The flirtatious healer, who had the nerve to act all meek and pliant in front of Theodore, soon enough announced to the couple what they already knew. “You are indeed with child,” she said.
Theodore rolled his eyes at her. He didn’t need a healer to tell him he was going to be a father.
“And the morning sickness you’re experiencing, princess, is mostly due to the fact that you have probably not been eating properly.”
Emily pouted at that. “What can I say? Cravings!”
“It’ll be all better in a couple of weeks at most,” Shirly declared.
“A couple of weeks?!” Emily gasped. “But what about college?”
Shirly’s eyes turned almost murderous at that. “You are with child, princess,” she said in a clipped tone. “You should know better where your priorities lay. And let’s not forget your royal standing.” Emily’s shoulders slumped in defeat at that and she released a heavy sigh. “Besides, a pregnant she-dragon is a volatile one.”
“I am aware of all that,” she said tiredly, and was probably about to say more but then rushed out of there – right to the bathroom where she got violently sick.
“Isn’t there anything that can be done?” Theodore asked as he looked at the closed bathroom door.
“I’d say that she needs to drink rosemary-based infusions,” she suggested. “It doesn’t taste great but it’s quite efficient.”
“Noted,” he nodded at her. “Kindly see yourself out Shirly.”
And as he was about to head to the bathroom and check up on his mate, his old paramour stood in front of him, blocking his path.
“Is there something you need?” He asked, an eyebrow raised in question.
She looked defiantly into his eyes, her thin lips set into a pout.
“Don’t you feel anything for me anymore?”
What was she on about? Wasn’t his love for his sweet Emily obvious for all to see?
“When did I ever?” Theodore knew his words were harsh, but he needed the healer to get this into her thick skull.
He made the mistake of walking past her in the direction of the bathroom.
“Forgive me, Theo,” was all she said as she injected him in the neck with something, knocking him out, right into her awaiting arms.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
After getting herself cleaned up, Emily emerged from the bathroom. She found Theodore laying on the sofa, eyes closed, perspiration on his forehead, his head resting on the all too persistent healer’s lap.
“What’s the matter?” She asked in alarm as she approached his unconscious form.
The healer glared at her with a hostility not even the queen herself showed her.
“You don’t belong by his side,” she spat out at her. “You never did.”
Emily raised an eyebrow at that. “Your words or his?”
“You had him fooled with your innocent-like demeanor. I can understand the appeal, but you will never be enough for a man like Theodore.”
Emily crossed her arms at that. “I’m going to ask that you leave the estate at once,” she said sternly no matter how tired she was.
The woman’s giggle was downright ugly and halfway scary.
Emily didn’t know why but she had a feeling that something was wrong – so very wrong.
Indeed, why would an absurdly healthy Theodore pass out so suddenly?
“What did you do?” She growled at her at long last.
“What nobody had the guts to do obviously,” his old lover said. “I am going to make him open his eyes to the truth.”
They were talking in circles. What was she on about? Emily was starting to get a headache. “And what truth would that be?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” she winked at her.
When Emily reached out her hand to stroke her mate’s face, Shirly had the audacity to slap her hand away.
“Do not touch him so casually,” she bit out. “You are unworthy of him.”
“And you deserve him perhaps?” Emily retorted on a scoff of disbelief.
“I am the only woman who lasted an entire month in his bed,” Shirly countered proudly. “And I needed no flimsy mate bond to bind him to me.”
Her words shouldn’t get to Emily, and yet they did for some reason. Had she not been his mate, he wouldn’t have spared her a second glance…
“Mate bond or not, he and I love one another dearly,” Emily’s eyes turned a fiery red.
“We’ll see how long you’ll stay around here then,” the woman taunted unblinkingly.
Emily then grabbed his hand and to her shock, the sparks were faint – almost nonexistent.
What was happening? What did this damned healer do?
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Theodore woke up, groaning. He felt like his head was a maze in which he himself was getting lost. Something felt wrong. He didn’t know what or who, but he knew that there was something off.
He opened his eyes, and found a beautiful albeit pale-faced brunette kneeling by the side of the sofa he was laying on.
He was about to straighten up when two hands shot out to keep him down.
“Easy, tiger,” Shirly – his healer of a paramour was here. Why was she here though? What brought her to his estate? She rarely ever left the palace.
And most importantly who was this beautiful brunette looking at him with worry painted on her face?
There was also indescribable sadness swirling in the depths of her green eyes. Was something wrong with her?
But then again, when did both women arrive at the estate?
He didn’t know. And although some part of his mind said that it was fishy, he didn’t voice out his concern.
His only question was when he freed himself of Shirly’s hold on him, “Who are you?”
The brunette was obviously taken aback. Tears sprang to her eyes.
“As far as jokes go, this isn’t a good one, Theo,” she said in between sniffles.
He frowned at that.
She was far too intimate with him, calling him Theo. Who was she? Why didn’t he recall her at all when she obviously knew him?
“I am very much serious, woman,” he said through gritted teeth, squashing down the faint urge to go to this woman and console her. He had never been good with crying women.
“My name’s Emily Nill,” she said with a smile that was nearly painful to look at. “Doesn’t my name ring a bell?”
“Should it?”
A sob escaped her at that. And he almost – almost – reached out to hug her.
What was wrong with him?
Shirly let out a noncommittal sound at that, and was soon enough saying, “Don’t bother, Theo. This woman is a mythomaniac. You’ll see that she’d even dare claim to be your mate.” She shook her head in disapproval. “Possibly say she’s with child too. She’s just one of those women desperate for your attention…”
He glared at the sobbing Emily and then said in a tone that brokered no argument, “Who are you? And what are you doing in my estate?
Despite being a she-dragon, it seemed like she had never been a subject to his powerful domineering aura, or that his name and title didn’t mean a lot to her.
Instead of cowering back in fear and crying for mercy, she shivered and soon enough a sweet scent of arousal reached his nose.
He inhaled deeply, feeling proud to have such an effect on this stranger for some reason, and then looked at her with more suspicion.
“Who are you? Or better yet, who sent you?”