Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty- Two
Nolen
Seeing the bags under Derek’s eyes made it easier not to feel guilty over using my magic on him. It was something I would normally tell him about before using it, but I knew he would just ask me a hundred questions about it, and he really needed the sleep.
“Good morning,” Alec greeted us in the portal room. It was way too early to be so chipper, but somehow, Alec managed it.
“Good morning,” we both replied back.
“The others are on their way,” he informed us, moving so he stood next to the portal. “And Derek, if you should feel anything unusual, please either call us, or come back through immediately. We still don’t know how your body will react to leaving our world.”
Derek nodded. “I promise to tell Nolen if I feel weird or anything.”
“Good.”
Trise and Henriette came in then with Grovar and Mia trailing close behind. “Good morning,” they all greeted us. And after we’d made some small talk, it was time to leave.
“You each have enough clothes for a week?” Trise asked, sounding so much like my own mother, I felt guilty over not calling her this morning.
“Yes,” we replied in unison.
“Perfect! Here’s a map of his last known location.” Trise handed me the map where they’d written his address and full name. “He was adopted by two men and that’s all we know about his life.”
Grovar stepped forward. “That and his many appointments with specialists about nightmares and night terrors.”
Trise held the bridge of her nose like a disappointed parent who was seeking out patience. “We agreed not to tell them that!” she snapped at him, the patience not found.
I’d never seen Grovar look sheepish before, but he did now. “I apologize.”
“Forget the last part,” Trise said, focusing on us again while giving Grovar the side-eye. “We know finding him can take a while, so let us know how you feel at all times. Perhaps you can deal with being there for a week or a month, but after that you’ll start to weaken. Listen to your body, okay?”
Derek nodded, and seemed to take her words seriously. I was glad he listened. I knew he wanted to power through and find Aiden no matter how he felt himself, but that wouldn’t do. I needed to keep him safe and make sure nothing happened to my mate while we searched for Aiden.
“Ready?” Alec asked.
We nodded, and together, hand in hand, we went back through the portal.
Derek’s grip on my hand loosened just as the world around us came into focus. Instinctively, I reached for him, and I was glad I did. Somehow, Derek had passed out from the short journey through the portal. I laid him down on the grass and called the rulers.
They answered instantly.
“He passed out,” I explained hurriedly. “Should I wait it out or come back?”
“Come back,” they said, no doubt in their response.
I ended the call and gently got Derek back into my arms, then passed through the portal again.
Trise was the first one to help me as I passed through the magical portal. Her warm hands guided me over to a chair that hadn’t been there when we left.
Soon the other rulers joined and each touched some part of Derek’s skin, healing him, or maybe scanning him.
“He can’t leave,” Trise announced, her tone disappointed and worried. “He’s too weak to leave our world. I can see new cracks on his core.”
I winced. “He’s hurting?” Would that mean he was dying?
She gave me an apologetic look. “I wish I could tell you no, but I have no idea what he feels. But the fact that his body shut down to protect his core has to be a good and healthy sign.”
“But he needs his brother,” I reminded them. “So, what do we do now?”
They shared a look before Grovar spoke. “You need to find him on your own.”
“What?!” my tone was high pitched and way too surprised for my liking, but did they seriously think I could leave my wounded mate behind?
“He needs Aiden,” Trise started to explain. “And I don’t think he’ll wake up until Aiden is by his side.”
I kissed Derek’s adorable nose, cursing his father for doing this to him. My beautiful mate was too broken to stay awake; his body had shut down.
The rulers had him checked into their medical wing, and this was where he would stay until I returned to his side. I hated the thought of leaving him, but I had to. Derek would likely never wake up without Aiden, so even if it broke my heart in two, I had to leave.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the medical staff to keep Derek safe while I was gone, it was the fact I wasn’t the one keeping him safe and happy that stung. I finally found my mate and now I had to leave him behind in my world. It sucked.
Derek had his own room, which I was immensely happy about. That meant he would get privacy while his body slowly healed. Trise told me they would carry him outside every day for an hour so he could touch the dull grass. Someone had to carry my mate. No, I had to stop those thoughts.
Tapping my slate, I called my mother. She answered immediately, her face already in a wide smile, that quickly dimmed when she saw my eyes and the sleeping Derek next to me.
“What happened, honey?”
I sighed, trying to hold in the tears as I told her everything.
I was able to keep the tears at bay; that was until I reached the part about Aiden and their father.
Then I lost the battle and openly wept as I told my mother all the horrors Derek had been through and how we ended up in the medical wing here.
“Oh, my,” she whispered. My dad came into the projected area then, hugging my mother tight.
“You need to go, son, even if it feels wrong to leave Derek. If the rulers think Aiden is the way to help Derek heal, then the sooner you find him the better.” Dad was right, it was just hard taking that step.
“And promise you’ll call us while you’re searching,” Mom cut in. “It will be hard being there on your own, let us help remind you why you’re there in the first place.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I really needed to hear that.”
“Do you want one of us to be there with Derek while you’re gone?” Dad asked.
I smiled. “I think Derek would be mortified when he wakes up, but thanks for the offer.” He would definitely be mortified knowing one of my parents had helped take care of him while he was unconscious. I couldn’t do that to him.
“Okay, but if you change your mind, let us know,” Dad said.
“I will.”
We ended the call a few minutes after that. The rulers were holding their big meeting with my team and their mates at the moment and as soon as it ended, I would leave Derek.
My hand rested over my jeans pocket and I carefully pulled out the map. I really hoped Aiden had stayed in place all of these years. If so, I could be back within a week, maybe sooner.
I placed the map back into my front pocket, then turned to look at my Derek. I might as well memorize everything about him. I took a quick picture too, knowing it would help me sleep easier at night. My fingers trailed over his features, helping me brand his face in my memories.