Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
Taking a breath, I opened my eyes. Where was I? A room? It wasn’t familiar. Sitting up, I looked around the room, trying to remember what had happened.
The door on the far side of the room opened, and Ebony stepped in. She smiled as soon as she saw me. Walking over to me, she sat down on the edge of the bed, her hand splayed over my chest.
“How are you feeling today, mate?”
I shook my head. “I don’t…remember…”
“It’s okay. Take it slow.” Her tone turned sad. “You don’t…remember anything? The pain? Or…?”
Looking down at my hands, they shook, and I closed them into a fist. “I…lost my dragon.”
Ebony put her hand on my cheek. “You did.”
One thing I could remember was the pain. It hummed through me, threatening to tear me to pieces. I felt empty. Normally, the heat from my core always threatened to take over. Instead, it was just cold. There was nothing. Worse, I couldn’t feel the bond. My eyes looked up at my fated mate.
“The bond is gone, too.”
She gave me a soft smile. “It’s okay, Marcus. I don’t need a bond to tell me you’re mine. That you are my fated. I’m still here. We will figure this out together. I promise.”
I shook my head, burying my face in my hands. “I’m broken, Ebony. I shouldn’t…I’m not worthy. Not of you or anyone.”
Her hands came up and pulled mine down. “No, Marcus. You are everything I could want and need. It might be different, but it’s still us. Together. You are mine, no matter what.”
“Mate…”
Ebony pulled me close and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. Her touch soothed the pain. A touch that wasn’t painful. She was here for me. I would be here for her for as long as she would let me.
I felt a pinch on my shoulder before I gasped, pulling away from her. Ebony pulled out a syringe, smiling softly. Her hand brushed my jaw. Slowly, she pushed me back down onto the bed.
The cold started to spread, and I shook, the pain getting worse. “Eb…what…it hurts. Ebony. It hurts.”
“I know, my sweet mate, I know. Just bear with me a little while longer.”
Behind her, the door opened, and someone walked in. “I guess that was a successful trial.”
Ebony nodded, running her hands through my hair. “It was. We can work on filling in the rest of the memories. Dylan gave up the okay to take him and work on separating him a bit from the world as I build him back up in real time.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
My mate turned, snapping at the other voice. “Of course I do. What kind of question is that?” She turned back to me and laid her head down on my chest. “Marcus is mine. He always has been. He always will be. That will never change. He’s the only one good enough for me and I choose him.”
The pain was too much. I didn’t understand what she was saying. Of course I was hers. She was my fated mate, and she stayed by my side even after everything. There was no way I was going to leave her. Not now. Not ever.