Chapter 14
TYREL
The morning the applicants went to the clinic, I had the absolute pleasure of taking my mother out to brunch.
It had become something of a family tradition after my father had left.
Every first Sunday of the month, we went out to eat together.
It was something she had done with my father in the early days, and after he was gone, I often sensed a certain kind of sadness in her on these days.
So one month, I had taken it upon myself to invite her out, so she would stop looking so miserable.
Over time it had become a thing that neither of us could easily stop, even when we weren't on best terms with each other.
It had been during a Sunday lunch that mother had first proposed her plans of finding a mate for me as well.
Today's brunch started out nicely enough. For the first half hour or so, while we ate, we pretended that we didn't have four practically strange men living in our vacation home with the goal to determine whom of them I should bed to produce an heir.
The blessed silence couldn't last forever, of course.
Sure enough, my mother started talking about her favorite topic once she'd finished her first cup of coffee.
"Do you have a favorite yet, darling?" she asked.
"What if I do?" I shot back, hardly believing that my opinion on this matter would be of much importance to her.
"Well, it might be good to know if you do. Although I suppose there's no real use talking about it until we know the results of the checkup, I'd like to know if your attitude toward humans has changed any."
Had it? Perhaps. At least I was starting to consider that there might be exceptions who were worthy of my time, even if most humans weren't.
"How did your date last night go?" Mother asked when I didn't reply.
"I had a good time last night," I said. Of course, my mother was referring to my date with Michael, while I was thinking solely of the time I'd spent with Adrian after my obligations had been fulfilled. My time with Michael hadn't been awful, but everything that had happened after?
I'd never thought I'd feel any kind of connection to a human, but Adrian... slowly he changed the way I saw the world.
"I didn't hear you come home last night." Mother raised an eye brow at me. "Stayed out late? Paul informs me Michael came home before you did." She said it like it was a crime to let your date go home without you.
"I accompanied him here. But I didn't come in with him. I went out into the city for a drink instead." No sense in hiding that fact. I was a grown-up. I was allowed a drink every now and then.
"I see. Is that all that happened last night after you date?"
I shot her a smile. My mother, always so suspicious. She knew me too well.
"It's all I'm going to tell you about," I said.
"Just as well." With a sigh, she poured herself another coffee.
After that, she stopped asking about my preferences regarding the applicants. Perhaps she understood that I didn't have anything substantial to say on the topic--at least not to her.
It was toward the end of our time together that Mother received a phone call from our physician, asking us to come to the clinic to hear the results of the testing that had been done today.
I admit to being the tiniest bit nervous about what he might have to say. There was no reason for me to worry, but part of me did, anyway.
If Adrian and you truly are fated mates, then—
I stopped myself from finishing that thought. Was I truly buying into the fated mates thing now? I'd spent too much time around Michael and his fairy tales.
When we got to the clinic, the doctor called us into his office.
I knew him well. He'd seen to me when I was sick ever since I was a little child.
The fact that I only got to see him while I wasn't feeling my best didn't endear him to me, but I knew that he was skilled in his profession, and that was something I respected.
Mother and I sat in the chairs before his desk and he started briefing us on his findings. The first thing he said was that Michael and Bernard were fine and should have no trouble getting pregnant and giving me a healthy heir.
So far so good, but what about the other two?
I narrowed my eyes at the doctor. Why hadn't he included Adrian in that initial statement?
"As for Mr. Murray, he should be fine, but I would still suggest that he put on a little more weight." That was Zane taken care of.
"What about Mr. Lark?" I asked, letting my impatience get the better of me. I needed to know what was wrong with my—with Adrian.
"Ah." The doctor looked down at his desk, then back up at me. "I'm afraid Mr. Lark suffers from a bit of a hormone insufficiency. Sometimes that can be rectified with medication or better living circumstances, but it does currently lower his chances of conceiving."
"A hormone insufficiency?" But he'd said there was medication. "You can fix it?"
"We could discuss options if you are particular about wanting to mate with him, but if not, the side effects of the treatment might not be worth it."
Of course my mother had to speak up now before I could properly process all the information Dr. Kelve was giving me. "Are you particular about Adrian?" she asked in a tone that implied that she already knew.
"This is not the place to discuss that."
"So you are."
I took a deep breath.
"You are right, darling," she said. "This is not the place to discuss that."
I turned to her. "And you are not the person to discuss it with."
And then I left the room before she could say anything else.
I had to find Adrian. He had to be worried out of his mind.
Only last night he'd told me how afraid he was that something might be wrong with him, and I'd dismissed him out of hand.
Still, this wasn't a hurdle that couldn't be overcome.
The doctor had mentioned medication and.
.. what else was it? Better living circumstances?
I could give him that. I could give him plenty of that. But first, I had to ease his mind.
The applicants had already returned to the vacation home as a group, so that was where I went too.
I took a cab, wishing that I could simply change into my dragon form and fly to the house instead.
Wings were so much more convenient than wheels, but the humans insisted on their little rules and for now, I had to play by them--no matter how quickly I wanted to get to my mate.
He's not your mate.
But the recent news had rattled me a little, so I misspoke in my thoughts.
Once I reached the house, I got out of the car, paid the driver and left a way too big tip because I couldn't wait any longer, then I rushed inside.
In the hall, I passed Zane, who, on closer inspection, really could stand to gain a few pounds. I made a note to ask Paul to feed him some treats.
"Adrian?" I asked as he approached me.
He furrowed his brow, an expression of concern taking over his boyish features. "In his room."
I nodded and continued on, never stopping until I reached the door to Adrian's room on the first floor. And then I went in. I never even bothered knocking.
*ADRIAN
After we'd returned from the clinic, I'd gone straight to my room. Paul had offered to prepare us some snacks because lunch would be late, but I wasn't interested. In fact, I wasn't sure I'd ever be interested in food again.
Maybe in the next life.
Maybe in the next life I could be healthy and happy and have healthy and happy children.
I pressed a pillow to my face. God, I had to stop moping. The doctor had said sometimes these issues were only temporary, after all.
But by the time they were fixed, if ever, this competition would be long over. That was the reality I had to face.
I wasn't sure how long I sat there before the door opened, but when it did, I didn't have to look up to know who my visitor was. I'd heard him come down the hallway. There was a certain sense of purpose to the sound of his steps that was unmistakable—Tyrel had come to see me.
But did I want to see him?
Part of me wanted to throw myself at him and weep into his shoulder.
I didn't know where those feelings were coming from, considering I hardly knew the man, but there they were.
Another part of me wanted to yell at him and his false promises that everything would turn out all right.
And yet another part of me wanted him to leave because I couldn't stand seeing anyone right now, not even him.
Eventually, I made myself look up. "What are you doing here?"
He closed the door behind him and approached the bed, never answering my question until he was right in front of me and I could smell a cologne he must have put on this morning for his outing. But underneath that cologne lingered a different scent, his scent, which I liked far better.
"I wanted to check on you," he said. "See how you're doing."
He must have heard about my test results. Was he concerned for me or concerned for the heir he wasn't getting from me now, though? I wanted it to be the former with a ferocity that scared me.
"You won't be able to get a baby from me," I said, just to see how he would react.
His expression remained unchanged, neutral. "You know I'm not that into babies."
For a moment, I felt relieved, like there was still a chance for us, but reality didn't escape me for long. "You need one, though. For your inheritance."
"Let me be the one to worry about that." He sat next to me, letting me feel the heat of his body close to mine.
"I can't stand the thought of you having a baby with someone else."
"I see." He ran his hand into the fine hair on the back of my neck and I felt a shiver go down my spine. "We know it's not impossible for you to have a baby."
"But it's unlikely." I stared straight ahead, unable to look at him and see the inevitable disappointment on his face. "Rory was right. It was my fault we couldn't have a baby."