A strange sense of relief rolled through Alex. He had never been one to enjoy physical contact from anyone. Usually, it made his dragon cranky, but this… this comforted him. The simple touch gave him the strength he needed to stand there, helpless, as others tried to fix what was wrong with his mate. He shifted so his side was more solidly against Michael. The fingers at his shoulder tightened as the sounds of the scene behind him intensified.
“Kyle,” Carissa’s voice was heavy with concern, “she’s caught between forms. Can you push her all the way to dragon?”
“I can try…”
Alex bit his lip, drawing blood, as he listened to the king attempt to force Terra into full dragon form. Michael’s hand clamped down harder when Terra moaned in pain. Alex shifted, trying to keep from turning around. His dragon was roaring to protect his mate, but he knew they were trying to help her.
“She won’t go.” The concern in Kyle’s voice met Alex’s ears.
Carissa made a worried noise. “Let me try.”
The seconds ticked by at an agonizing rate as Alex listened to the king and his sister work to help Terra. He stood there with clenched fists, listening to his mate moan in pain as they tried to force her into a full shift. Magic tingled along his back as Carissa worked. Slowly, the sounds of Terra’s distress subsided.
Did they fix her? The thought passed through Alex’s mind, and he turned his head to glance back over his shoulder. Terra was back to her full human state. Michael’s hand stayed on his shoulder as Alex turned around to face the bed.
A soft moan rose from Terra, and her eyelids fluttered open, then closed again.
Hope squeezed Alex’s heart as he dropped to her side and took up her hand. “Terra?” he called to her.
Her eyes blinked a few times, unfocused, before finding him. There was confusion there, but she smiled as she recognized him.
Joy filled him as she squeezed his hand. Mine! was okay. Now, if they could just find a way to keep her that way.
Ouch. Terra wasn’t sure what she had been doing, but every part of her hurt. A soft tingle ran along her nerves, driving the pain back to a dull ache. As the hurt subsided, her consciousness slowly returned. She tried to open her eyes, but the bright light of the white room drove a moan of pain from her, and she closed them again. Movement on her left drew her attention, and warmth enveloped her hand.
“Terra?”
She knew that voice. Slowly, her weary mind kicked in and gave it a name. Alex. Blinking to clear her vision, she turned towards the source of the warmth and sound. There he was, holding her hand. A warm smile crept across her face as she took him in. Something inside of her purred with delight that he was there. Her eyes traced over his kneeling form, and her smile widened. “You’re naked again,” she teased him weakly.
Joy flashed across his face, and he stood up to sit on the edge of her bed. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her in against his chest in a fierce hug. “Mine!” he whispered into her hair.
A contented rumble echoed up between them, surprising Terra. She pulled back from him, shocked at that sound. For a second, she thought the noise had come from him. It sounded like something he would make, but the vibration had rattled up from her own chest. She placed a hand over her sternum as the noise continued. What the hell?
Sympathy filled Alex’s eyes as he reached out and caressed her face. “We will figure this out.”
“Alex.”
The soft sound of a woman’s voice drew Terra’s attention away from Alex and her new issue. Fear raced through her, and she clutched at Alex’s arm. A beautiful woman stood next to the bed. Her golden hair was pulled up and held in place by a pair of bronze sticks. The woman’s long dress was casual, but there was an elegant air to her that told Terra she was someone important. A man dressed in a button-down shirt stood behind her. He was taller but had the same golden hair and elegant air. Something about this pair pulled at the back of Terra’s mind, but she just couldn’t place them.
“Hello, Terra,” the woman said with a gentle smile. “Just relax; we’re here to help.”
Some tension in Terra’s chest unwound at the woman’s calming voice, and the fear that had been racing through her eased as the woman went on.
“My name is Carissa, and this is my brother, Kyle.” Carissa waved to the man behind her. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but we’re going to help you figure it out.”
At a loss for words, Terra glanced at Alex. Taking the nod he gave her as encouragement, Terra turned back to Carissa and asked the question she wanted to know the answer to. “What’s going on?”
Carissa let out a long sigh and sat on the edge of the bed. “That’s what we’re trying to find out. How do you feel?”
How do I feel? Terra pondered that question for a moment. Up until Carissa had asked it, Terra had felt fine. A little tired, maybe, but now, not so much. The more she thought about it, the more it felt like something was moving under her skin.
“Weird,” she answered, unable to explain the sensation. Something brushed against her mind, making her gasp. She dropped her head to her hand as a wave of fright and pain rolled through her, making her head spin.
Alex clutched her against his chest, and the sensation changed. The pain was still there, but need chased out the fright, and she clung to Alex as if her life depended on it. She needed Alex, but not in a physical way. Her soul needed him. This new sensation brought the fear and confusion back, and her hold on Alex tightened.
“Relax,” the man Carissa had introduced as Kyle said soothingly. “He’s not going anywhere.” He brushed his hand down Terra’s shoulder, and some of the tension and fear eased again.
A soft vibration rumbled up from Alex’s chest. “I will never leave you again,” he purred.
“But you will have to turn her loose,” Carissa said. “We can’t help her with you there.”
Alex growled.
Terra smiled at the possessive tone of the noise. It made whatever curled inside of her happy.
“Alexander,” the tone Kyle took with him held a stern warning.
Another angry growl rumbled out of Alex, but he reluctantly released Terra.
No! the thing curled up in her chest protested, don’t leave me! A whimper slipped out before Terra could stop it.
“I’ll be right here,” Alex promised as he laid a kiss on the side of her head and stood up away from her. He squeezed her hand for a second longer before dropping it to the bed.
Terra wanted to say that it was fine, she didn’t need him to hold her, but the thing curled up inside of her had other ideas. It roared in distress. The sound came out of her, scaring her. Pain raced along her nerve endings as heat burned through her. An anguished cry slipped out as something pushed against her skin, trying to force its way out. Immediately, hands were on her, holding her down. The burning and pain subsided, leaving her gasping for breath. Her skin hurt, and tears blurred her vision. She blinked them away, but something was wrong with her vision. The world was too sharp, and the colors were off.
“Terra?” Alex’s soft voice called to her.
Turning her head, she looked at him. Her vision was still funky, but she could see the worry on his face. That thing inside her squirmed with the desire to comfort him. White-hot pain shot through her, making her scream again. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the pillow and gasped for air. A soft thump on her bed drew her attention, and she cracked an eye to see what was going on.