr. Meloy asked him while he was getting the ultrasound ready.
"Still a little dizzy, to be honest. But not as bad."
"I see," the doctor said again, then he left the room only to return a moment later with a chocolate bar which he handed to Adrian. "Eat. Get your blood sugar up."
Obediently, Adrian nibbled on the chocolate.
"I'm going to put a call in to the hospital and reserve a bed for you there. I want you under observation and on strict bed rest. That's the best way to ensure the safety of both you and the babies."
Although the expression on Adrian's face told me that he didn't like the idea, he nodded. What had happened today had scared him. I squeezed his hand while the doctor started looking at our offspring.
"Well," he said after a moment, "at least it seems your twins are fine for now."
I believe that was the first time I saw something akin to a smile on the man's lips. Simultaneously, I felt some of the tension drain from my mate.
"They're okay?" His voice was almost timid.
"Indeed. Growing quickly."
Adrian exhaled.
The doctor looked between the two of us. "Would you like to know genders?"
I shot Adrian a questioning look, but he shook his head. "I've always kind of wanted it to be a surprise." He blushed, as if that was something to be ashamed of.
"It's your decision," I said, although I did want to know. I could wait another month, though, to please him.
"Thank you." Adrian smiled at me.
This time it was on me to shake my head. "Whatever you want, love."
Once we were done at the doctor's, I took him to the hospital where they had indeed readied a bed for him.
Our island was small and not overly populated so I wasn't surprised that a lot of their rooms were empty.
At least it meant they wouldn't have trouble watching over Adrian, which was good, because I had to redouble my research efforts.
Only the week before I'd read something interesting about fated mates that could potentially help my love, but I hadn't been able to dig deeper, feeling the need to be at home with my partner.
I was going to spend a lot of time in this hospital over the following weeks, but I couldn't rest Adrian's fate entirely in their hands. I needed to do something as well.
In spite of the doctors reassuring me that my mate was getting the best care anyone could give him, he was spending progressively less time awake over the course of the next week.
I started taking books in with me so I could read while sitting by his bed.
It took me a couple of days to find what I was looking for, but when I did, I nearly tore the page out of the book in my excitement.
"True fated mates, when properly bonded, can share a single life force between them. This allows the weaker partner to live a longer life, drawing on the other partner's energy to become stronger themselves—"
This was exactly what I'd been looking for. A way to share my strength with Adrian.
The only problem was, I had no idea what 'properly bonded' meant, or how Adrian and I could achieve this status.
Furiously I skimmed the rest of the book, waiting for the answer to hop out to me, but it never did. This crappy book didn't have it. I nearly flung it against the wall, but Adrian was stirring and I didn't want to wake him with childish antics.
He always looked so pale now. Gently, I stroked a lock of hair back from his face.
This was not what I'd wanted for him when I'd told him I could get him pregnant.
But now was not the time for regrets. Now was the time to make things right.
Sighing, I got up from my chair. When I was honest, I knew just the man to talk to.
It seemed it was time to hunt down my sire and talk to him.
I didn't have an inkling of an idea where my father was, of course, so to find him, I had to do something perhaps even more dreadful—contact my little brother.
And to do that, well, I had to return to the manor first. Truly, this wasn't going to be pleasant, but if it was going to help Adrian than I wasn't going to hesitate.
The moment I arrived at my mother's house, she was all over me.
"Pray tell, to what do I owe this pleasure?" she greeted me in the front hall. "Are you here to deliver more threats? How are my future grandchildren?"
I raised an eyebrow at her, although I wasn't surprised that she'd heard about Adrian carrying twins. It was a small island.
"I need Kylan's number," I said, not answering any of her questions.
Her eyes widened in surprise. "You're meaning to call your brother?"
"I do indeed." I strode past her on my way to the study on the first floor where she kept her address books. I knew she wasn't in contact with my father, but my brother still received a phone call every year for solstice—the biggest holiday in our calendar.
Mother followed me, but I ignored her.
"What are you planning to do?" she asked as I looked through the address book.
I kept turning the pages. K…
"You're not truly going to talk to your father, are you?"
"What if I am? Would you like me to give him a message from you?" I shot her a fake smile.
She sighed. "I'd hoped I'd raised you better than this, Tyrel."
"Better than to talk to my father?"
"Better than to talk to me like that."
"Forgive me my rudeness, Mother. I suppose I don't react well to displays of antagonism toward my mate."
"I apologize for that, although I still think that you're making the wrong decision."
"Because I'm trying to bond him to me?"
Her expression grew hard. "I knew it would eventually come to this the moment I learned of his abilities. I'll admit that I didn't think it would happen so quickly."
"What is your problem, Mother? I can easily share my strength with him; I have enough of it."
"I'm trying to protect you, son. There's no upside to this for you. His life might get longer, but yours will get shorter. There's a reason our kind has stopped seeking out our fated mates. I had to learn that, too." Her voice grew bitter.
"What happened between you and Father has nothing to do with Adrian and me."
"You're being foolish."
"And you have never been able to stop me from doing foolish things before, what makes you think today should be different?"
She sighed. "Do what you will. But know that you're breaking your mother's heart."