Talon was utterly confused. “What are you talking about?”
Boone kept walking. “Dex took in the teenagers from the healers, but my mate Eyv was their teacher, so I happen to know the kids really, really well. One of the girls is a healer. Maybe she can help.”
“Do you think so? Do you imagine she can really do something?”
Boone nodded. “I do. Her name’s Anemone. She’s a sweetheart, and she’s really talented. What could it hurt?”
Boone had a point, but Talon had to wonder why Rowan hadn’t mentioned such a thing. Then again, Rowan was a midwife, and he seemed to think everything needed to be as natural as possible with babies. So maybe he didn’t think a magical healer was a good idea.
It didn’t matter to Talon. He wanted Mercury to be well.
“All right. I’ll try anything. He needs to stop being so sick all the time. He needs to gain weight, or he’s going to lose the baby. I’m not sure that his spirit can take that.”
He wasn’t sure his could.
Boone nodded solemnly. “I can imagine that he’s had a very rough time, and there isn’t a lot of peace in his relatively short life, just like you’ve had a lot of life in your relatively long existence, buddy.”
Talon swallowed around the lump in his throat. “I feel as though I have. I just need both of us to be safe and happy, and for Mercury to be well.”
Boone grabbed a towel and then tossed him one as well, so they could dry off from the sweat as they walked out of the salle“Well, Anemone may not be able to do anything specific, but she may know someone who can, even if she can’t help. She’s been training with the other older healers for a while. The nice thing about her is that she’s really instinctively good with babies. So maybe she can fix something if there’s a block going on.”
Hope was beginning to rise up in Talon’s chest the way Boone was talking about this young healer dragon. He really hoped she could help. Talon was willing to jump through all manner of hoops to get Mercury to feel better.
They went to Jack and Dex’s quarters, which he had only been to once or twice for parties, and knocked on the door. He hoped they weren’t supposed to have made an appointment. Jack could be a little grumpy alpha sometimes.
Dex opened the door, his eyebrows rising up when he saw Talon and Boone. “Well, hello! Is there something I can help you with, guys?”
“We were hoping Anemone would be home.”
Dex laughed lightly, standing back to let them in. “As it happens, you’re in luck. She is here. She was just about to head out to a meal with some of the other healers. So come on in and I’ll get her for you.”
“Thanks, Dex.” Boone winked at him once Dex turned away, and he hoped they weren’t gonna get in trouble for butting their heads in and putting everyone off their schedule.
Stop worrying so much, man. It’s going to be fine. I don’t mean about Mercury. I understand you have to worry about him, but an enemy is not going to take your head off, and neither is Dex.
Talon blew out a breath.I feel like I did when I was back in training as a warrior, and my mentor was so harsh and cruel. I feel like I’m on edge about everything. I can’t seem to get myself to calm down.
A young dragon with long, gorgeous hair wearing a dress in a deep rose color came gliding into the room, smiling at Boone and going to kiss his cheek. “Hello, Uncle Boone.”
“Hello, sweeting. How are you?”
“Very well. Talon! It’s good to see you too.” Anemone seemed to recognize him, and he knew he’d met the young one before. But Jack and Dex had so many sweet dragons living in their quarters.
He bowed to her gently. “It’s also good to see you.”
She glanced back and forth between the two of them. “So, tell me, what’s going on?”
Talon glanced at Boone, who nodded gently in a smile, encouraging him. He took a deep breath and then let it out. “It’s my mate. He’s pregnant, and I don’t think he’s doing well.”
Anemone moved to take a seat on the couch. So they joined her, sitting down in the other chairs in the room. “I’m sorry to hear that, Talon. Can you tell me what his main problem seems to be?”
“He can’t keep any food down. He just keeps throwing up, and he’s getting skinnier and skinnier. He wasn’t well when he got here. He was very thin, and he had lost his heartstone. It took him a great deal longer than Kami did to recover, so I worried about that. But he had been locked in a tower for many years, so maybe that’s why.”
Anemone’s eyes widened, her eyes flashing with a metallic sheen for a moment. “Locked in a tower. Who would do such a thing?”
Boone rolled his eyes “You know as well as I do that the way of the old keeps, the grakke, can be terrible sometimes.”
“You’re right. I do know that. So now, however, he has a new heartstone.” She sat forward, hands on her knees, eyes on Talon’s face, reading his expression.
