Five
Nolan
The couch was stillpulled out from last night, and I lowered Zamir into it, covering him with the blanket he hadn't used. Muffin and Clip were on him the moment I was done, and I stepped back, uncertain in a way I hadn't been in a long time.
Muffin licked Zamir's beard-covered cheek, whining when that didn't wake him, and Clip jumped onto the couch and covered him with her own body.
Then the cats arrived, and before long, all I could see of Zamir was his face, and his feet. The chickens—or the Murder Triplets, as he'd dubbed them—kept watch from the coffee table, cluckingonce in a while as they bent their heads this way and that. I had no idea what was going through their little minds, but it warmed my heart to see all of them surround my mate in this way. Somehow, they could sense the connection between us. Either that, or they sensed the goodness in Zamir.
A low groan pulled my gaze back to Zamir's face, and I watched as his eyelids fluttered, his lips moved without sound, and he made a soft sound of confusion.
His eyes opened, and he turned his head, his gaze catching mine. "Oh."
"Hey, Zamir," I murmured, then waited as his eyes went distant, as he recalled what had happened.
"Oh shit. I'm so sorry!" With care and an ease that said he was familiar with cats, he removed Pebble and Dots from his chest, placing them on the floor as Clip jumped off the couch on her own, freeing him to sit up. He scratched his beard, and his nose wrinkled when he encountered the evidence of Muffin's love. "I didn't mean to..."
"Faint?" I asked with a raised brow, leaving the armchair I'd settled in to perch my ass on the coffee table. The chickens flew up to the couch and stationed themselves on top of the backrest, eyes still firmly set on Zamir. I understood now why he insisted they were planning his murder.
Shooting them a wary look, Zamir shrugged at me, and I hoped he couldn't see the terror sloshing in my belly. When he'd lost consciousness, a thousand horrible scenarios had flashed through my mind. They were still there, in the back of my mind, and I knew I wouldn't get rid of them until I knew exactly why Zamir had fainted.
"Can I ask what happened?"
Zamir gazed at me for a long moment, then glanced away, ruffling Clip's fur as she slid between his legs and snuggled intohis stomach. Muffin whined, and Zamir smiled as he reached for her with his free hand. "It was nothing."
"It wasn't nothing, Zamir. I can barely sense you're a supe. You're too weak, which means something isn't right. Please tell me. I might be able to help."
Zamir sighed, and for a moment, I thought he might. But then his lips firmed into a thin line, and I knew he was going to be stubborn about this.
Then again, I had no right to ask him, did I? I hadn't told him we were mates, and it was obvious he didn't know. Why would he tell a stranger about his issues, no matter how helpful I'd been? I certainly wouldn't have if our roles were reversed.
If I told him the truth... maybe then he'd tell me. But if I did tell him the truth, that would be it. There would be no going back. If it turned out he had some supe sickness I didn't know about, if it turned out he was dying... I would lose another person I cared about.
I had a choice. I could either stop now, let him stay here until the Sanctuary's door opened up again, and then avoid him for as long as possible. Or I could tell him the truth, and deal with whatever came after. Maybe Zamir wanted nothing to do with me. The thought didn't fill me with relief like I thought it would.
"It's nothing. I'll be fine once I get back to the Sanctuary. I'm sure you have better things to do than worry about me. I'll get out of your hair," he said, and before I could think about it, I reached for him, clasping his wrist before he could get up.
"Zamir, wait."
His brows furrowed, dark brown eyes meeting mine as he settled back into the cushions. "Yeah?"
I didn't let go of his hand. I couldn't. "I don't, actually."
"You don't what?"
"I don't have anything better to do than worrying about you."
If possible, his brows wrinkled even more, forming deep creases on his forehead. "I don't understand."
"Zamir... you're my mate. I should've told you as soon as I knew, but I needed some time to... accept it."
"Because I'm a monster?"
I reared back, losing my grip on his hand. What the... why would he think that? And he'd said it like it was obvious... like it was a fact that he was amonster,when it couldn't be further from the truth.
"No! Hell, no." I shook my head, and promised myself that someday, I'd find out who was responsible for making my mate think this way. And if they were still around, I'd make them pay.
Ah, my dragon had reared up at last.
