Chapter Fifty-One

Celina

I’m woken to the sound of Chris screaming. I lurch to my feet, ready to attack whatever it is that is hurting him. He’s clawing at his skin. “What the hell is this?” Chris cries out, ripping out stitches with his claws.

I move to stop him but Ruben grabs me to stop me. “It’s too dangerous, Cel.”

“Do something,” I beg while I move to try again to stop him. Ruben yanks me back in time to avoid Chris’s claws before he hits me. He’s ripping out all of the wires attached to him, and his breathing tube. He’s going to hurt himself!

Ruben forces us another step back when Chris lurches to his feet; knocking the chair next to his bed over and kicking it toward us. Ruben lets me go to block it, and I seize the opportunity.

“Christopher!” I yell, hoping he will hear me as I launch myself at him; wrapping my arms around him and burying my face in his chest to protect it. Mercifully, he stops moving, trying to assess what is happening.

“Shit dude,” Ruben laughs, taking advantage of Chris’s stunned state, and walks closer to us. I hear the sound of Ruben peeling off the tape over Chris’s eyes. “Are you trying to kill us?”

Ruben and I hold still, holding our breaths to see what happens next. I feel Chris moving his head, and then a few moments later his face touches my head. I hear him take a deep breath and kiss the top of my head before speaking, “My Celina.”

I squeeze him tighter as I breathe in deeply, “Don’t scare me like that again.”

“Seriously, don’t,” Ruben agrees with a dark note in his voice. “You’re not dying again before Dad, and that’s not up for debate.”

“Dead?” Chris asks, sounding more confused than anything. “How long have I been dead?”

I shake my head in his chest, refusing to acknowledge that terrifying memory. Ruben answers for me. “Only for a few seconds. Celina got you back by doing CPR. Then help arrived and brought you to a nearby pack hospital. They got you stable enough to get back home. You’ve been in a coma for three weeks, my dude. It was the only way to keep you alive.”

“How-How am I alive?” Chris asks; his voice just above a whisper.

“Celina marked you again.”

“She can shift now?”

“No, she can’t.”

“Then how,” he asks, still not pulling away from me. He seems unwilling to let go of me. He keeps taking deep breaths and inhaling my scent. Considering his claws are retracted, and his arms are wrapped securely around me, I’m not going to complain.

“That, dear brother, is a story for another day. Now let your mate go, and get back into bed.” Ruben says this carefully; unsure how Chris will react.

Chris growls and tightens his grip on me. “Do you know the hell I just survived?”“Do you know what hell is about to happen to your body once the adrenaline wears off?” Ruben demands. “It’s not going to be pretty, and I doubt Celina wants to be crushed by you when your body eventually crashes.”

I feel Ruben’s hand brush my back when he tries to grab Chris’s arm. Chris growls and snags Ruben quickly. “Touch my mate again, and I will end you.” He lets go of Ruben after that and goes back to holding me.

“Chris, I’m not going anywhere,” I tell him, but it’s muffled against his chest.

“No, you’re not.” Chris agrees; tightening his grip again.

I grimace a little, starting to feel pain and having difficulty breathing. I feel that if I try to push myself out of his arms, it might make everything worse. Then again, if I pass out, it might put him over the edge too.

“Okay, if you won’t let your mate go, will you please sit on the bed?” Ruben compromised. “I’m not trying to lie to you, Chris. Once you have a chance to calm down, you’re going to crash. You’ve been in a three-week coma. Your system is fried.”

After a few moments of debate, he stiffly nods and moves toward his bed; still unwilling to change our positions. When I feel him bend, he pulls me with him; laying me on his chest while he clings to me. I really should have chosen a better position, if it was going to be this permanent.

I feel Chris stiffen when he takes another deep breath. “You’re in heat,” he tells me; nuzzling the top of my head.

“And you’re hurt,” I tell him simply as I gently pull away from him.

“How long have you been in heat,” he asks; ignoring me. His eyes rake over me. It’s not in lust, but more out of an innocent need. I understand his need considering the last time he laid eyes on me, and I on him when he was conscious.

Hesitantly, he touches one of my marks. “You’re really here, aren’t you?”

That confuses me. “Where would I be?”

He shakes his head. “For…three weeks I guess, I would relive my final moments over and over again. Every time I would touch you, you’d leave me.”

Well, that explains his behavior. I can’t stop the frown that comes on my face when I register his words. He’s been in Hell all this time. I grab his hand. “I wish I could have helped you sooner, but I’m here, and I always have. When I had to work, Ruben and Leroy would sit with you, so you were never alone.”

Chris doesn’t look away from me when he speaks, but I know it’s to Ruben. “Thank you for helping out Celina.”

Ruben chuckles. “I looked after you.” Ruben sits next to me. “With the number of people Celina discovered that still were sworn to Damian, we all thought it best that you were monitored at all times.”

I grimace while Chris’s eyes harden. “Celina found?”

Ruben doesn’t seem to catch the hard edge in his tone. “She’s gotten over a hundred. It’s amazing that we have any staff left.”

“Again, Celina found?” He asks, looking away from me.

Quickly, I touch his cheek, turning his head back to look at me. “Leroy was with me, or Xander or Ruben. I was never alone with any of them.”

Ruben scoffs. “Celina was the one to find them. Her aura personally made it impossible for them to hide. Only after they were discovered, Damian killed them immediately.”

Chris growls. “And him?”

I shake my head. “We don’t know. I haven’t seen him since that night.”

“Let’s move on from that topic for now,” Ruben says quickly. “How are you feeling? I mean, you did just get poisoned.”

Chris grimaces. “Sore and weak.”

Assessing his answer, I nod. “It’ll be a little bit until it’s fully out of your system. Maybe a few months. You’re going to need to relearn how to fully shift again, and it’ll be a while before you have your full strength.”

A smirk creeps on my face as I cock my head. “It looks like you’re the one we’re going to have to be careful with now.” I wink as I look at Ruben. He’s grinning and has his arms folded; he’s enjoying himself. “What time is it?”

“About that time,” he answers while flashing me his phone. Nine a.m.

“Shit!” I hiss then give him pleading eyes. “Ruben-”

“Oh no,” he says quickly; cutting me off. “No. You can’t cancel it again.”

“Then please go in my stead,” I beg.

“No.” He shakes his head. “I’ll watch Chris and take over the rest of your meetings today, but you can’t skip this one.”

I stick my tongue out at him and then turn my attention back to Chris. “I have to go, but I will be back in less than two hours. Have Ruben send out the guard if I don’t come back.”

His eyes look sullen before looking me over. “What is so pressing today?”

I grimace, “I’m meeting my mother and Mia. We’re finalizing things for the coronation. It’s in three weeks.”

He raises his eyebrow and smirks. “You’re planning your coronation?”

I give him a dirty look. “No, my mother is planning it with Mia. I’m just picking out what I want it to look like, and stuff like that.”

“So you are planning it.”

“I prefer to think of it as directing,” I tell him before standing up. Slowly, I lean toward him, but Chris beats me to it. He grabs my waist and pulls me into his arms. Within a breath, his lips are on mine. My entire body melts into him while my mouth works with his. The heat in my body triples and my core wettens; eager to fill its insatiable need.

Hungerly, I push into him while his hands trail down my back. He’s a little tense in his chest, so I shift slightly so I’m not fully on top of him. His hands dig into my waist before moving them up my shirt.

“Cool it you two,” Ruben says quickly before grabbing my shoulders and pulling me back. “You, go take a cold shower.” He tells me while Chris glowers at his brother. Ruben ignores him and shoves me toward the door. “You’re going to be late, and I really don’t think he should do any physical activity until he’s evaluated by a doctor.”

“So?”

“Do you really want to see how your mother reacts this time if you miss another meeting?” He asks; folding his arms while he challenges.

I wince, remembering her barging in on an interview I had with a potential new council member. Dad was more pissed than I was, but it was still highly embarrassing. “Not really,” I concede.

I poke my head around Ruben and blow the pouting Chris a kiss. I give him a wink, “I’ll be back in two hours. Maybe less.” I look him over; seeing how tense he is and I know it’s because I’m away from him. “Definitely less. Help him shower, Ruben. Thank you!”

Before he has a chance to respond, I turn on my heel and sprint toward my room. My mother is going to kill me if I’m late again. Besides, the faster I get there, the quicker I can get back to Chris.