Faith hovered near the bed, her fingers on Grace’s wrist. “Is this her first episode of hypotension with concomitant bradycardia?”
Adare shook his head. Sometimes he forgot that Grace’s sister was a world-famous neurologist. “What?”
Faith released Grace. She was taller than Grace, and her mahogany hair was straight instead of curly, but they shared similar bone structure. “What has been happening with my sister?”
“I don’t know. I tried to awaken her on the transport here, but she’s out.” As if she were in a coma.
Faith looked at Emma, concern bright in her gaze. “We need an MRI.”
“Let’s bring her out of it first to get some answers.” Emma opened a drawer and pulled out a syringe. “Pure adrenaline—the immortal kind. This should do it.” She turned and plunged the liquid into Grace’s arm.
Grace gasped and sat up, her eyes wide. She slapped a hand against her chest and took several deep breaths, looking around the room and focusing on Adare. “Ah, shit.”
“Nicely put,” the queen said dryly.
Relief flooded Adare so fast he couldn’t speak. So much for having no emotions. Then anger spiraled in faster than a hurricane, and he thought it better not to say anything. Right now.
“So.” Faith pressed both hands on her hips. “You lied.”
Grace blanched. “I didn’t lie so much as decide to tell you in person.”
“Tell her what, Grace?” Adare’s voice was so garbled it surprised even him.
Grace shifted her weight on the bed, drawing her legs up to sit cross legged. “I haven’t been feeling so well lately, and I lost the ability to heal myself.”
Adare straightened. “You once had the ability?” At her nod, he didn’t move. She had lied to him. Exceptionally well. Just who was this female? Whatever showed on his face had her wincing and looking away.
Faith grabbed the back of Grace’s shirt and pulled it up.
Grace grasped the bottom of the shirt in front to keep herself covered. “Faith? Knock it off.”
Faith’s face turned pale and she angled her head, looking at Grace’s back. “The marking is almost gone.”
What? Adare shoved off his chair and strode around the side of the bed, forcing the queen to jump out of his way. He looked down at the perfect imprint of his marking across Grace’s back. It was several shades lighter than it should have been. Sure, the one on his hand had faded, too, but that was to be expected after it had been transferred. It should never have faded on Grace. “I don’t understand.”
Grace pushed her sister away, red blooming across her face as she pulled her shirt back down.
Faith pulled a guest chair over and dropped into it. “You said the marking had stabilized.”
Apparently Grace had lied to everybody. Adare retook his seat, watching her as if he’d never seen her before. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because there wasn’t anything you could do,” Grace said quietly, gesturing toward the several manila files spread across the counter. “Those must be my medical records. Right, Emma?”
Emma nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been reading through them.” She pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. “Your mating was unconventional, to say the least. We never knew what the consequences would be.” Two of the machines buzzed across the room, and Emma hustled over to a printer that began spitting out documents. She gathered several and read them, recrossing the room to the other records. “Huh. Interesting.”
Adare growled.
Emma looked up. “Oh. Sorry.” She turned toward Grace. “As you know, when an enhanced human mates an immortal, her chromosomal pairs increase from those of a human at twenty-three to those of a mate at twenty-seven pairs, thus granting immortality, except in the case of beheading or extreme fire.”
Grace nodded.
Emma read the page in front of her. “We tested you right after the mating, and your pairs did increase. However, now they’re decreasing. You’re at twenty-five right now. It’s sort of like you’re unraveling from within.”
Grace frowned. “That’s what it feels like.”
Adare had to keep a calm head. He’d lose his temper later. “Because we didn’t have sex during mating? That’s why?”
Emma bit her lip. “There’s more to a mating than sex and an exchange of bodily fluids. It’s a bonding of some sort beyond the physical and one we can’t quantify or understand, really.”
