Chapter 8
Stretching out on the bed, Brenin decided that he needed a nap for just a bit longer.He’d been sleeping well when he finally got to sleep, but he was making love to Lisa both at night and in the morning.He couldn’t believe that she seemed so energized in the morning when he was just dragging his butt.
He must be doing something wrong, was all he could figure out, or she was just in better shape than he was.Even his dragon seemed to be lazing about when they were around town.Getting up, he took a long, hot shower and got dressed, thankful for the magic that allowed him to dress as he wanted, or he’d be more tired.
Getting breakfast, Lisa was already hard at work on her paperwork.He ate his first meal of the day and dragged his butt to work.She asked him if he was all right, and all he could manage was a grunt to her.His entire body felt like it needed to be covered up with a heavy blanket and left alone to die.When he got to work, he didn’t even bother turning on his computer, but leaned his head back on his chair and closed his eyes.It was that or get nothing done, but looking at the screen without seeing anything.
Waking up once when his phone gave a short ring, he had not even bothered to turn the service over for him to pick up.Deciding that he was going to leave the service on for a while longer, he leaned back again and closed his eyes.He couldn’t believe how exhausted he was and thought that it had nothing to do with all the sex they were having.He just wouldn’t believe that a human woman could outdo him.
It was almost noon when he opened his eyes.He didn’t feel any better, but he had to go to the bathroom.As soon as he started to pee, he knew something was wrong with him.His urine was a bright rust color, and he was worried.Reaching out to Kings, the only one he knew that might know, he told him what was going on and how he was feeling.Then he told him about his urine being so bright.Like it was iron colored.
“I’m coming to you.I’ve read about something like this.It’s iron in your system.How’s your dragon feeling?”He said that he didn’t even know if he could shift right now; the two of them were so exhausted.“That’s not good either.I’ll be there in about ten minutes.I’m going to have Skye look something up for us in the books we have here.I’m also going to send Lady Earth to you.This sounds serious.”
The queen was in his office when he staggered his way there.He wanted Lisa there, too, but also didn’t want to worry her.If there was iron in his system, then it could mean death to both him and his dragon.Changing his mind, he asked Kings to pick up Lisa on the way, thinking that if he was dying, he wanted things to be said to his mate.
“It’s not just you that’s sick.It’s Ace too.He’s been done for the past two days.”Kings asked him to take off his shirt, and he did so.“See the markings here.Those red circles are the iron deposits in your bloodstream.We have to figure out a way to get it out of you.”
“I’m going to be sick.”He puked up all his breakfast and felt a little better.As soon as he held onto Lisa’s hand, he felt a little better, but he was going to die if they didn’t figure this out, and he didn’t want to.He’d just found his mate, and he was in love with her.What was Davy going to say when he couldn’t be a Savage because he’d died?“I don’t want to die.”
“I don’t want you to die either.”Lisa was crying as he held her.“Where did the iron come from?It’s not me.I read about iron in the body in one of those books that Skye gave me.Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“I thought it was just me.That I couldn’t keep up with you.”She smacked him on the arm, and he smiled.“Well, that’s the only thing that’s been different in my life.I’ve been having copiousamounts of sex with you.How bad is Ace?Did you know that we have a cup of tea every morning?I wondered why he’d not been around for the last couple of days.He must really be ill.”He felt himself fading again and held onto Lisa as tightly as he could.She was all he had in the world, and he was going to fade away with his dragon.Asking Lady Earth what he was to do now, she said that she was going to drain the iron from him and that should do the trick.At some point, he must have passed out because he woke once to see Lisa sobbing in the corner of the room.
“You’re dying, buddy.I had no idea that iron could do that to someone so quickly.Ace is about there, too.Lady Earth is doing all she can for the two of you, but it’s draining her as well.”He asked Kings to save Ace, as he was the mayor.“We’re going to save you both if we can.Now be quiet so that she can work on you.”
The world just faded away.All the colors first, then the items around the room.Reaching for Lisa, he held tightly to her hand and told her how much he loved her.It was getting more difficult to breathe, and he could hear his heart beginning to slow.Telling Lisa that he loved her once again, he felt himself just slipping away.
He woke once to so much pain that he nearly let go of his dragon.The pain for them both was nearly unbearable, and he wasn’t coping with it at all.When the world went dark again, it was all he could do not to sob like a small child; he hurt so badly.
Ace was lying next to him when he woke again.He knew that he was at his end when he couldn’t even lift his arm to hold onto Lisa.Nothing in his body was working, and it wasn’t until the Lady Earth put her hands on his chest that the unbearable pain came back.It was like he was in a nightmare of pain when she did that, and he didn’t have the strength to stop her from doing whatever she was doing.When he passed out this time, he wondered how much longer he was going to suffer before he was simply gone.Right now, the only thing holding him to this earth was the fact that he got to see Lisa when he opened his eyes.And that was well worth all the pain that he was enduring right now.He could no longer hold her in his arms, but he knew that she was close.He could smell her and her fear.It hurt his heart when he realized that he’d never be able to see his child born, and he was so happy for the chance to see Davy as his son.
Brenin couldn’t count the times that he was awakened by pain.Every time he woke up, he’d be so weak that he couldn’t cry out anymore.Lady Earth was trying her best, but he knew that at some point she was going to rest, and that would be soon.She was fading too, and he didn’t have the strength to tell her to stop what she was doing before it was too late for her as well.He never saw Ace again, moving his head was too difficult.But he knew that he was close.He hoped that he lived on.The man had done wonders for the little town that they lived in.
It was dark when he opened his eyes this time.He didn’t move, not that he could, but he just looked around with his eyes.He didn’t smell anyone in the room, but didn’t know if that ability had left him as well.He couldn’t even smell Lisa in the room with him and knew that she’d never leave him.
“You gave us quite a scare, Lord Brenin.”It was his faerie, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember his name.“Cup, sir.I’m Cup Cake.You call me Cup.”He nodded and was nearly sick again.“Just lie there and be quiet, sir.You’re on the mend now, and you should be resting to get stronger.”
“Lisa?”He was told she was beside him as she wouldn’t leave him.“Hurt.So much.”Cup seemed to understand and put her fingers to his forehead.He felt himself fading into sleep, but not like before.He was going to rest now, and he was getting better.He hoped so.He still didn’t want to die.
He woke up over the next few times he’d been resting.He didn’t know if it was days or hours, he just knew that he was feeling stronger.Once, he asked about Ace and was told that he was still out and would be for a while yet.Whatever that meant, they didn’t tell him that he was still dying, and he felt like he could rest better than before.As soon as Lisa touched him with her hands, he curled them up around his chest and held her.He was getting stronger but not out of the woods, yet he was told.
Kings was near the bed when he woke up again.He smiled at him, and he smiled back.He took his hand into his and told him that Lisa had been made to go to her room to rest, as she was going tobe sick if she didn’t.
“She didn’t want to, as you can well imagine, but I told her she was going to do you no good if she was down too when you needed her.Also, the faeries gave her a little bit of magic to make sure that she could rest well.I’ll say this again, they’re good to have around.”He asked about Ace.“He had more of the iron in his system than you did.”
“Did you figure out who was giving it to us?”He told him what they’d been able to find out.“So it was in the tea we were drinking.Tank didn’t like the taste, so it was all Ace and I could have of it.”
“It was for iron-poor blood.You guys were drinking it daily, and that was why it had been hard on your bodies.Since you were ingesting it slowly over time, it took a while for it to show up.If not for you mentioning the tea that you two drank in the morning together, we might not have been able to figure it out.The only thing that I have to say is read the labels from now on.It might well save your life.”
“I will.Christ, I’ve never felt like this before.”He said he’d appreciate it if he never felt that way again.“I promise you I’m going to be more careful about what I ingest from now on.”
“Good.”He must have fallen asleep again because when he woke up, Lisa was sitting in the chair that Kings had been in.
Taking her hand into his, he watched her as she slept.It was good to be able to see her again after all he’d been through, and he was glad that she was resting.He was going to need her to be healthy when he was up and around.He had a feeling that he was going to be weak for a while yet and was going to depend on her to be there for him.
“You look better.”He nodded and told her that he was feeling bad still, but was feeling better now.“I missed you.Kings made me take a nap.I’m glad that I did.I feel better, too.And just seeing you looking better makes me feel good too.”
“I was terrified that I was going to die.I had no idea that iron could do that to us.”She told him it was something else to blame on his parents.“I believe you’re right.Half of my lack of knowledge is because of them.I’m going to read those books that Kings has.I know that they’ll be helpful in all kinds of things.Who knew that a cup of tea in the morning with a good friend could cause so much damage to myself.”
