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It took every muscle in my body not to roll my eyes. There weren’t words to describe how completely uninterested I was in doing anything of the sort.
I felt bad for the woman. It wasn’t likeshewas plotting to try to seduce me. She was just caught up in the whims of her parents, no more able to say no to them than I was able to refuse returning to Merrik. It made for some pretty concerning implications about consent, but I chose not to worry about it. Felicity and I were never going to be an item, regardless.
“Apologies, but I just don’t think I’ll be able to find the time within my schedule,” I said flatly before moving on, pointedly ignoring how purple-faced the man looked.
I continued to listen to my father drone on with some of his advisors about fealty pledges, and wondered if I could sneak in a run like I used to when I was younger. Maybe I could even convince Ayla to shed her human form for a bit and enjoy the fresh air on her face. Goodness knew she deserved it.
That idea was what sustained me until the meeting was over and I could go find her. I went to the library first, surprised to find Darla curled on a pile of books while Aodin sat on a desk, swinging his legs.
What the fuck happened?
“Prince Nikolai!” Aoden said, pointing a Thermos at me, which sounded empty. “You’ve come to join us. Care for a drink?” He looked down, then frowned. “Wait, I don’t have a cup for you.”
“That’s all right,” I said. “Do you happen to know where Ayla is?”
“Um… not entirely, but I do know a fox came to fetch her.”
A fox? I knew who it was, and if I had to guess, Ayla was likely back at the infirmary. My stomach twisted. If I had it my way, we wouldn’t have to visit that hall ever again during our time in Merrik.
But I made my way there, and sure enough, Ayla was inside, huddled in a group of two other healers and looking at some clipboards.
“Hey, is everything all right?” I said, approaching.
“Prince Nikolai,” the male healer said, jumping to the side. I figured he wasn’t a shifter, considering the other two there were much calmer. “To what do we owe the honor?”
“Just came to check on one of my people who has a habit of overdoing it,” I said, eyeing Ayla fondly. Instead, a grim expression settled on her features, letting me know things weren’t good.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said, sounding so utterly drained. I rapidly figured out no, it was not a good time for a run.
Dammit, what was happening now?
“Why? What’s going on?”
“A sickness is starting to make its way around the palace staff.”
My heart skipped a beat. “It’s not—”
“No, it’s not what Mad Dog had,” she said. “It’s not as violent, and so far not as lethal. Mostly poor stomach, dehydration, andsome bad headaches. But it concerns me so many shifters are sick right after everything else that’s happened.”
It wasn’t entirely unusual for a shifter to occasionally fall ill, but enough simultaneously that the infirmary staff was concerned? That was certainly telling.
Already, I could tell Ayla was blaming her curse, and I wished for one gods’ cursed moment we could have a break from the weight of it. There was no telling if she was right or not, but I wished there could be one time where I could tell her for certain the malignant shadow haunting her didn’t have a hand in the pain that so often came with our journeys.
“I take it you’re going to be here a while, then?” I said, trying not to sound disappointed. The healing staff knew all about us but were decent enough to keep it to themselves. I didn’t know if it was because they were too busy to gossip or perhaps afraid of my mate, but either way, I appreciated it.
“Actually,” the female healer said. “You’re caught up on everything we have. Why don’t you take some time to yourself while we run more tests?”
Ayla chewed her lip, looking torn. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. You’ve been here for several hours. It won’t do you good to sit around.”
“Besides,” the male pitched in. “If things get worse, we’d prefer to have you recharged and fully rested.”
“All right, then,” Ayla said, finally handing back the clipboard I hadn’t realized she’d had a death grip on. “If you’re sure.”
“We are.”
Yeah, I owed the entire infirmary staff something nice. I wasn’t sure what yet, but I’d figure it out.
